Author Britney Guo/ Category Better Sleep / Published: Aug-22-2022
POV: You just brought your first set of TENCEL Lyocell (aka eucalyptus derived) sheets home, and you want them to last forever.
First off, forever is a long time. Sometimes we might not even want forever with something (or someone). However, since the topic is bed sheets, we’ll go ahead and give you the scoop on how to keep your sheets looking and feeling like new.
Quality sheets are guaranteed to last longer than your average cotton sheets from Target or Amazon, but how well you care for your bed sheets is just as important as how the sheets are made. The highest quality sheets won’t be durable if they’re improperly washed or consistently stressed. A poorly maintained set of quality sheets may actually need to be replaced sooner than a set of well-taken care of regular sheets.
We often hear the rule-of-thumb being to replace bed sheets every few years. However, your sheets can certainly last longer than this bedding myth. If you’re not properly caring for your bed sheets, you might want to consider replacing your sheets as recommended. On the other hand, if you give your sheets the extra little TLC they deserve, they will repay you and last a lifetime.
1. Skip the first wash
At Eucalypso, our sheets are made with 100% TENCEL Lyocell derived from eucalyptus wood pulp. We use an organic solvent, and our sheets are free of any toxic solvents, and chemicals. Eucalypso sheets are milled and manufactured with no harmful chemicals, and use only the highest quality materials. So when you sleep with Eucalypso, you are welcomed to skip the first wash (unless you really want to) before dressing your bed. Unlike traditional sheets that are manufactured cheaply with toxic chemicals, we wanted to make sure you could immediately unbox and start using your new sheets without a problem.
Another tip for why you might want to wait for your first wash is so you can enjoy your sheets in their pristine condition. Then, after you do your first wash and dry of the eucalyptus sheets, you can return them to your bed–and notice how even after washing, they still feel brand new.
2. Follow the care instructions
For your first wash, and every wash thereon after–make sure to follow the care instructions that come with your bed sheets! We know the habit of throwing out packaging, instructions, and ripping tags off, but making sure you know how to safely launder your bedding is so important. Eucalypso sheets are machine washable, making them easy to launder when laundry day comes around the corner again. As a helpful reminder, our eucalyptus sheets are antibacterial and antifungal so they actually stay cleaner longer than the average cotton sheet. This means less washes over its lifetime, making your life easier and the sheets last longer. For reference, we recommend washing Eucalypso sheets separately in a cold wash on a gentle cycle with a mild detergent. Avoid adding bleach to dyed sheets in order to preserve the color. If possible, line dry the sheets–or you can place them in a dryer and tumble dry on low.
3. Tricks of the trade
As much as the quality of your bed sheets matter, so do the laundry detergents, stain treatments, and fabric softeners you use. We recommend using an eco-friendly laundry detergent, as they have less harsh chemicals, and avoiding hot water washes which can weaken the fabric’s fibers. In addition, pre-treat stains with laundry soap instead of strong stain removers. Lastly, line dry when possible to avoid high heat, and avoid fabric softeners or dryer sheets as they contain chemicals that will coat the fibers of the sheet–hindering its breathability. Instead of dryer sheets, opt for dryer balls which are biodegradable, chemical-free, and reusable.
In addition to using gentler laundry products, a neat trick we also like to use is to rotate the bed sheet 180 degrees. So every wash or two, flip the orientation of the bed sheets so that the areas that might get frequently worn by tossing and turning (your feet and legs) can get a break. Another tip for the well-being of your sheets (and really yourself as well) is to moisturize areas like your heels that are more prone to be dry and rough–as these areas cause the most friction against your sheets.
4. Considering sustainability
So far, we’ve talked a lot about how to maintain your bedding and make it last forever, but we haven’t really discussed why, besides the more obvious reason–that if you buy something, you expect it to last. Well, textile sustainability is really important to consider because in America alone, about 11.3 million tons of textile waste is thrown into landfills each year. Contributing to this sustainability issue are consumer myths like having to get new bed sheets every couple of years. In addition, the average textile is manufactured using toxic chemicals and solvents, making them non biodegradable. So, these wasted textiles end up in landfills before they’re even ready to be replaced. Overall, replacing bedding is not only an expensive cost for you, but also for the environment. At Eucalypso, we know that even if we inform customers about the durability of our eucalyptus sheets, years of consumer myths may still hinder customers from holding onto perfectly good sheets with a little age on them. So, as a line of defense, we made sure our eucalyptus sheets were made in a chemical free process to ensure their biodegradability and compostability.
5. Mistakes happen
Let’s say, hypothetically of course, you accidentally make a blunder (like bleach your colored sheets) after taking perfect care of your sheets ever since you got them. It’s a heartbreaking mistake, but a cosmetic imperfection is no reason to throw away an otherwise still perfect set of sheets. We all make mistakes, and they can feel especially defeating after being careful for so long, and then making one mindless mistake that seemingly ruins it all. As humans who have also made silly mistakes doing our laundry, we’re here to tell you there’s no reason to stress out over it. Over the years, we’ve learned that although aesthetics are nice to have–at the end of the day, we’d rather pick the higher quality choice than the low quality but slightly prettier one. So, if you do something like accidentally add too much bleach in the wash (we’re guilty), it’s not the end of the world! Your eucalyptus sheets are still just as cool and soft as before, they just happen to have a new look.
In conclusion
So there you have it. How to make your sheets last forever, if you so choose. Realistically however, we might only be able to perfectly follow instructions half the time. Good thing half of forever is still a long time.