Smelly Sheets

[angel lovs wrestling!]

I've heard a number of "tricks" to get the rancid oil out of sheets. Anyone find something they like? I've not tried any of the special detergents but I rely almost totally on cremes now and find they don't leave an oily residue. I have heard to use dish soap (the dry kind that you put in dishwashers) because it was designed to cut the grease on dishes. I tried vinegar but wasn't too impressed with the results.We had a very huge stinky sheet problem at the spa and it was something we fought with for quite some time. We finally tossed them and started with new ones.

 

[Abbie]

I am using tide extra and 1 scoup of oxyclean.  Nothing fancy but its doing the trick.

 

[HOPE FOR GOOD.]

Smelly Sheets

I spray/pretreat all marks from lotions or oils with Spray-n-Wash (not Shout or other brands) and launder with added Oxyclean and color-safe bleach. I have had the same 12 or 14 sheet sets for a year & a half & they look & smell great. Another thing I learned the hard way was to underfill the wash load so that the linens really get thoroughly rinsed & washed, etc.I use a variety of mediums, depending on what therapy I'm doing and which client, but with my new laundry routine I'm never ashamed of the look, feel or smell of my linens on the table. I used to use (and pay handsomely for) a laundry service, but this is working out even better!Jill/Sagetherapist

 

[alex995bikerboy]

Smelly Sheets

I have 10 sets of sheets and they are oil stain bad. Is it too late to try to get it out? I have tried everything and nothing has work. They smell fine. They are just starting to look bad. I have only had them for 4mos. I don't want to have to buy new ones so soon.Any one have any ideas.

 

[I have a bear spot]

Smelly Sheets

oooh, the feel of sheets....I HAVE to mention that I have found the egyptian cotton sheets to be super snuggly! They are SO soft. The only problem....they are extra wrinkly too. I use a blanket all year so it hides all the wrinkles. (My office is super cold and I have no control over the air conditioning. I actually use a space heater in the summer because my room gets too cold! At the other end of the building they complain that they are too hot.) Anyway!!! If you can hide wrinkles or if you love to iron, try egyptian cotton sheets. I bought mine at Fred Meyers and Shopko for a reasonable price.

 

[fenix]

Happyhands:  re your oil-stained sheetsTry really spraying the heck out of them with Spray n Wash and soaking them overnight in the washer with 2-3 scoops of oxyclean and some bleach. In the morning wash them with detergent, oxyclean and some bleach (colorsafe if you have colored linens).I can't say that I could guarantee it, but it should work well. My husband is a chef and his Chef coats get very dirty & greasy sometimes, and the soaking gets them back to the superior white he expects.In the future, have Spray n Wash in your cupboards at work or in your tote bag for your linens. Pretreat them immediately after your client is checked out/before you toss them in a bag or a hamper. That way you won't have to over-bleach (it eventually breaks down the fibers) your stuff, and you can slip into a regular routine for cleaning them.Good luck. By the way, when you next need to invest in linens, try to select muted prints. They certainly are more forgiving than solids when it comes to showing any residue (like from herbal tinctures, oils, anything).Jill/Sagetherapist

 

[Lis]

My biggest opinion on this subject is to never let your sheets sit unlaundered for more than 3 days. I try to wash my linens within 24 hours of use. This has allowed me to have sheets for 3 or 4 years!Also, I have both white and colored sheets. I can hold on to the colored ones longer, because of the hidden stains. I know that alot of therapists find colored sheets to be unprofessional...or its not consistent with their color therapy...or its a fung shui thing...but all my sheets match, with different shades of purple, maroon, navy, and hunter green. I usually use a dark sheet on the bottom and a white sheet to drape the client. When I'm bringing in a new client, I tell them to disrobe, lay down on the table and cover themselves with the WHITE sheet. You'd be suprised how often people would get under both, lay on top of both, take my hand towel from the counter to cover up, lay upside down with the feet on the face cradle...it's so funny how people will look right at me when I'm telling them how to lay down, then I come into the room and they've got it ALL WRONG! It's really amusing sometimes.P.S. what's wrong with bleach? I use bleach on my whites, but I know some don't like to use bleach. I don't know why.  I also hang my white sheets to dry instead of putting them in the dryer every time. I have burned brown spots into whites by drying them. My dryer doesn't have a heat setting.

 

["D"]

Smelly Sheets

Thanks Jill. I do use a little bleach but have had no luck I'll try the oxy and spray wash. I have both just never thought about using them on my sheets. :-[ I must say that spray and wash will proble be my best friend for life now.I always wash my sheet as soon as I get home in the evenings. Trying to make sure they don't set for tooo long but hasn't help me any. But pre treating as soon as my client leaves sound like a winner.again thanks.

 

[Hawaiian Bruddah]

I started using jojoba as a carrier oil for aromatherapy blends and noticed it had the side effect of not staining sheets.  It takes a little getting used to, because it isn't very slick, but its other qualities make it a great oil.Earl

 

[football5680]

Smelly Sheets

Does Jojoba have an smell to it? I have never tried it.

