Care instructions

For tips on how to keep whites white, see keeping whites white.

 

Too long, didn't read!

Instructions apply to almost any natural fibre textiles of good quality. Want to know why? Scroll below the bullets for more info. 

When new

  • Soak bathroom items in cold water for 24 hours before washing
  • Always wash new items before first use (soak bathroom items first)

Washing

  • Do not use soaps with softeners, colour enhancers or other additives. Reactions are rare but happen. In general, find the simplest laundry detergent, then whiten as per notes below
  • Wash whites separately from colours
  • Wash at 40°C; only exceed this temp 1-2 times per year as noted below

Less Wrinkling

  • Most don't care but if you're fussy, read on!
  • Avoid overloading washing machines and dryers
  • Machine kg ratings are for wet items so a full set of sheets can overload a 5-6kg machine, causing excessive wrinkling and/or decreased life
  • Cotton sheets wrinkle more when new, particularly temperature regulating sheets like ours
  • 99% of front-loaders dehydrate fabrics, making towels stiff and sheets more wrinkly. This is why front-loaders include a long wash programme. For less wrinkles, lower spin speeds under 700rpm and/or use that longer cotton/gentle cycle. Once sheets are worn-in (after a few moths) we see no wrinkling on a normal front-loader wash with a 700rpm spin speed, dried on an indoor clothes horse

Drying

  • Use tumble dryers sparingly on natural fibre sheets to minimise wear and wrinkles (all natural fibre sheets, not just ours)
  • Terry towels love a tumble dry, especially if you have a front-loader, which make towels stiff (which some prefer)
  • Always tumble-dry terry towels for the first four washes, then dry as you prefer (stiff = line-dry, soft = tumble dry)
  • Line-dry sheets or use an indoor cloths horse (Auckland weather = rain!)
  • If using a dryer, avoid overloading (see kg rating note above) and opt for a cold cycle
  • Rest natural fibre sheets for 3 days before reusing, or rotate one week on, one week off

Whitening

Hotel-like Longevity

  • Choose flat sheets over fitteds and rotate the wear like a hotel (top goes to bottom, bottom goes to top) each time you make the bed
  • Elastic is a point of failure which is another reason hotels avoid fitteds
  • Regular tumble drying wears natural fibres quicker, use an indoor clothes horse instead
  • Rest natural fibres for 3 days before putting back on the bed. Washing and using continuously drastically weakens natural fibres
  • If using fitteds, properly measure your mattress and buy the correct size to avoid forcing fitted sheets and splitting seams (we sell standard and deepbase fitteds)
  • Strictly follow whitening instructions below!
  • Smooth those rough feet with a pumice stone!
  • Men, stop picking your toenails!
  • Keep pets away from the bed!

Want to understand why? Read on...

 

Soak bathroom items before washing

Bathroom items only. For softer and more absorbent bathroom items (all terry towel textiles), soak in cold water for 24 hours before first wash. This swells cotton fibres, making them more absorbent over their life. Always wash separately, keeping whites and colours apart. Tumble dry for a soft touch or line dry for a crisp finish.

 

Wash before first use

New textiles won't feel their best until washed. Washing them before using removes excess fibres, factory finishes, and ensures a better first experience. For best results, unfold and wash separately using a warm or cold setting with half the recommended detergent. Always wash whites separately from colours. We recommend cold washing, up to 40°. But cold is better. Each to their own but be aware, the more heat, the faster the wear - and this goes for all natural fibre (cotton, linen etc) purchased anywhere, not just from us. Also avoid overloading. The kg rating of your machine is for wet items and our sheets are typically 2-3kg when dry. So a full set of sheets can easily overload a 5-6 kg machine, causing more wrinkles and quicker wear.

 

Tumble-dry bathroom items initially

Bathroom items only. We recommend tumble drying your terry towel items (towels, bathrobes etc) after the first four washes. This removes stray fibres typical with plush terry towel textiles like ours. If you skip tumble-drying bathroom textiles altogether, be aware you'll see more linting.

 

Cotton sheets and linen rotation

Sheets only. All sheets made from natural fibres (cotton, linen etc) require a rest period after washing. For example, hotels using 100% cotton sheets have a three day rest period before putting sheets back onto the bed. If you wash then use the same fitted sheet each week, you'll experience much quicker wear. This is why many hotels use 50% poly/cotton or even 100% polyester sheets instead of cotton. For the longest life, we strongly recommend proper linen rotation for any 100% cotton sheets, using sheets one-week-on, one-week-off and letting cotton rest between washes.

 

Shrinkage

Heat from hot washes or hot drying will increase shrinkage. However, our commercial bedding is Sanforized which is a chemical-free, mechanical pre-shrinking process. While this process increases cost compared to most retail sheets, it results in only 2-4% shrinkage over the life of the sheets. 

