How many sets of bedding you need

Short answer: Two sets per bed is the minimum, three is comfortable. With two, you can change and wash on the same day. With three, there is always a clean set in the cupboard, and each set wears more slowly because it is washed less often.

Two sets is the minimum

One set on the bed and one clean in the cupboard means you can change when you want instead of when the wash is done. With only one set, you have to wash, dry and put it back on the same day, and that does not always work. See bamboo bed linen.

Three gives breathing room

With three sets, one can be in the wash, one on the bed and one in the cupboard. That removes the pressure to wash on a particular day, and you can change the bed even in a busy week. With guests or someone ill at home, there is a spare set ready.

More sets wear less

Each set is washed fewer times a year, and washing is what wears fabric out. Three sets in rotation therefore last more than one and a half times as long as two. You do not use more bed linen over time, you simply spread the wear. The sets also wear at the same pace.

Think about your washing rhythm

How many sets you need depends on how often you change. If you change every week, two sets is tight but possible. If you change every other week, two is often enough. If you wash at 60 degrees, for example because of allergies, the fabric wears faster, and three sets makes sense.

The same weave makes it easy

If you buy the same weave every time, all sets feel alike to sleep in, and you avoid having a favourite set and one you would rather skip. It also means every set gets used equally and wears evenly. See home and homewear in bamboo for the rest of the range.

Guest bed and extra duvets

If you have a guest bed that is only used a few times a year, one set for it is often enough. Wash it after each visit and put it away clean. For the beds used every night, however, it is the two or three sets that bring calm to everyday life.

The same size for every set

If you have several duvets at home, keep track of the sizes. A duvet cover that is too small pulls tight, and one that is too large bunches up. Buy all sets for the same duvet size if you can, so you do not have to search for the right one on a busy morning.

Store it dry

Bed linen put away slightly damp starts to smell after a few weeks. Make sure it is completely dry, including seams and corners. Fold each set so the duvet cover and pillowcases stay together, and store them somewhere dry with a little air around them. Read more under washing and care.

Replace in step

If you bought three sets at the same time, they often wear thin around the same time. Watch for thin patches and seams that start to open. When the first set begins to give way, buy a new one before you are left with only one usable set and have to wash under pressure again.