How to Care for Your Tencel/Linen Essentials
Tencel/Linen blends are easily one of our favorite fabric choices as a brand. They are elegant yet sturdy, textured and soft, and drape beautifully to give any outfit an elevated look and feel.
We especially love using this blend for spring and summer pieces ensuring you have the most comfortable top, bottom, or dress possible for those warmer days. When it comes to caring for your tencel/linen blend pieces, we created a guide to help you anticipate what happens in the washing process and how to properly care for your piece to ensure it lasts a lifetime.
Washing & Drying Tips for Tencel/Linen Blends
Tencel/linen blends are a rigid fabric, and when washed, they may appear to have shrunk, but with medium heat steam or iron after a wash, they will return to the size they came in. Taking these steps and care tips will help maintain the strength and integrity of the garment.
To care for linen properly, be sure to always hand or machine wash as gently as possible with cold water. Tumble dry on low or hang to dry.
We recommend only washing when necessary. This fabric gets softer and has that “lived-in” feel over time and will break in and the color could potentially fade if washed too often or with water that's too warm.
You can leave this item unpressed for a more natural, worn appearance or press it with low to medium heat steam to rid the fabric of wrinkles for a more professional appearance.
Linen is not a particularly elastic fabric, and when washed, it may appear to have shrunk, but with medium heat steam after a wash, it will return to the size it came in. Taking these steps and care tips will help maintain the strength and integrity of the garment.
A tip we've learned about linen and tencel/linen blends to avoid washing is to hang the garment somewhere in your bathroom while you shower before wearing the item. The steam from the shower helps iron out those wrinkles with little to no effort on your part!
Once you're done in the shower, lightly pull or tug at the garment where any wrinkles remain and let it air dry while you continue to get ready. When you're ready to put on the garment, it will be in nearly perfect shape without the rough washing cycle or time constraint!
Shrinking & Handwashing Info
In general, tencel/linen blends generally shrink a little after the first wash. We do what we can in the production stages to try and avoid this, but when it comes to washing, many factors can cause shrinkage. Things like water hardness, temperature, etc. can cause your tencel/linen piece to shrink slightly after that initial wash.
To avoid shrinking, we recommend handwashing. We realize this isn't right for everyone - handwashing your clothes takes up time and attention - but handwashing your tencel/linen pieces is a surefire way to avoid any issues that could be caused by a washing machine. Washing machines are rough on all clothing, and with something like a tencel/linen piece, it can hurt the garment over time.
To handwash, fill a bucket or large plastic container with cold water. Put in just a touch of natural detergent. Enough to get a light sud going. Put your garment in the water with the soap and submerge it. From there, gently massage and squeeze the piece until you're sure it's entirely soaked with water and soap has penetrated every part of the garment.
Pull the garment out, giving it a good squeeze for now, and hold it while you swap out the water. Dump the soapy water and begin rinsing and filling the bucket with cold water for a rinse. Once you have that ready, dip your garment back in and rinse it thoroughly. Using the same motions as above, massage and squeeze/release the garment. Do not rub the garment or abrade it in any way - this can cause creases and hurt the color.
Finally, once it's rinsed, gently shape the piece onto a hanger and let it air dry. To get the best results, try to pull the piece taut so it will dry with fewer wrinkles!
Ironing Tencel/Linen Blends
Now that you feel confident in washing your piece let's talk about ironing and steaming. Tencel/linen blends can be damaged if ironed incorrectly. The heat will be too high and could scar and burn the fabric, creating an almost shiny area where the iron was placed. This ruins the integrity of the piece and changes the natural texture. Be sure you use the most appropriate setting on your iron - specifically for linen or tencel pieces - or use the lowest heat setting possible on your appliance.
If possible, the best way to work out wrinkles is with a steamer. If you don't have or don't want to use an iron, a steamer would be the perfect and inexpensive solution. Using water and heat helps press the wrinkles out without damaging the piece - leaving it smooth and beautiful before each wear.
Storing Your Tencel/Linen Pieces
Caring for your new piece is one thing, but making sure it's stored properly is important too. When it comes to tencel/linen blends, we all know how easily these fabrics can wrinkle and from there, it takes time and effort to iron, steam or wash those garments to remove some of those wrinkles if you're looking for an elevated, pressed look.
When it comes to storing these pieces to ensure they last and are well taken care of, we recommend always hanging these pieces in your wardrobe.