Caring for your fine house linens

Universal Laundering Symbols

These are the symbols you will find on the sewn-in labels of each item. Please refer to the label before laundering.

Normal cycle at 60 degrees

Gentle cycle at 40 degrees

The triangle with X means no chlorine bleach. Without the X, bleach may be used.

Three dots indicates a very hot iron—210 degrees C, 410 degrees F. Two dots indicates a hot iron—160 degrees C, 320 degrees F. One dot indicates a warm iron for touch ups—120 degrees C, 248 F.

The encircled P means all dry cleaning solvents may be used.

Indicates article may be line dried.

Indicates article may be machine dried at moderate heat.

All of our linens are packaged with care instructions, and all have sewn-in labels with universal laundering symbols. This brochure is intended to expand on the information found in our packaging, and it includes a section on stain removal.

Bed, bath and table linens are essential elements of the home. With proper care, our fine linens will last for many years, instilling them with real heirloom quality. They are meant for everyday use, and to be enjoyed by all.

Tips before you begin

Home laundering is recommended for all of our linens, except where dry cleaning is indicated (on piqué and matelassé blanket covers, wool and mohair blankets).

We strongly recommend that you a) pre-wash all linens before use, and b) wash linens separately from anything else, particularly items that contain any polyester. Polyester "pills," and will shed its pilling on natural fibers, diminishing the smoothness and softness of the fabric. In addition, garments with buttons or zippers can damage more delicate linens in the wash.

Products with bluing agents or whiteners are not recommended on colored linens, as they may progressively fade the colors.

Consider the longstanding French tradition to insure the longevity of bedding: rotate your sheets, with a set in the closet, a set on the bed, and a set in the wash. This insures that no one set receives more wear than another.

A Word of Caution: certain skin and hair products that contain oxidizing agents (e.g., lotions used for acne) may cause discoloration of sheets, particularly blue linens. If you use such personal products, cover your pillow with a white pillow case or white towel.

Shrinkage

Shrinkage will occur with all linens made of natural fibers, the amount of shrinkage ranging from 4 to 10 percent, depending on the fibers used. The sizing of our products allows for expected shrinkage. Linens washed in hot water or dried at hot temperatures will shrink excessively.

Washing bedding

Linens should be separated into light or dark colors. Avoid overloading the machine to prevent breaking long fibers like those in Egyptian cotton. Whether cotton, pure linen, or a cotton/linen blend, bedding should be washed in warm water, using a gentle laundering agent, with a final cold rinse. If pre-soaking is necessary, it should be in cold water.

Allow your washing machine to fill up and begin agitating before you add detergent or bleach

Unless your linens are extremely soiled, use half the commercial detergent recommended; this will reduce damage to fibers and clean your linens just as well.

Remove washed bedding promptly from the machine; this helps reduce wrinkling.

Shaking damp linens out before drying (at low heat) will also reduce wrinkles and quicken the drying time.

Washing bath linens

Terry Towels: Washing terry towels before use begins the "breaking in" process, making them softer and more absorbent. Several washings are required for 100% cotton terry towels to achieve their maximum absorbency, softness and fluff.

Launder towels in warm water and a gentle detergent. It is particularly important with towels that you not use fabric softener, since it decreases the absorbency of the towel.

Washing table linens

Our Jacquard-woven table linens are carefree: they’re pre-shrunk, with an easy-care finish, and can be bleached without affecting the brightness of the color. Dry cleaning is not recommended; laundering "relaxes" the fibers, which actually enhances the intricate, Jacquard-woven patterns.

• Table linens should be washed in warm water and gentle detergent, with a final cold rinse. Bleach may be used, which brightens the linens. Fabric softeners are not recommended, since they decrease absorbency and impart a fragrance that can be disconcerting.
• Remove table linens promptly from the wash, and shake out to help minimize wrinkles before drying.

Please note: Beautiful as they are, tea towels are meant to be used hard—in the kitchen, great for drying dishes and crystal, but also ideal for wiping up spills. Bleach can be used to maintain their elegant appearance.

How to Dry

Line drying linens is ideal, leaving linens nearly wrinkle-free and smelling fresh, but using your dryer with the proper settings will bring about satisfactory results, leaving linens relatively wrinkle-free and soft.

