Linen-love it or hate it? Personally, I love it, wrinkles and all. As it turns out, there are a lot of environmental reasons to love linen, too. If you're a devotée of natural fibers, linen is one of the most environmentally friendly.
The flax plant, which provides the inner stalk fibers from which linen is made, requires far less water to grow than cotton, about 60% less! In fact, according to the European Confederation of Linen and Hemp, “Across its lifecycle, a linen shirt uses 6.4 litres of water” compared to thousands of litres for a cotton shirt.
Flax is a durable plant (and pretty-see above) that doesn't need much in the way of fertilizer or pesticides. Flax can thrive in poor soils, unsuitable for other agricultural uses. Organic linen guarantees that alkalis are not used in processing, either.
Other interesting facts about linen:
~ It's an ancient fiber, dating back at least 36,000 years.
~ All parts of the flax plant are used, there is no waste!
~ Linen is completely biodegradable, especially when no dyes are used. Natural colors include ivory, ecru, tan and grey.
~ Linen is naturally moth resistant.
~ Linen is extremely strong, in fact, it's the only fiber that is stronger when wet.
~ When well cared for, linen can last decades, and it softens with every washing.
~ Linen fabrics absorb moisture without holding bacteria. No wonder it's popular in the tropics!
~ Linen is one of the fibers used in dollar bills.
Want to know more about this wonderful fiber? Learn more here and here.
We always have lots of linen items in the spring, come see why I love it so much! Maybe I can even teach you why I love ironing, too!
xoxo ~chris
