Towels and Bed Linen

If you are planning to buy a rental home, or you're thinking about what to do with one you have just acquired, this is the place for any questions about starting out in the rentals business.
Foxandsot
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Towels and Bed Linen

Post by Foxandsot »

Hi

Really interesting question :) (not!!)

What colour towels and bed linen do you use?

We are planning to rent out our house in Cyprus, I have looked at other peoples villas online (in cyprus) and most of them have very patterned & colourful duvet covers/bedspreads. Do they do this as they last longer (i.e don't show up the stains)? Having spoken to friends, they say they would prefer to see crisp white bed linen and fluffy white towels. Would this be a nightmare to keep clean and fresh.

What do you do?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, boring subject I know!!

Many thanks

Michelle
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Sue Dyer
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Post by Sue Dyer »

Ha! Towels, boring?? I think not :lol: Not when we've gone 16 pages discussing them!!

viewtopic.php?t=672

I'm not sure if colour has come into it though. Speaking as someone who dyes my hair red every now and again and it takes it a good few days shampoo's to wash, out I've a couple of times inadvertantly left orange stains on hotel towels... :oops: I stick with dark and lighter blue towels for safety.

Welcome to LMY! Sue
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enid
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Post by enid »

Towels again - hurrah.
I agree with you - I like white bed linen and towels because I think they look clean and fresh - but it's a matter of personal taste.

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Nightowl
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Post by Nightowl »

I don't use white because I do think it is a nightmare to keep clean, particularly towels. The minute they look grey they look awful and if you are not on site you won't be aware of it.

We go for dark blue towels everywhere (don't show the dirt) and coloured duvet covers. There are enough nice styles around for these to still look nice - no need for lairy 70s style bedlinen these days... but white or cream sheets are best I think.

When I was first getting stuff for our house I had trouble getting plain sheets in spain (they are all flowery monstrosities) and also the bed sizes are different (we bought IKEA kingsize beds). So I had to bring sheets from England. As I had 6 beds and 3 sets of linen for each to buy I wanted to keep the costs down and got them in Primark but couldn't get enough sets in cream or white so have got some pink and lilac. They look lovely and are wearing well but it is a real hassle keeping the right colour sheets with the right colour duvets. We are not on site so this is left to our cleaners but I am sure sometimes people must get sheets that don't go particularly well with the duvets from time to time.

However, during peak season its so hot and there is no need for duvets or duvet covers so this isn;t a major issue.

But one other tip that a managing agent gave us was to buy the same duvet covers for all the rooms because then if only one from a twin room of matching duvets is used (if the house isnt full capacity) then it doesn't matter so much if once it's washed it gets separated from its twin and put in another room. He was right about that one because we have two twin bedrooms, each with 3 sets of duvet covers that are different. I often spend part of my holiday trying to locate a particular duvet cover that should be in one room with its twin and which the cleaners have put back in the other one....

I guess a lot of it depends on whether you are on site and can keep an eye on the state of your linen or whether you rely on a managing agent.
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enid
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Post by enid »

Bonsoir Sue - posting at the same time - both dran by that old towel subkect!

I take your point about stains showing on white towels - but that is exactly why I like using them - when I am given coloured towels I always wonder if they have hidden secrets! I have only had to take one bath towel out of service over two seasons - and that I use in the house. They are easy to clean on a hot wash and I have been able to clean sun tan lotion stains which is my biggest headache.
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

Enid, I understand white towels, but do you ever have a problem with fly stains on your light coloured bed linen? Or are the flies 'propre' in your part of France? I have a mixture of light and patterened bed linen, but I often have to use a stain remover on the lighter stuff.
Another question, sorry if it is slightly off topic, but how does everyone make up their beds?? Quilts, blankets, sheets?
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enid
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Post by enid »

but do you ever have a problem with fly stains on your light coloured bed linen?
Haven't had so far.

I have fitted bottom sheets, duvets and then a bolster, two UK style rectangular pillows and then 2 French oreillers - sqare pillows- to give the feel of France. We put polar blankets in the rooms for low season rentals.
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Sue Dyer
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Post by Sue Dyer »

Enid, I got rid of my fitted sheets, they go on the bed okay but they are terrible to iron and fold up neatly I found.

I used a flat sheet on the bottom then a duvet with cover and a throw over the bottom of the bed.

