Anyone here bought Bedding Recently...

[mich]

I've been looking, for an additional set of Bedding, and so far, I've only come across Sheets & Duvet covers, that can ONLY be washed in "Cold" water. I've looked in Macys & Bed Bath and Beyond, Kohls, and all I am finding is well, Cold wash bedding.

Of course, if you know me very well, I don't like the Cold. I'd prefer to Boil Wash my Towels, and Sheets, as much as possible, if not Hot at least. I do somewhat understand the color or dyes in the fabrics, and having to wash in *Warm*, but Cold? why Cold?

Anyone wanna tell me a line of Bedding I should be looking for? Any Advice?

 

[launderess]

Check archives as this topic has come up before.

Including cold water laundering instructions.

For my part cannot make useful suggestions as mainly only vintage and even ancient linens are used in our home. Do have some modern pieces (Nancy Koltes, Frette, Porthault) purchased either from a now closed discount shop in our area, but they came at such good offers were hard to pass up. Purchased mainly because there are times when one needs to do the beds in a hurry and does not have time for mitered corners. That is when fitted sheets come in handy.

 

[kenmore71]

Honestly, I wouldn't get too worked up about the "cold water" wash issue.  I think many manufacturers put that on products so that they can't be blamed for fading or MINOR shrinkage if things are washed in warmer water.  Also, remember that a COLD water wash in Phoenix in August is usually 90-100 degrees as opposed to Minneapolis in February where a cold water wash is 40 degrees and a WARM water wash is 75-85 degrees!  Dark and deeply hued colors MAY fade a bit in 100 degree water but if they shrink they were poorly made to begin with.  I my opinion, sheets need to be washed in at least 100 degree water to break down body oils.  I personally wash darker colored bed linens at about 120 degrees (the old Medium on some machines) and lighter ones at between 140 and 150.  

 

[imperial70]

I've bought bedding in the past 6 months. Wash in nothing but hot water (about 130F at the tap) and even use chlorine bleach followed by the dryer on the hottest setting. They are washed once a week. There isn't any noticeable wear to date.

 

[whirlcool]

We wash our 100% Egyptian cotton sheets in hot water. There was some shrinkage of the top sheet in the width, but the sheets were still usable. I think hot water washing makes they softer faster. But then all of our sheets are white so we don't have to worry about fading.

I think it was about March of 2012 where we had the EPIC thread about linens or so.

 

[dustin92]

I bought a new set of sheets this week at Walmart- 300 thread count, 100% cotton wrinkle free in a medium blue stripe. They recommend warm washing, but I pretty much ignore the instructions- I only get as far as "Machine wash" lol. I washed them in Hot water before putting them on the bed, and so far am completely happy. They are extremely soft, but light and breathable. I haven't ruined any bedding yet, so as long as it says "machine wash" and doesn't have bright colors with white stripes or something, you should be fine with at least tap hot water.

 

[stan]

I just bought

Two king sized pillow cases at Wal Mart, 400 thread, Egyptian cotton, and honestly I didn't even look at the instructions, didn't even think about looking!
I took them out of the package, and washed them in hot water (130/140) with Fels Naptha. There fine.
Sheets need to be washed in hot water. Just ain't fit for them not to be!

Extra rinsing is a good idea with sheets too IMHO

 

[beekeyknee]

I purchased a book a few years back called "Laundry: The Home Comforts Book of Caring for Clothes and Linens" by Cheryl Mendelson. It's a section or chapter taken from a much larger book called "Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House", published in 1999 by the same author. It delves deeply into laundry practices, selecting laundry room equipment, stocking linens, etc. A section titled "Carefully Disregarding Care Labels" might answer some of your questions.

This book is directed to the meticulous homemaker. Unless you have a housekeeper, stay-at-home mate, plenty of free time or you enjoy nothing but working and housekeeping, this book will be hard to follow to the letter. Nevertheless, it has some very useful information and following it partially is a step in the right direction.

 

[danemodsandy]

It's Getting Ridiculous

I purchased some patterned sheets a few years ago that said "Do Not Iron." HUH? I ironed them anyway, and never lost a one. I gave them away when I tired of them, which was much sooner than I had thought when I bought them.

I second what others have said here; this silliness is to protect manufacturers and stores against returns for perceived poor wear.

One, if your laundering methods are correct for the fabric, you really should not have much, if any trouble. Always remember that oxygen bleach is your friend.

Two, nothing is forever, particularly fashionable bed linen. It's going to fade, it's going to get thin, it's going to have a lifespan and then it's time for new.

