A Bella Linea Trade Secret -- Ironing Sheets Without the Iron™
Posted on January 6, 2012
Facts First
Dryers weaken and break cotton fibers, leaving them limp, brittle and lifeless. (See Caring for Your Linens, bellalinea.com).
Ever notice the difference between a cotton blouse that’s been dripped-dried vs. being cooked in a dryer? The latter appears fragile, frayed, and doesn’t hold its shape. Same with sheets. Cotton dried naturally has ‘body’ and sheen, and looks and feels more luxurious, supple, and soft. To re-use your favorite set of sheets, or store them, here's the trick:
Sheets
Remove sheets from your washer. If a drying rack isn’t available, drape the flat and fitted sheets over two doors, padded with a towel underneath each. (Hang the flat sheet with its border sweeping the floor to avoid obvious creases when the bed is made). Fan out as much as possible. Wrinkles will fall out as they dry.
Pictured above, sheet hanging from a door
In a couple of hours, add the fitted sheet to your bed and let it dry a little longer. [Note: if you use a bed pad on top of your mattress, adding the wet fitted sheet straight from the washer to the bed won’t hurt anything - and saves even more time. Some of us do this every week and have for years.] Then make your bed. As you tuck and smooth, leftover wrinkles disappear as if by magic!
Pillowcases
Down pillows can be added to wet pillowcases without damaging your pillow. (Do be sure to use a pillow protector). Once filled, grasp the borders of the pillowcase and gently shake back and forth a few times to remove wrinkles, and then place on your bed to dry. This action “irons” your pillowcases and sets the cotton fiber’s memory. (Don’t forget to flip your pillows later so they’ll dry on the back side). That’s all there is to it.
gently shake filled pillowcase to remove wrinkles, then lay flat to dry
Do note:
*A ceiling fan significantly speeds drying time.
*If you plan to store your sheets, thoroughly dry them hanging from a door before folding. (Shake pillowcases first to remove wrinkles before hanging).
*For best results, add the flat sheet to the bed when it’s still damp to smooth out any remaining wrinkles.
The end result is crisp, “ironed” sheets minus time-consuming and harmful laundering steps. But the real beauty is how your sheets will feel night after night. Oh - and yes: they’ll last a lot longer and provide more pleasure through the years, too.
Bella Linea at your service!