There are few moments more delightful than slipping into a soft bed of crisp, freshly laundered linens; the promise of clean sheets is music to our ears at the end of a long day.

While natural linen is designed to last you for decades, it’s still important to encourage the longevity woven into this beautiful textile with proper care. With this in mind, we’ve created a short guide with tips and tricks to help you provide your linens with the TLC they deserve.

White linen bedding will never go out of style; light, bright, and totally timeless. White bedding can also be a great way to visually declutter and create space in your bedroom. However, they’re not impervious to wear and are often the first to show it. 

Here are some at-home and chemical-free ways to bring those white linens back to their pearly-white origins: 

Yet another reason to keep a large jug of white vinegar tucked away in the pantry! Mix 1/2 cup of white vinegar with approximately 3 3/4 litres of warm water in the bathtub and let your sheets soak for about an hour. Then, remove them from the tub and wash them as per usual with your regular detergent. We then recommend air drying your sheets to eliminate any lingering scent from the vinegar.

The citric acid found in lemons is a natural bleaching agent. Simply pour the juice of 1 lemon into your washing machine along with your regular detergent for cleaner, brighter, whiter sheets. 

This is also a great way to combat the scent from the vinegar if you’ve chosen to pre-soak your linens in the aforementioned vinegar solution. 

Baking soda is another one of those multi-purpose household staples. We can never be without it! It’s an odour-neutraliser with natural whitening abilities. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of baking soda into the washing machine, along with your regular detergent, for sparkling white sheets. Combining the baking soda with the detergent boosts the detergent’s cleaning power, leaving you with brighter and whiter sheets. 

Because of its deodorizing capabilities, sprinkling baking soda into the wash cycle after soaking your sheets in the vinegar solution will, like the lemon juice, help lift any lingering scent from the vinegar. 

Whether you’re storing your sheet sets between wash cycles or wanting to give them a little pick-me-up when you’re preparing the bed, here are several ways to keep your linens smelling and feeling fresh:

Line drying is considered to be the ideal method for drying your linens, however, we don’t all have the space required to do so effectively. If space is a barrier, we recommend using dryer balls when drying your bedding on a gentle cycle. The dryer balls tumble around inside, creating space and separating fabric. This reduces the drying time which is, of course, beneficial both for energy consumption as well as for the integrity of your linens. They also prevent wrinkles, static, and soften your fabrics. Additionally, you can always add a few drops of essential oils onto the dryer balls to invite a delightful scent into the mix! 

Storing even slightly damp sheets can almost guarantee a musty smell will appear in your linen closet. It’s important to ensure that your linens are completely dry before storing them away. We recommend employing a quick five-minute cycle for anything you’ve chosen to line-dry, especially if it’s been a humid day, to ensure they’re entirely dry and ready to store. 

This may seem like a no-brainer, but we’re going there! Keeping a ‘first in, first out’ routine is a great way to ensure that nothing sits for too long, running the risk of gathering dust or odour. When putting your linens away, keep the following rotation in mind: put your freshest linens on the bottom of the stack allowing the older linens to be enjoyed first. This way, both your storage space and linens stay fresh! 

Linen spray is an effortless way to keep your linens smelling divine. Spritz them as you fold, store, between uses or as you make the bed. (And again before bed for good measure!)