“Dear Linen Doctor, what do I do about all those Thanksgiving Day stains on my good tablecloth?”
Dinner was wonderful and the guests were charming, but your linen tablecloth has all the evidence of a Thanksgiving dinner. There are spots from gravy, wine, cranberry sauce, coffee, and candle wax. Where do you start? Do you treat all of these stains the same?
If you are lucky enough to have a reliable laundry nearby, you can always take your tablecloth and napkins to them. Ask the laundry to use dry cleaning fluids to remove specific stains and then to wash and iron the cloth.
But what if you want to clean the tablecloth and napkins yourself? There is no better cleaning agent than Linen Wash, a specialty cleanser formulated to safely and effectively remove difficult stains on fine linens. You can use Linen Wash to treat spots or simply as a soap for machine washing. Remember that linen can be washed in hot water whereas warm water is best for cotton fabrics.
Here are some suggestions for removing some of those Thanksgiving Day stains:
Gravy
Saturate the stain with a prewash spray. Wait several minutes for the product to penetrate. For tough stains, rub with a heavy-duty liquid detergent. Launder.
Wine, Cranberry Sauce
Soak or sponge fresh stains as soon as possible. Launder with detergent in the hottest water safe for the fabric. Do not use soap (bar, flake, or detergents containing natural soap), since soap could make the stain permanent or at least more difficult to remove. Soak tough stains for 30 minutes in one quart of warm water and one teaspoon of enzyme presoak product, such as Spray ‘n Wash or Zout.
Coffee, Tea
Same as suggestions for gravy. Remember that hot water will set coffee and tea stains.
Candle Wax
Harden wax by rubbing with ice or put in your refrigerator for a few hours (really!). Remove surface wax by carefully scraping with the dull edge of a butter knife. Sandwich the wax stain between two pieces of brown paper (like a shopping bag) and press with a warm iron. Continue as long as the wax remains. The wax will be absorbed by the paper and you will probably have a grease spot left. Then treat as a gravy stain (see above).
The longer a stain remains on a tablecloth or napkin, the harder it is to remove, so attending to it as soon as possible makes a huge difference. Avoid aggressive rubbing since it may cause irreparable damage to the surface color and fabric. Sponging rather than rubbing, followed by thorough flushing is best for your linens. Once your linens come back home or after you’ve cleaned them, store them in a cool, dry, dark area until the next use.
For more tips and suggestions on how to remove stains, visit Fabriclink.com.
The traditional “drop” for a tablecloth (the amount that extends below the tabletop) is 12-14 inches. Measure the width and length of your table, then add (double the desired measurement of drop) to each dimension for the correct size cloth. For example, for the desired drop listed above, measure both length and width of your table and add 24 to 28 inches to both width and length for the proper size cloth.
With proper care, your fine bed linens can last for many years. In order to assure the long life of your bed linens, it is best to alternate the use of each set on a weekly basis. Three sets of sheets for each bed is a good guideline to follow - one on the bed, one in the wash, one in the closet.
There are four basic steps that affect the quality of a sheet. The finest feeling sheets start by using the best cotton with the longest staple, usually about three inches long. A staple is what you pull from a ball of cotton. Shorter staple cottons can result in yarns that break and fabrics that pill.
Prices are all over the board and even discount stores offer sets of high thread count sheets at really attractive prices. Once upon a time, the best sheets were made in Italy or Switzerland, but now they are made all over the world.