Bed sheet laundry
How to Wash Sheets & How Often to Wash Them
We all know that it’s important to get a good night’s rest, and fresh, clean bed sheets can help make your sleep more enjoyable. This step-by-step guide will show you how to wash bed sheets with the right settings for different fabrics.
How often should you wash your sheets?
Since germs, sweat, oils and more can build up fast, bed sheets should be washed at least once a week to keep them crisp and clean. If you or a family member tends to sweat while sleeping, you may want to wash sheets more often.
How to wash bed sheets: a step-by-step guide
Using the proper laundry cycle can help keep your bed sheets in the best condition. In general, the bulky/sheets washer cycle uses warm water, a low spin speed, more water and is designed to help keep sheets from tangling up. The ideal dryer setting is low to medium heat due to the fabric weight.
These washer and dryer settings may vary depending on the fabric. Some bed sheet fibers are more delicate than others and require gentle laundry care. Always check the care label for your sheets before washing and drying them.
Supplies
Step 1: Consult the care label
As with any fabric, check the care label before washing bed sheets. Depending on the fabric type, you may need to use a specific wash or dry cycle.
Step 2: Treat any stains before washing
If there are any visible or stubborn stains, use a pre-wash stain remover that’s safe for the fabric to treat the stains prior to washing. Select Whirlpool® top load washers include a Pretreat Station, which features a built-in faucet and pretreat brush so you can soak, scrub and wash all in one spot.
Step 3: Load sheets and add detergent
Sheets should be washed in a separate load from comforters, towels and other items. Washing sheets with towels can cause pilling and excess lint to form on the sheets. Be sure to evenly distribute the sheets in the washer to avoid bunching and tangling.
In top load models, place sheets loosely around the impeller or agitator to balance the load. To ensure optimal cleaning, don’t try to wash too many sheets at once.
If your washer has a detergent dispenser—whether it's a bulk dispenser like the Load & Go™ Dispenser or a single dose dispenser—follow the manufacturer’s instructions and add detergent as you would for a normal load. For washers without a dispenser, add detergent according to the detergent manufacturer’s recommendation. You can also use Swash™ Laundry Detergent, which is designed with a pre-measured pour dosage cap.
Cleaning tip: Skip the fabric softener
Fabric softener, including dryer sheets, can affect the absorbency of natural fabrics, so it’s not recommended for bed sheets.
Step 4: Choose the right wash cycle and settings
Bed sheets should be washed in the warmest water appropriate for the fabric, using a sheets cycle or the cycle recommended in your washer’s use and care guide.
If there isn’t a cycle specified, a normal or regular cycle will usually suffice for cotton, polyester or linen sheets. Certain fabrics like silk, satin or bamboo may require a more gentle or delicate cycle. Some washers, like Whirlpool® top load models with Intuitive Controls, help you choose a cycle based on what you’re washing and how you’re washing it.
How to wash cotton sheets
Water temperature: Warm or hot
Cycle: Sheets, Normal, Regular, Casual or Sanitize
Cotton bed sheets are sturdy enough to be washed in hot water using a cycle specifically for sheets or a normal or regular cycle. If someone in your household has been sick, you may want to opt for a sanitizing cycle. On Whirlpool® washers, this cycle eliminates 99.9% of the most common bacteria found in clothes, sheets and towels.
How to wash polyester blend sheets
Water temperature: Warm
Cycle: Sheets, Normal, Regular or Casual
Bed sheets that are made of a polyester blend should be washed in warm water using a sheets cycle or regular cycle.
How to wash silk and satin sheets
Water temperature: Cold
Cycle: Gentle or Delicate
Silk or satin bed sheets require special care, including using a mild detergent specially formulated for delicate fabrics. Use only cold water and a gentle or delicate cycle to avoid damage. Lower spin speeds also help keep delicate fabrics in good shape.
