Worried About Staining New Bedsheets

I rarely leak but even with typical sheets I don't trust myself and always sleep with "protection". For me, protection means underwear with a pad and a bed pad, similar to the kind in hospitals.....I bought them from the hospital supply company which supplies linens to the hospital where I had my surgery. I know this sort of defeats the purpose of sleeping on luxurious sheets. An alternative would be to keep "Zout" on hand. I have found this pre-wash spray to remove any and all stains from everything washable. However, if you are on Sulfasalazine or some other med like it, the orange stain seems to be stronger than Zout! It ruined the look of several white toilet seats of mine by permanently dying them orange! Good luck!

CeeeCeee,

Did you ever use the Zout on stains on your bedsheets from night-time leakages? I rarely have accidents at night, but I am just not sure what will happen if I do with these sheets.

I am not going to use a bed pad as that would defeat the purpose of having these sheets in the first place. It's also quite rare that I have accidents, but it does happen occasionally.

CT,
I recieved the same type of bed linnens as a wedding present (colour Bordeau) and have been using them for about 9yrs now...I have leaked from my K pouch, that awful green stuff plus full blown leakage...not counting 'girly leakage' and have never had problems removing the stains as long as I put them into the wash the next day and sprayed them with a pre-wash stain remover...all of my sheets, no matter what the type are stain free (except for the nail polish spills )...that said, I do not own white sheets...they are all coloured or printed sheets...I use a hot cycle on 100% cotton sheets and a warm cycle on all other fiber mixes.
Enjoy the sheets but a small warning...most 100% Egyptian cotton sheets require ironing especially if you use a dryer...I hang mine out to dry on a rack (pull and fold flat first) otherwise I need to spend hours ironing them.
The price that we pay for luxury!
Enjoy your sheets and sleep peacefully
Sharon

Thanks for the tips Sharon.....it is comforting to know this in case an accident should happen. I have been a little runny today with my bowel movements and I was getting nervous.

As a matter of interest, the Egyptian Cotton bedsheets I bought are teal blue and the Tencel sheets are dark green. The Egyptian Cotton product I bought is supposed to have an "anti crease finish" that makes it "wrinkle resistant", but I can see they likely will need ironing.

Zout works. Sheets don't need ironing. Remove them from the dryer before they're completely dry. Either lie them flat for awhile or fold them immediately.

kathy

Kathy, How do you wash yours? Hot or cold? Mine look like raisins when I get them out of the washer!
Sharon

Sharon,

I just looked at the care instructions on my 100% Egyptian Cotton/630 thread count sheets, which I have not had to wash yet, and it says warm water wash, tumble dry low/delicate and take out of dryer immediately. It probably makes sense to take them out before they are completely dry and fold them.

I really love these sheets! I read a book in bed today just to be in them. I actually look forward to going to bed tonight! I have never looked forward to going to bed before. Even the bouts with insomnia probably will not be so bad any more, as I will at least feel very comfortable in those silky sheets.

Sharon - I wash everything either cold or warm. I don't know if your washer has a delicate setting but maybe that would work. It wouldn't spin dry things too severly. And use the permanent press or delicate cycle on the dryer. But hanging to dry is much better.

kathy

Dryer? I live in Europe! We don't do dryers! (had the choice between a dryer or heating...)so everything is hanging off of a rack to dry (keeps the humidity level high in the house)...
But we iron everything here...the joys of living in Europe...
That and the price of toilet paper make me want to move home!
Thanks for the tip
Sharon
ps...permanent press cycle?...Dito for the Europe thing....

See if you can exchange them for brown sheets? In all seriousness I find I have more issues when I worry. A baby's changing cloth under you as well as a pair of boxer briefs can go a long way for emotional comfort as others have already stated.

My daughter has a washer/dryer combo. Not that you should go out and purchase a new machine, but maybe when the current one gives up the ghost.

kathy

I find pre-wash stain sprays seem to work well on underwear so I hope it works on sheets but like the prvious poster I thinks it needs quick action with spraying and then washing to prevent staining.

BYT Sharon in UK we have washer/dryers and non iron cyles on dryers! Although alot of washing is often dried outdoors.

Sharon,

Should you be in the market for a combo washer/dryer or a solo dryer, Kenmore is a very good brand. My mother told me to buy Kenmore, and the washer and dryer I have in my condo are both Kenmores and they have held up well for 11 years now. Both have delicate cycles. My washing machine actually has a delicate cycle AND an extra delicate cycle which simulates "hand washing" the fabric being washed. As was mentioned earlier, in these cycles the linens are not whipped as violently as they are during the normal wash. Pick up the lid and watch what happens during the "spin" portion of a normal wash cycle. The linens go around and around like they are in a tornado!

quote:

it needs quick action with spraying and then washing to prevent staining

I suspect this is true but if an accident happens overnight, I am not going to notice it immediately. I will not notice it until I wake up and feel my underwear is soiled. At that point, will it be too late? That is the $64,000 question with these new sheets.

I was runny yesterday with my BMs, but did not have any accidents last night.

The sooner you spray, the better but Zout should remove any stains as long as you spray them in the a.m. when you notice they need it. I have sometimes sprayed something very well and then didn't wash it for several days. I like having a full load. Zout worked, even several days after being sprayed. Enjoy those sheets!

