How to wash bed sheets: cotton, linen, bamboo, silk and satin

Step by step: how to wash bed sheets

1. 1

   Strip the bed and check the labels

   Take off the sheets, pillowcases and duvet cover and look at the care tags. Cotton and polyester blends can usually take warm or hot water; linen, bamboo viscose and silk need cooler, gentler washing.

2. 2

   Treat stains first

   Rub liquid detergent or a stain remover into makeup, sweat yellowing, blood or body oil marks on pillowcases and the top of the sheet. Use cold water on blood. Leave it 10 minutes.

3. 3

   Wash sheets on their own

   Wash one set at a time with nothing heavy or rough. Towels shed lint and pill sheets, and zips and hooks on clothes snag them. Do not stuff the drum; a queen set fills most machines.

4. 4

   Pick the water temperature

   Use the warmest water the care label allows. Hot or warm suits cotton percale and sateen and is best for dust mite allergies; use cool for linen and bamboo and cold for silk. Dark colors fade less in cooler water.

5. 5

   Use the right amount of detergent

   Measure to the line for your load size. Extra detergent stays in the sheets and makes them feel stiff or scratchy. Skip fabric softener on linen, bamboo and moisture-wicking sheets.

6. 6

   Untangle and dry on low

   Shake each piece out as you move it to the dryer so the fitted sheet does not ball up the others. Tumble dry on low or medium with wool dryer balls, and stop to untangle once halfway through.

7. 7

   Remove promptly and make the bed or fold

   Take sheets out as soon as they are dry, or slightly damp for linen, and put them straight on the bed or fold them. This keeps creases down without an iron. Store sets inside one of their pillowcases.

How to wash sheets by fabric

Cotton is forgiving; linen, bamboo, silk and satin need cooler water and lower heat. This is the short version.

For linen bedding, Parachute’s care page says to machine wash cool with a mild liquid detergent, skip bleach, tumble dry low and remove promptly, and to avoid fabric softeners and dryer sheets. It also warns that benzoyl peroxide in acne products can bleach sheets and pillowcases. For bamboo, Bambaw’s bedding care guide recommends cold water and a mild detergent, air drying or low heat because high heat weakens the fibers, and limited or no fabric softener. For silk, Woolite advises cold water, no chlorine bleach, no wringing, and air drying away from direct sunlight.

How often should you wash bed sheets?

Wash sheets every one to two weeks, and every week if you have dust mite allergies, sweat at night, eat in bed or share the bed with pets.

Tide recommends washing sheets at least every other week, using the hottest water the care label lists, and keeping more than one set per bed so you can rotate them weekly. For dust mite allergy, National Jewish Health advises washing all bedding in hot (130°F) water every week. If your sheets cannot take hot water, wash them weekly anyway and use allergen-proof covers on the mattress and pillows. Pillows, duvets and mattress pads need washing less often; see how to get rid of dust mites for the full routine.

Yellow, pilled or scratchy sheets: what went wrong

Most sheet problems come from body oils, heat or too much product, not from the sheets themselves.

• Yellowing: body oil and sweat build up, especially on pillowcases. Wash more often and soak white cotton in oxygen bleach. See how to remove yellow stains from whites.
• Pilling: friction from towels, rough clothes, or high heat. Wash sheets alone on a gentler cycle and lower the dryer setting.
• Scratchy or stiff: too much detergent or hard water. Measure the dose and add an extra rinse.
• Greasy patches: lotions and ointments. See how to get Aquaphor out of clothes.
• Faded colored sets: hot water and sun. Wash dark sheets warm or cool and dry them out of direct sun.

Mistakes to avoid

• Washing sheets with towels, which leaves lint and causes pilling.
• Using hot water and high heat on linen, bamboo or silk.
• Adding extra detergent or fabric softener, which leaves sheets stiff and less breathable.
• Leaving a fitted sheet balled up so the inside stays damp in the dryer.
• Leaving clean sheets in the dryer or washer, which sets creases.
• Waiting a month between washes, which lets body oils yellow pillowcases.