What is the thread count? If around 140 then it is muslin, which if not ironed after laundering can feel quite rough indeed. Muslin was used for linens in hospitals, the nursery, and pretty much any place else that demeaned hard wearing linens which would survive rough use and frequent (and often equally as rough), laundering. Today much of the domain of muslin has been replaced by linens made from a polyester and cotton blend.
Of course in Europe, hemp was used as a replacement for linen by those who could afford no better, until lots of cotton at good prices began flooding in from the United States.
Ah well, "Each to their own taste" said the old woman as she kissed the cow. I'm in Oz too. I'm don't like Sheridan or any of the sheets with 'percale' (whatever that is) or in fact any of the other commercially available sheets I can get here except for the Actils.
These I love because they hold that smell of the sun from drying on the line. I can smell it now and I find smell is sooo evocative. They remind me of my childhood. Do you know Banjo Paterson's poem "In the Droving Days"? The last stanza mentions how the old horse takes him on a 'journey to beat them all', back to the 'droving days', and I find that the Actils take me on a similar enjoyable journey right back to my childhood which I have to say was idyllic. It may seem fanciful but that's what I think of each time I climb into my freshly made bed.
We called it a mangle, you call it an ironer. AS you say we are on the same page. Different sides of the pond do have different names for the same product. We have always had truck and you lorries. Same thing different name. What ever you call it my dad loved it, my mom was terrified of the dang thing, but the sheets were always ironed smooth and oh so comfortable. It was also my dad who got me in the habit of changing bed linen every other day because they smelled and felt so good. One other thing, don't put poly anything in my sheets it itches and burns. Cotton no matter how coarse is still better and more comfortable that poly even in a small amount. Juno
I live in the United States at the moment, but will agree with you on "potatoe-potato". *LOL*
Agree with you as well on polyester in any form, especially bed linens. However "no-iron" bed linens are what put those ironers out of business. Housewives in the 1960's and such woke up and decided they simply could live without all that ironing, especially linens. Only things that really needed to be ironed were, such as hubby's shirts: and even then those were usually sent out. Happy was the bride of a man in the services, since he knew how and did his ironing himself to avoid anyone else making a muddle of it. Have at it, I say! *LOL*
When I was in nursing, all bed linens were pure cotton muslin, now they've gone to poly-cotton. Ditto many hotels except the five star perhaps.
When I was in nursing sheets were also all cotton and changed at least once a day and never fitted. The hospital in this area use fitted flannel and change only as needed or every 2 days. So many patients go home from a stay never having clean sheets except they day they come in. Juno
One is really quite appalled at what passes for hospital bed these days, both in terms of how they are made and quality of linens. In my day no first year nursing student, could move on without being able to make the three main types of bed (unoccupied, occupied, and post-operative), using flat sheets. Today of course more often than not they slap a poor excuse for a fitted sheet on the bottom and drape an even poorer excuse for top sheet over the patient and call it a day. We didn't have Chux either, but used flannel "pads" made from folding sheets into quarters. Same sheet could be used to turn and or position a patient.
Of course back then most hospitals owned their own linens and laundered them in house. Now am told most all linens are rented and cleaned by a linen service.
Only accommodation we made to a shortage of linens, was to take the top sheet and use it for a bottom sheet if clean linens were in short supply. Another beautiful thing about using flat sheets only.
Just curious, why do people dislike fitted sheets? I love them. They don't move how ever much my toddlers kick. The bed stays the way I make it. The only thing I don't like about them is that there's no good way to fold fitted sheets.
Fitted sheets are an unique American invention designed for ease in bed-making. Though catching on in the UK and Europe, many housewives and commercial laundries there still prefer flat sheets.
By not means an exhaustive list, and speaking in broad generalities; those who favour flat sheets over fitted cite these reasons:
Ease of bed making (that is if one knows how to make mitred, aka hospital or camp bed corners).
Ease in laundering/ironing - Flat sheets are easier to iron by both hand or machine.
Less Linen Stock Required - Plain flat bed sheets can be used as either top or bottom sheets, and if large enough can fit multiple sized beds. Fitted sheets are sized to fit one type of bed and cannot be interchanged with top sheets. As stated before, when linen stocks were low in hospital, we would simply use the top sheet as the bottom sheet, and only take a fresh top sheet. Am told some hotels and other places still do this as well.
