Bed Linen

[sandstone]

Looking for recommendations for good quality bedding, have road tested a 600 percal fitted sheet but found it pilled or bobbled after 2 washes, very dissapointed, so im guessing that the percal rate doesnt always mean quality (paid £38 for kingsize fitted sheet)

[Nemo]

Here's a thread with a few different options.

viewtopic.php?t=13023

I personally went with Out of Eden, white, plain percale linen. My cleaner swears by it, she gives it a very hot wash every few weeks (despite them not recommending it!) which she says brings it up beautifully white. They do deep fitted sheets which I need for my mattresses, although many here just use flat sheets.

I have bought some fitted sheets for home now from them, which I am just road testing. Very happy so far and they are a very helpful company to deal with. I have had one rogue sheet that pilled within a few weeks, but they exchanged it without a fuss.

[Naomi]

I use Richard Haworth, who supply hotel linen.

http://www.richardhaworth.co.uk/

If you telephone them, they advise you about the level of quality that you need for your particular set up.

I love their bag pillow cases and duvet covers that are so easy to put on during a rapid changeover. The duvet covers, for example, have a helpful slit at the top of the duvet in order to make it easier to square up corners. With no poppers and openings the width of the duvets, you can flick them on.

After dozens of washes, the linen is just as fresh as the day that I opened up the packaging.

[wallypott]

I use Out of eden 400 Percale and it has stood up to a year with no problem. I have coloured sheets, which I think was a mistake as they can be bit of a pain. I prefer pure cotton to sleep under myself, so don't know if I really made the right choice.

I think it is king of cotton that do the really handy colour coded labels on the sheets so you know what size they are. We have added our own - pretty long ribbons so we know without having to hunt around for the sizes.

If I had my time again, I would go for white sheets all round, pure cotton preferably.

[greenbarn]

Votes here for both Out of Eden and Richard Haworth. We found Haworth as their linen was used by the linen hire/laundry service that we were using before we decided to do our own. The slit hand openings in the duvet covers make it much easier to fit them, and they are colour coded for size. Haworth's service has been good.

We use Out of Eden for the fitted sheets, for which Haworth have a limited choice, along with lots of other stuff. As they're only a few miles away we see them face to face, and they're a nice company to deal with. If their duvet covers had the hand openings, we'd use them, but once you've had the covers with the hand holes there's no going back to struggling without them.

[marsh frog]

We use King of Cotton who have a wide range, but chose their 600 count Egyptian cotton which certainly seems to be working well and is still lovely and crisp like new

[lasourcetranquille]

We bought ikea sheets for our gite when we started but really struggle to get them feeling soft in the tumble dryer. Just wondering about replacing them but don't know whether to go for Out of Eden 200 or 400 thread count flat sheets or king of cotton ones. I do quite fancy the satin stripe duvet covers from OoE but they are only 180 thread count. Any advice?

[lasourcetranquille]

Anyone?

[Nemo]

I have the percale poly cotton from O of E and am quite happy with them. They are 180 thread count. My cleaner likes them and says they come up a treat (nice and white again) with a very hot wash every few weeks. I think she air dries and then irons them.

No experience of any of the others though.

[wallypott]

With Ikea sheets it depends on the quality. There more expensive ones are similar to good quality sheets and I think my ironer prefers all my ikea sheets to Out of Eden ones. The duvet covers from Ikea we have which are a looser weave something under 100 never feel soft, but we still get compliments about them. However, they wouldn't be ok if you were aiming for luxury.

[la vache!]

I use Ikea sheets and duvet covers (the more tasteful ones) and only ever get compliments. I'd never realised that sheets are supposed to feel soft. As long as sheets are 100% cotton and not bobbly, then that is acceptable for me. But I'm not luxury either - I think if you are aiming for that market then you need high thread Egyptian cotton. And good luck with the ironing!

[French Cricket]

I've got Out of Eden Egyptian cotton bedding (thread count? Can't remember. But lots) and they wear fantastically well AND stay white without much ado. BUT (and it's a big but) they're absolute b*&%%ers to iron, even with a decent steam generator iron and huge ironing board ... Suspect they're really designed for sending to the laundry .... I love them, and when I've occasionally slept on them in a guest bed they feel great. But would I buy them again? To be honest, I'm not sure.

Would it be easier with an ironing press, I wonder? Does anyone use one?

[CarolineH]

I have a press - I love it - I get 21 duvet covers + 21 bottom sheets + 52 pillow cases and loads of tea towels ironed each week in about 4 hours. However, it is not good with pure cotton thick sheets unless you get them absolutely flat to start with.

When the sheets are new you need to "train" them into their folds (the duvets go through folded twice - so that's 8 thicknesses of material), once this is done they start to behave themselves

[French Cricket]

Wow, that's impressive, Caroline - shame you don't live nearer, I'm sure you wouldn't notice a few more

I do understand what you mean; but clearly I have failed miserably to train my sheets properly. If I could only get them to have folds (and not creases) at all that would be a start ...

[wallypott]

Caroline - what do you have? I picked up an old one for 50€ and while the children managed to iron tea towels and tablecloths I found it to be hopeless.