Luckily, cotton sheets are very easy to care for. Simply toss them in the washing machine with your favorite detergent on a warm water setting for the best results. Line dry or tumble dry on low or medium heat and promptly remove from the dryer for less wrinkles.
Luckily, cotton typically only shrinks once. The fibers could continue tightening if you keep washing the item in hot water and tumble-drying it on high heat. But generally speaking, most of the contracting will happen on the first laundry cycle.
Although not ideal, you can tumble dry cotton bedding if you use a low heat setting to prevent it shrinking and remove the items before the cycle ends (we find it's easier to shake out the creases when the sheets are still a little damp!).
Over time, high heat will cause your comfortable cotton sheets to shrink and even tear. If you have the space and warm weather conditions, line or hang dry your wet sheets.
For a regular sheet set (top sheet, fitted sheet, and pillow cases) it will take around 30 minutes to dry completely. Be careful because leaving them in the dryer for too long can cause unwanted shrinking and damage to your sheet fabric – especially for your fitted sheets.
Tumble dry your sheets on the low-heat setting to reduce wrinkling and prevent unnecessary wear. Using a low-heat setting also keeps your fitted sheets fitting snugly—if the dryer is too hot, it may damage the elastic.
You can dry most cotton items in the tumble dryer on a warm temperature setting. Check the garment's care label to make sure you don't shrink the garment.
Simply hang over a large clothes horse and perhaps use a freestanding fan to help with airflow. You can also hang smaller sheets over radiators, and these will dry quicker. Drying bedsheets inside unfortunately takes the most amount of time – usually around a day or so.
Avoiding heavy duty cycles, fast spins and high-heat drying can also prevent shrinkage. Use delicate cycles instead, and place delicate clothes in a mesh laundry bag for added protection. When drying, consider a low-heat or air dry setting. When in doubt, always follow the instructions on your garment's care tag.
Avoid popping your garments in the dryer and instead dry them on a clothes rack or clothes line in indirect sunlight. You can use hangers to maintain the shape of the garments.
Tumble drying your clothes at a high temperature can cause wrinkles to form. Worse still, it can damage the fabric, and cause sheets to shrink. For example, in sheets made from cotton, the fibres can become stiff and brittle breaking off to form lint on other clothing. Synthetic fibres will even fare worse.
Porous fabrics like silk, cotton and linen take well to natural dyes, but according to Ryan these dyes are “not solvent resistant and to dry-clean them would result in a colour fade or change”, and you shouldavoid taking them to the dry-cleaner.
100% Cotton bedding is naturally hypoallergenic, and breathable, making it the most desirable option for allergy sufferers.
So, Will 100% Cotton Shrink? The answer is yes, it can. In fact, it can shrink up to 5%, which is approximately more than one size. Remember, it is important to read all labels and to follow the washing and drying instructions.
Warmer water is a good option if your sheets haven't been washed in a while, or if they're moderately soiled. We also recommend this setting during cold and flu season, as it can help kill viruses, bacteria and other pathogens. Avoid hot water, however, as that will cause the sheets to wear out quicker.
Always be sure to dry them on low or air dry them on a line if possible. Cotton & natural fibers are more susceptible to damage from heat. The good news is that you can avoid it by avoiding the heat, leaving you with soft, comfortable sheets that will bring you many restful nights.
Wash Multiple Times
Yes, it sounds like a lot of work and it may not be so environmentally-friendly, but that double wash can do wonders when it comes to the softness of your sheets. Generally speaking, good quality sheets will continue to become softer after every wash, dry, and iron cycle.
Since it can't form hydrogen bonds to nylon, we say nylon is more hydrophobic. The same is true for most synthetic polymer fibers, and as a result, cotton absorbs water much more readily than other fibers, and tends to "hang on" to the molecules for longer - which means cotton fibers take longer to dry.
The reason for this? Most dryer sheets contain the ingredient linalool, which can be found in plants like lavender, basil, and coriander, all of which naturally repel common garden pests. Similar studies found that this ingredient is also useful for repelling bugs like mites, weevils, beetles, and German cockroaches.
Using a dryer sheet will make it easier. Just wet a fresh dryer sheet and start scrubbing. The sheet's texture does a great job of scrubbing away that unwanted soap scum. You can also take a dry sheet and store it in your toilet paper holder to absorb smells.
Every time you change your air filter, tuck a couple of dryer sheets in with the new filter to make your home smell fresh.
Cotton is a tougher material. This means that a cotton drying programme doesn't need to be as gentle on the fabric. This programme has higher heat settings and a more vigorous tumbling. You can also load the tumble dryer with a bigger load too.
You should never put bras, gym clothes, and swimwear in the clothes dryer. Spandex and other elastic materials are great for wearing comfort, but they often don't do that well in a dryer. The high temperatures can damage the material, breaking it down and ruining the shape of your clothes.