Washing a linen dress

Linen is a high-quality natural material, quite durable, with outstanding temperature-regulating and hygienic properties. Linen clothing is suitable for any time of year, but it's especially popular for summer dresses. Washing linen doesn't harm it at all, and the material only improves over time: it becomes softer and more comfortable to wear. However, it's important to wash a linen dress properly and follow a few simple rules to ensure it truly brings joy to the wearer.

Automatic washing

It's best to wash linen items on the most delicate cycles, which, fortunately, modern washing machines offer in abundance. These cycles go by different names, but the basic principle is the same: low washing temperatures. When washing undyed linen, water temperatures up to 60 degrees Celsius are acceptable, but for colored linen, the maximum is 40 degrees Celsius.

Also, when washing linen in a washing machine, it is essential to turn on an additional rinse cycle, since the fabric is porous and detergent residues settle on it. The drum should be filled to 2/3 of its capacity, as linen absorbs water and increases in weight and volume during washing. Due to the texture of the fabric, it should be spun at the lowest speed to avoid creasing and to make subsequent ironing easier.

Traditional washing

Hand washing a linen dress is the safest cleaning method, as the risk of damage is minimal and the wearer has complete control over the process. However, certain rules must still be followed.

• Fill a basin with hot water. If the dress is undyed linen, heat it to 60 degrees Celsius; if it's dyed, heat it to no more than 30-40 degrees Celsius to prevent shrinkage.
• Add detergent. Liquid gels are best, as they dissolve better and are easier to rinse out of the fibers.

If you do use loose powder, first dissolve it in a small amount of water separately, and then pour it into the washing container, stirring thoroughly.

• After washing linen, rinse it thoroughly with warm water. Conditioners, conditioners, and other similar laundry products are not recommended for washing linen, either in the washing machine or by hand. In fact, they will make the garment softer and more pleasant to the touch. So, feel free to use them.

Remove moisture and iron

There aren't any major special considerations when drying and ironing linen items, but there are plenty of minor nuances. Ignoring them won't cause any harm, but it's best to follow them.

To dry the item, you need to straighten it out and lay it out on a horizontal surface or hang it on a drying rack. Dry naturally, away from direct sunlight, in a well-ventilated, cool place. Sunlight dries out fabric fibers, making them brittle and fragile. The same applies to wringing. If you wring and twist the garment too much, ironing out the resulting creases will be very difficult. Therefore, spinning in a washing machine contraindicated.

Important! You can and should iron linen. Either leave it slightly underdry or use the steam setting on an already dry fabric.

Overdried linen can be revived with steam. Use either an iron or a steamer on high power. If creases appear, simply go over them again with the steamer, more thoroughly, until they are completely removed.

   

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