My sis used to work in a hotel and she was surprised completely changed the duvet cover every week. She said the hotel used to put a top sheet under the duvet cover and just change that for each guest and the duvet cover less frequently. Hmmm, not for me though!!
LaLuz
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Post by LaLuz »

I have white sheets and pillow cases for all 3 bedrooms for ease.

However, I chose not to go for towels all the same colour as I holidayed for years in villas with all white towels and I hated the fact that when I hung my towel up to dry I couldn't tell it from my friends!

The thought that I was using someone else's towel.....ugh!!
A-two
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Post by A-two »

We have fitted bottom sheets that doesn't get ironed because they don't need it after stretching. We then have a top sheet that is ironed, then a duvet cover, then a becover. The duvet cover is changed every week, just like the sheets, even though it may have been removed and put aside in warmer weather, which is why we need a top sheet under the duvet, otherwise once the duvet is removed, there would be nothing to cover. We also have bedcover on top of the duvet, which is usually a light quilt.

Everything is white or cream linens, but I do have one or two floral patterned duvet covers thrown into the mix, which I like, because I have a great deal of trouble working out which is a King White Duvet cover vs. a Queen White Duvet cover.

All our bathtowels are all white. I replace approximately 30% every year because we have to throw so many chemicals at them to get them white, they just don't last, even though they are high quality. I buy seconds on sale.

I agree with Enid about dark colored towels, they give me a sense that they are not clean, and my cleaners also told me not to buy them because they get covered in white fluff balls and look worse. I don't know if that's true, but they told me they have to pick all the bits off them in other rental houses.
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

Thanks everyone - I have a fitted bottom sheet, with a duvet and pillows, the sheet, duvet cover and pillow cases are washed every week. I've had some strange looks from the French I think they are generally used to the same arrangemenet as Sue's sister in the hotel - a top sheet which is washed and the duvet cover (if there is one) which isn't. My other half's father and stepmother are staying in on of my gites this week and also asked for a top sheet. I was getting paranoid I was doing something wrong!
If it is hot, I just take out the duvet and sleep under the cover. I don't think I could cope with washing and ironing another 18 sheets, although flat sheets are so much easier than the fitted variety!

Another question, how often do you wash mattress/pillow protectors and the duvets and pillows themselves? (Apologies to Michelled for rather hi-jacking the thread!)
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Bellywobble
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Post by Bellywobble »

I use all cobalt blue towels but two full sets were ruined during one rental and have now got orange stains on them. I think the guest was using some sort of prescription face cream that bleached them. As I'm now short of towels for the busy period, I was thinking about repacing them with white, in the hope of being able to bleach out any stains.
For the bed, I use a fitted sheet and duvet cover, with two UK style pillows per person. The sheets are white and the duvet covers blue. One of the duvet covers was ruined at the same time as the towels (as was a spare blanket), so this has been replaced with a white one. In summer, I change the duvet for a top sheet plus a "throw".
I change the protectors after each set of guests, but would leave them on (unless stained) for a mid stay clean. The duvet I replace at the end of the season. The throw is a problem. I had hoped guests would fold it and put it aside, just using it as a decorative cover. Silly me. It's usually in a heap somewhere, so I need to rethink that one! One place I stayed in used an empty duvet cover as a summer bedcover. This seemed a simple way of doing things, but somehow didn't seem quite right. What does everyone else use when it's too hot for duvets?
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

I bought cream ones. The sheets are white and the duvet covers striped. I have bought some IKEA bedspreads for the Summer.
Foxandsot
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Post by Foxandsot »

Wow, you lot do like talking about towels etc. I logged on this morning thinking I would have one or two replies!!! :lol:

I was thinking of going for coloured towels in the bathroom as it is going to be all white, therefore I thought some coloured towels might jazz it up a bit.

I would be interested to know (like Kayley) what others do in the summer months for bed linen. We assume that our villa will be mainly rented out in the summer months and as it is Cyprus, it will be very hot. I haven't seen any nice plain bedspreads around, the only ones I have seen have been in a satin like fabric, which I would assume would just slide off you in bed!!

Any thoughts?

Thanks for all your replies, I've got plenty more questions!

Michelle
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

Ours from IKEA are cotton, but are quilted, so may still be too warm for you. They aren't plain though. SEE HERE
Last edited by Hells Bells on Thu Apr 27, 2006 10:32 am, edited 2 times in total.
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