This Is Why Linen Sometimes Sheds At First

Why does linen shed?

The first step is not to panic. It’s totally normal and is part of the life cycle of the linen fibre. It means your linen is just getting softer and softer, and therefore cosier and cosier to sleep in.

Linen is a fibre that softens and gets smoother over time, and it does so by shedding excess and unnecessary fibres. These fibres exist in linen for a variety of reasons, but primarily because of the dye colours used to give your Bed Threads linen the gorgeous, sumptuous shades you know and love.

1. Try to avoid tumble drying

The first thing is to make sure you try to avoid tumble drying your sheets and air dry them instead. Tumble drying is abrasive on the delicate linen fibres, and will ensure that shedding continues. If you want to tumble dry, try drying your sheets on a lower heat setting and for a short period of time, completing the drying process by hanging up your linen on the line.

But really, the best thing to do is air dry from start to finish. This is the gentlest, most life-prolonging thing for your linen sheets. Washing them on a cold machine wash and then hanging them out to dry will ensure your sheets stay fresh and relatively shed-free over time.

3. Avoid softeners and other cleaning products

Wash in your machine in cold or lukewarm water – no hot water, no bleaches or other cleaning products that might impact the fibres of the linen. All of these things have the potential to damage the linen fibres and to both ruin the soft feeling of your sheets and make them more likely to shed.

Following these tips will ensure you can keep shedding to a relative minimum, but just remember – shedding is a totally normal part of washing and drying linen. Think of it this way: it’s linen’s way of purging any unnecessary fibres and ensuring that what’s left behind is only the most comfortable to sleep in. Shedding is linen’s way of making life cosier for you, and so even though it might look odd at first, it’s there to make sure your sheets last as long as they can. A pretty good trade, we think.