• Stain Removal Tips • When It's Time for a New Pillow • Caring for Your Pillow • Adjustamax Pillow Washing Tips • What is 'Percale'? • What makes a Good Sheet? • What is So Special about Egyptian Cotton? • More About Egyptian Cotton? • Care for your Egyptian Cotton Sheets • Caring for your Mattress • Wool, Why So Wonderful? • Fun Facts...? • Glossary of commonly used term • Jokes / Humour • What is Thread Count

Stain removal is really included in daily clothing care, because the best time to tackle a stain is immediately—if possible, before it dries.

To remove a stain you need to know how to remove the particular kind of stain from the kind of material that is involved. With this article are directions on removing some common stains from most fabrics. Before applying anything else, try cool water; it will not set the stain. (Many non washable fabrics are not damaged by small amounts of water.) When treating a stain, it is best to use light strokes.

If you must use a solvent of any kind, use as little as possible. Do not breathe the fumes, and keep the bottle beyond the reach of children. Too, before applying a solvent or a chemical remover to a colored fabric, test the remover by dabbing some on an inside seam to see if it fades the color.

INFORMATION TAKEN FROM AN ISSUE OF AWAKE MAGAZINE

Do you know how to tell when your pillow needs replacing?
Below are two simple methods you can use to test your pillow. If your current pillow fails these tests - it may be time to invest in a new quality pillow.

For all natural pillows:
Fold the pillow in half then release it. A "good pillow" will release and bounce back into shape. If your pillow does not do this then it's time to replace your pillow.

For all synthetic pillows:
Follow directions as above but put a 250 - 275gram (10 ounce) weight on top. for example a small block of unopened chocolate, If the pillow is OK it will release.

Cleaning a machine washable pillow
Follow the washing instructions found on the packaging of your pillow.
Pillows that can be machine washed should be washed following these steps:
• Wash with a mild detergent on a gentle setting.
• After the wash cycle is complete, rinse the pillow a few times times (to rid the pillow of any soap that may still be in the pillow.
• Then spin the pillow 2 additional times (to rid the pillow of excess water.)
• Dry the pillow completely on a low heat setting.
• For construction pillows, it is recommended to dry the pillow for at least four to six hours. Between cycles, remove the pillow and hand fluff. Note that pillows may still be damp inside even when they feel dry to the touch. Any lumps or clumps of fill, indicates dampness - so keep drying until you are positive the pillow is completely dry!

Some wool pillows are totally adjustable as they have been filled with balls of fibre. These balls not only add more resilience but can also be washed repeatedly.

Here's the best way to wash your Adjustamax Pillow;
Put the pillow inside a machine wash bag. This will preserve the fibre even longer, and keep them soft. It will also prevent them from separating and going all over your machine.

'Percale' is a fine weave that produces a relatively fine and strong fabric for sheets.

Sheets labeled‘percale’ should indicate their thread count on the packaging — at least 220 threads per 10 sq cm (or 180 threads per square inch).

At Linen Living our percale sheets are 250 thread count!

Percale also stops the sheets from creasing compared to standard muslin sheets.

How do you judge a quality bed sheet? Apart from good finishing, the thread count of a sheet is an indicator of quality. The higher the thread count, the softer the fabric. A higher thread count doesn't mean a thicker sheet. Finer yarns are woven tightly to give a soft, fine material that retains its stability and strength.

Egyptian cotton is naturally a longer stronger yarn, sheets made from Egyptian cotton sateen are naturally softer and designed to last for years to come.

CUSTOMER COMMENTS ON EGYPTIAN SHEET SETS
- “Beautiful, soft as silk”
- “Soft & comfortable I just LOVE them”
- “Great Quality, Great Price”

Anyone who knows anything about manchester and bedding raves about Egyptian Cotton. These days a Bridal registry isn't complete without at least several Egyptian cotton products listed.... so....what is So Good About Egyptian Cotton Sheets anyway?

Egyptian cotton is renowned for being the finest quality you can buy as long as it is manufactured from the long staple fibres from Egypt which allow the bedding to be soft and durable.

The thread count is an important factor. It is understood that the higher the thread count the better the quality. Higher than 200 thread count is classed as luxury bedding. Here at Linen Living our sheets are 100% Egyptian Cotton sateen and are 375 thread count, thus putting them in the category of Luxury Bedding!

MORE ABOUT EGYPTIAN COTTON

Egyptian cotton has extraordinarily long staples, giving finer threads unequalled in quality; the sateen weave produces a true high quality luxury fabric, soft and luxurious to touch.

