Care for your Bed Linen

Christy bed linen is made from 100% natural fibres. Natural fibres resist the effects of wear and time very well. To safeguard the quality of your Christy bed linen and ensure optimum performance, a few simple rules for the use and laundering of it should be followed. Each bed linen range requires individual attention; therefore please ensure you refer to the individual labels in conjunction with these guidelines.

Washing Guidelines

Washing and drying your bed linen properly will eliminate creasing. Fine bed linen made from natural fibres does crease, particularly when new.

Over time the fibres become softer and you will find that creasing will decrease.

• Separate your bed linen into light and dark colours and avoid washing with other garments, which have hooks or zips.

• Avoid overloading the machine to prevent creasing and wear to the fabric.

• Ensure that you use the recommended amount of washing detergent.

• Take care not to expose your bed linen to pure detergent prior to washing.

• Select a gentle laundry detergent. Detergents containing bleach or whitening agents should not be used when washing coloured fabrics as they may progressively fade the colour. Using a detergent designed for colours will ensure your bed linen retains its colour for many years.

• When the wash cycle has finished, remove bed linen promptly from the machine and shake out whilst damp to minimise creasing and drying time.

• For best results tumble-dry bed linen on a gentle heat. This helps to reduce creasing and provides a beautiful handle and drape to your bed linen. Careful line drying will also reduce creasing.

• Do not dry your bed linen longer than necessary.

• Iron your bed linen whilst still slightly damp: it’s easier! In the event that bed linen has been over dried, use a water spray to dampen fabric before ironing.

• Bleach will remove the colour from your Christy bed linen permanently. Avoid contact with surface cleaners.

Care for your Towels

• Christy recommend that you wash towels before the first use.

• Always follow the washing instructions on the label of the towel. By adhering to recommended washing instructions you will guarantee long-term enjoyment of your Christy towels.

• Do not dry clean Christy towels

• Pulled threads occur when loops catch on sharp objects. Do not pull loose threads – simply cut them off. Christy towels are woven so threads won’t run. To prevent pulled threads, avoid washing towels with other garments, which have hooks or zips.

• Ensure that you use the recommended amount of washing detergent. Take care not to expose your towels to neat detergent prior to washing.

• Select a gentle laundry detergent. Many modern detergents contain bleach or whitening agents. Ideally, these should not be used when washing coloured towels as they may progressively fade the colour. Using a detergent designed for colours will ensure your towels retain their colour for many years.

• Limit the use of fabric conditioner on your towels. Whilst they give your towels a soft feel, overuse of conditioner leaves a coating on the towels which reduces absorbency.

• Tumble drying on a medium heat will give your towels the softest finish.

• Bleach will remove the colour from your Christy towels permanently. Try to ensure that they do not come into contact with surface or bathroom cleaners.

• Some facial cleansers and skin treatments contain Benzoyl Peroxide, which has the same effect as bleach. Rinse hands and face thoroughly after using these products as the effect on the towel may not be apparent until after it has been washed.

• Separate light and dark coloured towels, as you would with other items. With darker and brighter colours you may find that some excess dyes wash out during the first few washes.

How to care about your towels so they don't become like sandpaper

We all know that an old towel can get scratchy and unpleasant on the skin after a few years, or even months. Not only is this unpleasant, but they actually absorb less moisture. But you don’t need to throw it away; there are ways to refresh it and make it soft and absorbent once more, unless it is worn thin or has holes. A towel must be washed and cared for in its own special way, to avoid turning it into another stiff old rag.

The most common material in towel manufacture is terry cloth. This is loom-woven, usually from cotton, to create a ‘pile’ of long loops, bunched through fabric, to create a greater surface area with which the fibres can absorb moisture. You may also find velour towels, where one side of the towel has all the loops of yarn cut to make shiny fabric. Other materials include modal, from birch wood, and the increasingly popular bamboo fibre-towels, which are four times more absorbent than cotton and are naturally hypoallergenic.

Classification of terry towel according to weight:
Light 250 – 350g/m2
Medium 350 – 450g/m2
Heavy 450 – 550g/m2
Very heavy – nad 550g/m2

Classification of terry towel according to finishing:

Velour towel, towel with embroidery, printed towel, towel with applique.

Buying a cheap towel is a false economy. Go for better quality if you don’t want to be towel-shopping every 6 months. Good quality cotton is easy to care for, and is more durable. Mixed fibre towels are worn down more quickly, and tend to push the moisture on your skin from one place to another, rather than absorbing it! Synthetic fibre may also cause irritation on skin softened from the shower or bath.

The biggest problem with your old towel is that it loses its colour. To slow this process, make sure you wash it with similar colours. Of course, white towels should be washed separately. Don‘t think that because it is white, you can boil it – never wash any towel over 40 degrees C, so as not to damage the material. Never use bleach (if there is a stain, use lemon juice to remove), and drastically reduce the use of fabric conditioner (or don’t use it at all) as the loops will absorb it and it will dry hard. If you live in an area where water is hard, this can also cause that scratchy towel feeling. To remove dry fabric conditioner from your towel, wash in vinegar or baking soda.
 

Try to make sure that you don’t overfill your washing machine – towels need plenty of water to wash in. When you take them out, shake them to fluff out the loops, and hang them out. Don’t dry them in direct sun, or in too high a heat. Give them a shake again before storing.

Change towels often, wash at least once a week, and rotate use – don’t just wash, dry, and use it again – make sure you have a few to choose from. Also try to avoid too much humidity in your closet so they don’t get mildewed.

Washing symbols

This indicates that your bed linen can be machine washed. The number represents the temperature that Christy recommends to achieve the best results.
This symbol indicates that bleach should not be used when laundering this product. Not even on white bed linen. The chemicals in bleach seriously damage fabric.
This indicates the temperature recommended for tumble drying your Christy bed linen. The number of dots represents the level of heat. Christy recommends that you use a low heat setting.
This indicates the temperature at which you should iron your bed linen for best results. The more dots, the hotter the iron is required. Christy recommends that you iron pillowcases inside out.
This indicates whether or not you can dry clean an item. Christy does not recommend dry cleaning their bed linen. However some of our accessories such as throws and cushions may require dry cleaning.

Due to the delicate nature of some of our new accessories we recommend to spot clean these products. Please refer to individual care instruction.

How to Care for Down Pillows

Making your pillows last forever is probably not possible, but you can make them last longer. Here’s how:

Try to avoid folding them, squashing them, and beating your husband/wife up with them
Never wash feather pillows, just the pillow case. Every year, send the pillow to a professional dry cleaner.
Pure down pillows can be washed, but make sure you dry them properly in a tumble dryer, for at least 4 hours otherwise they will mildew. 
If you shower at night, make sure your hair is not wet when you go to bed
Try to avoid moisturising creams at night
Buy a pillow protector for your pillow – try to prevent any type of oil from leaching into the pillow
Make sure you wash pillow cases at least once a week
If you live in a humid climate, don’t hand you pillow out to air
If your pillow smells AT ALL, it’s time to buy a new one
Most of all – avoid getting moisture in there!