Linen is a soft, pleasant to the touch fabric. A wide variety of products are sewn from it, including linen dresses. If you became the owner of one of them, then be sure to familiarize yourself with the rules of care for this thing. It is especially important to know how to wash a linen dress, as linen can be ruined by improper washing.
What you need to know
Linen belongs to the category of delicate fabrics, if it does not contain artificial fibers. It is preferable to wash a linen dress by hand, using cool water for this. Washing in a washing machine is permissible only in the “careful” mode.
The right choice of washing powder is important. For linen material, powders with a low percentage of foaming agent and without oxygen bleach are suitable. Such detergents wash away dirt without having a detrimental effect on cellulose, which is used in the structure of linen fabrics.
White linen clothes have one feature: over time, yellow spots appear on them from long storage in closed closets. To avoid such a nuisance, you should sometimes air things by taking them out of the closet.
Machine wash
If you risked washing a linen dress in a washing machine, set it up correctly:
- Mode “for delicate fabrics”, “gentle” or “careful”, see how it is marked on your equipment.
- Spinning is strictly prohibited! This mode is not used for delicate washing. The water should drain on its own.
- Automatic drying – disable. Linen wrinkles a lot, and it is difficult to straighten the fabric after that, so the dress must be ironed while it is wet.
- When using the automatic washing mode, you need to set the correct temperature. It should not be higher than 40 degrees. Washing at high temperatures can cause the item to shrink.
Handwash
If you decide to wash by hand, first assess how dirty the linen dress is.
If you need to wash off traces of dirt, and not just freshen up, then first soak the dress for half an hour, soaping it with laundry soap. So the dirt will dissolve and wash off better. After that, rinse the item and wash as usual. Namely, dilute the washing powder in slightly warm water until it is completely dissolved, and wash the clothes. If the product is colored, you can add 1 tbsp. vinegar in soapy water for color stability.
Often, such decoration as embroidery or thread ornament is used in linen dresses. Such clothes require special attention. Do not soak, boil or wring it under any circumstances. Wash carefully and only by hand. You can add a little salt to the water.
Tips for removing various stains
Each special stain requires an individual approach.
Ink spots:
- If the linen dress is heavily stained with ink, it will have to be washed completely. Take a large container and pour milk into it. Soak the product in this solution overnight. Place the basin with wet clothes on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator so that the milk does not sour. In the morning, wash as usual using a soapy solution.
- Small traces from the pen can be spot washed. Prepare soapy water with a few drops of ammonia and wipe your stains with this product. Then wash.
Blood stains:
- It is easy to wash blood from a linen dress, the main thing is to remember that fresh traces are washed with cold water, and dry ones with warm water.
- Use hydrogen peroxide, soaking the blood stain with it. Note that peroxide brightens, so the method is only suitable for light linen.
Coffee, chocolate, tea and fruit:
- The most effective means of removing such stains will be simple 9% vinegar. You will need a cotton pad moistened in vinegar and your small efforts when wiping the traces of the “crime”. If the stain was fresh, then after a couple of seconds nothing will be left of it.
- If the stain is fresh, then simply treat the linen with ammonia.
- A remedy with ammonia and glycerin (proportions: 0.5 tsp per 2 tsp) will help fight against old traces. Stains are wiped with this product, and then wash the linen dress as usual.
Drops of wax:
- Using a sharp object, get rid of the dried wax from the linen dress by cutting off the top.
- Place a piece of paper or blotting paper above and below the wax mark.
- Iron it with an iron, the wax will absorb into the paper. Repeat until completely gone.
Fat dilutions:
- Only the applied greasy stain can be easily wiped off a linen dress with ammonia.
- Wash off the dried fat in hot water with the addition of half a glass of salt. After soaking, wash the dress in soapy water.
Red wine :
- A fresh stain is wiped with mineral water or white wine.
- Regular milk also helps to get rid of such stains. To do this, you need to immerse clothes or other clothes in hot milk for 45 minutes. Then wash in powder and rinse well.
Drying and ironing process
A washed linen dress should not be pressed, otherwise it will be all wrinkled. It is recommended to simply straighten the clothes and hang them in a ventilated room away from sunlight.
Linen dresses should be ironed slightly damp. If you have accidentally over-dried the linen fabric, don’t worry – use a spray bottle.
Never iron the dress dry. It should be slightly moist. Hang the ironed item on your shoulders and let it dry on its own.
How much your linen dress will delight you with its impeccable appearance will depend on your attitude towards it and careful care. We hope that our tips will help you enjoy the natural product for a long time!