Crystal Drying Cloth
- from Sferra
The best way to dry your fine crystal and china is to use 100% pure linen. Not only is pure linen known for its durability and long life, but it is super absorbent and dries without leaving a trace of lint.
The more you use and launder your crystal drying cloth, the softer and more absorbent it will get.
Sold in sets of three per color.
Black Swatch
- 100% linen
- Sold in sets of three per color
Butter Swatch
- 100% linen
- Sold in sets of three per color
Claret Swatch
- 100% linen
- Sold in sets of three per color
Cadet Swatch
- 100% linen
- Sold in sets of three per color
- Culled from our years of experience, here are detailed notes on the care of your luxury bedding.
- It is our experience that front-loading washing machines are gentler on fine textiles, and gentler on the environment because they require less water and less detergent
- A gentle cycle is always recommended for washing and spin drying; a lower spin-rate will result in less wrinkling
- Tepid, warm or cool water should be used for washing and rinsing
- Do not over-fill your washing machine and wash only your bedding; other fabrics such as towels and jeans may abrade the fabric and cause wrinkling and pilling
- Use the minimum amount of soap or detergent; too much may leave a residue which can deteriorate fabrics over time
- Avoid soaps and detergents that contain optical brighteners, bleaches or oxidizers
- Liquid soaps and detergents, rather than abrasive, granular powders, will be gentler on fine textiles
- We recommend LeBlanc Classic Linen Wash
- While fabric softeners are popular, we suggest not using them as they leave a residue and mask the true softness and texture of natural fibers
- Remove bedding from washer promptly, shake gently and place in dryer
Machine Drying - Beware of high heat as it can cause excess shrinkage, cause wrinkling and set stains
- Use a very low heat setting on your dryer
- Reduce wrinkling by not overloading dryer and removing promptly when dry
- Many of our customers also recommend drying one sheet at a time, or drying the duvet cover separately from the shams in order to reduce wrinking
- A technique we use, especially on items that contain linen, is to tumble dry the items on low heat for 5-10 minutes, quickly remove from dryer, shake and line dry
- Another technique is to take partially dry and warm sheets from the dryer, put them on the bed, smoothing out the wrinkles with your hand. Allow the sheets to dry, in place, before making the rest of your bed
Professional Dry Cleaning
While most everything we sell can be machine washed and dried, some items should be professionally dry cleaned. Dry cleaning is a process that cleans with a chemical solvent rather than with water. Generally, any item that contains wool or that must retain its exact shape (bed skirts) should be dry cleaned. Please note that any of our top-of-bed items, such as duvet covers, coverlets and shams, may be dry cleaned rather than laundered at home. We do not recommend that sheets and pillow cases be dry cleaned; their natural softness will be masked.
Professional Laundering
Professional laundering uses water, detergents and starches as opposed to the non-water process of dry cleaning. Many of our customers have their sheets professionally laundered, but we proffer one caveat: professional washing and drying machines, starches and high-heat mangles (a machine that irons by passing the fabric between hot rollers) will shorten your bedding’s life.We do recommend professional launderers for the care of heavy-weight matlassé coverlets which are heavy and cumbersome when wet. A professional laundry has the ability to block this fabric, which means using water and steam to stretch it to its original size and shape.
Chlorine Bleach
While many of us grew up learning to bleach our whites in hot water, this process will cause bedding to weaken and fray more quickly over time. Strange as it sounds, bleaching may also cause whites to discolor over time by removing white and brightening dyes used to make white textiles. Washing only white bedding together will help keep it white. Please note that your water source may also cause discoloration in whites over time; customers with older steel water pipes should be aware of this. If you must use bleach for sanitary reasons, we recommend using the least amount possible.
Ironing
Well, we don’t do it very often, but many of our customers do! We would claim that attentive washing and drying will minimize most wrinkles. Those who are less tolerant of wrinkling will iron the top part of the flat sheet and the pillow cases. For those who really dislike wrinkles, all our duvet covers, coverlets and shams may be dry cleaned.
Bed Skirts
Since bed skirts must fit precisely, and because they have intricate pleating and ruffling, we suggest that they always be professionally dry cleaned and pressed.
Stains
This is a vast and complicated area and if you’re nervous about a stain, we always recommend visiting your dry cleaner who has an arsenal of chemicals to combat stains. For in-home treatment, here are some thoughts: - We recommend caution when using anything but the gentlest of soaps or detergents on your bedding
- There are many great stain removers available and you probably have your favorite; please follow the directions and test the stain remover on a hidden corner of your bedding before full-on use
- There is one product that we can recommend and that we’ve sold thousands of gallons of: LeBlanc Classic Linen Wash. It has a lovely fragrance that belies its maverick ability to gently remove the toughest of household stains! We’re fans because we seem to get butter and olive oil on our linen napkins (not to mention the odd glass of Bordeaux on the tablecloth!) and they reappear as good as new.
Please consider that fine bedding, like fine apparel, requires a bit more attention to its care in order to help preserve its beauty, comfort and life span.
We would also like to suggest that because our bedding is derived from natural fibers, it will slowly change with time, use, exposure to sun, wear and laundering. Colors may mute and mellow, softness may increase and the fibers will relax. Keep in mind that sheets and pillow cases get the most use, are the most prone to wear, and will need to be replaced more often. Perfumes, cosmetics, natural body oils, body hair, and sharp fingernails and toenails will also cause wear and affect the longevity of your bedding.
Alert: There are many skin care products on the market that contain anti-aging formulas and acne-treatment medications. These compounds may stain or bleach your home textiles; pillow cases and towels are particularly vulnerable.
We would like to emphasize that your luxury bedding, and sheets and cases in particular, will not last forever. We suggest rotating your sheets and bedding between multiple sets. Many components of your bedding ensemble will, however, provide years and years of happiness.
Machine Washing
Almost all the bedding we sell can be safely and easily laundered at home. We encourage you to take a little extra time and care in the process. Here are some helpful hints: