Caring for your 100% Belgian Linen Garment
You have paid a high price for your garment. Following these instructions will help preserve it.
You have paid a high price for your garment. Following these instructions will help preserve it.
Laundering your linen garment:
***Dry cleaning is recommended by manufacturer. It is highly recommended especially if you have lace on the garment. If you send your garment out to be cleaned, ask the cleaner to wash it in water rather than in dry cleaning fluid – it will be more effective and is better for the fabric.
*** Hand washing is the next best option. Use cold water and a mild detergent. Avoid strong detergents, especially concentrated forms or ones with optical whiteners, bleach, or alkalis. Absolutely NO BLEACHES. Try to use detergents like Le Blanc Linen Wash or Seventh Generation, that do not contain optical whiteners. Stains should be treated individually.
***If needed, you may use a washing machine that does not have an agitator. Use cold water and the most gentle cycle available; for example, the “Hand Wash” cycle. We recommend using the extra rinse option to ensure all detergent is removed, which will prolong the life of the garment.
*** Do not put garment in the dryer! Hang dry, but not in the intense, direct sunlight if drying it outside.
*** It is best to press the garment while still damp. If this is not possible you can spray it with water. Use a hot iron on the “linen” setting with the steam setting turned OFF. Avoid letting the iron remain on one spot to avoid scorching. Move the iron in a constant gentle motion.
Treating stains:
Immediately treat a stain by using Shout or Spray-N-Wash or something similar. Lay your garment on a clean towel, and with a washcloth, rub it gently and briefly so as to not rub a hole in the fabric. Rinse it well to remove all of the stain remover. Put it between dry towels or washcloths to absorb the excess moisture. DO NOT ring the linen! If it is still too wet, do not iron over it because it will scorch easily. Then you will have another stain to treat!!! (LOL) Or if the stain did not get completely removed, treat it again BEFORE ironing the garment because heat sets stains.
Pressing your linen garment:
It is best/easiest to press the garment while it’s still a little damp. lf this is not possible, you can spray it with water. It’s much handier if you have a spray bottle of water rather than spraying from the iron. Use a hot iron on the "linen" setting. Avoid letting the iron remain on one spot to avoid scorching. Move the iron in a constant, but gentle motion.
Begin with the neckband/shoulder bands. Next iron the sleeves – front and back. Then do the skirt last.
Be careful not to keep ironing for too long of a period of time, as the iron needs to be set upright every so often. If you keep it down for too long, it will start spitting out calcified water which will stain the fabric. If you feel you’ve kept the iron down for too long, make sure that as you lift it up, you move it away from the fabric so the calcified water that is spitting out does not go on your fabric. If this should happen, DO NOT iron over the stain because heat will set it in!!! Immediately treat it according to the instructions given above on treating stains. If the stain spot is still too wet, do not iron over it just yet; finish ironing the rest of the garment and come back to that spot when it is drier. If you iron over it while it is still too wet, it will scorch easily. Then you will have another stain to treat!!! (LOL) Or if the stain did not get completely removed, treat it again BEFORE ironing the rest of the garment.
Let it hang until it is completely dry. You’ll notice that it still looks a bit wrinkled even after ironing it and hanging it to dry. You can leave it as it is, or if you want it really sharp and crisp, iron the garment again but do not spritz with water. Use the linen setting with NO steam - in other words, a "dry" iron.
And as always, if you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.
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