Ah, spring. Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and our homes are undergoing routine deep cleans. We've spent the past month chronicling the most efficient ways to scrub, dust, and declutter with our Lazy Girl's Guide to Spring-Cleaning, but we're not done tidying up yet. Next on the agenda: linens.
When it came to finding the best—and easiest—ways to care for our sheets and towels, we decided to go straight to an expert: Rachel Cohen, the founder of the luxury homewares brand Snowe. Cohen and her partner Andrés Modak—both Wharton Business School grads—launched Snowe last year, and with it they're trying to revolutionize the home goods industry by providing high quality, affordable wares directly to the customer. Now Cohen is looking to revolutionize how you care for your sheets and towels. Here, she shares her best tips for the care and keeping of these home essentials.
Wash your towels every few days.
Showering regularly is the first lesson of Personal Hygiene 101, and because they’re a part of the showering process, your towels also require routine cleaning. Cohen recommends washing your bath towels every three to four days, but, if you want to prolong laundry day, you can alternate between two towels and then wash them both at once. And don’t forget about hand towels—they too should be washed every few days—especially since they get so much use.
Showering regularly is the first lesson of Personal Hygiene 101, and because they’re a part of the showering process, your towels also require routine cleaning. Cohen recommends washing your bath towels every three to four days, but, if you want to prolong laundry day, you can alternate between two towels and then wash them both at once. And don’t forget about hand towels—they too should be washed every few days—especially since they get so much use.
Laundry-day pro tip: Cohen suggests skipping the fabric softener sheets when loading up your dryer; they can reduce towels' absorbency over time.
Change your sheets at least every other week.
You should be washing, or at the very least changing, your bed linens every other week. (And if you and your sheets are getting a lot of—ahem—action, it should be more often). Pillowcases should be switched more frequently, to counter the oils from your face and hair that tend to collect. As for your more-decorative-than-functional bedding (duvet covers, pillow shams, and the like), washing them once a month will suffice.
You should be washing, or at the very least changing, your bed linens every other week. (And if you and your sheets are getting a lot of—ahem—action, it should be more often). Pillowcases should be switched more frequently, to counter the oils from your face and hair that tend to collect. As for your more-decorative-than-functional bedding (duvet covers, pillow shams, and the like), washing them once a month will suffice.
Laundry-day pro tip: Cohen advises using cold water when washing linens. "The icy temperatures prevent shrinkage at the seams, help keep colors true (especially neutrals), and work better on certain stains,” she says. She recommends removing sheets from the dryer when they are just barely damp to make up your bed. This prevents both wrinkles and damage that can result from over-drying.
Skip the bleach in favor of this effective homemade remedy.
Bleach can damage the fabric of your bedding, so when you’re looking to keep your whites bright try a less corrosive approach: baking soda and vinegar. Add ½ cup of baking soda (along with your detergent, of course) during the wash cycle followed by ½ cup of distilled white vinegar during the rinse. After using this method, according to Cohen, “your sheets will look like you dried them in the sun. “
Bleach can damage the fabric of your bedding, so when you’re looking to keep your whites bright try a less corrosive approach: baking soda and vinegar. Add ½ cup of baking soda (along with your detergent, of course) during the wash cycle followed by ½ cup of distilled white vinegar during the rinse. After using this method, according to Cohen, “your sheets will look like you dried them in the sun. “
Laundry-day pro tip: Always follow manufacturer specifications when it comes to measuring your detergent. While this might seem like a calculation that allows flexibility, overestimating could hinder your linens from rinsing clean.
Now you're an expert on cleaning linens