 

The cost of convenience, fitted sheets

Hotels use flat sheets over fitteds for extended life. Flat sheets allow rotation between the top and bottom, doubling their durability. In contrast, fitted sheets concentrate wear on a single sheet, and their elastic—often a weak point—is prone to failure. While fitted sheets dominate sales for their convenience, this comes at a cost: quicker wear, elastic breakdown, and shorter overall lifespan, depending on your laundry routine.

 

General wear

Our commercial-grade cotton sheets are designed to endure 300 washes in controlled, commercial laundries. But home use introduces countless variables that can impact longevity. Overloading washing machines or dryers (the kg rating is for wet items, not dry), regular tumble drying, roughly pulling sheets out of machines in a hurry, and personal factors like sharp toenails, rough feet, restless sleep, or foot-heavy sleep patterns all accelerate wear. Combined with factors like water quality, washing temperatures, and detergents, these significantly affect sheet life. 

At home in Auckland, our Classic Hotel fitted sheets last 3-5 years, and our Egyptian Hotel Sheets last 5-8 years. We have a standard, $1,000 NZD front-loader. We wash at 30°-40°, with a 60° wash once or twice a year before using an oxygen bleach (like Vanish - see below). Once every 2-3 years, we'll perform a chlorine bleach (using the strict instructions below!). We observe natural fibre resting rules and use sheets one week on, one week off - never wash and put back on the bed on the same day, it weakens natural fibres like cotton or linen.

Our sheets aren't special or more fragile, everything on this page goes for all 100% natural sheets. If you want the full life out of your sheets like a hotel, then use flat sheets and rotate the wear, rest the sheets for 3 days after washing, be mindful of machine overloading, don't use a dryer, wash and dry using cooler temperatures and be super careful if ever using bleach (never eyeball dilution, use the instructions below!). If you have rough feet, pumice rough spots smooth - and men, don't pick your toenails!

 

Magnesium and other medication creams

Stains in strange places or weird colours after washing can be caused by night creams in our experience. And some creams, like magnesium creams, seem to react with some soaps/powders which often contain optical whiteners, colour enhancers, softeners and other additives. 

Therefore, we recommend the simplest soaps to minimise the possibility of strange reactions, and to be mindful of creams you might use at night. There's a whole world of beauty and laundry products out there, so strange reactions can occur.

 

Water quality

Water in New Zealand can be hard or soft, can come from rivers, the ground or from rain. Our instructions have been tested thoroughly using Auckland tap water which is chlorinated.

People on bore water can expect more minerals which may require more whitening (see below for whitening tips).

If you're in the Waikato, many have told us whites like bedding and School uniforms can go grey. If you know why, drop us a note, we'd love to know (some have told us the water comes from the Waikato river which changes depending on storms).

And counterintuitively, rain water can also make whites discolour more quickly, requiring regular whitening. See below for our whitening section.

And if you're on tank waste-water or on the farm where you have to be mindful of tank bacteria, many tell us they whiten in a seperate bucket, then tip the waste on their weeds!

 

Washing

Before first use, wash your items as directed above. For subsequent washes, wash with mild detergent using half the suggested amount in a gentle cycle. For regular washing, we recommend 30° - 40°. Just be aware, the more heat, the faster the wear - and this goes for all natural fibres (cotton, linen etc) purchased anywhere, not just from us.

Keep natural fibres  separate from synthetics, and always wash whites separately from colours. Avoid overloading your machine. The kg rating of your machine is for wet items and our sheets are typically 2-3kg when dry. So a full set of sheets can easily overload a 5-6 kg machine, causing more wrinkles and quicker wear.

Front loaders also make everything more crunchy and wrinkly. This is why front-loaders have a long cotton wash. If wrinkles are a pet hate (most customers don't care) then don't overload your machine, use the cotton or gentle wash, lower the spin speed as low as it goes (the difference between 600rpm and 900rpm can be huge), and avoid a dryer - line-dry or use an indoor cloths horse. Also, new sheets wrinkle more and temperature regulating sheets (like ours) tend to wrinkle more, especially when new.

Be cautious with detergents and powders, they often contain additives like bleach, whiteners, brighteners or softeners which may alter colours and cotton over time. Try to find the most basic powder. For whites, an occasional Napisan Vanish soak is recommended as per the instructions below, but avoid whiteners for colours.

Skip fabric softeners. It never washes out, makes bathroom items repel water, and several plumbers have told us it ruins your machines and your plumbing. If you just like the smell, we recommend Skully's linen sprays instead. They're a New Zealand company and it won't make your towels repel water, or ruin your plumbing!

