How To Care For Your Sheets

The only thing more important than learning how to choose your bed sheets is learning how to care for them. After all, if you don’t know how to maintain them, they won’t last! However, proper washing, drying, and storage techniques can preserve the lifespan of your bedding. From how to dry bed sheets to whether you should wash sheets on delicate or normal, we’ll take you everything you need to know to keep your linens in tip-top shape. 

How Can Proper Care Extend the Life of Your Bedding?

Washing your sheets on a regular basis can absolutely extend the life of your bedding. You spend around eight hours in your bed every single night, so naturally, your designer bedding sets take a beating. 

Consider this: we lose about 240,000 dead skin cells each night. That coupled with our sweat, body oils, and dirt can set into the fabric and shorten the lifespan of your sheets. 

On the other hand, washing sheets too frequently or following improper care instructions can also cause your bedding to wear out too fast. 

Using harsh chemicals can compromise your sheet sets, while heavy-duty drying cycles can cause shrinkage and pilling, especially in natural fibers. Plus, we all know that mixing light fabrics with dark colors can cause discoloration. 

So yes, following the correct cleaning process plays a significant role in preserving your bedding. Always read the cleaning requirements listed on the fabric’s tag to make the most of your sheets. 

How to Care for Your Sheets

Frequent washing not only makes for a night of healthy sleep but also a higher quality of sleep. Who doesn’t love that fresh sheet feeling? Here’s how to care for your sheets to ensure they last for years and years to come. 

How to Wash Sheets

White vinegar also has impressive stain removal qualities. Pretreat set-in stains with vinegar, then rub with a 1:1 baking soda and vinegar solution. For tough stains, soak your bedding in a bucket of water with a few tablespoons of each vinegar and detergent overnight. 

How to Dry Sheets

All fabrics have unique care instructions for drying, as they do with washing. Always read your tags before putting your garments in the dryer. Here’s how to dry sheets to keep them in peak condition, whether they’re dryer-safe or not.   

How to Dry Bed Sheets in Dryer

How to Line Dry Sheets

1. Prepare for drying. Once your wash cycle has finished, remove your bedding from the washing machine as soon as possible. This helps to prevent wrinkles, mildew, and mold from forming in your sheets. If your garments have clumped together while in the wash, unravel or shake them out.

How to Iron Sheets

Ironing your sheets adds an extra welcoming touch to your bedding. It’s an optional but thoughtful extra step in caring for your sheets. Keep in mind that some fabrics like linen and cotton percale are naturally wrinkle-prone, and it’s okay to embrace those creases if you don’t mind them. 

How to Store Sheets

So, your sheets are clean, dry, and perfectly ironed. But if you aren’t making your bed with these linens, how do you store them? 

There are many ways to store your sheets, and the best method ultimately comes down to personal preference. A common technique is folding your bedding and placing it in your linen closet, keeping sheet sets together. Or, you can organize by bedroom or bed size. 

Alternatively, you can place your extra bedding in bins or lay your sheets over hangers for shelf-free closet storage. If these sheets aren’t regularly used, consider keeping them in a bag to maintain that freshly cleaned feeling. 

How to Brighten Sheets

Discoloration happens — that’s life! Unfortunately, sweat, spills, and other stains aren’t always preventable, but they can be treated. 

How to Soften Sheets

Everyone wants softer sheets. Why wouldn’t you? Some fabrics like linen and cotton percale grow softer over some time, but others need more help. Here are some easy softening methods to help you get a good night sleep. 

Vinegar and baking soda. If you’re thinking, “won’t that cause my laundry to bubble up?” you’d be correct. That’s why it’s best to add these two softening ingredients at different times. Skip the detergent and instead throw a cup of baking soda in your load and washing with warm water. Then, add vinegar to the rinse cycle.

Extra Tips to Care for Your Bedding

Still looking for some extra tips on how to care for your bedding properly? Here are a few:

Final Thoughts

Taking proper care of your bedding helps maintain the longevity of your linens. Always refer to your garment’s maintenance tag for specific care instructions, and do your best to avoid high heat and harsh chemicals, which may compromise your sheets’ lifespan.