Laundering (Linen- Soft Wash Finish)

With a minimum amount of proper care, the natural beauty of linen is easily maintained. Linen is the strongest natural fibre known to man, and of all textile fibres is the one which is washes best. The more linen is washed the softer it becomes.  Linen increase in strength when wet, which is why it stands up to the rough and tumble of repeated laundering so well.

Laundering:

  1. White linen articles without special finishes may be washed at 95°
  2. Follow the detergent manufacture’s instructions. Heavy stains may require rubbing and soaking with stain removers. (follow manufactures instructions.)
  3. Avoid using bleach as a cleansing agent. (This is any natural fibres worst enemy. Misuse can significantly degrade and weaken the fibre. 
  4. Avoid detergents which contains Optical Brightening Agents ( O.B.A.) as they may cause colour to alter slightly. O.B.A. is particularly damaging to natural unbleached linens.
  5. Do not exceed 40° wash cycle, otherwise the higher temperature will set the stains rather than remove them, and may also cause damage to the garments themselves.
  6. Do not overfill the washing machine with garments, if the ration of detergent and water to garments is too low, dirt can be redeposited.
  7. Fabric conditioners are recommended, but not for stained fabrics as fabric softeners can build up a film on the fibre and can prevent the washing process from penetrating filaments and dislodging dirt.
  8. Coll tumble drying is recommended for a soft finish.

Drying

Tumble-dry John England linen on a cool setting. Over-drying the fibres makes ironing more difficult. Linen naturally dries quickly on the line but will not be as soft.

Ironing

For a structured/ formal finish always iron linen when damp, first on the wrong side to eliminate creases and then on the right side if you wish to enhance the fabric’s natural sheen. There is no need to use starch except perhaps for the finest linens, for linen has built-in crispness. If the linen has already dried out before ironing, use a water spray to re-dampen it. A good stream iron will work best on linen.

Dry-cleaning

There is no real need to go to the trouble of dry cleaning John England Irish linen as it launders well unless it has linings sequins or embellishment. However, dry cleaning does not use water and as a result shrinkage is kept to a minimum on unwashed fabric.

When dry cleaning the standard process should be used. Ask your dry cleaner for advice beforehand. 

Dry Cleaning Symbol for Linen

For clothes that are dry clean only, the circle has a letter , “p” inside it.

Additional info: Laundering John England Linen – Wool, Alpaca and Delicates:

With a minimum amount of proper care, John England’s wool, alapaca, silk and delicates weaves can retain their fabulous look, feel and drape. Do not exceed 30 degrees and select a short wash cycle, otherwise the higher temperature will set stains rather than remove them, will over felt wool and alpaca, and may also cause damage to the garments themselves. For example select a wool wash at 20 degrees C cool tumble drying is recommended.  Linen fibre combination fabrics naturally dry quickly anyway on the line.