How to Care for Your Linens

Snuggling into comfy sheets and bedding, after a gruelling day at work can be a beautiful restful experience with the right, premium sheets, duvets, and other bedding in place. When it comes to sheets, a common misconception many people may have is that the more thread counts there are for a sheet, the better and more comfortable it is. This isn’t quite right. What also greatly matters, is how the linen is cared for.

This article will give you a quick run down of how to care for your linens, which will also help in delivering a comfy experience in bed, and help with the longevity of the sheets.

While thread count does matter to a certain extent, a 250TC (Thread Count) to 300 TC premium bed sheet can be far more luxurious to the feel than a 1000TC sheet, when intelligently procured and properly cared for.

While there are sheets at 1000TC that can give an amazing experience, some companies sometimes utilise huge thread count numbers simply as a marketing device, where once the sheets are washed, will not appear that luxurious or soft afterwards. And this likewise applies to other lower thread counts as well of sheets that are not manufactured and processed to certain standards.

Tip: Again, it’s not only thread counts that make a sheet luxurious, rather many other factors, like for example the “mercerisation” process, which can improve the ultimate feel of the linen.

Washing

When it comes to the regular washing of your cotton sheets, it is recommended by many to do so in cold or slightly warm water, and once the entire wash-spin cycle is done, leaving the sheets for too long inside may give them a damp smell. So take them out soon as they’re done in the wash.

Many reputed sources state that cold water washing reduces the wear and tear of the linen, yet depending on the use case, a warmer wash temperature may sometimes prove to be more effective in cleaning some tougher stains and materials on the linen.

Detergents

When it comes to detergents, while there are many on the market, using a well reputed, gentle detergent may prove to be a wiser choice in caring for your linens, than using strong/harsh detergents that may aid in tearing apart the sheets after a few several washes.

Additionally, the “mercerisation” process we talked about earlier (depending on the method used) is said to give cotton cloth increased tensile strength and a higher degree of lustre. An intelligent decision therefore would be to go for reputed, well known linens that are known to be processed in this way.

Drying

Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques, recommends never fully drying the sheets in the dryer. Instead after about 95% of the drying in the machine, with low to medium heat, they recommend hanging out the sheets while still damp, to let them finish drying in cooler air.

This is also echoed to a certain extent by Adriana Regan, an innkeeper in Napa Valley, who suggests to “leave the items in a damp stage” and “letting the fabric breathe”, and “then carefully ironing the bedding”.

As a handy tip, while the sheets dry naturally in the cooler air, many hotels often stock up with a second or third set of sheets per bed (or as required), so while one set is in the wash-dry-laundry-care cycle, the second or third set of sheets is ready to go.

While the laundry cycle is an important part of caring for the linens it’s also important to invest in just the right quality of linen and bedding for ensuring a comfy, signature experience, and a longer linen life-span.

Just like the Vice President of Lodging at Geronimo Hospitality Group says, “It’s really about investing in the right sheets for the look, feel, and longevity.”

Are you looking to treat yourself to a wonderful and comfy bedding experience? Gentelle’s signature collection adorns the beds of many hotels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and is industrially washable, and intelligently manufactured to specific premium quality standards.