 

[Daniel I]

Smelly Sheets

I use the jojoba oil occasionally. I noticed the bottle said it doesn't go rancid for hundreds of years. Doesn't that mean no stinky sheets for hundreds of years?! It's got a clean smell to me. Kind of like soap. Jojoba is often used in shampoo and conditioners. Personally, I don't care for the smell but I'm sure you could add essential oils to override the soap aroma I also saw on the bottle that jojoba oil is the closest to the body's own natural oils. I still prefer creme but when I need a change or the client is absorbing the creme too quickly, I switch to jojoba.

 

[Pompal 09.]

I was using jojoba for years and recently switched to Biotone NutriNaturals.  I'm switching back.  My sheets have started to smell and with the jojoba I never had that problem.  I do add a very tiny bit of essential oil to the jojoba because it has a smoky smell to me.  When I first started using it, it smelled like all my clients had been to a barbeque.  Then I realized it was the oil.  Other than that it's great for the sheets and the body.

 

[IndigoBlue]

Hi, all!I use "Natural Elements" oil, which is coconut oil, and have never had a problem with stained or rancid sheets.  My sheets actually smell wonderful!Hope this helps for future sheets!Namaste'Carole

 

[Luke808666]

Smelly Sheets

There are new additives you can add to your oil. It's like only an ounce or two per gallon of oil. The additive is supposed to take the staining properties out of oil. Anyone ever used them?

 

[S. Parkmen]

I also like jojoba when I get a massage.  I am a little on the hairy side, and it is the only oil that does not leave me with the "oil slick" feeling when I am done.  It is almost like nothing was used.When I go to get a massage, I take my own oil and ask the therapist to use it.  Most don't mind, especially when I leave the bottle with them.  The regulars I trade with have almost all switched.I keep one bottle with a little lavender e-oil in it.  Most women love it.  Most men like the plain.Earl

 

[dole61]

I use Lotus Touch oil gel from http://www.newlifesystems.com. I have used this product for the past nearly 4 years and still have original sheets I purchased at the same time as this brand of oil for the first time.One of my teachers suggested I switch to flannel sheets because of all the raves his clients made about how he catered to thier comfort. Nearly all my flannel sheets are a muted plaid, as this too would disquise any stains.As for smell, they don't have any because I have also washed them ASAP following a massage, included an ounce or so of Ammonia in the water to deoderize as well as some Dawn dishwashing liquid and some Arm & Hammer detergent. They come out smelling fresh, and nothing else. In the winter I sometimes use 1 T  or less of Downy "Enhancer", this also cuts down on the static electricity and wrinkles...I tried oxyclean on some older sheets, but it didn't really help the smell, IMO.

 

[Nas J]

Maestra,     Aren't flannel sheets hard to dry? I've found that when I use flannel, I have to put them through the dryer twice. I don't have a temp. control button on my dryer, and maybe it doesn't get hot enough, but I've also found that the weight of the fabric can hold more oil, therefore making it harder to clean and dry. When I use a laundry service, they charge me more money for flannel and towels due to the increased poundage. I switched from one sheet and one towel per client to two sheets because of this. I sometimes use flannel sheets for more important clients, especially the first time I meet them. They are much more comfortable and snuggly, but they are for the first impression only.

 

[Adrienne]

CalicoComfort,Actually, I don't find it takes that much longer to dry them than it did my percale ones. But I could be wrong... I just usually give them about 35-40 minutes on the regular setting. To be honest after a few washings they lose a lot of lint, and they are much lighter. I have bought them at both a local deparment store on sale (in January) and at TJ Maxx when I can find them. They are usually about $14-$16 per pair on sale.  They're not all that heavy, I use them nearly all year 'round.I do have 3 pair that I got late last Winter at JCPenny's, on clearance for $10 per set. They were entirely different feeling, much heavier cotton and these 3 sets I have "retired" for the summer. They were a "Lodge" print rather than a plaid. I find that when I get rid of them it is because they are to thin, not that they are stained or smell bad. LOL

 

[Star S]

I just started adding a scoop of oxyclean to the wash... as long as I don't overfill with sheets and as long as I am patient enough to let the water fill up a bit before I throw the sheets in, I have good results.I've also tried using dishwasher detergent.  It works great and the sheets smell terrific afterwards, but I managed to ruin one of my sets of dark blue flannel sheets while experimenting.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Lots of great info!  I've only been at it a year, but have used so far the flannel sheets from massagewarehouse.com and Fx cream, which does not stain and works great.  It really has a nice flow during massage and is nicely absorbed in the skin. It has arnica, ivy and aloe like the biotone.  I wash my sheets onsite without any problems stain, smell or drying-wise.  The other place I sub at uses biotone and their sheets are laundered, but I don't see any oil stains on them. What I could use are face cradle covers without seams!!  I remember a teacher mentioning something about putting a can of coke in your wash (it even cleans rust they say!) and also the orange oil based detergents as more effective. for what it's worth! ~ sulilly