Linen and its abundant use in our everyday lives is not a mystery. Made from a flax plant, it’s been used for all sorts of purposes for more than eight thousand years and is still being used today. But how hard is it to take care of linen? Should you get linen curtains for your sitting room?

It is surprising, that such an amazing fabric is so easy to take care of. As with all fabrics, today, all you need to do is follow all the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning linen. There’s a popular opinion that you can only clean linen curtains by dry cleaning them, but that is a lie. Linen will even look better if you wash them by hand or with a washing machine. Washing linen will soften it and the material will become more absorbent.

When washing your linen curtains don’t forget to use a mild detergent, diluted with slightly warm or cold water. If you will be using a washing machine, choosing a gentle cycle is your best choice. Another thing worth mentioning, is that your linen curtains will launder better if you use soft water, so make that soapy residue is removed from linen.

If you get stains on your linen curtains, try to wash them as quick as possible. If you hesitate, some marks of stains can remain on the fabric, so if you get them dirty, better hurry up. You can use oxygen bleaches, for some varieties of linen, but you should completely stay away from chlorine.

You can place linen in a dryer, lay it, or hang it on a line to dry. If you are planning to use a dryer, make sure the temperature is slightly lower. Direct sunlight is extremely good, because it will kill any bacteria on your fabric and will grant a pleasant smell to your curtains. Try to avoid ironing your curtains, but if you choose to do it anyway, do it only while linen is slightly damp. Light colored fabric can be ironed on any side, while dark colored linen should only be ironed on the side that is not facing the public.

Taking care of linen is much easier than many people think it is. You don’t have to spend extra time to take care of them. Linen curtains will look beautiful and give a classical, natural look to your sitting room, or any room in your home.