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While many of us toss our bedding into the washing machine and then into the dryer, or on the clothesline, without a second thought, it turns out there is a right and a wrong way to care for cotton and linen bedding.
Sheets, pillowcases and duvets covers can be made from many different types of fabric, and woven in many different ways, so it’s important to ensure you are caring for yours correctly, to ensure you get the longest use possible out of your purchase.
Cotton sheets
Cotton bedding is usually crisp, matte and soft. It should be washed in warm water with a mild detergent, and avoid using bleach as it can weaken the fibres and reduce the lifespan of your bedding, as can continuous visits to the tumble dryer. A little fabric softener can be used to make your sheets more snuggly. Hang your sheets flat on the clothesline in the sun to preserve the integrity of the fabric, reduce wrinkles and shrinking.
Avoid washing sheets in very hot water, unless you’ve been very sick, ad avoid using harsh detergents. Avoid washing cotton sheets with clothes or towels, as this can lead to deterioration of the cotton fibres, and thing such as buttons or zippers can put holes in your sheets.
Choose cotton sheets with a thread count of 200 or higher for a softer feel and higher quality.
RELATED: How often should you wash your bed sheets?
Linen sheets
Linen sheets become softer and more absorbent over time and can last a lifetime when cared for correctly. Linen bedding should be washed in warm water with mild detergent on a delicate cycle, and pop it in the dryer after the first few washes to help it soften up quicker. However, hanging it on the line to dry after a quick spin in the dryer will reduce wrinkles and stiffness while maintaining the integrity of the fabric.
Don’t dry clean linen sheets as the chemicals used in dry cleaning can compromise linen, and use a low heat in the tumble dryer. Although wrinkles are a fashionable feature of linen bedding, should you choose to iron them, only do so with the iron set to a low heat and while the sheets are still a smidge damp. Avoid using bleach on linen, dry linen sheets outside on the clothesline in the sun to reduce stains instead.
All types of bedding should be washed every one to two weeks, and more often during summer.
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