Choosing bed linen for a commercial property
Choosing bed linen for a commercial property is a different exercise to buying for home. The cloth has to survive industrial washing at high temperatures, hold its shape through hundreds of cycles, and still feel right to a guest who is paying for the room. The notes below cover what actually matters when you are comparing specifications.
Understanding thread count
Thread count is the number of threads woven into a square inch of fabric. Higher is smoother and denser, but it is not automatically better for contract use, a very high count in a poorly constructed cloth will degrade faster under commercial laundering than a well-made lower count. For most UK properties the sensible range is 130 to 300.
| Thread count | Character | Typically specified for |
|---|---|---|
| 130 T | Hard-wearing, quick drying | High-occupancy rooms, holiday parks, student accommodation, care settings |
| 200 T | Crisp and cool, the UK hotel standard | Hotels, guest houses, serviced apartments, holiday lets |
| 250 T | Denser, smoother handle | Upgraded room grades, boutique properties |
| 300 T | Premium percale, noticeably soft | Suites, luxury hotels, high-end holiday lets |
Percale, satin stripe and plain weave
Percale is a tight plain weave with a matt finish and a cool, crisp handle. It is the cloth most associated with good hotel bedding and the reason a well-made bed feels different to the touch.
Satin stripe introduces a woven stripe that catches the light along the bed. Ours are woven into the fabric rather than printed onto it, so the pattern will not fade or lift after repeated laundering, the failure mode that makes printed alternatives a false economy.
Cotton-rich or pure cotton?
Cotton-rich blends combine cotton with polyester, usually at 70/30 or 80/20. The polyester content resists creasing, shortens drying time and helps the cloth hold its shape through hot washes. For properties laundering daily, that translates directly into lower running costs and faster room turnaround. Pure cotton feels more luxurious but demands more pressing and more drying time.
Sizing and identification
All our bed linen is supplied in single, double, king and super king, and can be manufactured to your own specification where you have non-standard beds. Our flat sheets carry a coloured identification thread so linen rooms can sort by size at a glance:
- Blue, Single
- Red, Double
- Gold, King
- Green, Super King
Getting the most life from your linen
Rotate stock so the same sets are not always in service, wash at the lowest temperature that meets your hygiene requirements, and avoid overloading machines, linen needs room to move for detergent to rinse out fully. Residual detergent is a common cause of premature greying. Remove items from the dryer slightly damp and finish them on the press to reduce fibre damage.
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