The great variety of home textile can make your head spin when shopping even for the simplest pillowcase. Is picking a color or a pattern enough? Or should you read the labels? Count the threads? Even once you decide going for natural fabrics you’ll still need to choose at least among two: linen vs cotton. So why chose one over the other? Here are the key reasons:
The feel
Cotton fabrics can be very soft at first touch, but linen is special because it becomes more subtle through handling. That’s why traditionally it was not uncommon for families to inherit linen bed sheets from their parents. With use and washing linen gets soft and luxurious, giving you the feel that is generally very difficult to replicate with any mechanized process.
The strength
Linen is deservedly known to be the world’s strongest natural fiber. Not only is linen thicker than cotton, its fiber has variable lengths, most of which are very long, contributing to the materials longevity. The strength of cotton is achieved through spinning multiple fibers into yarn and weaving the yarn into fabric, which means that cotton has to be thick to be durable. While cotton, when washed and cared for correctly, will last around 3-5 years before it starts showing signs of wear, good quality linen can last even up to 30 years before needing to be replaced.
The health
Both linen and cotton fabrics are breathable, hypoallergenic and have a nice hand feel, but one way linen really stands out is its antibacterial qualities. While both cotton and linen regulate body temperature quite well, linen is also naturally anti-static and known to help with everything from anti-stress to a better night’s sleep.