Read on for a few top tips queenb staff have learned over the years about the best way to care for your linen:

Of course- always follow the care instructions on your products packaging- they are there for a reason!

Towels

When you get your delivery of new towels, you should soak them overnight (or at least for two hours), in water with half the amount of laundry detergent that you would normally use. This will cause the cotton in the towel to "bloom" and will ensure they stay soft and fluffy and dry well throughout their lifetime.

We recommend once a month you use a hot wash with a cold rinse to kill any bacteria the towels might have collected. Also avoid using silicon based fabric softeners. They are generally water repellent and will affect the absorbency of your towels.

Please do not use any washing liquids/powders that contain an “optical brighteners” or bleach- as this will affect coloured towels over time! Also to avoid fading- don’t put your towels in direct sunlight.

Pillows

Pillows can be gently washed- but we recommend that you purchase a pillow protector- and wash this regularly instead.

You should change your pillows every year as pillows are one of the things in your room that you will become very close to. After 18 months of use, 10% of the weight of a pillow will be made up of dustmites, mould, mildew, bacteria and all sorts of other greeblies - yuck!

Take a good hard look at the pillows in all your rooms and cupboards. Are there any yellow marks or stains on them? Smell them - do they smell fresh and clean, if NOT it is time to get some new ones! We have a huge range online- from Polyester, Wool, Latex, Microfibre and Feather and Down.

Feather and Down Duvet Inners

We recommend that you air your Feather and Down inner regularly, put it outside on a sunny day- this will help fresh air circulate through your inner, puffing it up, and keeping you warmer at night with the extra “loft” created by the airing process.

Sheets

As with coloured towels- we do not recommend using any washing liquids/powders that contain an optical brightener- this will affect the colour of your sheets over time.

Duvet Covers

We recommend washing your duvet cover inside out, with a gentle laundry detergent (this could include wool wash detergents). Line drying your duvet cover is probably the best option- as domes on the cover can sometimes get damaged in the dryer. You will more than likely need to gently warm iron your cover after this process.

Fun Linen Facts

Did you know?

The towel as we know it today was not used/available until the mid 19th century (of course bathing was not as popular as it is today). These early towels were hand woven, made from linen, and were only available to the “upper classes”.

Beds of some sort have been around since the beginning of time, although it is unknown when sheeting was first used, it is likely the first sheets were made from linen, derived from the flax plant, and were probably first created in Ancient Egypt (hence the reputation of fine weaves from Egypt!).  Cotton sheets have been widely used in the Western World since about the 1860’s.

A luxurious bed and bed linen is a thing of beauty! King Louis XIV loved beds and bedding- and used to hold court from one of the 413 beds he owned!

Some of queenb staffs favourite Bedding Quotes

“Life is too short to sleep on low thread-count sheets.” ~Leah Stussy
“If people were meant to pop out of bed, we'd all sleep in toasters.” ~Author unknown, attributed to Jim Davis
“A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow.” ~Charlotte Brontë