How to properly care for cotton bed linen?
In order for organic cotton bedding to serve you as long as possible, you need to take care of it properly. And not only when washing, but also drying and storing in the closet. Read how to do it.
Feel free to throw it in the washing machine
All our 100% organic cotton products are machine washable. However, in order for sheets and bedding to retain their natural properties and quality, follow a few basic rules.
What affects the quality of the fabric during washing:
- Selection of detergent – composition and type.
- The washing method itself – gentleness.
- The water temperature.
- Method of drying and storing laundry.
1. Ecological washing - does it make sense?
Are you trying to think and behave responsibly not only for your health, for our planet and for your finances? It does not end with the purchase of bed linen, but only begins. A responsible approach to laundry should also be a matter of course . Whether it is the consumption of water, energy, the choice of detergent. Nowadays, it is much easier to find and correctly choose a resource that will match our policies and requirements.
2. How to wash gently?
For washing cotton laundry , we recommend soap nuts or a product made from them. Thanks to them, the fabric remains soft and breathable , even after repeated washing. In addition, soap nut waste does not contaminate the washing machine or waste water, so this product is good not only for your laundry, but also for the environment.
How to sort your laundry to avoid under-washing or even ruining it:
- by color (white, black, colored),
- materials (cotton, wool, synthetics, ...)
- degree of soiling (without stains, with light stains, with resistant stains).
GIVILI tip: If there is a stain on your bed linen that you are unsure whether the washing machine can handle it, treat it with bile or olive soap before washing . You can find them in every drugstore and specialized stores with eco-drugstores and cosmetics.
3. Washing temperature is important
Wash GIVILI bedding and sheets at 40 °C – if you choose a high-quality detergent, this temperature is absolutely sufficient to thoroughly clean your laundry. In this way, you will ensure color stability and extend its overall life and softness . If you do not fill the entire capacity of the washing machine, choose a half, more ecological program. This will save a large amount of water and also benefit your washing machine, which is otherwise unnecessarily overloaded with an inappropriate program.
4. Washed, what now?
Drying
We do not recommend putting GIVILI bedding in the dryer . But if you still want to use it, choose the lowest possible drying program. It is also ideal to add wool balls intended for the dryer , they will help shorten the drying process. Thanks to the balls of sheep's wool, the laundry will be even softer, and in addition, it will not be crumpled and wrinkled. If you put a few drops of your favorite essential oil on the balls, you can easily and effectively scent your clothes.
If you want to keep your laundry fragrant for a long time, reach for herbal bags and natural scents in the closet. They release their aroma slower and longer than synthetic ones. A great choice is also the age-proven trick of our grandmothers, namely a bar of solid soap hidden between washed and folded sheets.
Ironing
GIVILI sheets and sheets can be ironed in the traditional way, but thanks to the excellent properties of satin and flannel made of organic cotton, this is almost not necessary when dried properly - the laundry does not wrinkle or fluff and remains beautiful, soft and ready to use straight away.
Saving
Do you want to get closer to the perfectly folded bedding you just bought? Try a simple trick where you fold the duvet cover and sheet into at least roughly the same shape and size and then place both inside the pillowcase . Then fold and straighten it and store it in the cupboard. That way, you won't have to look for individual parts of the bedding in the closet. Another option is to roll up the bed linen . This method is fast and efficient.
Don't forget that bedding must be stored in a dry (ideally dark) place so that the material can retain its exceptional properties for as long as possible . There should also be as little dust as possible on the laundry - if you store the linen in, for example, storage boxes under the bed or in an open closet, put the laundry in a cloth bag. Then don't forget to wash it regularly to prevent mites and other allergens from multiplying.
We spend up to one third of our lives in bed, so think about that when choosing bedding and taking care of it.