Egyptian cotton is superior cotton which has been organically grown in fields of the Nile river Valley in Egypt since the time of the Pharaohs. This cotton is regarded as the finest in the world due to its extra long staples, which are spun to produce a wonderful fabric with increased durability, more lustre and less linting.

What are the benefits of using Egyptian cotton bed linen? Egyptian cotton is a 100% natural fibre; the natural cotton breathes easily making it great for people with dry or sensitive skin conditions. Egyptian cotton sheets are lovely and cool to the touch – equally good for those hot sticky nights or those cold winter nights.

HOW CAN I CARE FOR MY EGYPTIAN COTTON SHEETS?

Machine-wash in cold or warm water on a delicate cycle with a mild detergent. Do not bleach, line dry is preferable. However you can tumble dry on low heat but be sure to remove immediately at the end of the cycle.

TIPS ON CARING FOR YOUR MATRESS

• Turn over a new spring mattress from side to side and from top to toe every week or two for the first few months and every three months thereafter. This will help the fillings settle and will ensure even wear. If you have a back problem, a foam mattress is worth considering, since it may not need regular turning.

• Never bend, roll up, or squash a mattress. To avoid damaging the fabric, use its handles merely to position it, not to support its full weight.

• Each morning throw back your bedcovers for at least 20 minutes to air out your bed and allow body moisture to evaporate.

• Keep your mattress clean by using a washable protective cover. Regularly vacuum both mattress and base to remove fluff and dust, and mop up any stains and spills quickly with a mild soap and cool water.

• Try not to sit in the same place on the edge of the mattress all the time. Do not let children or anyone else jump on the bed.

Fun Facts about Bedding

You spend at least 1 third of your life sleeping

Wool Under Blankets regulate body temperature

The higher the thread count in sheets the softer and smoother the finish

Percale stops your sheets from creasing as easy as other sheets

Have you ever wondered what is so good about wool? Read the following few paragraphs from a previous issue of the awake magazine, and you will discover how wonderful wool really is, I couldn't put it better myself.

Why So Wonderful?

Wool’s versatility and usefulness certainly cause wonder, as a brief review of its qualities reveals. Wool grows in a similar way to human hair, and many breeds of sheep have long hair mixed with their wool. This has been bred out of the merino strain, leaving just the fleecy undercoat that is so much in demand. Although wool is coarser than cotton or linen, its low density allows for the manufacture of lightweight fabrics. Its excellent affinity for dyes also increases its versatility. If you see a young woman wearing a bright red scarf that blows lightly in the breeze, it could be pure wool.

But have you ever tried to break off a strand of wool with your fingers? Tough, isn’t it? Yes, a single fiber of wool can resist breakage by a force of from one half to one ounce [15 to 30 g]— so you will need scissors to cut wool fabrics. Wool fiber also has a crimp, or wave, which makes it very pliable, and when stretched up to 30 percent of its length, it will return to normal length when released. It is this quality that makes wool wrinkle-resistant when dry.

Moreover, it is the air trapped between the unique fibers of wool that provides it with an insulating quality, making it warm in winter but cool in summer. Its surface is also water resistant, so that a damp woolen cardigan will not chill you by drying too rapidly, as other fabrics could. After all, sheep wear it all the time in all sorts of weather and do not suffer from colds...

What does that word mean....?

See below to find the meaning of some terms commonly used throughout the Linen Living web site

AIRLAY -When a product such as the sovereign 4 seasons quilt uses the term airlay it means that the fibres in the product are laid vertically providing a more even warmth.

DUAL LAYER- Dual layer filling gives you extra warmth but without the weight.

JAPARA COTTON – Japara cotton has same benefits as normal cotton such as allowing moisture from the body to pass through and eliminating that clammy feeling. But Japara cotton is a very high quality cotton thus the benefits are enhanced.

PERCALE - A fine weave that produces a relatively fine and strong fabric for sheets. <more>

EGYPTIAN COTTON - renowned for being the finest quality you can buy as long as it is manufactured from the long staple fibres from Egypt <more>

POLYCOTTON PERCALE– a polyester/cotton mix of synthetic and natural fibres, it feels smooth and launders easily. Remember the higher the thread count the softer and more durable the sheet will be.

COTTON SATEEN – made from 100% high quality cotton. This fabric has a nice sheen and has a luxurious silky finish that is very soft and smooth against the skin.

Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up every two hours?

Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough?

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these pink dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?"

Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken there... I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta it's bum."

The thread count denotes the density of the weave and measures the number of horizontal and vertical threads in one square inch of fabric.

If a sheet has a high thread count it means that finer threads have been used and the weave is tighter, which makes the fabric softer and more luxurious.