Care Instructions
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Linens laundered with care get better with age!
EGYPTIAN COTTON
Good quality cotton is durable and washes well. The more it is washed, the softer and smoother it feels. Always refer to the washing instructions on your product labels and never exceed the recommended temperatures.
WASHING
Load the washing machine so the bed linen can move around freely, as an overloaded machine may cause straks to appear in the fabric. If you live in an area with hard water, use a softener as hard water can cause soap scum that discolours the fabric.
DETERGENTS
Please be aware that cheaper detergents contain high levels of bleach and cause damage to your cottons. Since we opened in 2005 we have had reports of problems with Daz and Bold from our customers but this may be to do, in part, with excessive washing temperatures.
Only use detergents that contain bleach on pure white bed linen. Make sure you use oxygen bleaches as chlorine ones can make the fabric turn yellow and are harsher on the environment. Coloured fabrics or those with embroidery should always be washed with bleach-free detergents.
Wash your bedding sets (e.g. duvet cover and pillowcases) with the same regularity to ensure your cottons age and fade at the same pace. Never mix pure cotton with any man-made fibres (such a poly/cotton) as the longer fibres in the pure cotton (particularly in Egyptian cotton) can get 'hooked' by the polyester fibres. This damages the smooth surface of the cotton and may cause 'pilling' or bobbling which feels rough to the touch.
TEMPERATURES
All Scottish Linen's bedding may be washed at 40°C but, with the technology of today's modern detergents, you should find 30°C is sufficient in most cases. Our pure white cottons are capable of being washed at much hotter temperatures but we would recommend no more than 60°C to prolong the life of the fabric.
Our embroidery is created with either pure silk or polyester thread. The Care Instructions we send out with your order will advise you which. Silk thread can be damaged by high temperatures and may 'bleed' colour as a result. Polyester thread is more robust and will not break even at temperatures of up to 90°C. Either way, we recommend a maximum wash temperature of 40°C, as above.
DRYING
All fabrics benefit from line-drying but none more so than cotton. There are enzymes in the cotton that react well to sunshine causing the cotton to brighten and soften over time. In the UK in general and Scotland in particular line drying is not always an option and it is quite safe to tumble dry your Scottish Linen! Do this at low temperature and remove the bedding when it is still damp to minimise your ironing!
IRONING
Iron your Scottish Linen using a warm-hot setting but protect the embroidery by covering it with a piece of plain cotton such as a napkin or handkerchief. Egyptian cotton has a bad reputation for being tricky to iron, but this is undeserved as good quality cotton will be very easy to iron within about 6-10 washes. The fibres 'relax' after these first few washes and this makes ironing either easier or unnecessary, depending on how fussy you are!
(Information supplied in part by Country Homes and Interiors May 2008)
