So you've just bought brand new bed linen and you're looking forward to fluffing your pillows and sliding in between fresh clean sheets. Before you tear open the packaging, our Sleepyhead bed experts have some handy life hacks to ensure you keep your sheets in tip top condition and they stay as soft as a baby's bottom.
Wash and go
We know it's tempting to remove your new sheet set and put them straight on your bed, but definitely wash them first. Pop the new sheets in a warm machine wash and if you've purchased coloured sheets, you should wash them separately from whites. Avoid using a super hot wash on new sheets, especially our premium Tencel cotton range, to avoid damaging the delicate fibres.
Sheet irony
Plenty of people iron their sheets before they use them or even iron them on the bed. Here's the thing – ironing them can be harmful and damage the fibres. If they contain Tencel, which is made from natural plant cellulose, we recommend you never iron or dry clean them.
Wrinkle remover
Who's got time to iron sheets? There are plenty of ways to get your sheets looking smooth and wrinkle free without pulling out the squeaky ironing board. When you wash your sheets, remove them from the machine straight away while they are wet and ideally shake them and hang them outside on the line in the sun in a cool breeze. If you have to use your dryer for wet sheets, use a low heat to avoid damaging the fibres, don't overstuff them inside the machine, and to quicken the drying process throw in a dry towel to absorb moisture. A fabric softener during the washing process will also help leave fewer crinkles in your sheets.
How often do I wash my sheets?
A quick poll in the office threw up a range of answers to this question, from weekly to once a year! What's going to really extend the life of your sheets is having a few sheet sets that you can rotate out often. Definitely invest in a mattress protector, which has an ultra-thin PU membrane to block moisture but still breathes. As for your sheets, we spend a lot of time in bed so naturally dust, bacteria and skin cells that we humans drag around with us end up on our linen. That should be the best reason for you to regularly wash and change your linen so it feels like you're climbing into fresh hotel sheets every night.
Making the right choice for you
No matter who is going to sleep with you, investing in the right sized mattress is one of the most important factors. Size is a key determiner of the quality of the sleep you'll have. So don't rush into picking a certain size mattress because that's what you've always had.
View our range of mattresses and browse our bed size guide or take our Sleep Selector Quiz to find the right mattress for you.