Lucky for us all, we no longer have to wash our clothes and bed sheets in the nearest stream or river beating the dirt out of them on rocks. Nor do we have to soak them overnight and then soap, boil, scald, rinse, wring out, mangle (hand cranked), dry, starch and iron, repeating these steps up to three times to get the job done. Phew! Thankfully today we have the modern-day washing machine and dryer to do most of the work!

What’s not to love about slipping into a bed with crisp, fine and freshly laundered sheets? The bed is our place to rest, relax, renew and heal. Make sure you care for your bedroom sanctuary and give it the attention it deserves. As part of that consideration you can protect your investment in fine linens with proper care.

Remember to always wash your new set of sheets before use. This first wash is essential for setting the threads, which will protect the fabric’s beauty and extend its life.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU WASH YOUR SHEETS?

Regular washing is a must and we recommend you change your bedsheets and launder them once a week. It is good practice to have multiple sets of sheets for one bed, we recommend a total of at least three. This allows for one set on the bed, one in the linen closet and one is typically waiting to be laundered or in the wash. By rotating your sets, they will last longer and you will always have a clean set ready to go on the bed!

CARING FOR YOUR LINENS IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK

Less is more.

Do not overload the machine, leave room for the sheets to circulate in the water, they will get cleaner.  Wash your sheets separately from towels and other clothing. Garments made of polyester, and items made of heavy material or rivets, buttons, zippers, and other hardware can damage fibers and fabric.

Forget the fabric softener and forget the bleach, we discourage the use of both. Bleach will weaken fibers and cause yellowing and fabric softeners make fibers appear soft by coating them, but eventually cause damage over time. Your luxury linens will soften naturally with repeated use and regular washings.

Cool or warm water is enough and gentle or normal cycle is fine and don’t forget to wash dark and light colors separately.

All that is required is a mild detergent that does not contain any bleaching agents such as chlorine or peroxide, and never pour the detergent directly onto fabric. Instead, add your linens (fully unfolded) to the tub after it fills and the detergent has already been diluted in the water. Pre-treat any stains before you wash.

Remove your linens from the washing machine as soon as the cycle is over to reduce wrinkles, shake the sheets out and smooth out wrinkles as much as possible before putting them into the dryer or hanging them to dry. Hanging them to dry is preferable but not in direct sunlight.

Most people use the dryer which is fine too but don’t mix in other items – dry linens by themselves. Use the lowest heat setting possible and remove promptly smoothing out any wrinkles with your hands and fold them.

If you love a crisp pristine bed remove the linens from the dryer when they are still ever so slightly damp (about 10 minutes before the cycle ends) and iron your sheets.

STORING YOUR FRESHLY LAUNDERED LINENS

A great space saving way to store matching linens is to use one of the pillowcases to stash the sheet set. Simply put the folded sheet set inside one of its matching pillowcases, along with the second pillowcase. Or place the folded fitted sheet and pillowcases inside the folded flat sheet right before its last fold. Either way also works well for putting away sheets in linen closets or bedroom closets.

Don’t store them inside plastic, you want to store them in something that allows them to breathe.

Use your favorite scented sachet in the closet to keep things smelling fresh and lovely!