Care
How to care for linen
Linen improves with washing. Most of what shortens its life is effort applied in the wrong direction.
27 August 2026 · 3 min read
Linen is a bast fibre: strong, a little stiff when new, and softer every time it goes through water. A linen shirt you have worn for three summers is a better shirt than the one you bought.
Washing
Cool water and a gentle cycle. A mild detergent is plenty — skip fabric softener, which coats the fibre and works against the very softness you are waiting for.
Give it room in the drum. Linen creases hardest when it is packed tight and spun fast, so a lower spin speed saves you most of the pressing later.
Drying
Hang it damp and let the weight of the water pull the creases out. Shake the garment once, square the shoulders on the hanger, and leave it out of direct sun, which fades dyed linen over a season.
On ironing
You do not have to. The rumple is the character of the cloth, and a linen shirt pressed to a flat sheen looks like something else entirely.
If you want it crisper, press it while still slightly damp on a medium heat. Collar and cuffs alone are usually enough to make the whole shirt read tidy.
