How to Iron Linen Clothes?
Once you purchase long-waited quality garment, there is always a fear of damaging it.
If you are still in a journey of getting to know linen better, a question might rise, how to iron linen clothes?
Really, there is no one answer to this question.
Throughout time and several mistakes, we have gathered ways on how to iron linen shirts, dresses, pants and tablecloth that, hopefully, will help you with keeping your linen clothes look their best for a long time.
We really want to share our knowledge with you so that you wouldn’t need to learn how to treat linen the hard way.
What is The Best Temperature To Iron Linens?
The recommended temperature for ironing linen is 445 degrees Fahrenheit (230 degrees Celsius).
If you want to use an iron on your line cloth, you should first check the label to make sure it can withstand heat.
How to Iron Linen and Keep Looking Amazing?
To keep linen clothes in great condition it‘s important to wash them gently and carefully.
Before the wash, turn your linen garments inside out, button up the buttons and zip the zippers.
Also, check the item care recommendations on the tag on the inside of it and use detergent specifically for delicate fibers.
If you prefer washing with your hands, have in mind to stay away from twisting or scrubbing which can damage the fabric.
Gently swishing the item around will be just enough and won‘t damage your linen clothes.
Before ironing, spritz linen garments with water letting the moisture penetrate the linen fibers to help ironing process be more effective.
You can find more tips on linen care in one of our previous blogs here.
How to Iron Linen Shirt?
When ironing your linen shirt flip it the “wrong“ side up to prevent fabric from being unintentionally damaged.
Be extra careful if collar is embroidered. Use a padding on top of the shirt to have a protective layer on top of the embroidery and fabric.
It‘s best to build a habit to always start ironing the thickest parts of the shirt such as collar and cuffs to test how iron effects them, adjust the iron setting if needed and then continue ironing the rest of the garment.
When done, leave it on a hanger somewhere not crowded to fully dry and set in the shape.
It‘s also important to make sure that the hanger doesn‘t have too wide shoulders as then it could leave unflattering shape and creases on the shoulders of the linen shirt. Your hanger‘s width need to be just right to end where the shoulder starts.
How to Iron Linen Pants?
When ironing linen pants, don’t forget to turn them inside-out, same as you would do with any linen garment.
Spritz them with water and turn the iron to a linen (flax) setting which is usually 230 C/445 F. Smooth your linen pants, position them on the ironing board and iron each leg both sides.
While ironing damp and hot linen, you can gently stretch the fabric to fix the shape of the corners and edges if needed.
After ironing, don’t fold them to form any unflattering creases. Linen pants keep the smooth shape after ironing best when using hangers for pants with two clippers on the sides to hold them by the waist.
How to Iron Linen Dress?
Same as with any linen garments, it’s recommended to fold linen dress inside-out and give it a light spray of clean water to prepare it for the ironing process.
If linen dress has a collar and cuffs, same as with linen shirt, it’s best to start ironing them first on the “wrong” side.
Dress might have buttons or zippers that could leave an unwanted print on the linen fabric. To prevent that, putting terry cloth towel under the linen can really help.
Moreover, this method protects your linen dress if your ironing board cover is wearing thin or even has some stains that could damage the dress.
Turn linen dress the “wrong” side and spray it with water. Be vigilant and keep the iron moving constantly.
Don’t leave it in one spot for too long as it can end with a disaster. One you finished ironing, hang the linen dress to dry completely. Also, highly recommend to read our guide how to dry linen like a professional.
This way linen fibers have time to cool down and dry in a wanted shape.
How to Iron Linen Tablecloth?
Spay your linen tablecloth with water and get ready to iron the “wrong” side of it to prevent any possibility from damaging the “good” side when ironing.
The easiest method to iron linen tablecloth is by folding it in half and ironing one side first, the turning it over and doing the same to the other half.
Once done, hang your linen tablecloth somewhere where it could breathe and dry. The best place to hang it would be outside where the wind could help it dry.
Have in mind that leaving your linen tablecloth in the sun can fade the color quicker, especially if the garment is darker.
The process of ironing linen is quite intuitive, however, still requires some knowledge on helping it last for many years.
Before ironing any of your linen clothes, remember to turn them inside out and spray them with clean water. Iron your linen garment gently and always keep the iron moving, don’t leave it in one spot to burn the delicate fabric.
After ironing, hang your linen clothes somewhere they could breathe and fully dry. It’s best to leave them to try outside where the wind can do its job.
However, protect your linen darlings from the sun as it can fade the color out. Have these steps in mind when ironing linen clothes and they will stay will you for many years to come.
We hope that this article will help you to avoid the most common ironing mistakes.
