Linen Care Guide
How to keep your linens feeling new for years, not months.
Washing
Wash cotton bedding at 40°C with like colours. Hot water sets stains and weakens fibres over time.
Use about half the detergent you think you need — excess detergent does not rinse out fully and leaves a residue that makes fabric feel stiff and grey.
Never use bleach on coloured linen. For whites, an oxygen-based brightener is gentler than chlorine and will not yellow the fabric over time.
The fabric softener mistake
Do not use fabric softener on towels. It works by coating fibres in a thin waxy layer, which is exactly what stops a towel absorbing water. A towel that has been softened for months will feel plush and dry you badly.
If your towels have lost absorbency, wash them once with a cup of white vinegar and no detergent to strip the build-up.
Drying
Tumble dry on low. High heat is the single fastest way to shorten the life of cotton.
Remove bedding while very slightly damp and finish it on a line or by ironing — this is how hotels get that crisp, flat finish.
For duvet inserts, add wool dryer balls to break up the fill and restore loft.
Storage
Store linen somewhere dry and breathable. Sealed plastic traps humidity and encourages mildew, which in a Kenyan climate can happen faster than you would expect.
Rotate your sets rather than always reaching for the same one — even wear across a collection makes everything last longer.
Stains
- Act quickly, and always blot rather than rub
- Rinse with cold water first; hot water sets protein stains like blood
- Treat oil and make-up with a little dish soap worked in gently
- For red wine, cover with salt to lift the liquid, then rinse cold
- Wash as normal afterwards and air dry — check the stain has gone before tumble drying, as heat will set anything remaining