Caring for Percale

Let your sister have the satin sheet set--you'll take a plain everyday percale discount bed sheet or even a designer bed sheet with a high thread count (above 180 is standard). After all, you've always been the sensible one.

But now you're banging your head against the Maytag trying to figure out how to care for your percale bed sheet while your sister is happily snoozing in her satin luxury bed sheet. Help's on the way for you, the Girl Scout (your sister was one too but prefers those satin bed sheet sets).

Our tips for percale care:

• Don't use bleach for those white percale sheets. Spot clean instead.
• Machine wash in cool water with gentle, mild detergents--we like Dreft.
• To make sure your sheets are as smooth as your sister's, pull that designer bed sheet from the dryer before it's completely toasty warm. You'll prevent wrinkles that way.
• Dry your percale bed sheet on low heat.
• Take a tip from all those luxury hotels you and your sister have stayed in for romantic getaways--yes, you have a spirit of adventure!

If you must use bleach, try an organic bleach instead of chlorine bleach. Interestingly, most hotels prefer 180-thread count percale bed sheet sets. Now that you know how to care for your percale designer bed sheet set, you can research how to care for satin sheets. After all, your devil-may-care sister is sure to ask you for help! But you wouldn't have it any other way.