The elemental luxury of linen is exactly itself, simple and timeless. Tactile, strong and visually pleasing, it pampers you, you don't need to pamper it.
Do up any buttons.
Machine wash with like colours in a small quantity of mild detergent (Avoid detergents like Tide to maintain the quality of the fabric). We use cold water to be energy efficient, but it is safe to boil-wash linen.
Never pour detergent directly onto dry fabric — always dilute it first. The fine print on the back of the detergent bottle is there for a reason.
Never use bleach (not even on white linen). Try an enzyme based cleaner if you encounter a pesky stain. Dirty Labs or Ecos offers a great selection.
A Biz soak is fine as long as it is well dissolved and diluted first, and used on wet fabric.
We like to use Earth Breeze, or Tru Earth detergent sheets. Plus they save room on your shelf!
In a dryer, use a medium or hot setting, dry the linen by itself and don't over dry. Shake it out while still slightly damp and lay it flat. It will, by nature, have a soft, complex texture.
If you accidentally overheat, crowd or overdry your linen and it becomes wrinkled, dampen it and the wrinkles will relax. For a small wrinkle (where it was pegged on a line, for example) dampen with a spray bottle of water, or just let it relax by itself over a day or two.
If you can, line-dry, and let fresh air, wind, and sunshine do their work.