Linen Care Basics-- The Iron.

To iron, or not to iron: that is today’s question. Freshly pressed linens are some people’s ideal; while others enjoy sheets pulled straight from the dryer and lovingly hand-smoothed for a more relaxed look. Think crisp, perfectly pressed and polished-straight-from-the-runway-Carolina Herrera-white-shirt. Don’t, get us wrong, there are absolutely times when a comfy tee feels more divine than anything. But for those occasions when you want to look your best, few things can compare to the understated elegance of a crisp white shirt.

And we think of our linens the same way. Haute couture just waiting to be dressed up. A fresh pressing can take them from comfy tee to 5th Avenue in an instant.

Whichever side of the ironing board you find yourself, we’ve gathered our top tips for a successful excursion into the world of ironing linens. We’re even adding an insider tip for those who never touch an iron.

• Reminder:Linens need to be removed promptly from the dryer while still slightly damp. They can be smoothed by hand at this point and left to finish drying, or proceed on to ironing.

• Steam press, with a clean steam iron, placed on a warm/hot setting for cotton. This restores the smooth hand of the linen weave and presses out wrinkles.

• Stubborn wrinkles caused by over drying or leaving sheets unattended in the dryer, can be managed by misting water from a spray bottle onto the wrinkle and ironing again.

• Sateen linens, like our Ava sheets, respond best to being pressed on the reverse side. This trick maintains the lustrous face of a sateen sheet.

• Embroidered linens, like our Angelina sheets, also benefit from being pressed on the reverse side. Placing a towel underneath the embroidery to support it while ironing allows the embroidery to “pop” when the bed is dressed. If the embroidery is ironed on the top side, it presses the design back into the fabric flattening the embroidery.

• Now, for that promised insider tip: get a hand held steamer to smooth the parts of the bed linens that show, i.e. the pillow cases, shams and turn back for the top sheet.

  So, whether you add ironing to your skill set, or are ditching the iron to opt for a relaxed look, enjoy your sheets!