Is there anything better than crawling into bed after a long day? That relaxed feeling is even more blissful when you have comfy and soft cotton sheets on your bed. With the right cotton sheets, your bed feels like cloud nine. But as you’re relaxing and drifting off to sleep, you may not be thinking about the right ways to care for your sheets. As much as you don’t want to climb out of bed to do laundry, it’s important to wash your cotton sheets regularly and properly to make sure they stay soft and strong. Here are our five rules for washing your cotton sheets.
- Wash Your Sheets At Least Every Two Weeks Your sheets absorb your body’s oils, sweat, and germs. This residue accumulates quickly and can even cause dust mites. You should wash your sheets at least every two weeks and that includes your flat sheets, pillowcases, and even duvet cover. If you can manage to wash your sheets weekly, that’s even better.
- Follow The Care Instructions – And Avoid Very Hot Water When your cotton sheets are soiled, it seems logical to get rid of all dirt and stains by washing them with very hot water. Unless you have the cold or flu, you want to avoid washing your sheets in hot water. Hot water will cause the sheets to shrink and fade over time. The heat also deteriorates the high-quality cotton fibers. The best rule of thumb is to follow the care instructions on the label of your sheets. This will guide you on which washer settings to use.
- Avoid Using Harsh Detergents Heavy-duty detergents won’t do a better job than mild detergents of cleaning your cotton sheets. Harsh detergent can actually damage the high-quality, cotton fibers in your sheets. Using a gentle detergent and a small amount of fabric softener will aid in extending your sheets’ lifespan and will keep them soft and durable.
- Wash Your Sheets Separately We all want to save time when it comes to doing the laundry. So if you wash your sheets with your towels and even your denim jeans, you’ll want to stop this bad habit. Washing your towels and clothing with your sheets causes friction and eventually reduces their quality and durability. Towels and clothing also require more water to wash so mixing your sheets in the same cycle will result in longer drying times. And you don’t want to dry your sheets with towels and clothing either. Towels and clothing produce a lot of lint that can cling to the sheets causing the fabric to break down and lose its softness.
- Dry Your Sheets with Low Heat There’s no worse feeling than making your bed and realizing that your sheets no longer fit. To prevent your sheets from shrinking over time, don’t dry them in high heat. Instead, dry your sheets at a low temperature. And if they’re still damp when the cycle is over, consider hanging them to dry. You don’t want to pop them back into the dryer for a few more minutes. Over time, high heat will cause your comfortable cotton sheets to shrink and even tear. If you have the space and warm weather conditions, line or hang dry your wet sheets. Plus — there’s nothing better than the smell of crisp sheets that were dried in the wind.
If you’re on the hunt for new cotton sheets, look no further than our Heartland Sheets. They’re made from 100% pure American cotton and the perfect companion for a good night’s rest.
