A crisp linen tablecloth is one of the quiet pleasures of a well-laid table. It softens the light, holds a fold beautifully and only improves with the years. It is also, inevitably, the thing that catches the red wine, the candle wax and the Sunday gravy. The good news is that linen is far tougher than its delicate appearance suggests. Treat a stain promptly and gently, before it has a chance to bond with the fibre, and your cloth will come out of the wash looking every bit as good as it did before the guests arrived.

Treat Stains Before They Set

A few habits will serve you well whatever lands on the cloth. Speed matters more than any specialist product, because a fresh stain sits on the surface while an old one has already worked its way into the fibre.

• Blot, never rub. Press the mark with a clean white cloth or kitchen paper, working from the outside in so you do not spread it.
• Work from the wrong side where you can. Flushing the stain out from underneath pushes it back off the fabric rather than through it.
• Start with cold water. Anything containing protein — gravy, milk, egg, meat juices — will be set permanently by hot water.
• Test first. Try any method on the hem or a corner before you commit the whole cloth to it.
• Skip chlorine bleach. It can yellow linen and weaken the fibre. An oxygen-based bleach is a far safer choice for pale cloths.
• Never iron or tumble dry a stain. Heat fixes marks for good. Deal with them first, dry later.

Red Wine on Linen

Red wine is the classic linen emergency, and the fix is quick if you act within minutes. Blot up as much as you can, then cover the damp patch with a generous heap of table salt. Leave it for ten minutes or so; the salt draws the wine up out of the fibre. Brush it away, then flush the area with cold water from the underside of the cloth.

For anything left behind, work in a little diluted washing-up liquid with your fingertips — no scrubbing — and rinse thoroughly. If the mark has dried, soak the cloth in cool water with an oxygen-based bleach for half an hour to an hour, then wash as normal. Resist the urge to rub hard at the spot; linen fibres are strong but they can be abraded into a dull patch that never quite disappears.

Removing Candle Wax

Candle wax is more forgiving than it looks, because it hardens as it cools. Let it set completely rather than reaching for a cloth while it is still warm and molten, which simply pushes it deeper into the weave.

• Hold an ice cube in a small plastic bag against the wax until it is brittle.
• Pick off the bulk with a blunt knife or your fingernail. Never use a sharp blade on linen.
• Place the cloth between two sheets of blotting paper or brown paper and press with a warm — not hot — iron. The wax melts and wicks into the paper.
• Move to a clean section of paper and repeat until no more wax transfers.
• Treat any coloured or oily residue that remains with a drop of washing-up liquid, then rinse.

Gravy, Sauces and Greasy Marks

Gravy is a double stain: fat plus protein. Spoon off any solids first, then blot. Flush the area with cold water to lift the protein before it sets. Next, work in a small amount of washing-up liquid with your fingertips and leave it for ten minutes before rinsing in warm water — once the protein is out of the way, warmth helps shift the fat.

If a greasy shadow lingers after washing, cover it with cornflour or talcum powder and leave it for an hour, or overnight for older marks. The powder absorbs the oil; brush it off and repeat if needed. Tomato-based sauces and anything with a deep colour often need an oxygen-based bleach soak after the grease has been dealt with.

Tea, Coffee and Fruit Juice

Tea and coffee leave tannin marks that respond well to a cold water flush followed by a dab of washing-up liquid or a little white vinegar. For older coffee rings, a touch of glycerine softened into the mark before washing can loosen what water alone will not. Berry and fruit juice stains are best rinsed in cold water first, then soaked in oxygen bleach rather than attacked with soap, which can sometimes fix the colour in place.

Washing and Drying Afterwards

Check the care label, then wash linen at 30°C to 40°C on a gentle cycle with a mild detergent, giving the cloth plenty of room to move — an overloaded drum traps stains against the fabric. Rinse well and avoid fabric conditioner, which coats the fibre and dulls linen's natural lustre.

Line dry in the shade, or tumble on a low setting and remove while still slightly damp. Press on the reverse with a hot iron while the cloth is damp for a smooth, glassy finish. If any trace of the stain remains when you take it out of the machine, repeat the treatment before drying or storing it — and keep a clean white cloth and a bag of salt within reach of the dining table. Prevention is a lovely thing, but a little quiet know-how is far more reliable.