Frequently Asked Questions

New linen should be washed in cooler water temperatures for the first few washes; this will set the mercerization process. We recommend to separate your linens from other items in the first wash. Future wash temperatures should be at 40°C, but for stubborn stains, temperatures can be raised to 60°C. At that temperature, the smooth flax fibers that make up the linen material will release any staining.

If your washing machine allows you to select the water level, choose the highest one offered because linen is highly absorbent. Avoid crowding the washing machine with too many items at once as it can result in twisting or pulling the linen fabric out of shape. Be sure that any other items washed with linen clothing are similar in color, weight and washing instructions.

Use a neutral or mild detergent that does not contain any bleaching agents such as chlorine or peroxide. Do not pour detergent directly on textiles; rather, add it to the water as the wash tub fills or dilute detergent with water, then add linens. Be sure that detergent is completely rinsed from the garment before drying.

The detergents that contain bleaching agents are perfect for white linen but should not be used for washing colored linen or else your linen would get discolored or spotted. Chlorine bleach can weaken fibers and cause them to yellow. If white fabrics need bleaching, use an oxygen-based bleach.

Do not wring out linen before drying. Whatever drying method you choose – line drying, tumbler drying or lying out on a terry towel – make sure your linen articles are slightly damp before ironing. Drying white linen in the sun helps to retain the original white color. Overdrying is the most harmful process for fabrics as it weakens the fibers causing shrinkage and pilling. Over-dried items restore their natural moisture content after re-absorbing moisture from the air.

Remove your linens from the dryer promptly while still damp to reduce wrinkles. Smooth and fold, or press with an iron if desired. Iron linens while still slightly damp on the reverse side of the fabric. Use a steam iron on a warm/hot setting for linen and a water spritzer if needed.

Our washed linen production is highly resistant for shrinkage compared with non-washed linen. Pre-shrunk items normally shrink 3 percent or less. Do not wash or, especially, dry linens on a hot setting, which is most likely to cause shrinkage.

Less is more. That’s definitely a good advice when it comes to your laundry. For extra-longevity and durability, a 100% cotton T-Shirt should only be washed only when needed.

Even though quality cotton is robust, every wash causes stress to its natural fibres and ultimately leads to faster ageing and fading of your T-Shirt. Therefore, simply washing less is probably one of the most important tips to prolong the life of your favourite tee.

Each wash also has an environmental impact (in terms of both water and energy) and washing less can help to reduce your personal water usage and carbon footprint. In western societies, the laundry routine is often based more on habit (e.g. wash after every wear) than on actual need (e.g. wash when dirty).

Washing garments just when needed, is certainly not unhygienic but instead will contribute to a more sustainable relationship with the environment.

White with white! Washing brighter colours together helps to maintain the fresh whiteness of your summer tees. By washing light colours together, you reduce the risk of a white T-Shirt becoming grey or even getting coloured (think pink) by another garment. Usually darker colours can be go into the machine together, especially when they have been washed already a couple of times.

Sorting your laundry by fabric types will further optimise your washing results: sport and workwear might have different needs than a super delicate summer shirt. If you’re unsure of how to wash a new garment, a quick look at the care label always helps.

A 100% cotton T-Shirt does not like heat and can even shrink if it’s washed too hot. It is clear that detergents work better in higher temperatures, which makes it important to find the right balance between the washing temperature and effective cleaning. Darker coloured T-Shirts can be usually washed completely cold but we recommend washing Sanvt’s Perfect White T-Shirt at around 30 degrees (or it can be washed at 40 degrees if needed).

Washing your white T-Shirt at 30 or 40 degrees ensures a longer lasting crisp looking T-Shirt and reduces the risk of any unwanted colourisation such as yellowish marks under the arm pits. However, washing at rather low temperatures also reduces the environmental impact and your bills too: reducing temperature from just 40 to 30 degrees can reduce energy consumption by up to 35%.

By washing your T-Shirts on the ‘inside out’, the unavoidable abrasion happens on the inner side of the shirt while the visual outside is not affected. This reduces the risk of unwanted fuzziness and pilling of natural cotton.

Also dry T-Shirts inside out. This means that potential fading also rather happens on the inner side of the garment while leaving the outer surface intact.

There are now more environmentally-friendly detergents on the market that are based on natural ingredients, while avoiding chemical (oil-based) ingredients.

However, it is important to remember that even ‘green detergents’ will pollute waste water – and can damage clothes if they’re used in too high amounts – as they can contain a wealth of different groups of substances. Since there is no 100% green option, remember that using more detergent will not make your clothes any cleaner.

The fewer clothes you put in a washing machine the less detergent is needed. The same applies to garments that are more or less dirty. Also, in areas with rather soft water, less detergent can be used.

It’s worth noting that all cotton products will have natural shrinkage, which generally happens during the drying process. The risk of shrinkage can be reduced by avoiding a tumble drier and air-drying instead. While tumble drying might sometimes be a convenient solution, a T-Shirt is definitely best dried when hung.

When air-drying your garments, avoid direct sunlight to reduce unwanted fading of colours. As mentioned above: 100% cotton products generally do not like excessive heat. To reduce creasing and unwanted stretching, delicate cotton fabrics should be hung over a rail.

Skipping the dryer has not only a positive effect on the durability of your T-Shirt but also a massive environmental effect. The average tumble dryers needs up to five times the energy levels of a standard washing machine, which means that a household’s carbon footprint can be reduced substantially by avoiding tumble drying completely.

Depending on the specific fabric of a T-Shirt, cotton can be more or less prone to wrinkles and creasing. However, by handling your T-Shirts correctly when taking them out of the washing machine, creasing can be minimised. And you can give each garments a gentle stretch or shake to get them back into shape.

Take extra care around the neckline and shoulders: you should not stretch them too much here as you don’t want the T-Shirt to lose shape. In case your washing machine has a special setting that allows to ‘reduce creases’ – you can use this to prevent wrinkles. Reducing the spinning cycle of your washing programme also helps to further reduce creasing but this means that your T-shirt will be a bit moister when coming out of the washing machine.

If a T-Shirt does need ironing, then it is best to refer to the garment care label to understand exactly what temperature setting is safe. The more dots you see on the iron symbol in the care label, the more heat you can use.