Taking care of your bath linen and bed linen = a guaranteed good night’s sleep. From washing and drying to ironing, read on for Carré Blanc’s tips on taking care of your bed and bath linen day-to-day.
How often should you wash bedding and towels?
Most bed linen is made from one of three common textiles: cotton, linen and polyester. We spent a third of our lives asleep, so it’s important to wash our duvet covers and pillowcases at least once a fortnight. Washing your bed linen regularly helps to remove bed mites, dead skin cells, and any traces of makeup or perspiration that may remain after a night’s rest.
Bath towels and bath sheets should be washed at least once per week. Bathrooms are often humid, with little air circulation, which makes them a breeding ground for bacteria and humidity. Don’t wait until your towels and bathmats are musty or dirty before washing!
How to wash your bed linen and bath linen
First of all, sort your laundry according to colours and fabrics. Delicate textiles, such as silk, should be washed together. Lights should be washed with lights, dark colours with darks, and bold or bright colours together. Make sure your washing machine isn’t filled to the brim - it’s important to leave enough space for the laundry to absorb the detergent, so leave about a hand’s width between the laundry and the drum.
Make sure to read the labels before washing your bed linen and bath linen. The more delicate the material, the more important it is to ensure that you choose the correct temperature. Generally speaking, cotton bedding can be washed at 60°C - 40°C for more delicate textiles such as linen, cotton percale and cotton sateen. Cotton towelling (dressing gowns, bathmats) should also be washed at 40°.
Washing and drying: an important step
It goes without saying that laundry day becomes a lot easier when we have a washer-dryer or tumble dryer at our disposal! Clothes that have been tumble-dried are easier to iron and retain their softness for longer, but it’s also a good idea to air your clothes outdoors if possible. Natural sunlight is a known bacteria killer, so don’t hesitate to hang up your laundry in your garden or yard outside of the pollen season, when fabric can absorb allergens in the air.
When it comes to ironing, quality over quantity! Make sure you have plenty of room to manoeuvre your iron freely, and ensure that your ironing board is at the correct height. Experienced irones will know not to place the iron directly into the ironing board - unless they’re looking for a scorch mark… A final word of advice: begin with the textiles that require a lower temperature, gradually working your way up to cotton and linen which can be ironed on the highest temperature.
Sorting by colour, choosing the right temperature, ironing (or not)... the old wives’ tales hold true when it comes to washing our bed and bath linen. As well as duvet covers and pillowcases, remember to wash your duvet regularly to keep your bedding clean!