100% cotton sheets - non tumble dry?

Primrose

I have 100% cotton sheets and although I do have a tumble drier I never use it for drying them. I'm thoroughly lazy and just wait for a good windy/sunny weather forecast and then dry the sheets out of doors. If the weather is lousy for an extended period and the sheets are literally walking off the bed in protest, I'll wash them and then let them hang from my foldaway retractable laundry line which is in the bathroom. I hate the creases which always appear when items are tumble dried, and as I refuse to iron sheets, I always keep them well clear of the tumble drier. I don't normally wash them on a hot setting so have never noticed any sign of shrinkage and a lot of the creases tend to fall out when dried outside in the wind or sunshine.

Haffiana

Although I love the smell of line dried washing, space and time constraints mean I tumble dry my bedding from wet to dry more often than not. It is all 100% cotton as I have a curious sensitivity to the smell of poly cotton. Strange but true! I will also wash pure cotton on a very hot wash if it is necessary (rarely!) - I have always understood that plain cotton will wash at 95C without any problems. Yes it might shrink a little the first time, but I have always assumed that they allow for that in the sizing. It is poly cotton that needs a cool wash, surely?

However I have noticed recently that pure cotton sheets now have a 40C wash label on them. I actually asked in John Lewis about this, as my older sheets (and even an all-cotton quilted mattress protector) clearly say 95C, and was told that it was 'probably for ecological reasons...' Hmm - perhaps they worry that people use care labels as an instruction, rather than a guide?

The only difference in tumble drying with the higher thread count cottons is simply that they tend to be less prone to creasing, although this varies from brand to brand. After a few wash dry cycles, a really good John Lewis Egyptian cotton is almost entirely crease-free! I have never been bothered by shrinkage, although I have some very high thread count sheets (800 allegedly) that have become very thick and soft.

Pollycat

Hi guys
Once again, thanks for all your opinions/experiences. :T

The bedding says to wash at 60C, although I'll probably wash at 50C.

I'd decided (until I read the last post from Haffiana) that I'd line dry or put on a drier but I think I might just tumble dry one of the backing pillow cases on low and see how it goes.
If it shrinks or goes mis-shaped, I can always buy a new one (VERY un-MSE, I know).

Who would have thought that it was so damn difficult to dry bedding?