How do I wash my sheets in the washing machine?

Machine washing sheets is an essential step in order to enjoy clean and fresh sheets, and also to keep them soft and pleasant to the touch for a good night’s sleep. It is therefore important to wash your sheets properly, and also to choose them carefully and to take care of all your bedding in order to sleep in a clean and comfortable bed. So how should you wash the sheets?  Which sheets are best for a good night’s sleep?  How do you clean your duvet, pillows or bolster?  Here are the answers! 

The art of washing sheets! 

Washing sheets is an art, in order to enjoy clean sheets with a good smell and to ensure that they do not get damaged prematurely with each wash. Indeed, well-maintained sheets can last for many years, which is why washing sheets is an important step in their care. 

First of all, it is necessary to determine how often it is recommended to wash the sheets. This will depend on one’s lifestyle. A person who tends to snack in bed, has pets that tend to climb on the bed during the night, who sleeps in the nude, showers in the morning after waking up and sweats a lot at night should change their sheets once a week. Indeed, in these conditions, the sheets will tend to get dirty quickly, which is why a weekly change is necessary. You can also change your sheets every week if you suffer from allergies, especially to dust mites. However, a person who showers before bed, wears pyjamas at night, does not snack in bed and has no allergies or pets can easily change their sheets once every 15 days. 

When it comes to washing sheets, the temperature and cycle chosen will depend primarily on the material of the sheets. As with clothing, care should be taken to read the recommendations on the label. Although it used to be recommended to wash your sheets at very hot temperatures, we now know that this is no longer necessary. If the washing machine you have can hold all your bedding, it is recommended that you wash everything together and avoid putting other clothes in your machine. If it doesn’t fit entirely, you can do your washing in two batches, or go to a laundrette to take advantage of larger capacity washing machines like Wash ME kiosks. 

Try to wash your bed linen inside out to preserve colours and patterns and dry it well afterwards to avoid bad odours. While air-drying is effective, using a tumble dryer will save time (check the information on the label). 

Choosing the right sheets

More than the washing of sheets, it is actually the choice of sheets that can have an impact on the comfort of the nights and the quality of the bed linen chosen. Sheets in natural, breathable materials such as cotton or linen are generally preferred. This will prevent you from sweating too much at night and will allow for a better evacuation of the perspiration. Good quality sheets can be kept for many years, so it is quite possible to opt for a nice bedding set that will last a long time. 

For example, you can choose a set with colours and patterns to brighten up your room and give it style or, on the contrary, choose a light, plain colour to create an atmosphere conducive to rest. 

Caring for your cushions and duvets

Pillows, bolsters and other duvets should also be washed regularly. Washing sheets cleans them, but perspiration and dust are also present in duvets and pillows. It will therefore be necessary to wash these bedding items from time to time, following the instructions on the labels. Twice a year is sufficient for a duvet and once every two or three months for a pillow. Generally, it will be difficult to get a duvet into your washing machine and even if the duvet goes in, but is too compressed in the washing machine, it will not be cleaned properly. Opting for a wash in a Wash ME, for example, will allow you to take advantage of the large capacity of the machines provided and to wash duvets and pillows in one go.