This guide is designed to help you protect and look after your linens so that you can enjoy them for many years to come. Please read, keep and follow any instruction labels or booklets attached by the manufacturer to your purchase, and contact the manufacturer directly if you cannot find answers to specific questions online.

How Do I Wash My Bedding?

Before you try to remove a stain, you need to determine the type of fabric involved. Most manufacturers will place cleaning codes on fabrics. Usually you can find this information on the furniture hangtag or on the manufacturer's label. Here is a reference list of those cleaning codes:

• WS: This fabric may be cleaned with water-based cleaning agents and foams, as well as with mild, water-free dry cleaning solvents.
• W: Use water-based cleaning agents or foams only.
• S: Use only mild, water-free dry cleaning solvents.
• X: Do not use foam or liquid agents on this fabric. Vacuum or brush lightly to remove soil.

What the Experts Recommend: 

• Use only very mild detergents or linen washes. Don't use too much detergent, and be careful not to pour them directly onto the fabric.
• Wash similar colors on the gentle cycle with warm (not hot) water.
• Never use chlorine bleach or detergents with bleach. Enzyme-reactive stain removers may be used as needed.
• Forget fabric softeners! Buildup will coat threads and leave them brittle.
• Let the sheets air dry if possible. Otherwise, use the low setting on the dryer and take them out while they're still damp.
• Iron sheets while they're still slightly damp to the touch. When pressing monograms or embellishments, place them facedown on a thick towel to avoid flattening the design.

Caring for Specific Fabrics

Washing and drying your sheets demands depend on the material:

• Acetate: Most woven acetate sheets should be dry-cleaned only, although you can usually hand-wash with an appropriate cleaner like Woolite in room temperature water. Heat is the enemy of acetate - do not use a dryer, even on delicate. Be careful when hand-wringing out water, never twist too hard as the material can tear or pull apart.
• Polyester: Polyester is a very durable material. Similar care to nylon, but safe to line dry. Again, to avoid pilling, hand-wash when possible.
• Nylon: Nylon is fairly durable, and is generally machine washable, even in a normal cycle. Use warm or cool water only, and go light on the detergent. Never use bleach. It is safe to put nylon in the dryer on lowest heat setting. Do not line dry nylon sheets, because the sun is nylon's enemy. Over a long time washing and drying nylon satin leads to pilling, so you may want to consider hand-washing your sheets in the bathtub if you can.
• Silk: Treat the same as acetate, but be careful about line-drying as silk is more sensitive to sun-damage. Also, because silk is usually very thin, be especially careful when wringing out.
• Satin: Satin made of silk and nylon should be shielded from the sun, so if you have a bright sunny room, go for acetate or polyester satin. It's best to just dry-clean satin bedspreads and satin comforters. They are impossible to hand-wash, and bunch up too much in a washer.

Protecting Your Pillow

When you purchase a pillow, always purchase at least two pillow protectors to match your pillow. The pillow protector (a seemingly plain white pillowcase with a zippered closure) offers an additional barrier against dirt and oil and will lessen the need for pillow cleaning. Having at least two pillow protectors per pillow will allow you to have one in the wash while the other is being used on the pillow. These protectors can be found in fabrics that range from cheap muslins for a few dollars to fine cottons in high thread counts than can cost up to $20. Since you will be using your pillow protector every night, it makes sense to choose a higher quality one with longer-lasting quality fabric in a higher thread count.

Keep a Supply of Extra Pillowcases

A decorative pillowcase is the outer layer of the pillow. Always buy at least one extra set of pillowcases each time you purchase sheets. Extra cases will give you the option of changing the pillowcases every few days to freshen up the bed. (Changing pillowcases frequently can also help keep your face and hair cleaner.) You might also collect sets of plain white (or plain colored) pillowcases so you have a fresh clean one available every day. Buy the highest thread count you can afford to add a touch of luxury to your night.

Laundering Pillows

Many pillows can be washed at home in a washing machine with a few additional precautions. First, set your washer on a gentle wash cycle and press the "extra rinse" button if available. If not, then simply put the pillow through the final rinse cycle another time or two to fully rinse out any soap and bubbles. These additional rinses are necessary due to the thickness and density of pillows.

Next, use the spin dry feature of your washer at least twice to get as much moisture out of your pillow as possible. Then place in the dryer. Fluff and turn the pillows periodically during the drying cycle. Drying your pillow will probably take several drying cycles, and might take several hours, since the filling in the center may still be damp even when the outer layers are dry. If in doubt, hang the pillow in a dry location for a day or two to make certain it is completely dry before returning to your bed.

Caring for Duvets

Keeping a duvet inside a duvet cover will keep it clean and fresh. It is recommended that you shake and fluff a duvet every morning after use.

Laundering

Duvets used inside of duvet covers rarely need to be laundered. Wash the duvet cover frequently instead. 

• Smaller duvets should be laundered according to manufacturer's instructions.
• Dry a duvet on gentle heat in the dryer, remove and adjust duvet so damp areas are exposed, then reinsert into the dryer for another cycle.
• Hang a duvet out to air dry for at least 24 hours to make certain all sections are dry before replacing on the bed.
• Very large duvets may need to laundered or dry cleaned commercially since their volume is more than most home washers can handle.

General Tips

• Use a mattress pad between the mattress and sheets. Wash it when needed, at least every few months.
• When sheets are used as fabric for pillow covers, shams, bedskirts, tablecloths, curtain panels and the like avoid washing them as they will lose body and become limp. Dry clean if necessary.
• Buy extra pillowcases for any sheet patterns you particularly love, as these are the pieces that will wear out the fastest.
• Iron pillowcases for fresh, crisp good looks on your bed.
• Change pillowcases at least twice a week in normal climates, more often in hot and humid regions.
• Have three sets of sheets per bed. Use one on the bed, one in storage, and one in the laundry.
• Rotate the sheets you use (vs. the sets you store) frequently so they wear evenly.
• Buy extra bottom sheets for any sheet patterns you particularly love, as these are the pieces that will wear out the fastest.
• Change sheets once a week in normal climates, more often in hot and humid regions. Enjoy your new bedding!