How to maintain your table linen?
The pleasure of receiving friends and family for a good meal is often associated with the joy of setting up a beautiful and refined table. But after this dinner, the question of cleaning the table linen will necessarily arise.
How do you remove your tablecloth? How to keep your towels shiny and soft? How to give your linen a long life? We have gathered here a few good practices to adopt on a daily basis to effectively maintain your linen.
WASH TABLECLOTHS AND NAPKINS WELL
BASIC RULES OF TABLE LINEN CARE
Aesthetic and practical, table linens are made to dress the table but also to protect it. In order to ensure the effectiveness of your tablecloths and other napkins over the long term, you must take care of their serious and regular maintenance. There are many tips to help you wash your products without damage. Among them, we recommend you to follow these four main rules and make them your daily good habits:
- Always wash your newly purchased products. Use the manufacturer's instructions on the label of your clothes. This will tell you what temperature to wash them at or if they can be put in the dryer.
- Have you purchased a complete set of tablecloths, napkins and perhaps a table runner? Always wash them together to keep them looking the same and avoid uneven aging of your products.
- To prevent unwanted mixing, do not mix light and dark colors in the machine. Also use a special color detergent to preserve the color of the fabric as long as possible.
- As a rule of thumb for all textiles, remember not to overfill the drum of the machine to ensure proper cleaning of the products.
A KEY WORD, REACTIVITY
When it comes to cleaning textiles, and more specifically table linens, the key is to act without delay. Indeed, an untreated stain may become embedded in the fabric fibers and become difficult to remove later.
So, as soon as you notice a significant stain on your tablecloth or table runner, take action. Don't wait for the stain to dry and blot it up as quickly as possible with a damp cloth or absorbent paper (especially if it's greasy).
At the end of a meal, make it a habit to look at the fabric for possible stains. This way, you will be able to intervene as soon as possible and avoid disappointment at the time of washing.
The last thing to do is to pre-wash cold. We think, wrongly, that a passage in the machine is the best solution to get rid of stains, fresh or old. In fact, this high-temperature cleaning tends to encrust the fabric with more dirt. So, prefer a cold soak - after scrubbing the spotted areas - before running your usual program.
SOME TIPS TO REMOVE A TABLECLOTH
A glass of wine spilled, a few traces of sauce, a candle a little too melted ... Some situations can mark your tablecloth and make it more difficult to maintain.
RED WINE STAINS
Red wine stains are common and difficult to remove, especially on a beautiful white tablecloth. So, to remove your tablecloth, don't let the cloth absorb the liquid and act quickly. Dab the stain immediately with a cloth and a little sparkling water, without rubbing.
Is the stain still there? It is possible, before machine washing, to spread a small amount of baking soda paste (obtained by mixing baking soda with a little water) and let it act for a few minutes.
GREASE, COFFEE OR SAUCE STAINS
Designed to protect us from stains, it is quite normal that our table linens are adorned with small splashes of fat, coffee or sauce. But even though they are common, these marks are not to be taken lightly as they can give you a hard time when it comes to erasing them.
If the stains are recent, apply a little Marseille soap before putting them in the machine. For older stains, mix water and 70°C alcohol in equal proportions, let it soak in and then start your usual program.
For the most stubborn stains, glycerine remains. It allows to get rid of well impregnated stains, curry, chocolate or lipstick for example. Soak the cloth in glycerine and massage it into the stain gently. Leave for at least 1 hour before washing.
WAX STAINS
After a delicious candlelight dinner or a hectic birthday party, it's not uncommon to find traces of melted wax.
If it's a white candle, the key is to remove the excess wax before washing. Use the back of a spoon or a knife and gently scrape off the excess. Then place a sheet of paper towel over the remaining stain and iron the area with a low temperature iron. Repeat until the stain is completely gone.
Was it a colored candle? Avoid the greasy mark on your laundry by combining baking soda and white vinegar. Leave it on for a few seconds, the mixture will foam up, and rub gently with movements from the outside in.
Stain treatment, good washing practices: you now know the essential rules to follow to preserve the quality of your table linen. As such, always choose tablecloths or napkins that are both durable and made of noble raw materials. This combination of properties will offer elegance to your linen but also durability. Opt for linen or cotton products, materials known for their aesthetics and durability.
