Taking care of your bed linen

Guide: how to wash your bed linen

Here are some tips on how to keep your bed linen looking its best.

A few rules for taking proper care of your bed linen:

Here are some basic rules to consider for washing your bed linen in a way that will maximise its longevity.

1. Pre-wash before use.
2. Follow the washing instructions on the product label.
3. Always wash your bed linen inside out.
4. Opt for a 30 °C or 40° cycle with a moderate spin.
5. Air drying will greatly reduce wear and tear on the bed linen.
6. Use a washing liquid – avoiding one with a brightener for coloured linen.

BEFORE FIRST USE

In order to ensure the longevity of the colours and to remove any excess pigments and primers, we strongly recommend that you wash your bed linen before use.

Soak: we recommend that you soak bed linen that comprises a high proportion of dark colours (e.g., a black background) or very colourful fabrics for 12 hours in cold water before proceeding with the pre-wash. (Add a cup of white vinegar, if possible, as this helps to ensure the longevity of colours).

Pre-wash: turn your bedding inside out and put it on a gentle pre-wash cycle. 

Wash your bed linen in the washing machine at 30°C with a small amount of washing liquid. You can also add a glass of white vinegar.

We highly recommend that you turn your bed linen inside out to preserve the colours, especially with patterned textiles.

This pre-wash will ensure the longevity of the colour and remove any excess pigments and primers. It will also prevent the risk of colours bleeding during future washes.

Of course, we strongly advise against washing your new bed linen with other items.

WASHING

labels: Washing instructions vary depending on the types of fabric and dyes used. Always refer to the washing label, which includes the maximum recommended temperature for machine washing.

Temperature: Most bed linen should be washed on a cotton cycle at a maximum of 40°C. Some plain-coloured bed linen can withstand a 60°C wash.

Note that many washing liquids guarantee good results at 30°C, which helps protect your laundry while also reducing the impact of washing on the environment.

Washing liquid: it is best to opt for a washing liquid that does not contain a brightener (except for all-white sets). Washing powder does not dissolve as easily and can leave marks on your laundry if it clumps.

Be careful with coloured fabric softeners, which may leave marks on light-coloured linen if you use too much.

Washing: As mentioned earlier, a cotton cycle is quite ssuitable for washing your bed linen. We recommend that you always wash your bed linen inside out and in a full load to reduce wear and tear caused by mechanical friction. If your bed linen does not fill the drum, add some old sheets to increase the load.

Washing a full load is even more important for embroidered bed linen.

Whites and Colours: Separating white from colours applies to bed linen, too, of course. If you have white bed linen printed with coloured patterns or matched with a plain colour, you can add a colour-catcher sheet or an anti-colour-bleed product to your laundry, although the pigments we use are designed to prevent this type of problem.

Always wash the different items of your bed linen set together so that they all look the same over time.

Drying: For cotton percale, linen or linen-blend bed linen, the spin speed has little impact. For satin and jacquard bed linen, avoid high spin cycles (900 rpm maximum).

For embroidered bed linen, be sure to use the lowest possible spin speed (e.g. 600 rpm), to avoid damaging the threads.

End of wash: don't leave your bed linen sitting in the machine too long. Not only will it be more crumpled, which will make it harder to iron, but you also risk colours bleeding onto other items.

DRYING

Air drying: this is obviously recommended, as it is not aggressive and is 100% environmentally friendly. The sun helps to preserve the brightness of white bed linen.

If drying outdoors, turn coloured bed linen inside out to prevent the sun from fading the colours.

Machine drying: almost all our bed linen will withstand moderate machine drying..

However, the use of a tumble dryer is not recommended as it wears out the fabric faster and tends to fluff the fibres.

To limit wear and tear, you can take your laundry out before it is completely dry, when it is still slightly damp to the touch. Again, dry it inside out.

IRONING

Temperature: Cotton bed linen is generally ironed with a hot iron (2 points), while linen or linen-blend items can be ironed with a very hot iron (3 points).

Easy care: Our cotton sets are easy-care treated, which means that the fibres have been coated with a thin layer of resin to prevent crumpling and facilitate ironing.

Washed Linen / Washed Cotton / Stonewashed Linen-blend: when your product is labelled 'washed' or 'stonewashed', it means that it has been industrially pre-washed in a way that gives the fabric a special texture and a permanent and structured crumpled effect. In this case, ironing is not worthwhile. However, if you want to reduce the crumpled effect, you can iron on a low setting.

Ironing tips: Your bed linen will be easier to iron when it is still slightly damp. The water in the fibres will evaporate as you iron, enhancing the steam effect of the iron and helping to smooth out creases.

Iron your bed linen inside out: if your iron should leak and leave limescale marks, this will prevent you from staining your bed linen. It also prevents any glossy effect left on dark colours by a too-hot iron from being visible.

COSMETICS

We draw your attention to the aggressiveness of some cosmetics, including some anti-acne products, which can damage the colours of your bed linen.

Also beware of self-tanners, foundations and other tinted creams, which can leave difficult-to-remove stains.