How to wash flannel sheets
Water temperature: Cold or warm
Cycle: Gentle or Delicate
The first time you wash flannel bed sheets, use a half a cup of distilled white vinegar instead of detergent to help prevent pilling and color bleeding. After that, it’s fine to use a gentle detergent. Always wash in cold or warm water using a gentle or delicate cycle to prevent wear and tear.
How to wash linen sheets
Water temperature: Cold or warm
Cycle: Sheets, Normal, Regular or Casual
For linen bed sheets, avoid hot water that could damage the fibers and consider using a natural detergent.
Wash in cold or warm water using a cycle specifically for sheets or a normal cycle.
How to wash bamboo sheets
Water temperature: Cold
Cycle: Gentle or Delicate
Bamboo bed sheets should be washed much like silk or satin sheets to preserve the natural fibers. Use cold water and a gentle or delicate cycle to keep them in good shape.
Step 5: Dry sheets in the dryer or line dry
Most sheets can be tumbled dry on low heat. Avoid drying them for too long or at too high of a temperature, as this can cause fabric damage. You can add rubber or wool dryer balls to the load to help with even drying.
For more delicate fabrics, like silk or satin, or to add some freshness to sturdier fabrics, line dry the sheets on a clothesline. If line drying isn’t an option, you can use the dryer on a no-heat or air dry setting.
Step 6: Fold and store sheets properly
Fold and stack sheet sets neatly and store them in a cool, dry spot to keep them fresh and clean.
Cleaning tip: How to keep white sheets bright
White sheets can often appear dingy or yellowed over time due to body oils, sweat and other causes. You can brighten up white cotton sheets while doing a regular wash with detergent by adding about half a cup of bleach. Add the bleach either to the automatic bleach dispenser or to the load during the final rinse cycle (approximately the last 5 minutes of the wash cycle).
Shop Whirlpool
® washers and dryersKeeping your bed sheets in good condition is easy when you choose the right laundry cycle for your fabric. Whirlpool® washers and dryers with Intuitive Touch Controls offer a range of settings to fit your laundry load. Simply select “what” and “how” you want to wash or dry your laundry. Washers and dryers from Whirlpool brand can help provide optimal fabric care by letting you create custom cycles based on what you’re washing.
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How to wash a comforter and sheets
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Home / Cleaning
iStockCNN —
Washing bed sheets seems pretty straightforward, as far as laundry goes. Unfortunately, a lot of people are washing their bedding all wrong — and, compounding the confusion, many of the old rules of laundry we grew up with have changed along the way.
To clear things up, and get some firm guidelines, we spoke with laundry and bedding experts about the right way to wash sheets, duvets and comforters, including the question everyone wants answered: How often are we supposed to be washing those sheets, anyway?
Katie Elks, the director of design and product development at Brooklinen, says, “For all sheets, we recommend washing in a cold or cool cycle.” Brian Sansoni, the senior vice president for communications of the American Cleaning Institute, echoes those guidelines, “Most laundry can now be done in cold water. That should be the default.” Sansoni explains that cold water is “usually just as effective, but it’s more sustainable and your sheets will last longer,” because cold water washing reduces wear and tear, as well as fading.
Tide Pods Coldwater Clean ($21.49, originally $24.99; amazon.com)
Tide Pods Coldwater Clean
AmazonElks says that people should own at least two sets of sheets to increase longevity. It’s also wise to have more than one sheet set for days when you don’t have time to wash sheets and put them right back on the bed or, more crucially, in case someone soils the sheets and an immediate changing of the bed linens is required.
Brooklinen Classic Core Sheet Set ($126.
65, originally $149; brooklinen.com)
Brooklinen Classic Core Sheet Set
BrooklinenBoth Elks and Sansoni recommend separating sheets into light and dark loads, although modern technology has rendered this rule less absolute than it used to be. Because cold water is now the standard for washing, the need to separate textiles by color is less important than separating by fabric type. If you do opt to wash dark and light sheets together, and dye transfer is a concern, use an in-wash color catcher to capture any loose dyes before they can stain lighter-colored items.
