You crawl under the covers after a long day of work. The AC is cranked down to a crisp 70 degrees. You're cozy and ready to turn in for the night. You check your phone one last time before dozing off to la-la land.

Does it get any better than this? No way!

Clean linens, a great mattress, and a relaxing atmosphere turn a bedroom into a haven of comfort. You'd think it a 5-star hotel or a top-notch spa!

Want to know how to care for your bedding to create this experience? Need some tips so your blankets, sheets, cases, and everything else look and feel great? Keep reading, you're about to create an amazingly cozy, healthy sleep experience.

Blankets and Comforters

Who doesn't love a super soft blanket or comforter when snoozing or snuggling? You'll want to wash these items often to achieve this. Although they can get bulky, you'll find caring for them way easier than you thought.

There are a few considerations to all this:

• Fabric type
• Build quality

Whether you have the space to handle blankets and comforters is a factor, too. If you can handle these bulky items at home then great! If not, consider taking them to a laundromat or cleaners with the proper equipment.

How Often

The consensus is that you'll wash blankets and comforters once every 3-4 months. Or, if it's easier to remember — per season. 

Note: You may need to do them more often if you're prone to allergens.

How To

Caring for a blanket or comforter could involve:

• Treating stains and using spot washing for delicate items
• Hand plunging the item in a washer or basin with cold or warm water
• Running them through a delicate cycle using a mild liquid detergent

Check with the manufacturer or brand to learn about their care guidelines. Or, learn what the symbols mean when referencing the laundry tag. 

Sheets

Sheets are (usually) the main bedding you're in contact with. These items are what's absorbing body oils and fluids throughout the night. Over time, dirt and grime from your day will have sheets smelling funky and feeling gunky.

Sheets are one the easier side of bedding care because they're lightweight. You can run them along with other laundry or have them in their own cycle.

How Often

How often you'll wash the sheets are entirely up to you. But, it's good to run them through the wash at least once a week especially because it's quick and easy.

Why this often?

• Remove the everyday oils, fluids, and grime
• Clean away dust mites and dead skin cells
• Get rid of allergens that could disrupt sleep

This goes for fitted sheets and skirting while you're at it!

How To

As the running theme goes — check with the manufacturer.

Our bamboo sheets can go through a typical cycle but don't go above medium heat when drying. The cotton sheets we offer have more wiggle room with how they're washed and dried.

• Use a stain cleaning agent to touch up tough spots before the wash
• Run the sheets through a cycle with the appropriate detergent for its type
• Hang to dry (if you like a firm feeling) or tumble dry on low to medium heat

A simple vinegar wash offers a great, natural way to clean these items. Otherwise, use one of the better laundry detergents. 

Pillows and Pillowcases

Pillowcases are one of the dirtiest items in your whole home. Yes, even more so than your toilet seat! Now imagine your face against the pillowcase for however long it takes to finally run them through the wash... yuck.

There's a good chance that your dirty pillowcase is what's causing breakouts, too. 

A hot night could have you sweating through the pillowcase. This means your pillow is absorbing that sweat and nastiness. Eww. So, you can see why it's important to make a routine out of caring for pillows and pillowcases.

How Often

You should aim for:

• Pillows - Every 3-4 months
• Pillowcases - Every 2-3 weeks

This obviously depends on the pillow's filling and materials, too. Or, if you're using something like a pillow protector that blocks moisture (like sweat).

Pillowcases could see a care routine akin to your undergarments. If you have a couple to swap in and out then why not wash them often, right?

How To

Here's what we recommend:

• Check the care instructions since some pillows aren't designed for washing
• If washable, use cold water and a mild liquid detergent on a gentle cycle

Pillowcases see the same treatment though can likely go in with a normal load.

Everything Else

What about the big items like a mattress? What about skirting or heirloom quilts? Or, what if you have shams, toppers, pads, and other odd pieces?

A mattress, pillows, and other items go bad with time but you can curb decay.

Try to run most small items (that are washable) once a week. Those bigger items are usually good every few months. Of course, you'll want to think of all the considerations, too, with your bedding.

Considerations With How to Care for Your Bedding

Long-term care of your bedding ultimately depends on a lot of external factors.

These could include:

• Grooming. Bathing/showering before going to bed means less dirt and allergens.
• Snacking. Snacking in bed could have you dropping food and drink.
• Pets. Having Fido hop up and lay on the bed will bring along dirt, dander, and any other grime they got into during the day.
• Kids. A messy kid is a given which means your bedding gets dirtier often especially if they got into food or craft stuff.
• Sickness. Staying in bed when you have a cold or flu will spread germs and other nasties onto the bedding.
• Exhaustion. A tough workweek could have us pushing off linen laundry day. 
• Visitors. Friends or family stopping by for the night and needing bedding for their stay.
• Equipment. Big, bulky linens and items may not fit in your washer or drier.

There are a ton of these factors in whether you get around to cleaning linens. Stop to think about what influences your drive to clean. Then, adapt your schedule to these little factors so those linens are at their healthiest.

Cleanliness Creates the Ultimate Comfiness

It's important that you learn how to care for your bedding if you want to create an amazing sleep experience. Clean bedding, that's free of grime and allergens, means you're sleeping better. You're also feeling the ultimate comfiness.

We hope you'll explore building an amazing sleep experience with Nest Bedding.

We offer an incredible selection of top-quality mattresses, pillows, furniture, and more. You have nothing to lose when taking us up on our 100-night sleep trial. So, get in touch with our "Nestologists" and let's talk about getting cozy!