Care guide

Washing

We’d recommend either a cold or warm wash with similar colours. Try not to overfill your washing machine so the bed linen has enough room to move around freely. Don’t use chlorine bleach as this damages the natural fibres. Rinse well to wash out detergent. Take more delicate blankets or matelassé coverlets to the dry cleaners instead.

Detergent

Don’t go overboard on the detergent. We’ve found half of what’s recommended is usually enough to achieve the same results. With liquid detergent, try to only add after the machine has filled with water. Otherwise the detergent soaks into the fabric directly and doesn’t mix as well. Brightening agents will keep your whites looking whiter. For coloured cotton, try not to use detergents with whiteners as this makes the colour fade.

Drying

Check the product label before tumble drying. Cotton can usually be tumble dried on a low heat, but line drying is better for the fibres. You could always finish almost dry sheets off in the dryer if you prefer that softer feeling. Lay the linen out flat when warm to minimise ironing.

Ironing and storage

For the best results, iron your Egyptian cotton when it’s slightly damp. A low to medium heat won’t dry fibres out too much, whereas too much heat makes the yarn brittle over time. Fold up as soon as you can to prevent creasing and store somewhere dry. Don’t store your bed linen near unsealed wood as this can cause the fabric to yellow.

One of the best things about linen is it only gets softer and softer with use. When it’s looked after, enduring Italian linen will last for years. Linen fibres absorb skin's natural oils and moisture over time, which wears them out. A weekly wash with a gentle detergent will help prevent this. Launder your linens on their own, separate lights and darks and make sure the cycle includes a good rinse at the end. Don’t forget to check the label. Washing linen at home is usually fine unless the label says to dry clean.

Detergent

Gently does it with linen detergent. Err on the side of caution with how much you use. Brightening agents will keep your whites looking bright. Try to avoid them in your coloured linens wash though as they'll make the colours fade.

Drying

Line dry to keep linen fibres in good condition. If you like the tumble drier’s softer finish, you can always line dry them most of the way and finish off in the drier. Linen usually looks best with little to no ironing. If you do iron though, use a low to medium heat. This stops the fibres from dehydrating too much and becoming weak and brittle.

Washing

Pick the gentle cycle for your luxurious towels to keep them long-lasting and fluffy. Make sure not to use fabric conditioner when washing your towels. This really reduces their absorbency. Stay away from fabric brighteners too as they’ll bleach the fabric. We usually find half of the recommended detergent is ample. Oxygen bleach, perhaps colour safe, will keep the colours bright and the whites white.

Drying

A tumble drier is a towel’s good friend to keep them soft and fluffy. If you prefer to line dry, give them a flick (like cracking a whip) to help the pile dry better. Try to keep towels out of direct sunlight when drying. UV rays can heat and dry the cotton out too much, impacting how long the towel then lasts.

Honey, we shrunk the sheets!

Our exceptional quality fabrics are thoroughly tested and measured to allow for the natural shrinkage that happens in a wash. Your bed linen might seem like the wrong size at first, but the fibres can shrink by up to 15%. Pop bed linen in a 40 degree medium wash and tumble dry if ok do so. It can take up to three washes for the fibres to finish shrinking.

Line Dry

Line drying keeps our luxury fabrics in exceptional condition for much longer. It does give bed linen a crisper feel. If this isn’t your preferred you can always finish off in the tumble drier when almost dry. Clothing particularly benefits from line drying to keep the best fit and cut.

Tumble Dryer

If you’re time poor or lack space, tumble drying might be your preferred option. Use a medium setting and try not to dry the fabric too much as this makes the fibres dehydrated, weak and brittle.

We’d always recommend drying on the line for the most part, then finishing in a drier if you can. As lint is made from the fibres extracted from a fabric weave, you can imagine how that degrades a piece over time.

Cotton

A steam iron makes cotton a lot easier to care for. Check the label before you start, but warm-hot is usually recommended. Iron your cotton when it’s damp from the wash, or spray lightly with water first. Try to avoid harsh starches. They coat the cotton surface, affecting the beauty and softness of the fabric.

Linen

We often find the texture of linen works beautifully with a natural, unironed finish. Fine linen creases more when it’s new but tends to wrinkle less with time. If you’d like to smoothen it out though, check the label then iron when it’s still damp from the wash or spritz with water. Don’t use any starches that might adhere to the fabric.

Polyester

As polyester is a man-made material, some wrinkle less than natural fibres and don’t need much ironing. Check the label, though you can iron most on a low to warm setting.

Air it out

Every month, we’d recommend putting your pillows outside in the fresh air. Ruffle the filling, feather and down around and air out on the line for 12 to 24 hours.

Dry Cleaning

A professional dry clean will really elongate the life of your pillow. With impurities removed, you’ll find the feather and down lofts and springs up much more.

Pick a dry cleaner that specialises in pillows or doonas. They’ll clean your pillow carefully without any dangerous chemicals. Be cautious of those who claim to ‘rejuvenate’ your pillow. We’ve seen pillows altered with a worse quality shell or even topped up with inferior duck down and feather.

Abode cleaning

We’re happy to arrange expert pillow dry cleaning through a partner we know and trust. This costs $35-40 per pillow and takes 1 to 3 business days. You can either drop it and collect it from our store in Camberwell, Victoria or organise return postage at your own cost.

Air it out

When it comes to down’s incredible power to insulate, air plays a crucial part. Fluff your quilt often to rejuvenate down and let it expand and loft. Take your quilt out of its cover and air it outside for a few hours twice a year to freshen it up. The best weather is when it’s warm with a slight breeze. Sunshine helps to kill mildew and dust mites too. When you store your quilt, keep it in a breathable bag in a well-ventilated space. We make your quilt to be loved and well-used, but we do always recommend to try not to sit or lie on top of it. This tends to crush down so it flattens and loses its ability to insulate over time.

Dry cleaning

A professional clean will help preserve down for a longer lasting quilt. Cleaning down this way extracts impurities and renews much of the original loft and spring. Pick a cleaner who specialises in laundering down, and won’t ‘rejuvenate’ your quality by adding worse quality down or feather.

Abode cleaning

We’re happy to arrange expert pillow dry cleaning through a partner we know and trust. This costs $45-60 per quilt and takes 1 to 3 business days. You can either drop it and collect it from our store in Camberwell, Victoria or organise return postage at your own cost.

Sleep squeaky clean

Natural oils and sweat from our skin break down fibres over time, weakening the fabric. Showering before bed will keep bed linen fabric in better condition for longer. Read our guide on how often you should wash your sheets.

Don’t overload your wash

If your bed linen moves freely in a wash it’ll let the detergent mix evenly amongst the fabric.

Banish bleach

Use optical brighteners, or bleach, sparingly or preferably not at all. They contain chlorine and harsh chemicals that’ll wear fabrics away much faster than gentle oxy-tech detergent. Oxygen technology products like Napisan are safer and more gentle on your bed linen.