Shout Color Catcher Sheets for Laundry, ($4.
22; amazon.com)
Shout Color Catcher Sheets for Laundry
AmazonHowever, Sansoni notes that if all of your sheet sets are dark-colored, you may want to “consider a detergent for darker fabric that is intended to reduce fading.”
Woolite Darks Liquid Laundry Detergent ($14.39, originally $16.29; amazon.com)
Woolite Darks Liquid Laundry Detergent
Amazon When it comes to stains, you should pretreat small stains as they occur, and use a laundry booster if all-over staining is an issue.
Protein stains like sweat, which are common on sheets, are best treated with an enzymatic stain remover, like Zout, while Shout is best for food and drink stains, like chocolate or coffee.
Zout Triple Enzyme Formula Laundry Stain Remover ($7; amazon.com)
Zout Triple Enzyme Formula Laundry Stain Remover
AmazonShout Laundry Stain Remover, 2-Pack ($16.90; amazon.com)
Shout Laundry Stain Remover, 2-Pack
AmazonThe basics:
- Wash white sheets separate from dark or very brightly colored sheets.
- Pretreat stains, or use an in-wash laundry booster for all-over stain remediation.
- Wash sheets in cold water, as the default.
- Use the “normal” cycle (also called “regular” or “permanent press”).
- Do not overstuff the washing machine; sheets need room in the drum of the washer in order for water and detergent to fully penetrate the fibers.
One of the biggest shifts in the way that we do laundry is the move to using cold water as the default for all washing. Typically, people have been taught to use hot or warm water for whites and lights, especially for items like sheets and towels. But thanks to advances in both washing machine technology and detergent formulations, hot water is no longer needed in most laundering scenarios.
iStockJessica Zinna, a senior scientist for Procter & Gamble, explains why you should consider making the switch to cold water when doing laundry. “Switching to a cold water wash is not only beneficial for your clothes and your wallet, but for the environment, too,” she says. “Up to 90% of the energy used during the laundry process goes towards heating the wash water for warm or hot cycles.”
Moving away from a dependence on hot water washing will also extend the lifespan of your sheets and bedding. “Washing in hot water can be damaging to clothes, sheets, towels, etc., because it can cause dye loss and shrinkage,” Zinna says.
Zinna notes that all Tide detergents are formulated with cold water cleaning chemistry, but she especially recommends the brand’s Hygienic Clean detergent because it contains enzymes and surfactants specially designed to provide superior cleaning in cold water.
Tide Hygienic Clean Heavy 10x Duty Power Pods ($17.03, originally $20.99; amazon.com)
Tide Hygienic Clean Heavy 10x Duty Power Pods
AmazonSansoni agrees that cold water should be the default but mentions that there will be times when using hot or warm water is called for. “If someone sleeping in that bed is ill, you may want to wash in warmer water and use a laundry sanitizer,” he says. “If you have asthma or allergies, hot water can help kill dust mites (a common trigger).”
Lysol Laundry Sanitizer Additive ($9.
97, originally $10.99; amazon.com)
Lysol Laundry Sanitizer Additive
AmazonThe basics:
- Use cold water as the default for all laundry.
- Use warm or hot water in certain limited scenarios, like when a member of the household is ill.
Both Elks and Sansoni recommend line-drying as the ideal way to dry sheets. “If it’s a nice day, drying on a line, out of direct sunlight, is a good option,” Sansoni says.
Honey-Can-Do T-Post Outdoor Line ($42.
99; amazon.com)
Honey-Can-Do T-Post Outdoor Line
AmazonIf outdoor line-drying isn’t an option for you, but your laundry room or another space in the home allows for it, you might also consider indoor line-drying. “For all sheets, we recommend line-drying to preserve original fibers, colors and elasticity,” Elks says.
Yameaer Retractable Clothesline ($25; amazon.com)
Yameaer Retractable Clothesline
Amazon If machine-drying sheets best fits your laundering needs, Elks and Sansoni say that opting for a low heat and tumble setting is the best choice.
