expert cotton care: how to wash your organic cotton bedding

Ahhh, is there anything quite like sinking into fresh cotton bedding after a long day? Ensure your organic cotton sheets look their absolute best and help you get your best ever zzz’s, whilst simultaneously lowering your energy bills and reducing your carbon footprint, with these small but impactful tips. A little care and attention goes a (very) long way!

how often?

This is one of the questions we get asked all the time, and the honest answer is: it varies. Just like washing your hair or your favourite jumper, it will vary a little depending on the circumstances. So, here are a few considerations.

For most people, washing bedding once a fortnight is a great baseline to keep everything feeling clean, inviting and prevent bacteria forming. But if you tend to sleep hot, you sweat at night, or it’s summer, switching to a weekly wash can make a real difference, especially if dust mites are a concern.

Dust mites are the main hidden hazard in the bedroom. They feed on dead skin, and the average person sheds around ½ an ounce each week. The good news? Keeping your bedding and bedroom clean means they have nothing to feed on.

washing temperature

We suggest washing at 30 ºc – 40 ºc. Washing at 30°C actually uses 38% less energy than washing at 40°C. We do recommend avoiding the quick wash cycle on your machine, though, as this won’t give the detergent enough time to work well. For those of you with dust mite-allergies, your bedding can be washed at 60 ºc. However, higher temperatures aren’t as friendly for the environment and damage the fibres over time, decreasing the life span of your bedding.

detergents we recommend using

You’ve consciously chosen or shown interest in organic cotton bedding, so kudos to you! But why stop there? While conventional detergents are some of the most toxic, fragranced cleaning products out there, there are lots of healthy eco-friendly alternatives. We recommend gentler, non-bio detergents to reduce skin irritation.

Many of us are guilty of over-using detergent in our washes when we want to give our bedding a really good clean. However, using too much detergent makes it harder to remove during the rinse cycle.

fabric softener

High-quality organic cotton softens naturally over time, so you don’t need to add fabric softener. It can also stop the fabric from being as absorbent, something that you might not want from your bedding during the summer months! If you do want to use it, remember very little goes a very long way. You really don’t need much at all.

separation

White cotton easily picks up other colours. Keep your white sheets beautifully white by not washing them with any other colours. Discover our complete guide on how to keep your white bedding white here!

Worried about your striped duvet covers? No need to toss and turn. Our stripes are yard dyed, meaning they’re colour fast and won’t leak. Just be sure to wash with other light colours to be safe from damage.

button it up

Avoid a tangled bundle of sheets and pillowcases at the end of your cycle by always buttoning up your duvet cover beforehand. Our natural button closures are perfect for staying fastened around the drum, so your bedding can get the best clean.

Be sure not to mix your load with items that might snag your bedding like zippers and bras, though, as your bedding might not respond well to these.

give them space

Ensure you don’t fill your machine over three quarters full so the detergent and softener can effectively rinse out, helping prevent prominent creases in your organic cotton bedding.

top tips for drying

Another easy breezy way to avoid creases setting into your sheets is by removing them from the washing machine as quickly as possible.

We advise trying to avoid the tumble dryer whenever possible to reduce the environmental impact. Line drying is always best if you can, there’s nothing quite like a bed set dried in fresh air.

However, if you need a helping hand during busy days or the winter months, our cotton bedding is dryer-friendly.

For the best results, stick to a low heat setting. Higher temperatures can encourage extra shrinkage, so gentle is the way to go. Don’t cram the drum full. Your sheets need space to move around, and it’s that rubbing and friction inside an overpacked dryer that can speed up wear. And as tempting as it is to chuck everything in together, always keep towels separate and never tumble dry these alongside other textiles. Their heavier weight and textured surface creates more friction, which can be tough on your sheets.

Another little tip if you’re using your tumble dryer is to remove your bedding while it’s still warm and just before it’s completely dry. Do this last bit of drying naturally (hang them over a banister, put them on the line if the suns shining or lay them flat on your bed) and it’s like doing a touch of ironing without the hassle!

to iron or not to iron

Do you love it or loathe it? If it’s the latter, we get you. It can be time consuming. What’s more, we find there’s something wonderfully soothing about sinking into the natural wrinkles of bedding. However, if you do find comfort in immaculate sheets, it’s perfectly safe to iron your organic cotton bedding.

Top tip for keeping your Dip & Doze as neat as can be? Iron your bedding while it’s still a little damp (but not wet) using the cotton heat setting. This will make achieving perfectly crisp bed linen so much easier. We find adding a glass of vino makes time spent ironing go by so much quicker, too!

breakfast in bed mishaps

Act fast! You may have just climbed back into bed with your hot tea on a Sunday morning and the last thing you want to do is put a wash on, but this is our top tip for rescuing your sheets. Apply stain remover directly to the stain (ensuring it doesn’t contain any bleach if you have coloured bedding). If you don’t have any stain remover to hand, you can spot clean by adding a little laundry detergent or washing up liquid to the stain.

And there you have it. Love your bedding and it’ll love you back for years to come, remaining tip top quality – something that is hard to find in bed linen nowadays. Shop organic & Fairtrade, lovingly made bed linen.