 

Drying

Bathroom: If you like soft bathroom items, tumble-dry. If you like crunchy, line-dry. If you choose to skip tumble-drying altogether, you'll see more initial linting. We recommend tumble drying your terry towel items after the first four washes, to remove stray fibres typical with plush terry towel textiles like ours.

Bedding: We suggest line drying early morning when possible. Intense sunlight can cause whites to turn yellow and colours to fade so avoid direct sunlight if possible.

A drying horse for indoor drying works great.

If tumble drying bedding, use a gentle setting and avoid overloading. The kg rating of your machine is for wet items and our sheets are typically 2-3kg when dry. So a full set of sheets can easily overload a 5-6 kg machine, causing more wrinkles and quicker wear.

Also, tumble drying in general, wears sheets faster because the sheets rub together in the dryer, often with heat. Extreme or prolonged heat will dry natural fibres causing them to become brittle and lifeless over time. Natural drying is always best. All advice on this page is not unique to our sheets, it applies to all natural fibre sheets (cotton, linen etc) no matter where you purchased them.

 

Ironing

We promise our sheets will feel amazing if ironed but it isn’t necessary. The best time to iron is when bedding is slightly damp as it will be easier.

Set your iron to cotton and use steam as necessary. We don’t recommend spray starch, as it coats cotton stopping it from breathing.

 

Storing

Cotton is a beautiful natural fibre and needs to breathe. Store in a cool, dry and well-ventilated space away from direct sunlight.

For a little something extra, spray with lavender spray or place a small lavender sachet with your bedding.

 

Keeping whites white

Hotels prefer white since it can be re-whitened and most stains can be removed. It's easy to ruin colours while removing stains and colours tend to fade in New Zealand, especially during spring when the ozone hole is over New Zealand. White items tend to last longer if maintained.

Note: Some areas (like the Waikato) have water that can cause whites (sheets, school uniforms etc) to go permanently grey. It's rare but if you know why, drop us a note. Same with bore water, white can go yellow.

If you're on tank waste-water or on the farm where you have to be mindful of tank bacteria, many tell us they whiten in a seperate bucket, then tip the waste on their weeds!

Unsure about whitening? Consider a local laundry service. But if you're up for it, here are two methods:

1. Regular whitening with an oxygen bleach like Napisan Vanish.
2. The nuclear option - Janola every few years.

Caution: Janola, a chlorine bleach, it weakens cotton. Never use it more than once every two years, and with care. Dilute as directed and measure accurately. Think of it like chemistry, like Christina does! More details below.

Note: Always soak in a seperate tub or bucket and never in your machine as whitening products eventually corrode your rubber seals.

REGULAR WHITENING: NAPISAN VANISH...

  • First try Sard wonder soap, follow instructions. If this doesn't work, use Napisan Vanish as directed below...
  • Place a generous heaped capful (or two) of Napisan into a bucket/laundry tub with warm water
  • Have enough water to cover your sheets and pillowcases, and soak for 6 hours.
  • Agitate for a minute with a wooden spoon (we have one for this purpose only) or use something else wooden.
  • Depending on the stain, give it a wee scrub. If this doesn't remove the stain, empty the tub or bucket and repeat the process.
  • FYI Napisan's active ingredient only lasts for 6 hours so leaving to soak longer won't do the trick.
  • After the soak, pop into your washing machine and wash normally.
  • We've found this helps lift residual stains by about 60-70%.
  • This is our first go-to and we do this every 6-12 months to refresh white bedding as necessary.
  • If this doesn’t remove your stain or whiten enough, go to the next step...


THE NUCLEAR OPTION: JANOLA - USE WITH CAUTION, AT OWN RISK!

Note: Always soak in a seperate tub or bucket and never in your machine as whitening products eventually corrode your rubber seals.

Warning: Because Janola is a chlorine-based bleach, it will eat natural fibres so use at your own risk. You cannot eyeball Janola, always measure! And because diet, sweat proteins, water quality, laundry machines and laundry routines vary greatly, we cannot take responsibility for ruined items.

You have been warned! However, below is the recipe we've used to great success for over 12 years but we use it sparingly, once every two years max. And always heavily diluted using the nappy dilution, always measure the dilution, and always after washing the sheets so they're clean using the Napisan instructions first.

  • Follow the napisan instructions first, only ever soak freshly laundered items in Janola, never dirty items.
  • Sweat proteins can cause yellowing so items must be washed first as noted above.
  • On the side of the Janola bottle, follow the nappy instructions/dilution and soak for 1-2 days. Measure the dilution! DO NOT eyeball the dilution!
  • If you don’t measure the dilution, sheets can go yellow permanently.
  • Agitate once in the mornings and evenings as per Napisan instructions above for 1-2 days. Then wash as normal.
  • Janola breaks down cotton fibres so use sparingly. However, a Janola soak once every few years hasn't been an issue in our experience. Your millage may vary.