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Linen (or flax) is an annual plant that grows to a height of about 20-100 cm. The flax fiber is obtained from the stems of the flax (or linseed) plant. Just like cotton or hemp, it belongs to the natural plant fibres.
Linen (or flax) is an annual plant that reaches a growth height of about 20-100 cm. The flax fiber is obtained from the stems of the flax (or linseed) plant. Just like cotton or hemp, it belongs to the natural plant fibers. Linen fabrics have been celebrating their comeback since the end of the 20th century, as they are once again gaining importance as an ecological fiber. At one time, the production of linen was considered harmful to the environment because lyes were used in the production process. Today, more environmentally friendly processes have emerged that are kinder to nature.
Flax plants primarily prefer a maritime climate, which is why they thrive best in coastal areas, such as northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands. There are also regions with more continental climates where flax also grows well, such as Romania, Russia and China. Flax can be grown conventionally or organically. In conventional flax cultivation, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and growth regulators are used, which are usually not used in organic farming. Flax is a low pesticide & fertilizer input crop anyway, so soils that have converted to organic agriculture are particularly well suited for flax production.
Harvesting flax is relatively labor intensive and a complicated endeavor. Broadly speaking, it consists of the steps of gathering (pulling out the plant by the root when it is ripe with yellow), turning, and pressing. Interestingly, many of the steps of the traditional harvesting process are still performed in the same way today - except that manual labor is partly supported by machinery. After the flax fibers have been harvested, they can be spun into threads and woven, from which linen textiles can ultimately be made. In the past, it was mainly used to sew bedding and household linen. Today, the fabric is also often used for clothing, shoes, decorative fabrics and book covers.
In contrast to the global cotton harvest of about 25 million tons per year, linen accounts for just 2 million tons, which equals 2% of the world's fiber supply.
Linen fabrics are finely woven, highly qualitative, strong and durable. The smooth fibres with a slightly natural sheen trap little air, making the fabric virtually lint-free and dirt-repellent. Linen fabrics are generally breathable, very robust and tear-resistant, however completely inelastic. This means that the fabrics are often prone to creasing. Due to its moisture-regulating effect, linen has a wonderfully cooling and pleasant effect on the skin, especially in summer. This property also makes linen the best choice for bed linen. The natural fibre is also well suited for allergy sufferers.
In conventional linen cultivation, fewer pesticides and mineral fertilizers are required and used than in cotton cultivation. If linen is grown under controlled organic cultivation conditions, the environmental impact is correspondingly even lower. However, organic cultivation on a larger scale is limited due to the costly harvesting and dewrotting. Taurotte, what? Taurotte, or tau roasting, is a method used during harvesting. Of the various roasting methods, tau roasting is the most common and at the same time the most environmentally friendly, used in three-quarters of the world's cultivated areas. For this purpose, the uprooted flax plants are laid on the ground to dry and aligned in parallel. During the drying phase, microorganisms penetrate the plant, such as bacteria and fungi, which cause the surrounding tissue to detach from the fiber bundle. Timing is everything: the rotting process must be stopped in time so that the fiber is not damaged and can be further processed.
As the name suggests, the process requires dew or dew moisture, which exists mainly in maritime regions. In drier areas, such as China and Egypt, on the other hand, warm water roasting is used. The straw is roasted in water as hot as 40° C, producing wastewater that in turn damages the environment. There have also been efforts to replace the natural process with a chemical process - but this has never proved successful as it damages the flax fibers.
In our erlich textil products we use European linen. Our producer in Portugal processes it into our erlich textil home textiles, such as our tea towels and bedding, which are made of linen and high-quality cotton (organic).
Linen fabric tolerates high temperatures of up to 95°C - provided it is undyed. Such hot temperatures are suitable for bed linen to get rid of unwanted germs and bacteria. However, dyed linen fabrics should not be washed at temperatures higher than 40° C so that the colour is not affected. Linen loves water - it is best to wash your linen textiles on a gentle wash cycle (max. 600 rotations) and without fabric softener. Fabric softener is only rarely suitable for sensitive fibres and tends to have a negative effect on the fabrics appearance. Linen tends to shrink a little (up to 5%) during the first wash. To reduce shrinkage, wash your clothes or laundry in the first wash cycle at 30° C. Linen is very sensitive to friction. That is why you should not rub your clothes when hand washing, but only compress them.
Since linen fibres do not tolerate friction, do not use a dryer, as this would unnecessarily damage the material. The best thing to do is to put them on the good old clothesline and you will enjoy your linen products for a long time.
Since linen is inherently very inelastic, the fabric is predestined to crease. That's why it needs to be ironed after drying - as long as you want it to be smooth (this may not be necessary with bed linen). It works best if you take your clothes off the line before they are completely dry and iron them directly. Alternatively, you might slightly moisten the fabric with a spray bottle before ironing. This will make your work easier.
Linen fabric tolerates high temperatures of up to 95°C - provided it is undyed. Such hot temperatures are suitable for bed linen to get rid of unwanted germs and bacteria. However, dyed linen fabrics should not be washed at temperatures higher than 40° C so that the colour is not affected. Linen loves water - it is best to wash your linen textiles on a gentle wash cycle (max. 600 rotations) and without fabric softener. Fabric softener is only rarely suitable for sensitive fibres and tends to have a negative effect on the fabrics appearance. Linen tends to shrink a little (up to 5%) during the first wash. To reduce shrinkage, wash your clothes or laundry in the first wash cycle at 30° C. Linen is very sensitive to friction. That is why you should not rub your clothes when hand washing, but only compress them.
Since linen fibres do not tolerate friction, do not use a dryer, as this would unnecessarily damage the material. The best thing to do is to put them on the good old clothesline and you will enjoy your linen products for a long time.
Since linen is inherently very inelastic, the fabric is predestined to crease. That's why it needs to be ironed after drying - as long as you want it to be smooth (this may not be necessary with bed linen). It works best if you take your clothes off the line before they are completely dry and iron them directly. Alternatively, you might slightly moisten the fabric with a spray bottle before ironing. This will make your work easier.
