Care & Cleaning Instructions

Adopt 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.

Home laundering is recommended for all of our linens, except where dry cleaning is indicated on the product label. We strongly recommend that you pre-wash all linens before use, and wash linens separately, 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. Select a gentle laundry detergent. Products with bluing agents or whiteners are not recommended on colored linens, as they may progressively fade the colors.   Detergents that contain whiteners should not be used on colored textiles.
An important note about Shrinkage - cotton is a natural fiber and will shrink slightly, ranging from 4 to 8% of the original size after a machine washine, depending on the fibers. Items washed and dried at high temperatures may shrink even more.  The sizing of our products allows for expected shrinkage.

WASHING BEDDING

We recommend using our specially made Linen Wash by Le Blanc for all of your bedding laundering needs.  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.

Remove washed bedding promptly from the machine; this helps reduce wrinkling. Shaking damp linens out before drying will also reduce wrinkles and quicken the drying time.

WASHING BATH LINENS

We recommend using our specially made Towel Wash by Le Blanc for all of your bath laundering needs.

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.
Honeycomb Towels: These lightweight, waffle weave towels are loosely woven for absorbency, dry very quickly, and have been pre-shrunk. White honeycomb items with colored borders may be bleached safely to keep their brightness.
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.  Tumble drying on low heat until slightly damp leaves toweling soft and fluffy while preserving the capacity for high moisture absorption.

WASHING TABLE LINENS

We recommed using our specially made Linen Wash by Le Blanc for all of your bedding laundering needs.

Table linens should be washed in warm water and gentle detergent, with a final cold rinse. Fabric softeners are not recommended. Remove table linens promptly from the wash, and shake out to help minimize wrinkles before drying.

Our Jacquard-woven table linens are pre-shrunk with an easy-care finish. Dry cleaning is not recommended; laundering "relaxes" the fibers, which actually enhances the intricate, Jacquard-woven patterns

HOW TO DRY

Line drying linens in the fresh outdoors 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.  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 your linens 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. Avoid using spray starch, which has a tendency to adhere to the surface of the iron, and may also attract silverfish to the stored linens. If you wish to iron your linens, the following guidelines are recommended.
Bedding
Iron your bed linens while 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 provided below.
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 woven technique.

STORING LINENS

It is preferable to store linens on a flat surface. If the shelves are wooden, line them with tissue paper. 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.

CARE OF DOWN PRODUCTS

Duvets, pillows and featherbeds should be fluffed daily to maintain the loft and fullness of the down. If stained, duvets and pillows can be spot cleaned with a damp cloth and mild soap. If featherbeds or silk duvets become soiled, dry clean only.

For complete cleaning of down duvets and pillows, it is recommended to launder rather than dry clean. Laundering rejuvenates the lofting quality of down, making duvets and pillows full, fluffier, and fresh smelling. You may wash down items in a front-loading, extra capacity washer using a mild detergent in warm water.

Do not use top loading washing machines or the agitation may damage the delicate cotton cover.  Down duvets and pillows 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. 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.  Use pillow protectors on down pillows, and wash the protectors regularly. A mattress protector over a featherbed is strongly recommended.