When you’ve taken the time to research and buy decent sheets, aka Great Sleep sheets, you’ll want them to last as long as possible. You also want them to look good, wash after wash. Here’s our advice, based on all the things our grandmothers taught us about sheet care.
Washing sheets
Your Great Sleep sheets should get softer and better after washing, and they’ll stay that way if you follow a few simple rules about laundering sheets:
My grandmother’s number one laundry rule to keep sheets bright and soft is add about half a cup of baking soda to the wash, then half a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle.
Actually, there’s some science behind nana’s rules; they actually do enhance the washing process. However, baking soda is an alkaline and white vinegar is an acid, so please don’t mix them together.
- Don’t overfill your washing machine. Allow enough space for plenty of water to rinse through the sheeting.
- Always wash with a full water level on a full cycle with a full rinse; this prevents any chemicals building up on the fibres.
- Select a cycle with cool to warm water and use a small amount of good quality liquid detergent or high-quality soap powder.
- Avoid fabric softeners and colour enhancers, as these can damage the fibres.
- Use separate loads for pale and dark sheets.
Changing sheets
To maintain sheet softness and ensure they last for years, sheets and pillow cases should be changed regularly - usually weekly. More frequent changes may be required to keep things fresh if it’s hot and humid.
Drying sheets
At Great Sleep we recommend line drying. The sun works as an anti-bacterial and helps keep everything healthy and fresh. If you don’t have a line or it’s wet outside, tumble dry on a low heat (a hot dry cycle will cause sheets to shrink). Don’t over-dry and remove the sheets as soon as they’re done to minimise wrinkling.
Storing sheets
Fold sheets and store in a dry space in the bag your Great Sleep sheets came in. If you like a really crisp look but don’t like ironing, another grandmother tip is to iron justthe top of the flat sheet that turns over and the pillow cases. Again, a cool iron is all you need; a hot iron will damage the fibres.