product care
Cazco Interiors bed linens are made from the finest quality pure natural fabrics, and finished to top European standards. Without question, the best feature of our 100% cotton linens is its easy care. Most of our linens are pre-shrunk. Most colours will not fade due to repeated washings, however the darker colours like black and navy may lose some of their "sharpness" over time with wear and especially strong detergents and HOT dryers!
Because our fabrics are 100% cotton, and not a poly/cotton blend, our linens will not ball up or "pill." In fact, our fabrics actually become more comfortable with each passing wash and wear cycle!
Generally, the best rule is to follow the care instructions on the manufacturer’s label.
Like any luxury item, with a little extra care, they will reward you with many years of the most luxurious comfort and lasting beauty. But like any luxury item, they do not respond well to common treatment, so we recommend the following simple instructions.
general guidelines:
Always launder your items before placing them into use.
All new textiles have some ‘dressing’ or ‘sizing’ on them in order to make them slightly stiffer to assist in the manufacturing process. It is also ‘Good Hygiene’ to wash ALL textiles before being used.
Use only moderate temperatures for both washing and drying.
never wash together textiles of different colours
Always wash white, coloured, and dark fabrics separately. Select a mild soap such as a special Linen Wash, or Ivory. Specialty fabric soaps are best. Never use liquid fabric softener, bleach or any detergent containing bleach. Don't use colour safe bleach, or bleach for the unbleachables. If you are not sure, it is best not to use the product. Make sure all soap is thoroughly rinsed out.
Unless you are certain the dye is ‘fast’ and will not bleed from the fabric – never wash different coloured textiles together – especially ‘bold’ bright colours – as dye can migrate from one item to the other. All new textiles frequently have excess dye on them to produce the bright colour. This excess dye is often washed off within the first 3-5 washes.
Never wash items like towels with polyester or polyester cotton fabrics. The polyester attracts the lint and fluff from other textiles, especially towels, which will make the fabric look unpleasant. If this does happen, the lint and fluff can often be removed with a ‘Sticky roller’.
It is best to machine wash cotton linens on a gentle cycle without any other types of articles, in a small to moderate size load. Never wash with towels, blue jeans, or any other articles that can scour the surface of the fabric.
Do not use "water saver" settings. These fabrics will last much better if they have lots of water to swim around in. When water is limited, the fabrics will scrub against themselves. This is also why you should never overload the machine.
avoid using any type of bleach particularly on coloured items
All bleaches cause some degree of fabric damage and will reduce the textile life.
On white items where bleaching is necessary:
Only bleach those items known to be stained – and even then, bleach only affects protein stains like blood, tea. Coffee; Bleach has no effect on mineral stains like grease, carbon etc.
Ensure you use the right temperature according to the type of bleach used. Chlorine bleach causes significant damage at temperatures exceeding 60ºC (140ºF) – whereas little benefit is obtained from the Oxygen bleaches below 60ºC (140ºF).
To avoid ‘setting’ of stains, always give protein stained items a first wash below 39ºC (102ºF)
keep tumble-drying to a minimum
Machines dry on delicate at moderate temperatures, and do not over dry. You will be surprised at how quickly these fine fabrics dry. Remove immediately at end of cycle.
Tumble drying is the greatest single cause of fabric damage and will significantly reduce the fabric life and may cause damage to coloured fabrics by making wear marks on the fabric surface that looks like white ‘Crows feet’ marks. This damage is irreversible and the fabric is permanently damaged. If you wish to press, it is recommended that ironing be done while the fabric is still slightly damp.
Use detergents appropriate for the fabric, fabric colour and soiling type.
Detergents all have varying properties and are designed for a variety of applications. Verify with your chemicals supplier the right type of detergent to use based on the type of fabric, it’s colour and the soiling on the fabric.
It is especially important to note that most detergents contain an ‘Optical Brightening Agent’ (OBA or Fluoresce) which can change the shades of coloured items, especially pastel shades.
When laundering pastel coloured textiles, avoid the use of a detergent containing an OBA. If this cannot be achieved, obtain an ‘OBA Quencher’ from your chemicals supplier.
NOTE: There are some European front-loading washing machines that specify that their soap should be used. Please Don't.
thermal disinfection
Where textiles are to be used for ‘non-related’ people, e.g. Hotel, School, Hospital, these items should be ‘Thermally disinfected’ during the wash process.
To achieve Thermal Disinfection, the current minimum requirements are 65ºC (149ºF) for 10 minutes or 71ºC (160ºF) for 3 minutes – PLUS the machine mixing time, i.e. the time required for the water, detergents and temperature to penetrate into the centre of the wash load.