Keep in mind that the finishes are what give sheets wrinkle resistance and shrinkage control, so you may not want to be too aggressive in removing them. If you’re concerned about factory finishes, you can remove some of these substances by adding ¼ cup of white vinegar to the wash cycle. Some resin treatments meant to reduce wrinkling in fabric contain small amounts of formaldehyde, which can cause contact dermatitis. If you or your child has extremely sensitive skin, you may want to take an extra step when washing new sheets. Also, we love not having to worry about the colors fading over time with many trips through the laundry. In our years of testing dozens and dozens of sets for our guide to the best sheets, this is the reason we’ve opted for white sheets most often. Once those stains appear on sheets, they cannot be undone, but on white sheets they’ll be almost invisible. White sheets are also worth considering if you have problems with discoloration, such as bleaching from benzoyl peroxide in acne cream. If you want to bleach your sheets to get rid of stains, we recommend buying only white sheets and-for a brightening boost-using color-safe bleach or oxygen bleach on a warmer setting. In Laundry, Mendelson suggests avoiding sheets that have fussy care instructions because of this: “Your everyday sheets, especially those on infants’ and children’s beds, should be easy to launder vigorously and should never require gentle or complicated treatment.” What about bleach? We also use hot water to disinfect bedding after an illness or potty-training accident, or to get rid of allergens like dust mites. In our guide to cleaning coffee stains, for example, our experts recommend rinsing with warm water because the heat helps loosen and lift out coffee stains. Sometimes, though, you will need to use warmer wash cycles. The best way to maintain good-looking sheets is to wash them in low-temperature cycles-cold water is ideal. So before you move a load to the dryer, check pretreated stains after every wash, and repeat the spot treatment and cleaning cycle if needed. Stains don’t set until they get baked through a hot drying cycle. Dish soap works well to remove grease stains from food-use it the same way you would any other spot remover. Then leave it to penetrate overnight, before putting your sheets in the washing machine. You can also spray the stained area after you strip the sheets off your bed, and then just toss them into your dirty-clothes hamper until you’re ready to wash them.įor tougher stains, like blood, coffee, or wine (we’re not above sipping a glass in bed while watching trashy TV), soak the area with OxiClean. Follow the directions on the bottle, which typically involve saturating the stained area, pinching the fabric on either side of the stain, and rubbing the fabric sides together to help the cleaner penetrate into the sheet fabric. If there are noticeable stains on your sheets, we recommend pretreating them with a spot remover like Shout or Zout, which will work for most food, dirt, and bodily fluids. But considering that you likely spend one-third of your life in bed, keeping the sheets clean is worth it. If your life is busy, changing the sheets weekly might seem like a hassle, and it’s a task that can be quickly forgotten. And it’s also the recommendation in five books we consulted: Laundry by Cheryl Mendelson, Simply Cleanby Clean Mama founder Becky Rapinchuk, Real Simple Cleaning by Kathleen Squires, Clean My Space by Clean My Space founder Melissa Maker, and Laundry Hints & Tips by Cindy Harris. This is pretty much universal advice from most expert sources, including Martha Stewart and Good Housekeeping. We’re not the only ones who recommend changing or washing sheets weekly. Do it right and you’ll extend your sheets’ life-and ensure they get really clean. But just as important as how often you wash is the method you use. Washing your sheets regularly rids them of that gross gunk (if you prefer to do laundry less regularly, we recommend having another set of sheets so you can at least change them weekly). Then there’s stuff like dust, dust mites, and (if you have a cat or dog) pet hair. Think about it: You spend hours in bed every night, and your sheets collect skin flakes and an assortment of bodily fluids and oils. You should probably change your bedsheets once a week.
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