It would depend a little on what kind of setting you have, fine dining, causal etc. If you were to attempt to clean your own table linen you would need knowledge of how to properly starch and press them to get the nice crease and the ability to fold them. The only time I have ever seen this done is with hotels who have the laundry already there because of the hotel rooms linen to do.
The only thing that i recommend that you clean yourself is the towels for cleaning, these get destroyed and cannot be cleaned with anything else.
If you hire a linen company it is important to fully understand the contract. They all have some kind of shrinkage clause. If they bring in 100 and only pick up 90 and bring you another 100 when it is time to renew or you want to go with another linen company all of a sudden there is a charge for all the missing linen for the term of the contract.
Linen control is not easy...and it is not something that most people want to do...but you need to make sure if they bring in a 100 that that they also pick up a 100. Yes somebody would have to count them. Understand your linen invoice there is usally something on there that pertains to the running loss total.