A few helpful hints about French fine linen
applicable to white :
cotton, hemp, "métis", linen and pure linen
ONLY !
CLEANING
Unused, never-washed items
For all new items, it is advisable to let them soak for a minimum of
12 hours before the first wash. Prepare hot water and ensure any non-caustic
soaps are spun out before putting your item in the bath. Rinse several times
to get rid of any soda. It is also advisable to wash items by hand for the
first few times to avoid any threads breakage : putting this sort of linen
into the washing machine can weaken the threads. After the second or third
hand wash, using a washing machine should not be a problem, however do select
low spin speeds.
Normal condition
I always use the washing machine.However, in order to avoid rubbing
between textiles that could wear them prematurely, make sure you do not overload
the machine. For cotton, hemp, "métis", linen and pure linen
I always use the maximum temperature possible (boil wash) : it makes the linen
whiter and does not damage textiles (in the olden days, people always used
to do it that way !).
Fragile condition
The best solution is hand washing. For small items you can sometimes
use a textile bag to wrap them in and put them however in the washing machine.
I always put small items in a white cotton sock thus preventing the fabric
from being pulled about during washing.
DRYING
I do recommend open air drying outside instead of machine drying !
It saves energy : it smells much better for those are lucky enough to live
in the country or fairly unpolluted cities, and it makes the linen whiter
: there is nothing else like the sun to make whiten fine linen (all linen
!). It does not cost a thing and is very efficient -probably more effective
than bleach-. For this reason, if you have a garden, you can lie your linen
out on the grass for the whole day in the sun and will notice how white it
is afterwards (Just make sure there are not too many birds flying overhead
or weeping willows around !...) : This was the way to whiten sheets several
centuries in France even for the ones before they were sold. (This only stopped
in the 70s)!! I should add that it is the sun AND the water combined that
whiten linen, so it is a good idea to dampen linen lying in the sun several
times. Grass itself does not do anything, it is just the fact that linen lying
on the ground has better exposure to the sun and benefits from the dampness
of the dew.
IRONING
The first secret
is never to let your item dry completely : 70 to 80 % dry is enough because
the drier it is, the more it will crumple and it will not be possible to push
the iron hard enough to make the creases disappear. So the best way to do
it is to iron when the item is damp and then let it dry completely then iron
one last time and then fold. If in certain places the textile is too dry,
use another piece of fabric (like an old cloth), dampen it and put it over
the textile to iron and then iron on it. This applies
especially to linen and pure linen because flax is well known for creasing
very easily !!!
I recommend you make a few tests of your own, ironing linen of varying
degrees of dampness to see how easy (or not) it is to iron...
The second secret is to stretch the fabric in order
to restore it to its former shape
The third secret for a beautiful result after ironing,
especially if there is raised satin stitched embroidery, is to iron on the
reverse side of the textile, with a thick cover on the ironing board (a few
millimetres thick).
The fourth secret is, when ironing, to push and pull
at the same, and with both hands. You push with the hand that is holding the
iron and you pull with the other one : this allows the fabric to be stretched
therefore avoiding creases, non-flat areas and makes the embroidery well spread
out so every details can be seen and appreciated !
The fifth
secret is, when you have several items of the same shape (like napkins, towels,
...) iron everything flat, then fold . This enables you to get the same shape
at the end of your pile.(do not iron and then fold, iron and then fold, etc..)
Use a very high temperature when ironing pure linen items (I could not say
how many degrees but...) you should be able to find an indication on your
pressing iron (this will be the highest setting) I do use this temperature.
However I never leave the pressing iron at this temperature without ironing
because when I start again, it will have become too hot. Textiles really do
not appreciate this and will go rather yellow. This is not what we are aiming
for !!!
It is also advisable to lower the temperature when the cloth is very
thin as with batiste or lawn.
REMOVING STAINS
The characteristics of old linen are that they are old and ...have
old stains or dust ! So the first line of attack is : soak them ! one or two
days using hot water to begin with and soluble soda or soap !
Bleach can be used well diluted in water (it is best to use less bleach
and soak for longer). There are also products available for whitening old
linen during soaking : I imagine each country has its own company selling
these products : I have heard there is "Oxy-Clean" in England, in
France we have "Blanc Nuclear".
After soaking, use a hot wash and the sun ! Subsequent washes should
do the rest.
Blood stains are very difficult to remove, even with supermarket products.
The best solution I know of is to use cold water to dilute the blood as soon
as possible : never use hot water ! Subsequent washes (sometimes up to 8)
should do the rest !
There is a specialised product for rust stains but effectiveness varies
according to brand: Personnally, I only use "Rubigine" (a French
product) and nothing else.
STORAGE
Fine linen has many enemies :
1. Dampness : avoid places that retain or collect water
2. Mice : avoid places that are visited by these
beasties with long teeth !
3. Light : avoid places where your fine linen
will be in the sun all day long
4. Sodas : avoid washes without sufficient rinsing because over time
and with storage this will cause holes, many holes !
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My Clients' solutions'
Corner
("best of" under none's responsability, so please
check before using these tips on valuable cloth !!)
Norma, January 31st 2007
Dear Dominique,
I just read the care instructions. Very good information.
I have three little hints that you may not have heard. I know that these work
pretty well on cotton, and think perhaps they would also be good on linen.
Fresh blood--the saliva of the person whose blood it is will help to remove
the stain. Sometimes if it is a big stain, it will take a lot of salivating
to get enough spit to cover the stain. It is the enzymes in the saliva that
do this. Best done in private.
Rust stain: Place the item on the grass in the sun. Make a little mound of
salt on the stain and moisten it with fresh squeezed lemon juice. Let it dry
in the sun and brush off. It should be a lot lighter. Can repeat. Then wash.
I remember reading years ago about how to get out a coffee stain--fasten the
stain over a sieve, taut. Place over the sink and pour boiling water from
a height of one foot.
Wonderful the things people used to know and do before detergents and washing
machine.
When I was a child my mother would boil our cotton sheets and my father's
white shirts in a big black iron kettle in the yard over a wood fire with
soap in the water. Then she would remove them with a wooden mop handle and
rinse them and then we hung them in the sun. After she got a washing machine
nothing ever looked so white again.
Yours,
Norma
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