How to care for linen
Linen is one of the few fabrics that improves with use. The fibres relax, the cloth softens, and after a year a good napkin feels nothing like it did out of the parcel.
Wash at 40 °C with a mild detergent and skip the fabric softener — it coats the fibres and makes them less absorbent. Avoid bleach, including the optical brighteners in many powders, unless you want undyed linen to drift towards white.
Dry on a line if you can. If you tumble dry, take it out slightly damp and smooth it by hand. We never iron ours; if you like a crisp table, iron while damp on the reverse side.
Stains are easier than their reputation. Red wine: cold water at once, then wash as normal. Oil: a little washing-up liquid worked in before the wash.