How to Clean Cotton Sheets

Nothing feels as great as slipping into clean, sweet-smelling cotton sheets at the end of a long day. Sheets can become stale quickly, however, so you need to air and launder them frequently. Cotton sheets are very absorbent, which makes them comfortable in many kinds of weather. Their absorbency, however, can quickly lead to musty smells since people perspire almost a cup of fluid every night. Buy cotton sheets that can can tolerate bleach and hot water if you want to sleep in fresh, sweet-smelling sheets every night.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bleach
• Laundry detergent

1. Gather all sheets and pillow cases at least once a week for laundering. Pillow covers and mattress pads should also be washed regularly, but once a month should be enough.

2. Check the care labels on your sheets. White cotton sheets can generally be washed in hot water with bleach, but colored or printed sheets may require special handling.

3. Pretreat stains. If there are stains on the sheets, rub a pretreatment product or a paste made from your detergent into the stains.

4. Set the washing machine to regular cycle, hot water, unless the care label on your sheets prescribes otherwise.

5. Add as much detergent as recommended for your type of washer and a quarter cup of bleach to the washing machine. Start the load.

6. Dry the sheets in the dryer or on a clothesline.

Tips & Warnings

• For superior durability and a crisp feel, don't use fabric softeners. Fabric softeners coat the fabric with a waxy substance.