Less Wear On Linens - Plain flat sheets can be rotated so one sheet is not always on the bottom, the sheet which receives the most wear. This leads to even wearing of linen stock. Even flat sheets with embroidery and or decorations can be used as bottom sheet when they are no longer at their best. Long as the decorations are along the large hem, that part can be folded up when making the corners.
Useful After Life - As stated previously, flat sheets can be cut up or otherwise used for other purposes once they no longer suit as bed linens. Once the elastic goes on fitted sheets, there isn't much that can be done to save them, other than use those sheet grippers. Their re-use for other purposes will depend on how much material can be salvaged when the elastic edges are taken away.
Cost - Some lines of linens, especially high end European ones do not offer fitted sheets. If one wishes them, they have to be ordered/made-up specially.
Our local "French" hand laundry detests fitted sheets (they iron everything by hand), and the owner in particular hates the ones with elastic all the way around. According to her they are a pain to iron and she wishes she could charge more than for say flat sheets.
Having spent so much time in working in hospitals, making beds with mitred corners is second nature, so it doesn't bother me that much. Do have a few fitted sheets on hand for time is short and the beds need to be done ASAP. Still when ironing, only bother with the central portions, and leave the parts near the elastic alone. Can also make a bed so tightly (empty or occupied) that the sheets will darn near restrict a person, and certainly won't come away during the night. Then again also learned how to swaddle newborns, so maybe had the two confused! *LOL*
Hm... Most DOMESTIC sheets these days in the UK are fitted. We don't bother with top sheets as we tend to use duvets in duvet covers that get washed along with the sheets. Bed making takes seconds.
Hotels and hospitals still tend to use flat 100% cotton sheets that get boiled. These days many hotels use duvets, and thet are also often used in non-surgical hospitall wards.
No one IRONS fitted sheets, surely? They stretch flat on the mattress! Even me mum doesn't iron fitted sheets! :D
If it has to be ironed, it goes in the bin. But I also wash dishes once a week. Sometimes twice. DH vacuums. I turned Scooba loose in the kitchen the other day - he did a bang-up job! Surprised me.
Not even the cheapest muslin sheets need ironing if you line dry them. (And mine won't fit in the dryer anyway. King-sized bed, generous sheets, heavy muslin.)
I have a magic cupboard full of little goblins that lick the dishes clean over night... And a Terrible Carpet Eating Monster called Dyson that keeps the floors done in next to no time. He does most of the dusting, too.
That said, line-drying is not an option in the southern suburbia of USA. The homeowners association frowns upon it. It's so sunny and hot around here 10 months out of the year yet we have to use the dryer year-round. That's pretty much the norm for all subdivisions. Pathetic, I know!
For a while I've put a large mat on the grass in the fenced backyard and dried clothes on it. It's too much work spreading out clothes and putting stones or weights on them so that they don't fly off in the wind. The HOA's point is that the line drying makes the subdivision unappealing so we have to do it out of sight.
Did you ever wonder what would happen if someone did put up a line or one of those multi line dryers. Are they going to throw you out, take you to court, steal your laundry? It's just make no ecological sense to always use a dryer. I think that if I lived in an area like that I would be the first to challenge such a prohibition. Juno
Unfortunately one cannot, and it would be unwise to go up against a Home Owner's Association.
IIRC everything is spelled out when one buys a home in the area, or some such legal contract, and there have been numerous stories of persons being fined and or had legal proceedings brought against them for violating HOA rules such as:
Painting one's home an unapproved colour Having a non-working automobile in the yard/drive. Hanging clotheslines Noise Putting rubbish bins out before specified collection time And so forth.
However a number of states have set forth laws stating HOA cannot stop people from hanging and using clotheslines on their own property. Don't even think about violating HOA rules, because as with all such areas, there is usually one or two Bossy Boots (aka Queen of the Cul de Sac), who feels it is her god given duty to protect the area. Sort of a cross between Hyacinth Bucket and Margo Ledbetter.
Think the idea of banning clotheslines is the association with poverty and thus property values. Personally love using my clothesline and anyone trying to stop me, might just find themselves suspended from said line! *LOL*
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