How To Wash + Care For Your Linens
Intentionally building an organic bedding collection positively impacts the quality of your sleep and adds beauty to your everyday life. Naturally, when your bedding feels this good, you want to take better care of it. Care and longevity will protect your investment while keeping you comfortable and well-rested throughout each season of your life, for years to come.
Like all things, learning the proper technique to clean your linens can shift laundry from a tedious task into a mindful ritual to care for the beautiful things in your home. The more we bring presence of mind to the seemingly mundane tasks of daily life, we open up space to shift these experiences from something we have to do to something we enjoy doing.
Washing
Despite the many misconceptions, your bedding does NOT need to be washed in hot water to get clean. We’re here to put your mind to rest that this is simply not true! Cold water cleans just as efficiently as hot water because new laundry soaps and detergents, even plant-based ones, are designed to work well with lower temperature water. High heat can aggravate the fibers and break them down much faster—while switching to cold can help to maintain the integrity of your textiles. Washing in cold water retains the initial softness you loved upon your first sleep while washing away any impurities or germs, and you’ll notice the difference over time. We do not recommend the use of fabric softeners, as they are laden with toxic chemicals and often contain common allergens.
Choosing the right plant-based laundry detergent will help ease the transition away from fabric softeners. We recommend utilizing the EWG (Environmental Working Group) laundry guide for a list of safe options that are derived from natural ingredients and are free of toxins and harmful materials. Be sure to machine wash your linens on the gentle or delicate cycle with like colors. Your Coyuchi linens are made to last, but since they are made without any harmful chemicals or synthetic materials, they do need to be handled with a little extra care and attention.
Fragrance Free
It is best to avoid fragrance in all laundry products. Similar to personal care products, fragrance is a catch-all for many chemicals, some of which include carcinogens, phthalates and other endocrine disruptors. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) views fragrance as a trade secret and companies are not required to disclose the ingredients. The simplest solution is to avoid any laundry product (or personal care item) with fragrance in the ingredients. Our partners at MADE SAFE provide a comprehensive guide on fragrance as well as a list of fragrance safe laundry products.
Drying
We recommend using the tumble dry setting on low and to remove your linens promptly when the drying is done. Whenever possible, it’s best to air dry your bedding—especially linen—on a clothing line in the sun. Not to mention, it’s a beautiful sight to see organic linen blowing in the warm breeze! It’s time to replace your toxic dryer sheets with our soft and safe Climate Beneficial Wool Dryer Balls. Besides getting stuck to your linens, the chemicals found in dryer sheets spew out of dryer vents, causing harm to the environment and other people. The beauty of switching to our wool dryer balls is that they improve the drying time and prevent static cling. If you enjoy adding a certain scent to your laundry, you can safely apply a few drops of your favorite organic essential oils directly to the wool dryer balls.
Creases in sheets are a common occurrence, and it’s likely happening because your dryer is overloaded and exacerbated by heat. The sheets and cases need to be loose in the dryer or they stay wrinkled, so make sure to give them room to breathe by keeping the load light. A warm iron can be used to wiggle out any wrinkles that may still be present in your sheets after drying.
Ditch the Bleach
When some whitening or stain removal is needed, use only non-chlorine bleach. We do not recommend using whiteners, as bleaching agents may diminish the brilliance and depth of the colors. Chlorine bleach has a tendency to weaken the cotton fiber, and can yellow organic cottons over time.Peroxide bleach is a much safer alternative for both your bedding and our water supply. Pre-treating items with an organic spot-treatment will address many spots and stains, and if applied before the item is put into the laundry, is far more effective than bleach in removing spots and stains.
Sleep Soundly
With the knowledge to properly care for your organic bedding, we are confident that you will enjoy deep sleep night after night, for years to come. The more planet-friendly tools we adopt to care for the precious items in our home, the less strain we place on the Earth. Choosing products that are safe for you, the home around you, and the home beneath all of our feet helps to make the Earth a healthier place for everyone. Enjoy the ongoing process of caring for the things you do have, and watch how they multiply in what they give back.
