Do I need to iron bed linen after washing?

One of the attributes of an expensive hotel is clean, well-ironed linen. But the procedure for ironing bedding sets takes a lot of time, so ordinary housewives often neglect it. However, ironed sleep accessories have many benefits.

Why do we iron washed bed linen?

Washing sheets and pillowcases is a must in the life of a tidy person. It is necessary according to hygiene rules. But the attitude towards ironing bedding is formed within the family. A person who grew up in a family where bedding is ironed every time it is washed will iron his own laundry in the future. But people whose parents never performed this procedure often don’t even think about the need to iron their sheets. In some countries they do not iron at all - for example, many residents of Western countries have long abandoned this procedure.

In Russia, it is considered good manners to iron sheets for guests who are staying overnight in the house.A hostess who prepares fresh and ironed linen for guests will be considered neat and polite. Usually, in the homes of hospitable families, a special “guest” set of bedding is kept.

Advantages of ironing

After washing, bedding becomes stiffer and wrinkles form on them. Ironing returns the fabric's softness and enhances the feeling of freshness. The procedure has many other advantages. This:

• fight against bed mites. Even washing at high temperatures is not able to eliminate pests, while an iron destroys all traces of them, including larvae;
• Cotton fabric becomes stronger due to regular ironing, so ironing cotton products allows you to buy new linen less often;
• Ironed items take up less space in the closet.

One of the reasons why sheets and pillowcases are ironed is the aesthetic appearance of the linen. Neatly ironed sheets give the bedroom a neat and cozy look and create a feeling of comfort. Sleeping on an ironed bed is much more pleasant and comfortable, your sleep becomes stronger and more peaceful.

Disadvantages of ironing

However, this procedure also has some disadvantages:

• after ironing, the pleasant smell of the laundry is lost, especially the smell of frost;
• this procedure takes a lot of time, and with the modern rhythm of life it can be problematic to allocate an extra half hour for ironing bedding;
• a number of materials are easily electrified upon contact with an iron;
• The iron consumes a significant amount of electricity.

In some cases, you can give the sheets a neat and tidy look without ironing. To do this, it is enough to hang the sheets during drying so that creases and folds do not form on the fabric.

When can you not do without ironing your bed sheets?

Sometimes you can't do without an iron.Ironed sheets should always be in the cribs of small children. It is necessary to iron the bedding of sick people, as well as those who suffer from allergies to linen mites.

If there is a child in the house

Children's pajamas, pillowcases, sheets and duvet covers should be ironed after each wash. Microorganisms accumulate on the fabric, some of which do not die in the washing machine. Microbes can cause various diseases in a sensitive child's body, and mite larvae often lead to allergic reactions. It is especially important to iron clothes if they were washed along with their parents’ clothes. Those bacteria that are harmless to an adult can harm a small child.

If there is a sick person in the house

It is imperative to iron clothes for people suffering from skin diseases. Regular treatment will promote a speedy recovery and will also prevent the spread of infection to other people living in the same house as the patient.

If you have allergies, ironing should be done regularly. It is also necessary to change bedding promptly.

IMPORTANT: For a sick person, it is important to choose the right bedding material. Sheets made from silk are best.

Bed linen made of fabric that does not need ironing

Sheets made from many materials wrinkle easily and lose their neat appearance without ironing. But modern manufacturers often use fabrics that do not require ironing. This:

• Calico is a natural, safe and inexpensive material that almost does not form wrinkles;
• Satin is a durable and beautiful cotton fabric that does not need to be ironed;
• Chintz is another inexpensive material that does not require the use of an iron to care for.

IMPORTANT: It is necessary to purchase only bedding that is made from natural materials. Synthetic fabrics will not only make sleep less comfortable, but can also harm human health.

Alternative means (what can replace ironing)

The most popular way to make bed linen smooth is to carefully hang the sheets after washing. But there are other methods. If you wash a lot of sheets at once, you can roll them up and leave them like that to dry. This method solves the problem of lack of space for drying clothes. It is also convenient to store sleeping accessories in a roll - they do not wrinkle, wrinkles do not form on them, which means you can do without an iron.

How to iron correctly?

Cotton and silk should be ironed on the wrong side. You can iron two things at the same time - to do this, just spread a sheet on the ironing board and iron other bedding on it. Do not overdry the fabrics - let them remain slightly damp, and the remaining drops will evaporate on their own. There is also no need to iron terry robes and towels, since after ironing their material becomes rougher and tougher.

To iron or not to iron clothes is a personal matter for each person. But clean, tidy sheets always improve your mood and give you a comfortable sleep, which is the key to good health.