If you look at history, you will notice that the wealthiest and most privileged circles of European society used Linen. This is also true of the Kings, Queens, and Pharaohs.
This is partly responsible for the reputation that Linen eventually garnered as a status symbol for the rich and famous. Today, Linen is still regarded quite highly because it is so expensive. However, the hefty price tags that linen sheets fetch have nothing to do with the fabric’s historical association with the upper echelons of society.
Linen sheets are expensive because linen is so hard to produce. The elevated prices attached to the best linen sheets are merely a reflection of the hardship that people face whenever they are tasked with making linen fabric. Consider the following:
1). Harvesting
Linen comes from flax plants. They must be carefully harvested, pulled from the ground intact rather than cutting them. Harvesting is cheaper with many other plants because you can just mow them down with a machine. But you don’t have that option with linen because the tapered ends of the stalk must be preserved. This will produce a smooth yarn that can be spun into high-quality fabric.
The plants must be exposed to moisture. This will allow bacteria and fungi to take root, allowing the fibers to loosen from the stalk in the process.
You will see the stalk rote as this happens. This process is called retting and it takes a lot of time.
Afterward, you must use industrial metal rollers to crush the flax fibers, separating raw materials such as the woody-like sections and straw. This is called scutching. After this, you can move on to hackling.
This is where you separate the short fibers from the long ones. This is done using hackling combs that are run through the flax to separate them.
2). Weaving
At this point, you can proceed to the weaving process. The machines used to weave linen fibers are somewhat slow. They operate at lower speeds because linen fibers are inelastic.
It is quite easy for them to break during weaving. So, the machines have to run at less than appealing speeds, resulting in lesser yields.
3). Geography
You will only find the flax plant in Western Europe. The climate and soil conditions in the region are compatible with the needs of the plant. This means that the production of flax occurs predominantly in Western Europe. You don’t have the option of moving the manufacturing process to places with cheaper manpower and resources.
This limits your ability to control the production costs of linen which, in turn, makes it all but impossible to reduce the price of linen products such as sheets. In case you did not know, production and labor costs in Europe are some of the highest in the world.
Naturally, those costs will be passed on to the consumer. Taking into account the work that must be done and the effort that must be expended to harvest the flax plant and process it, you can probably understand why linen sheets cost so much money.
If that wasn’t enough, linen sheets bring a lot of attractive attributes to the table that set them apart from the competition, including:
1). Hygiene
Like other antibacterial sheets, Linen sheets are also resistant to bacteria. As such, you can trust them to prevent bad odors from taking root. Additionally, they have moisture-absorbing properties that will keep you dry all night without making the sheets damp. All these elements work in tandem to keep you clean and healthy.
2). Hypoallergenic
The sheets do not have any allergens that might negatively affect the health of the sleeper. This makes them appealing to people with sensitive skin and respiratory illnesses.
3). Massaging Effect
Linen sheets have microscopic breaks across their surface that create a massaging effect. This will only enhance your comfort.
4). Breathability
Linen sheets permit air to circulate through them. They will keep you cool and properly ventilated on warm days. On the other hand, they can also be trusted to contain your body heat, keeping you warm in the winter.
If you have ever owned linen, you know that the sheets also feel incredibly soft against your skin, and they get softer and shinier whenever you wash them. With such benefits, you shouldn’t be too surprised to learn that linen sheets are expensive.