Caring for your Linen Shirt - All the questions you had, now answered!

Linen clothing is beautiful, comfy and cooling. Linen shirts, shorts and pants should be summer staples in your wardrobe to keep you looking cool and elegant. Yet, linen is often thought of as  luxurious, premium and higher maintenance compared to cotton. We’re going to dispel some myths about linen clothing being difficult to care for.

In general, Linen is a durable, strong fabric that actually gets stronger and softer with use.

Most linen clothing does not need to be dry cleaned. The exceptions are blazers, jackets or suits with special construction. Always check the clothing care instructions to be sure whether dry cleaning is necessary.

For other linen clothing including your Airthreads linen shirts, read on.

Washing your linen shirt

Can’t go wrong tip for low-maintenance lovers:

• Always wash your linen in cool water. Never subject your linen apparel to hot water as it will weaken the fibres and can shrink your clothes. All Airthreads shirts are pre-shrunk for a great fit, but still - take care of your Airthreads shirts! They are crafted from the finest linen!

Pro-tip:

• New linen clothing should be washed at cooler temperatures (40 degrees C) the first few times. What this does is  trigger “mercerization” - a process that increases the luster and strength of the fabric.

Drying your linen shirt

Can’t go wrong tip for low-maintenance lovers:

• Yes, you can dry your Airthreads linen shirt in the dryer! Hooray! However, do so only on a low-heat setting (say 10 minutes) and take it out while still damp to  lay-flat or iron it. Never subject your linen apparel to high heat as it will shrink your clothes and change the shape. 

Pro-tip:

• Linen fabric dries fairly quickly. This bonus feature makes linen a travel favorite to warm and humid destinations as it both keeps you cool and airy and is easy to wash and get dry by simply laying flat.

To Iron or not

This is one of those debates that’s been around since ironing was invented and isn’t going to fade anytime soon. You know our opinion - just relax and embrace the wrinkle! However, if you prefer to get some of those wrinkles out, it’s best to use a steam iron or simply iron the shirt while it is still damp after washing it.