I agree with CeeCee that pre-treating as quickly as possible is important. Clorox 2 for colors is very effective for body waste stains. I have never tried Zout but it sounds effective too. I wash our Egyptian sheets in cold water, delicate cycle and dry them on a normal cycle. I have never needed to iron sheets.

We use Egyptian sheets on all six beds in our home. So far they have lasted five years. My grandson says that sleeping in our beds is like sleeping inside of a hug. I agree. They are heavenly. Enjoy your new sheets!

What about a baby detergent (like Dreft in the US?). Aren't those specially made to treat difficult body fluids?

quote:

My grandson says that sleeping in our beds is like sleeping inside of a hug.

Your grandson is a precocious little boy! Discerning the quality of a bedsheet fabric at an early age. Maybe he will grow up to be the next Versace or Ralph Lauren or Tommy Hilfiger?

By the ways I agree with him.

I started this thread about 1.5 years ago and must report that the results of how these bedsheets have held up has been disappointing.

I tried using a stain remover on the tencel bedsheets and it had a bleaching effect on the area of the stain. In other words, the dark green dye faded in the area where I applied the stain remover.

Second, the problem has not been the stains from the occasional nighttime leakage I have. Those stains come out no problem. The problem is the stains on the pillows from the oils in my skin. They don't come out. As a result the pillow cases have this look of having oil stains in them. I am afraid to use Zout or some other stain remover lest I bleach out the dye as I did once before. Please note the stain remover I used had no bleach in it, it just seemed to have a bleaching effect on the bedsheet dye.

Third, and most significant of all, the sheet that covers the mattress has started to tear, apparently from routine wear and tear. The tear is getting bigger and bigger.

Therefore the tencel sheets are soon headed for the trash and will need to be replaced. They feel great, but I did not get my money's worth on them. No durability and they most definitely are not stain resistant.

The Egyptian cotton sheets have been more durable but I did not find their feel quite as comfortable as the tencel.

So I am soon back to the drawing board on this and in the market to replace the tencel sheets. I like to have two sets of bedsheets that I can rotate every 2 weeks, just like how I rotate antibiotics. If anyone has any suggestions let me know.

I agree with the sweat/oil stains on the pillow cases...I wonder if you guys have Vanish (hot pink container...a scoop in the wash and all of the stains come out??? Might call it something else where you come from...I believe that it is paroxide based instead of bleach based).
I find that the Egyptian cotton does not hold the colour as well after a few washes (my bordeaux is now a pinkish grey)...
but...when we picked up our condo in Fla 4yrs ago it was fully furnished...and had all the towels and sheets left from the original owners...(may God bless them).
The sheets reminded me of my childhood, those patterns and designs...Flower pints and stripes...All on parcale sheets...those darned things are practically indestructable!
They must have owned them for 40 yrs...(the age that mine would have been if I had kept them)...and they still looked new. In perfect condition...wrinkle-free, stain-free...incredible!
So if you can find some good, old fashioned parcale then you will be made in the shade for the next 20yrs...
Ps...I still have some of my parents old sheets...same parcale, same perfection 30+yrs later.
Good luck finding any though.
Sharon

I generally just stick with no iron percale. Buy on sale. Wash in hot water. They will wear out, but all sheets do. Fitted sheets always wear out faster than the top sheets. You'd think that dark colors would be best, but the color doesn't hold up as well to hot water.

Jan

Don't know if you'd dare to try peroxide on them (I'd take a corner where you can't see if it takes the color out), but that's what I use if I have body stains of any kind. When we go on vacation I take a bottle with me just in case. It works like magic and I never have to worry. Once we went to a motel with incredible sheets and I had an accident. Thank goodness for my peroxide....cleaned it up like a charm!! Actually, I use it instead of bleach now for all my whites including all of my panties as well. They always have stains on them, and I pre-treat them first and then add some extra peroxide - they come out squeaky clean.

Hello Ladies.
We use flannel sheets. Keep the room cold and the flannel keeps you warm. I live in TX.... Hot out but we keep the bedroom ccccold. I cannot sleep in smooth cotton bedding.
Flannel all the way.
Richard.

Thanks for all the replies. Richard I was also thinking of flannel. It's a lot colder here in Connecticut than in Texas and I will not be using the AC again this year, that's for sure.

I use the leak-proof pads when I have issues every now and then; same as in the hospital, they are cloth on one side and have a rubber backing.

So I bought some new Palais Royale Portuguese flannel bedsheets at Bed, Bath and Beyond:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.co...506?categoryId=12019

The online reviews were good, plus I had a 20% off coupon I got online to take off the $79.99 sticker price.

I ended up buying dark navy blue which I figure will hide any stains that don't totally come out, plus it matches my light blue bedspread.

It is getting chilly here in Connecticut at night, so I let the air temperature in my condo sink down to 68 degrees fahrenheit at bedtime, in order to test the warming and comforting qualities of the new sheets. It passed the test! I was warm and the sheets are very comfortable and soft. I actually wanted to stay in bed but I have a lot to do today, so I couldn't sleep in.

I guess only time will tell on how durable they are and whether they outlast the disappointing 1.5 years I got out of the tencel sheets which suffered tears from routine wear and tear, and were prone to staining from bodily oils and sweats.

I've got 1 pair of navy flannel sheets...I don't use them daily (only during the cold winter nights here...not that many) but I have had them for at least 20yrs and they look as good as new (minus the elastics on the sides of the fitted sheets starting to stretch out)...no stains either but look out...When you do leak, they absorb it all like a sponge!
Sharon