By
eHow Home & Garden Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need:
- Laundry detergent
- Fabric softener
Step1
Read all labels to be sure you don't have any specific cleaning requirements to follow. Most sheets can be washed at home in your washing machine, but specialty fabrics may require careful consideration.
Step2
Use the hottest water setting on your washing machine that is safe for the material. Polyester blends are best washed using warm water, while cotton can tolerate hot water. Hotter water kills the most germs and takes care of dust mites that thrive in bedding.
Step3
Wash at least once every other week. Although it is sometimes easy to forget to wash your sheets, think of it this way: Some people spend more time in bed than they do in their clothing. We wash our clothing regularly, so bed sheets shouldn't be any different.
Step4
Separate by color. Just like clothing, dark colors or reds can dull or bleed onto lighter colors.
Step5
Hang sheets to dry outside, if possible. Sunshine is a natural disinfectant and helps brighten whites. If you can, do this every couple months. If weather or time doesn't permit, tumble dry your sheets with a sheet of fabric softener.