After a long day at work or being out and about, nothing feels as good as hopping into your immaculately made bed and getting lost in the sweet surrender we all call sleep.

But if you haven’t freshened yourself up and head straight to bed with your outside clothes, your bed sheets will likely get stained with dirt and pollutants. And if you eat or sip on drinks in bed, stain marks and possible permanent damages can happen.

To avoid ruining your favorite coral floral sheets, you’ll have to take better care of your bed sheets. In this article, we give you nifty tips on how to take care of your bed sheets.

Simple Bed Sheet Care Tips to Follow

Avoid Getting Bed Sheets Dirty

Stop getting into bed with clothes worn at work or when you’ve gone out. Whatever is on your clothes will most likely be transferred onto your bed, including dust, grime, and other nasty things. 

Keep Your Bags Off the Bed

To drive the first point home, don’t put your bags on your bed! It might be tempting to fling your bag onto your bed when you get home but do you ever stop to think about where you’ve placed your bag throughout the day? You might have put it on the floor, on dirty public toilet counters, etc. 

No Eating in Bed

One of the most common ways bed sheets get soiled is because people like to eat and drink in bed. But eating in bed just brings on a lot of problems in the form of stains that can’t be removed and insects creeping up your sheets to get the crumbs that have fallen. If you want to take the utmost care of your ballerina bed sheets, just avoid eating and drinking in bed.

If You’ve Got Pets, Vacuum Every Other Day

Pet owners, if you have dogs, cats, or other furry pets, then you know the struggle of getting fur all over your sheets. The thing is, if you let that fur accumulate on your sheets, the harder it’ll be to wash out. Plus, fur can make your bed smell funky. What we suggest? Vacuuming every other day to make sure you keep that bed fur to a minimum. This also lessens how often you should wash your bed sheets. Frequent washing of sheets can cause them to get worn out quickly.

Follow the Care Instructions

You might be using microfiber sheets or opting for cotton sheets. You could even be using quilts on your bed! But for sure, if you want to keep your bed sheets fresh and last a long time, you better follow the care instructions they recommend. No care instructions? That’s okay! Just follow the general rule of thumb regarding how often you should wash your bed sheets, using lukewarm or setting the washing machine on ‘gentle,’ and using less detergent than another laundry. If possible, make sure you wash bed sheets separately.

Washing Your Bed Sheets (And Other Bed Things)

Now that you know the tips to take care of your sheets, the next step is understanding how to wash them. Here’s what you need to know:

Bed Sheets

How often you should wash your bed sheets: 

once to twice a week

Washing method: 

• Launder in warm water (hot water will shrink it)
• Use non-chlorine bleach
• Tumble dry on medium heat
• Remove bed sheets from the dryer before they fully dry to avoid wrinkles
• Air dry them to finish off the drying process but do not put them in direct sunlight
• Ensure they are completely dry before storing or putting them on the bed

Pillowcases

How often you should wash your pillowcases: 

once to twice a week

Washing method: 

• Launder in warm water (hot water will shrink it)
• Use non-chlorine bleach
• Tumble-dry on medium heat
• Ensure they are completely dry before storing or putting them on the bed

Pillows

How often you should wash your pillows: 

once to twice a year

Washing method:

• Dry-clean your pillows
• If your pillow can be machine-washed, use a mild detergent in half of the amount you usually do
• Use warm or cool water
• Set the washing machine to a gentle setting
• Rinse twice to make sure all soap residue is removed
• Spin dry pillows for a few more minutes to wring out as much water as possible
• Dry on low and make sure it is completely dry

Tips:

• Fluff pillows to maintain the shape
• Make use of pillow protectors

Comforters

How often you should wash your comforters: 

once a year (use a top sheet to reduce the frequency of washing comforters)

Washing method:

• Get it professionally laundered
• If washing at home, use a large capacity front loader ONLY
• Use half the amount of a mild detergent

Tips:

• Air your comforters out every two weeks to keep them fresh
• Shake your comforters out to keep them fluffy and prevent bunching

Final Thoughts

Now that you know what to do and you’ve got great tips in hand, your bed sheets will last you a bit longer now!

Looking to buy some bed sheets? Check out the Amadora Sheets collection and the Quilts collection from Where The Polka Dots Roams.