How To Clean And Store Bedding In 5 Easy Steps

Your bed sheets, comforters, and pillowcases go through a lot — tossing, turning, trysts, and more. Yet they still try to comfort you through it all.

Isn’t it about time that you returned the favor by cleaning and storing your winter bedding properly during the summer?

Here to show you how to clean and store your bedding with ease are our friends/bedding experts at Parachute. Because we all want to keep that fresh, new feeling all year long.

1. Wash your bed sheets on the Delicate cycle. And in cold water.

If you like soft bed sheets and pillowcases (who doesn’t?), be sure to wash yours on the Delicate cycle in cold water.

Why?

Because hot water can degrade the fibers over time, leaving you with shrunken sheets. And cold feet.

Washing your sheets on the Delicate cycle is also akin to giving them a gentle massage yet full cleaning. Versus a fast cycle which is more of a surface clean and thus not as thorough.

Also, wash your sheets with less detergent than recommended on the bottle because washing them with too much soap causes buildup that makes your sheets stiff.

2. Don’t overstuff the clothes dryer.

Notice how your bed sheets always come out of the laundry dryer looking like a tornado ran through them?

That’s because when you overload the dryer, you leave little space for your sheets’ fabric to fluff up. This results in unsightly, annoying wrinkles that interrupt your Zzzzs by tickling you in your sleep.

The best way to get wrinkle-free bed sheets:

Wash your sheets alone and only fill the dryer up halfway.

3. Take your bed sheets out of the dryer early.

Taking your bed sheets out of the dryer slightly before the drying cycle has finished lets you easily smooth out any creases because the sheets are still a wee damp with moisture and thus, more flexible. After you take your sheets out of the dryer, make your bed and smooth out any wrinkles.

If you don’t plan on using those sheets, you should still get rid of any wrinkles and then store them (more on the best way to store your bedding below) so that they stay in great shape, ready for you to use again in the winter.

4. Leave the big stuff to the pros.

Washing large comforters and blankets at home is tough because most washing machines aren’t big enough to handle the bulk. And because comforters and blankets are so large, it takes hours for them to dry.

To speed up the process, take your down comforters and luxury textiles (like merino, alpaca, and cashmere throws) to your friendly neighborhood dry cleaner to ensure that they’re cleaned properly and returned to you in the best condition.

Pro Tip: If you’re short on time, use a service like TaskRabbit to bring your bedding to a dry cleaner and return it to you once the dry cleaner is finished.

5. Store your bedding properly.

Mildew and mold are two frightening words. To keep them out of your vocabulary, and most importantly, out of your bedding, store your linens in a cool, dry place.

A cotton bedding bag keeps your items away from humidity and dust while allowing air to circulate, which is perfect for storing natural fibers such as wool.

You can store multiple pieces in one bedding bag, but make sure to place heavier blankets on the bottom so that the bag doesn’t topple if it’s on a top storage shelf.

If you don’t have a linen closet, store your bedding in a trunk and keep it at the foot of your bed for easy access. Or pack your out-of-season bedding into a box and send it away with Clutter until you need it delivered back to you in the winter.