Washing linens:
The following are the primary cleaning products I use.
Oxi-Clean (Regular, for Bright whites and colors)
Oxi-Clean Free [(oxi-clean without dyes) for linen / natural colors]
Biz (use the powder, not the liquid)
Dreft (use the powder, not the liquid)
I do use several other products for specialized problems, but the above products should suffice.

Below are the methods I use to clean different types of fabrics.

For the bright white fabric 100% cotton. (stained or just not white enough)
What you need: A plastic bucket in which to soak the items. A cover for the bucket and some sort of blanket to cover the bucket to keep it warm. Dreft baby laundry detergent. Biz laundry detergent. HOT water.

For items with very bad stains you may want to do the ****Oxi-Paste Method first.

Use 1 cup of Dreft and 1 cup of Biz for each 10 gallons of hot water. Put the detergent in the bucket then add the hottest water possible and make sure the powder is completely dissolved. Add items one at a time, cover the bucket with a lid, then cover it with several blankets. Let it soak like that for 3 days. For best results, add some hot water and stir it once a day, but this step is not always necessary. After the third day put the wet items in a washing machine (preferably a front loading machine*) Then run the wash cycle without adding any detergent. (I recommend running an additional rinse cycle) After the washer is finished, hang everything on a line. You can hang it outside in the sun on a line or even inside on a line if the weather doesn’t permit outside drying. A dryer will not produce good results with the 100% cotton.

This method can also be used for cleaning the floral print cotton duvet covers and shams we sell. Only use this method on colored fabric if you are sure the color won’t bleed.

* Top loading washing machines can tear the lace off shams and cause damage to other delicate items. If you must use a top loading machine, place delicate items in a lingerie washing sack. Or wash by hand.

For the bright white fabric 100% cotton. (Regular washing)
What you need: Biz Laundry detergent. HOT water.
Use the recommended amount of Biz for your washing machine. Put the items in the washing machine (preferably a front loading machine*)
After the washer is finished, hang everything on a line. You can hang it outside in the sun on a line or even inside on a line if the weather doesn’t permit outside drying. A dryer will not produce good results with the 100% cotton.
This method can also be used for cleaning the floral print cotton duvet covers and shams we sell. Only use this method on colored fabric if you are sure the color won’t bleed.
* Top loading washing machines can tear the lace off shams and cause damage to other delicate items. If you must use a top loading machine, place delicate items in a lingerie washing sack. Or wash by hand.

For Metis (Linen/Cotton Blend). Stained
What you need:
A plastic bucket in which to soak the items. A cover for the bucket and some sort of blanket to cover the bucket to keep it warm. Oxi Clean Free. HOT water.
For items with very bad stains you may want to do the ****Oxi-Paste Method first.
Use 1.5 cups of Oxi Clean for each 10 gallons of hot water. Put the Oxi Clean in the bucket then add the hottest water possible and make sure the powder is completely dissolved. Add items one at a time, cover the bucket with a lid, then cover it with several blankets. Let it soak like that for 6 hours.* After the 6 hours put the wet items in a washing machine (preferably a front loading machine**) Then run the wash cycle without adding any detergent. (I recommend running an additional rinse cycle.) Then put them in the dryer on low for 10 minutes or so, till they are hot but still damp but not too wet (drying them completely in the dryer will produce bad results). Immediately iron them with a good Iron with a lot of steam (if they are too damp, they will also be difficult to iron).
* After 6 hours the Oxi Clean stops working and becomes inert, so any additional soaking is a waste of time. ** Top loading washing machines can tear the lace off shams and cause damage to other delicate items. If you must use a top loading machine, place delicate items in a lingerie washing sack. Or wash by hand.

For Metis (Linen/Cotton Blend). Regular washing.
You can use most any type of detergent, but for regular cleaning, I recommend a gentle liquid detergent that works with cold water. The dirtier the item, the hotter the water I use, but for regular washing, you can use cold water. Place items in a washing machine (preferably a front loading machine**)
After they are washed, put them in the dryer on low for 10 minutes or so, till they are hot but still damp but not too wet (drying them completely in the dryer will produce bad results). Immediately iron them with a good Iron with a lot of steam. (if they are too damp, they will also be difficult to iron)
** Top loading washing machines can tear the lace off shams and cause damage to other delicate items. If you must use a top loading machine, place delicate items in a lingerie washing sack. Or wash by hand.

For Linen. Stained
What you need:
A plastic bucket in which to soak the items. A cover for the bucket and some sort of blanket to cover the bucket to keep it warm. Oxi Clean. HOT water.
For items with very bad stains you may want to do the ****Oxi-Paste Method first.
Use 1.5 cups of Oxi Clean for each 10 gallons of hot water. Put the Oxi Clean in the bucket then add the hottest water possible and make sure the powder is completely dissolved. Add items one at a time, cover the bucket with a lid, then cover it with several blankets. Let it soak like that for 6 hours.* After the 6 hours put the wet items in a washing machine (preferably a front loading machine**) Then run the wash cycle without adding any detergent. (I recommend running an additional rinse cycle.)
Then put them in the dryer on the lowest setting possible (not air dry) for 15 minutes or so, until they are slightly damp but not too dry (drying them completely in the dryer may produce bad results). Stretch the fabric anywhere a seam is bunched up, then hang them on a line folded in half. If they are too wet when you hang them on a line they will stretch and become distorted and will most likely get very stiff, and you will need to re-wash them to get them soft. If possible, remove them from the line before they are completley dry and iron them with a good Iron with a lot of steam. (Ironing is not necessary with all types of linen, you just need to experiment with your linen).
* After 6 hours the Oxi Clean stops working and becomes inert, so any additional soaking is a waste of time.

** Top loading washing machines can tear the lace off shams and cause damage to other delicate items. If you must use a top loading machine, place delicate items in a lingerie washing sack. Or wash by hand.

For Linen. Regular washing.
You can use most any type of detergent, but for regular cleaning, I recommend a gentle liquid detergent that works with cold water. The dirtier the item, the hotter the water I use, but for regular washing, you can use cold water. Place items in a washing machine (preferably a front loading machine**) .
After they are washed, put them in the dryer*** on the lowest setting possible (not air dry) for 15 minutes or so, until they are slightly damp but not too dry (drying them completely in the dryer may produce bad results). Stretch the fabric anywhere a seam is bunched up, then hang them on a line folded in half. If they are too wet when you hang them on a line they will stretch and become distorted and will most likely get very stiff, and you will need to re-wash them to get them soft. If possible, remove them from the line before they are completley dry and iron them with a good Iron with a lot of steam. (Ironing is not necessary with all types of linen, you just need to experiment with your linen).

*** If you don’t want to use a dryer at all, you shouldn’t hang them on a line, because they will be too heavy and distort and stretch themselves, you would need to lie them out flat on a clean surface. Once again, if you allow them to dry completely before ironing them, they will most likely become very stiff and have the softness of sandpaper.

****Oxi-Paste Method
Mix about 3 tablespoons, or however much you need, depending on the size of the stain/s with 1/2 tablespoon of hot water, adding more water if necessary to make a runny paste. Glob it on the stain, completely covering the stain. Let it dry. It will become rock hard. (20 minutes to several hours) Don't try to break it off when it is hard, use HOT water to break it up, or even, just throw it in a hot wash. You can use this on all but the most delicate fabrics.

We would appreciate any tips you might have in cleaning linens. We have been in the business of stain removal and cleaning of textiles from acetate scarves to velvet for 15 years and have ruined countless valuable items in the process of refining methods of cleaning and stain removal.

I will update this info as often as possible, please email us if we made and mistakes above (spelling, confusing etc...)