How to wash and care for your bedding

There is nothing better than sinking into clean sheets at night. The fresh aromas and crisp feel that greets you at night time is unbeatable - it just might be the ultimate “ahh” feeling. However, knowing how to wash and care for your bedding properly is key to enjoying your bed at its cosiest. This isn’t always easy though, and there are often things standing in the way of ideal sleeping conditions, from finding the right bed sheets to stressful small print care instructions and panic Google searches.

So, how do you get the very best results when washing your bedding? We’ve put together some Sleep Expertise in this guide to caring for bedding correctly, so you can feel confident the next time you wash your bed sheets, pillows and duvet. Now let’s dive right in!

1. How to Wash Bed Sheets

How often should you wash your bed sheets?

How often you care for your bed linen sheets is usually a personal preference. They cover the body of your bed and they tend to show all the obvious signs of dirt marks/stains. To make your bedroom a stress free-zone, we suggest that you change your sheets at least once a week.

When buying any new sheets, we always recommend that you first consider the Thread Count (TC). We also advise that you look into what type of materials make the difference for you (e.g. polycotton, french linen etc). The longer fibres create a softer, more durable fabric that feels fresh and light to the touch of your skin.

We understand that it’s not always convenient to wash your bedding this frequently so having spare bedding is extremely helpful. Simply swap the sets once a week and add them to the wash load when it’s most suitable for you.

What temperature should you wash bed sheets on?

Avoid excessively high temperatures when washing your bed linen to prevent shrinkage or any other fabric shape distortion. Some fabrics, such as silk, will need to be washed on a gentle cycle. All of our bed linen sets come with wash care labels – follow these for specific temperatures.

What detergent should I use when washing bed linen?

How should I dry my bed linen?

We often get asked “can you tumble dry bed sheets?” and the answer is usually yes. Most bed linen fabrics can be tumbled dried as long as it’s not set on extremely high heat. Line drying your bedding is a great alternative and better for the environment when washing regularly.

Should you iron bed sheets?

If you’re after a slick, soft appearance, ironing your bedding is the best way to achieve it. French linen sheets look effortlessly chic when left unironed, but can be ironed for a more luxury appearance. For best results, leave your bed sheets slightly damp before ironing. For silk sheets, ensure they are bone dry before using the silk setting on your iron.

TOP TIP - For French linen, ironing whilst still damp will make it easier if you want that classic, crinkled, relaxed bedding look.

2. How to Wash Pillows

Start with using a protector

To begin with, we always recommend that you use a pillow protector in case of any accidental spills. It is important that you wash your pillow protectors frequently to let the fibres breathe. If you're an allergy sufferer or someone that generally struggles to get to sleep in the heat, then we would also recommend purchasing a second set to allow you to rotate in a weekly wash.

When and how to clean pillows

As most of our pillows have a generous fill, we usually recommend that you use a professional laundering service at your local dry cleaner. Nevertheless, you can still wash your pillow from home at a low 30/40 temperature. Just try to avoid overloading your washing machine, and make sure it is 100% bone dry to avoid any ruining of the fill.

TOP TIP - Weigh your pillow pre & post-wash. If it weighs the same, then it should be bone dry and ready to use again.

Check our Buying & Care guides if you have any specific questions on how you should look after your pillows.

3. How to Wash a Duvet

How often should you wash your duvet?

Whether it is a feather and down, wool, synthetic or silk-filled duvet, we suggest that you wash your duvets every 6-12 months (in line with each season). Depending on what tog size duvet you have, we recommend professional laundering for the higher tog, larger duvets, and to be cautious you don’t overfill your washing machine when you care for your smaller, lighter tog duvet.

How to dry a duvet

After washing, the drying stage will require you to be patient in order to avoid any clumping and to make sure it is 100% dry throughout. But if you do want to speed up the process, then tumble dry with ‘tumble dry balls’, to keep your duvet nice and fluffy. For any additional information, we always recommend that you check our simple care labels.

TOP TIP - Get into good habits and switch your duvet each season, as you will sleep better depending on the type of tog you have. View our Duvet Buying Guide to find out more.

Bonus bedding care advice

When you invest in soft, comfortable, bedding, you want it to always be clean, inviting and in the best possible condition. So our final bedding care tip is all about showing your duvet and pillows a little TLC every morning. Give them a gentle shake, plump, and a spruce to help maintain the fill and structure. You’ll thank us later.

With all the top sleep tools & services right at your door, our mission is to make your life a blissful breeze when you sleep with us. With our extensive range of buying, care guides, detailed videos, returns & guarantees policies, price promises and reliable trusted delivery & tracking processes, you would be a fool to miss out on our great range of loved products. Over 10,000 people would say we offer 5-star bedding!