There is nothing like slipping between cool, clean, crisp sheets. Do you know how to wash and dry your sheets to get that wonderful, old fashioned feel?

Choose a windy, sunny day. It doesn’t have to be hot outside, but obviously, you want to choose a day when it isn’t going to rain. And, if you live in a place like I live … choose a day when your neighbors are not likely to be burning a fire in their fire places or stoves… the smoke can permeate your sheets on the line.

Wash your sheets and use either fabric softener or white vinegar in the rinse water.

After they have spun really well, take the sheets out and fold them length-wise while they are still wet. Hang the wet sheet on a clothes line or over a clothes hanger. To keep the sheets from slipping off the line of hanger, clip a clothes pin on.

I usually fold my sheets three or four times while they are wet and hang them folded, on the line.

Allow the sheets and pillowcases to blow in the wind til they are dry. Even folded, the sheets will dry nicely if its a windy day. If it isn’t particularly windy, it may take all day, but they will dry.

Once they are dry, just a few more folds will get them ready for the linen closet.

Store pillowcases with their sheets. Some people put all the sheets and a pillowcase from a set into a second pillowcase to store. I just fold mine up and stack them in this order; flat sheet, fitted sheet, pillowcases. If I know I will not be using the sheets for a while, I like to put a lavender flower between the two sheets and bundle the stack gently with a piece of grosgrain ribbon. If I don’t have a lavender flower, I user my homemade Lavender Water.

If you or your family suffers from allergies and you don’t normally like to hang sheets outside, folding the sheets as described above and then covering the folded sheets with another single thickness of sheet, and clothes-pinning that sheet at the bottom, will help keep pollen off your folded sheets.