8 Hacks to Keep Your White Linen Looking as Good as New

1. Properly store your sheets

Storing your lovely white linens in plastic boxes or bags can actually cause them to develop a yellow hue.

We would suggest lining your linen cupboard or storage space with acid-free tissue paper that can further assist in preventing your white bedding from getting that yellow tinge.

Or, you can go one step further and store your linens in a linen bag (FYI, our Threads all come in their very own stylish and sustainable 100% flax linen storage sack that can also be reused for many other purposes besides storing bedsheets, which we’ve previously detailed here).

2. Use a baking soda and vinegar mixture

Baking soda and vinegar are both natural whiteners. Try adding half a cup of baking soda to your regular detergent (about half the manufacturer’s recommended dose) at the beginning of the cycle. Then, before your machine starts the spin cycle, pour half a cup of white vinegar to the load (don’t worry, the vinegar smell will rinse away). There are plenty of YouTube videos demonstrating how to do this.

Another plus: these kitchen staples double as fabric softeners so your linens will be buttery soft to sleep in.

5. Sun-dried over tumble-dried

While your dryer is a convenient way to get your sheets back onto your bed faster, drying your linens outside under the sun will actually whiten them because the sun’s ultraviolet rays have a bleaching effect. Plus, doing so is also gentler on your linens so it’ll help prolong the life of your sheets, too.

6. Don’t overload the washing machine

Do you throw your linen sheets in with all your other dirty washing? We get it, it’s convenient. Just ensure you’re not mixing them in with clothing that’s going to discolour or inflict wear and tear on your favourite white linens. Wash whites with whites, and keep items with buttons, zippers or velcro out of the wash so that they won’t cause pilling on your poor whites.