How to soften linen

If you are on this page - it means that you really love flax or this material is close to your soul. Linen bedding has a lot of advantages, and one tiny question - how to soften it, if it occasionally seems rough?

10 ways of taming the flax. 

Handle it

Linen loves hands, so hand washing and manual spinning is the best way to negotiate with it.  If you use the machine - turn on the wool or hand washing mode. Plus - liquid detergent. And then after machine - hands: crumple, press, rub, squeeze, rinse, wring out. 

Shake it

The best way to make linen softer is to shake it while it is still wet.  Wash, squeeze and shake, straightening the fabric in the air. Then the fibers are filled with air as the reaction of oxygen and water is activated.

Beat it

Enzyme wash - is a technical term that is used for describing a washing process with the addition of special ferments which are causing fibers softening. Particles of the enzymes have a scrubbing effect. According to the technology of such treatment, we need to use while washing something that will cause this effect - chemically, or (better) physically.

Load special fabric softening balls into the drum of the washing machine. There are lots of them on the Internet. (This is ok for those you do not suffer from latex and rubber allergy). Do this in a low-temperature mode.

Salt it

Salt is very helpful in linen softening. Dissolve 4 tablespoons of sea salt in a basin of water and leave sheets in it for one night. Rinse and wash it in the morning.

Soda

Baking soda softens water and thereby softens the fabric. Before handwashing, dissolve a half of a glass of soda in the water.  Wash in a normal way, then rinse and dry.

Massage it

Centuries ago while flax processing linen fabric cuts were rolled on a relief roller and catalyzed it with a relief shovel. Now we can recreate this process with simple wooden massagers. Back and forth. Along and across. Very meditative!

Acidize it

Citric acid or vinegar added to the rinse water will help to soften your linen bedding. Vinegar is not as effective in softening as soda. However, vinegar has one useful property: it removes the remains of detergents and an unpleasant odor.

Steam it

Very much helps with steaming. Still, wet flax is removed undried and steamed. Ideally - on weight, not to "seal" the fabric and not flatten the fibers. But you can and on a plump terry towel if there is nowhere to hang a large cloth.

Dry it right

The more you pull, squeeze, shake and rub wet linen cloth - the softer it will become dry. Make the biggest braids in your life with your duvet cover and sheets - result will surprise you!