• Do not over-dry your linens by using a dryer setting that’s too hot. Set your dryer on permanent press, which has a cool down cycle at the end that helps reduce wrinkles. Most dryers have an air cycle that simply air-tumbles its contents without any heat. This is also a good method for drying linens.
• Remove your linens promptly to reduce wrinkling. Smooth them out, finger pressing details like flanges on pillow shams, borders on flat sheets, edges of tablecloths or napkins. Then fold carefully

How to Iron

Washing and drying your linens properly will eliminate many wrinkles. But fine linens made of natural fibers do wrinkle, particularly when new. As they become older and softer, you will find that they wrinkle less.For both bedding and table linens, using a good steam iron will make ironing easier;

• Bedding
  Iron your bed linens while they are still damp. If the piece is embroidered, ironing on the reverse side will prevent damage to the embroidery. Refer to the sewn-in label with the universal symbols for the appropriate setting for your iron. (The symbol chart is included at the top of this section.)
• Table linens
  Table linens should be ironed while damp. Interestingly, ironing Jacquard-woven table linens will enhance the pattern by increasing the three-dimensional appearance inherent in the Jacquard-woven technique.

Storing Linens : our cotton packaging are proctections for your linens

• If you plan on storing your linens, iron them before you store them.
• Store linens flat. If the shelves are wooden, line them with white tissue paper or fabric. Some woods, such as cedar, contain oils that can damage linens.
• Make certain that linens are not exposed to direct sunlight or moonlight to avoid color fading.
• Do not leave table linens on your table where they may be exposed to direct sunlight over an extended period of time.
• Do not store your linens if it’s humid, it could make stains.
• Do not storage in plastic bags, so the fiber could breath.
• The packaging provide in the delivery offer to storage your linens in your furnitures ;You can write on the fabric labels provide what you have in the package.

Care of Down Products

• Always use a duvet cover to protect your duvet and keep it clean. Use pillow protectors on down pillows, and wash the protectors regularly.
• Duvets, pillows and featherbeds should be fluffed daily to maintain the loft and fullness of the down.
• If soiled or stained, duvets and pillows can be spot cleaned with a damp cloth and mild soap.
• You may wash down items in a front loading, extra capacity washer (the kind used by professional laundries) using a mild detergent in warm water. Do not use top loading washing machines or the agitation may damage the delicate cotton cover. Some modest shrinkage or wrinkling may result from washing, but will not be visible once the duvet is in a duvet cover.
• Down duvets and pillow love drying in the sun. Spread them out on a sheet on the grass or deck, and shake them vigorously from time to time while drying. Or you may tumble dry in a dryer set on medium heat. Remove every hour and fluff. Placing a few tennis balls in the dryer will facilitate the drying. Be certain your down duvets and pillows are thoroughly dry before returning to the bed or storage. Always store in cotton bags, never in plastic.

Stain Removal

Berries and fruit: If the stain is still wet, sprinkle with salt and gentle liquid soap. Let sit for a couple of hours, and rinse well.

Blood: Attend to bloodstains immediately. Rinse well in cold water (never hot—it will permanently set the stain), then try one of the following: a) sprinkle the stain with unflavored meat tenderizer; or b) blot on hydrogen peroxide with a damp cloth, allow to bubble, then wipe with a fresh cloth. Repeat if necessary. For dried bloodstain: soak overnight in cold water and two cups of salt. Wash as usual.

Butter or margarine: Mix one teaspoon of detergent with warm water. Apply to spot and blot. You may need to repeat a few times. Or mix one part white vinegar and two parts water. Saturate the stain and blot until dry. Wash as usual.

Candle wax on table linens: Gently peel away the wax that can easily be removed with your fingernail. If the wax is soft, harden with an ice cube. Place the item between two sheets of brown paper, and press with a warm iron; the remaining wax will be absorbed by the paper. If the wax is colored, wash with a bleaching agent.

Coffee or tea: Apply a borax solution (1 part borax to six parts water) directly to the stain, then wash in warm, soapy water.

Grease: Do not allow grease stains to set! Sprinkle fresh grease stains with baking soda or cornstarch and leave for a couple of hours until the powder gets thick. Scrape away and repeat the process. Brush off the powder and launder as usual.

Grass (on tablecloths): Mix one-third cup vinegar and two-thirds cup water. Apply to stain and blot. Or pre-soak in hydrogen peroxide and launder as usual.

Lipstick: Scrape off as much as you can with a dull knife. Use a pre-wash spray and rub with a clean white towel. Wash as usual.

Mildew: Apply white vinegar and lemon juice to kill the mildew. Let the item sit in the sun for a few hours. Wash as usual, but separately

Scorch marks: Treat the same way as mildew, but drying in the sun is not necessary.

Wine: White wine is easily removed with normal laundering. Red wine stains can be handled two ways: a) rub salt on the stain, and soak in cold water; if the stain is stubborn, rub the salt into it to remove; or b) saturate the stain with club soda until it disappears.