Sansoni adds that using the dryer’s moisture sensor feature, if your machine features one, is a good way to avoid overdrying sheets, which can cause fading, shrinkage and a weakening of the fibers.
And, to avoid wrinkling, it’s best to remove sheets immediately from the dryer.
The basics:
- Line dry sheets or use the low/tumble dry setting on the dryer.
- Remove sheets from the dryer immediately to avoid wrinkling.
Most comforters and duvets can be machine-washed, though Sansoni reminds us to “read the tag, if still attached, and follow those directions,” because bedding materials and fabrications can vary widely.
Pretreat any stains first, then machine-wash the comforter or duvet using a gentle cycle. Sansoni cautions against a common mistake people make when doing laundry: Over-detergenting. “Read the detergent label to use the right amount, as too much can potentially leave residue.”
If the drum of your home washer is not large enough to fit a duvet, Elks recommends spot treating; stuffing it into a washer that is too small can damage a comforter’s baffle box construction.
“We recommend caring for your comforter with regular fluffing,” Elks says, “and spot cleaning with soft soap, like Woolite.
”
Woolite Delicate Care Liquid Laundry Detergent ($13.99; amazon.com)
Woolite Delicate Care Liquid Laundry Detergent
AmazonWhen a comforter or duvet needs a deeper clean, Elks says, you can take it to the dry cleaner. Another good option when a comforter or duvet needs more than spot treating is to make use of a local laundromat, which will have oversized machines that are plenty large enough to accommodate bulky bedding.
It may surprise you to learn that a comforter or duvet can also be cleaned in the dryer — Elks suggests “using a dryer on the no heat setting to fluff and freshen” a comforter.
“Regular fluffing helps keep comforters lofty and plush,” she says.
The basics:
- Spot treat stains on duvets using a gentle detergent like Woolite.
- When a deeper cleaning is needed, launder a comforter in an oversized washer or send it out to be dry cleaned.
- A comforter or duvet can be refreshed by putting it in the dryer on a no-heat setting.
When it comes to drying a comforter or duvet, Sansoni recommends using the dryer on a low setting, and stopping the drying cycle periodically to break up any lumps in the filling. Using dryer balls will also help to fluff the duvet and ensure even distribution of its stuffing.
Whitmor Dryer Balls Blue ($7.73; amazon.com)
Whitmor Dryer Balls Blue
AmazonMake sure the duvet is fully dry before putting it away or back on the bed.
The basics:
- Dry a comforter or duvet on low heat.
- Use dryer balls to help fluff the stuffing and ensure even distribution.
- Make sure the comforter is completely dry.
This is the question everyone wants an answer to — how often should people wash their sheets?
“Every 1-2 weeks,” Sansoni says, adding that “weekly is better, especially if you have a dust mite allergy or during the summer when you’re probably sweating more.”
Elks agrees. “We suggest washing your sheets every two weeks and alternating between two different sets to increase longevity. If you sweat a lot in your sleep, washing more often will help keep your sheets feeling fresher.
”
Some other factors to consider when determining how often to wash your sheets:
- Do you sleep at home every night? Frequent travelers will not need to change sheets as often.
- Do you have easy access to laundry facilities? If not, you may not do laundry as often, so you may want to have more sheet sets than the two that the experts recommend.
- Do you shower before you get into bed at night? Do you sleep naked? Are you a heavy sweater? Body soils are the main thing that makes a bedsheet dirty, so people who sleep naked or suffer from night sweats will want to wash more often than people who shower before bed, sleep in pajamas or are cooler sleepers.
- Do you sleep alone or with a partner, child(ren) or pet(s)? Two (or more) people in a bed means dirtier sheets that will need to be laundered more frequently.
The basics:
- Wash sheets every 1-2 weeks.
- Wash sheets more frequently depending on factors like sweating or illness.
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