Helpful Hints

What is a Snag-Free Warp Knit Construction towel?

Warp knitted toweling looks just like regular toweling , but the loops are permanently locked into place so they never snag or pull. The fabric never gets the loose or untidy threads (grandpas whiskers)

Snag-Free Warp Knit Towel

•  Double Stitched
•  No Fray Side Hems
•  Superior Durability
•  Excellent absorbency
•  Shape Retention
•  100% pure cotton
•  Withstand more than 200 industrial washes

To best see how effective this unique construction is, simply take a Nortex Snag-Free towel and any other towel of regular woven construction, and a fork. We prefer to use a wire brush to demonstrate how a regular towel is easily torn apart, while a Nortex Snag-Free towel stands up to the test.

Place the tines of the fork in the loops of the regular woven towel and pull. The loops will pull through, leaving the towel looking snagged.

Repeat the same exercise with the Nortex Snag-Free SNAG-PROOF towel. The cotton pile loops will not pull through.

 BENEFITS OF

Nortex Snag-Free SNAG-PROOF towel 

• Reduced propensity to fray 
•  Longevity increases from 120 industrial washes, to over 200 industrial washes!
•  Outlast regular towels by 60%
•  Will save money and is therefore VALUE FOR MONEY

Towel & toweling fabric unit of measure 

• Towels & toweling fabric is measured in weight per square meter , generally the heavier the towel the better the quality and the more it will cost as the construction is made-up of more yarn and a tighter weave.

Problems with water hardness and the care of linen

•  Water Hardness Salts

These salts are composed of Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium Carbonate, Nitrate and Sulphate, which dissolve in the water on its passage through the countryside before it reaches the reservoirs. (In the Okavango Delta and Kasane areas for example, it is not unusual to find 300 ppm hardness as measured in Calcium Carbonate).

Soap is sensitive to water hardness as observed by the scum formed when washing in hard water, forming the “ring” in the bath and basin. This scum is sticky and readily attaches itself to fabric, discolouring it and turning it grey, thereby masking the original colour.

Detergents are also affected by hard water, producing a sediment which can be deposited on the fabric, necessitating the use of higher detergent usage levels to compensate. Unless the higher detergent quantity is used, or alternatively a water softening plant incorporated, not all soiling will be removed and deposits will mask the colour of the towel, or white towels can become grey in shade.

What is the difference between Damask & Conlyn Tabling?

•  Damask tabling has a self color woven-in pattern to the fabric either a check or any other decorative motif. Conlyn tabling is plain with no pattern or decorative detail.

Useful tip when unsure about ordering table linen

• To eliminate ordering the wrong size tablecloths or tabling it is advisable to submit to our professional sales consultants the actual dimensions of your tables and we can help with the supply of the correct table linen for your tables.

Extra Length and Extra Depth bed linen.

• To eliminate ordering the wrong size fitted sheets please be aware that in all size beds & mattresses there is a variance in size from the norm to accommodate specific hotel requirements. Some hotels have Extra Length beds , some have Extra Depth Mattresses and some have both Extra Length and Extra Depth. An Extra length bed Is 10cm longer than the standard bed . The depth of a mattress can vary from 18cm depth to 32cm depth so it is advisable to measure the mattress depth before ordering fitted sheets. Normal length 190cm. Extra length 200cm.

Label positioning for housekeeping departments

Our sheets are labeled with a clearly visable size label as well as a Contemporary Linens label. We also do custom labels for many of our hospitality customers, so in this instance the size label will be accompanied by the exclusive customer label.

For housekeeping departments the label can be used as a marker to position the sheet when making-up beds as the label is positioned at the bottom centre of the sheet.This is particularly useful for fitted sheets because it takes the guess work out of which way the sheet goes on the bed.

 What does the term percale mean?

•  Percale is a closely woven plain-weave fabric often used for bed linens. The term describes the weave of the fabric, not its content, so percale can be a 50/50 blend of cotton and polyester, 100% cotton, or a blend of other fabrics in any ratio. A percale weave has a thread count of 180 or higher, and is noticeably tighter than the standard type of weave used for bed-sheets. It has a medium weight, is firm and smooth with no gloss, and warps and washes very well. It is made from both carded and combed yarns. The finish of the fabric is independent of its weave, so it can have "hard" (crisp)or a "soft" (slightly looser) finish.

Percale Secrets
 

• When ironing 100% Cotton Percale, ensure the linen is damp and use a steam iron for a clean crisp finish!

Ironing Tips

• Most people regard ironing as a chore. But ironing linen can become a less onerous task if you do it when the linen is damp.

