With renovation work nearly complete on the house the time has come to buy bedding etc.
I am interested to see what recommendations gite owners have for bedding that is comfy/cool for guests, but also hard wearing and also eady to launder - probably not possible to achieve all of the above - but a good balance would seem ideal.
Thanks for your help.
What type of gîte? Top end luxury? Then organic french linen, or egyptian cotton. Both of which get softer with washing. Linen wins the prize for environmental credentials and is not supposed to be ironed (hurrah!). But both come at a cost. Apparently can also get bamboo, but not tried it.
Normal standard then percale mix as easy iron, and puts up with being blasted to bits in washing machine when guests have spilt wine all over the bed, or not washed off their sun cream.
When we first started our gites back in 2003, we bought high end white duvet covers, throws, blankets etc. They looked great but what a pain to keep clean and we changed everything after a year. We bought a load of IKEA rosali (blue and white) Kath Kidston designed duvet covers and pillow cases. Have been pleasantly surprised by the quality and longevity of these and while some have been replaced over the years (either ebay or ikea reissue) most of these are still going strong.
Make sure you get enough of the same for a complete changeover and some spares.
We have Ikea for the kids beds, and yes I’ve been impressed by them. The Ikea we bought for adult duvets was not the same, and didn’t last and was a nightmare to iron. So not all ikea is good ikea but no idea how you tell the difference.
But we stick to white for sheets and bathroom towels as looks smartest, and easily replaced. Bicarb of soda or a dishwasher tab in washing machine drum can shift many stains.
We started off with Ikea but found it just didn’t last. so we switched to high-end all-white Egyptian cotton. it lasted at least 5 years, and we are now on our second batch, bought 4 years ago and still looking good. My biggest problem is pillows I just can’t seem to get anything that lasts longer than 6-12 months.
Ikea duvet covers have held up for 6+ years.
It’s sheets and pillowcases that don’t last as well for me. However I have one sheet inherited from my MIL which must be 30 years old and is absolutely fine! I wish I could find that quality now but it’s lost it’s label, but I think must be a polycotton mix.