Three, if you want the utmost economy and hardest wear from bed linen, you cannot beat plain white, properly laundered (hot wash, oxygen bleach), and rotated in use. In Gosford Park, the housekeeper (Helen Mirren) complains about having to keep up with the linen rotation herself, because otherwise, the staff would use the same twenty sheets until they fell into rags. She was right. I always put linens into the stack from the bottom, and take them off the stack for use from the top. That way, the wear is evenly divided among all the linens. Also, plain white can be matched when one piece is damaged or worn beyond use. You don't get that from la-di-dah fashion linens, which nowadays are often unmatchable within six months.

Last, having everything in the linen cupboard alike saves the dread rummaging for favored items; there is no faster way to have a messy linen supply than having someone paw through the stacks for this towel or that set of pillowcases.

 

[launderess]

Check FleaPay

Got a really great deal in NOS but discontinued towels and washcloths made in England several months back.

So far quality has been wonderful. Everything washes up fine in the Miele and now AEG. Usually wash bath linen at 120F or 140F depending upon how the mood takes me.

Items for sale by sc-liquidations | eBay

Shop eBay for great deals from sc-liquidations!

www.ebay.com

 

[mich]

Any

Keywords or Vintage Brands I should keep my eyes out for...

 

[danemodsandy]

Cannon!

When Cannon percale was made here in the States, it was a dream to sleep on and wore like battleship plating.

It's, um, a little different now, of course. But if you keep an eye out for NOS or gently used estate stuff, you will have some very good linens that don't require anything out of the ordinary for care, and respond well to proper laundering.

 

[polkanut]

All of our bedding currently in use are estate sale items.  Older, slightly used linens have that broken in feel, and have already shrunk as far as they're going to.  I found some sheets about 2 yrs ago that have a copyright of 1973 for the pattern and they still look like new.  They were made by West Point Pepperell.

[this post was last edited: 9/23/2013-18:49]

 

[launderess]

Vintage To Look For

At the risk of setting yet another person down that path, Wamsutta "Supercale" is everyone's top choice. However lately finding the stuff at good prices is impossible now that word is out. Everyone and their mother is after the stuff. Have seen "queen" sized sheets go for hundreds.

Supercale like many older percale bed linens feels like cardboard for the first few months until they are run in, but frequent washing and ironing (for yes, you must iron them or they simply won't look or feel right), and they soften up nicely.

Have some Supercale sets, but quite honestly any of the good brands such as Fieldcrest, Martex, Dan River Cannon, Pequot etc... should prove satisfactory.

 

[mich]

Thanks

Wanted to say Thanks for the Tips Guys. This should be kinda fun

Any advice on a Good Bid Sniper?

 

[joelippard]

I don't pay any attention to those labels and I have not had any problems.  I bought at Belk within the last year a new set of Biltmore sheets in Medium Blue.  I paid about $65 for a Full set.  I wash them every time in hot water and my heater is set on 180 degrees.  I haven't had a bit of trouble with them, or any of my other modern sets.

 

[whirlcool]

We had a set of the original Springmaid 100% Cotton sets Queen size. They lasted at least 15 years and were sooooo soft. Then a few years ago we learned that Springmaid is now a discount store brand. So we bought a set of their Egyptian cotton sheets.
They softened up pretty quick but within 2 years just tore to shreds. They turned out to be very week in the top to bottom direction.

I think Springmaid was one of those companies that got wiped out in the great textile disaster of the mid 90's and now are foreign owned, and cheapened accordingly.I have only seen them in Walmart, but I heard Target also sells them.

 

[launderess]

Thing To Remember About Care Tags

They are primarily a liability "out" for manufacturers.

If you follow their instructions and something happens, they are at fault. OTOH if you disregard same you are on your own.

One complaint we hear from male friends is the increasing number of 100% cotton dress shirts labeled "dry clean only". Or if they can be washed directions read something like "wash in cold water, do not wring, do not spin, do not tumble dry, do not iron". So what the &*93jno! are you supposed to do for washing then goes the cry? Some even add "do not dry clean". Prada and many of the other European shirts are famous for this sort of nonsense. Considering these shirts aren't exactly cheap, what is a man supposed to do? *LOL*

 

[polkanut]

I have the opportunity to acquire a king size bed frame that uses 2 twin box springs & mattresses.  So I'm going to be hitting the estate sales looking for slightly used/vintage twin sheet sets.  I can use either separate blankets or one large one with this frame.