If linen is taken out of the dryer or off the line while still damp and then ironed immediately, the chore ceases to be a chore at all. Be sure the soleplate of your iron is clean and smooth for quicker and easier ironing. If you have a steam iron, check for mineral deposits, which can cause brown spotting. Check your ironing board and its cover. For speedy ironing, use well padded boards with smooth heat-reflective covers.

Begin with dampened linen. Steam ironing dry linen is less effective than dry or steam ironing dampened linens. A professional steamer is the only appliance that provides enough steam to remove wrinkles from heavier linens. The steam from a household iron is just not enough.

Store linen items in a plastic bag in the refrigerator or freezer from 6 to 24 hours before ironing. This will make them easier to iron and will prevent mildew.

Use spray starch (if desired) and iron with a steam iron at a medium to hot setting. Starch provides extra crispness, particularly to napkins to be folded into fancy shapes. For a softer look, select spray-on fabric sizing instead. In a pinch, smooth things over with spray-on wrinkle remover.

Iron on the wrong side first, then on the right side to bring out the sheen, especially damasks and light-colored linens. Iron dark linens on the wrong side only.

Choose a temperature setting compatible with the fabric weight. Pure linen can withstand the highest temperature setting on your iron. Test an inconspicuous corner first.

Iron linen until smooth but not dry. Once wrinkles are gone, hang the linen item until it is bone dry.

When ironing embroidered linen, keep the embroidery stitches rounded and dimensional by pressing item on the wrong side atop a soft towel.

Duvet Inner - Down or Feather

Feathers have a central shaft which is sharp, poking quills and provide an outer layer of protection for a bird, while the down is a soft under layer which is found beneath the feathers.

down clusters are free-floating, giving down its fluffy, three - dimensional structure and allowing it to trap air effectively. In bedding these properties give down duvet its loft and excellent thermal properties. Down is what provides the plumpness to a down duvet, and it is also what traps the heat. Quality down duvets will have a high percentage of down compared to feathers, while cheaper duvets use more feathers as a less expensive filler.

feathers used in bedding are by-products of the food industry.

What is Goose down?

Goose down is the rolls Royce of fillings. Goose Down clusters are the biggest and therefore less filling is needed to fill the duvet in order to obtain the perfect level of insulation. this means that the duvet is extremely light in weight, keeping you cool in summer and warm in winter. A duvet filled with more Goose Down will last much longer than any other filling, because of its strong, resilient clusters.

What is Duck Down?

Duck Down clusters are slightly smaller than the Goose Down clusters, therefore the duvet needs to be filled with more filling to create similar insulation properties to Goose Down. This means that a duck down will be slightle heavier than a Goose Down duvet.

 

How To Choose a Duvet Inner

Two areas for Consideration 

-Type of filling used natural or non- allergenic

-Tog used/GSM high or low

NON ALLERGINIEC DUVET COLLECTIONS-These days, synthetic duvets aren't necessarily made of stiff and unwieldy foam. If you opt for a high-quality fill, a synthetic duvet is silky soft, wonderfully warm and beautifully lightweight, with a drape that matches natural-filled duvets. And a good quality synthetic duvet, like Hollowfibre Micro fibre filled duvet inners, will not become lumpy and uncomfortable over time.

100% COTTON CASING- All our casings are made from 100% cotton. There are many synthetic duvets on the market with polyester-cotton casing, but our superior Micro fibre Duvet has a 233-thread-count 100% cotton cambric casing.

Tog Rate

 

Micro Fibre Filled Duvets have different GSM as per the size and weight of the duvet inner.

Below is the tog rate we would suggest for children, these ratings may also be a guide in selecting fibre filled duvet inners for adults.

BABIES UNDER 12 MONTHS-Babies under 12 months shouldn't sleep with duvets, quilts or pillows. Instead, we advise using a baby sleeping bag, which is difficult to kick off or slide down over their head. Choose 1 tog in summer and 2.5 tog in winter.

CHILDREN UNDER 10 YEARS-Young children should use a lightweight tog rating as their small bodies trap more air, making them much warmer than adults would be under the same duvet. A first duvet should be the lightest 3 or 4.5 tog. As a child grows, they may wan a warmer 7.5 or 9 tog.

CHILDREN OVER 10 YEARS-Older children may want a toasty warm 10.5 tog duvet, especially if their room is quite cold. Help your child regulate their own temperature by choosing a lower tog duvet and leaving a quilt or blanket, folded concertina style, at the bottom of the bed. That way, they can easily pull it up for extra warmth when they need it. In high summer, switch the duvet to cool top sheet with a quilt or blanket.