Earthing Sheets - Dead or Alive!

I just wanted to touch base and make sure that you are washing your sheet correctly as we want you to get the best longevity and benefits from them as possible, however, there still seems to still be some confusion surrounding this, even though we have clear instructions in our User Guide that comes with each sheet, so I want to explain why it is so important to do what we recommend you to do and below is a simple chart for you to follow.

Firstly you must keep in mind that your Earthing Sheets are not your standard cotton bed sheets, they are an unbleached and undyed 100% cotton bed sheet interwoven with more than 400 metres of silver threads.  Silver is used because it has the highest electrical conductivity and has antimicrobial properties, proven to kill over 400 different types of bacteria and inhibits their growth as well as acting as odour eaters.

Silver is a precious metal and will chemically react with certain substances.

Wash Your Sheets In Warm Water:

Many of our customers are washing their sheets in cold water, however, you must wash your sheet in WARM Water – why? Because warm water (around 40 -60°) will strip away body oils and sweat that have built up on the silver thread.  Imagine if you were washing a non-stick frypan that you had just cooked lean bacon in – there would be a slight residue of fat on the surface and if you rinsed that under cold water only a small amount would wash off, however, wash it with warm to very warm water and the fat would dissolve and wash away – same with your sheet. 
This is why some sheets don’t seem to last for the average 2 year life span – the silver has been oxidised and damaged from not being regularly cleaned of built up body oils, grime and sweat.
 

When Washing Your Sheets - More Is Better Than Less:

Washing your sheets is better with more washes than less.  There seems to be a belief that if you wash the sheet less you will preserve the sheets and silver longer and maybe this could be true for standard cotton sheets, however, Earthing sheets are not your standard cotton bed sheets, they are cotton interwoven with silver threads.  Again, imagine your fry pan, you keep frying the bacon in it and not washing it, eventually the fat will build up resulting in a fatty deposit over the non-stick surface that would be more difficult to remove when washing and maybe even start eroding the surface of the pan.   So, if the sheets are not washed on a regular basis the oils will build up thickly on the silver and start oxidising and causing damage.
 
 It is recommended that you wash the sheets at least twice a month, however, if you are a heavy sweater, use lots of oils on your body throughout the day or take large doses of medications and even vitamin supplements you should probably be washing your sheets every week.
 

What To Wash Your Sheets In:

It is always best to wash your Earthing Sheet with a liquid and not a powder as this can be a little abrasive on the silver.   We recommend a very inexpensive and readily available (WW and Coles)  liquid laundry washing detergent called Earth Choice (blue bottle) to wash your sheets in because this company has confirmed that the standard liquid would be OK to use with the silver.  They also advised NOT to use the concentrate because this would oxidise the silver over time.  Just to let you know we do not get any kick backs from recommending this detergent , we only recommend it because we feel confident that it’s not damaging the silver in the sheets.  There are a couple of other liquid detergents that we can recommend that are a little bit more costly and maybe harder to find:  Aware Sensitive Liquid Laundry Detergent – available from some Coles and Big W’s and Abode Sensitive – available from some health food shops and on-line distributors.  Please note it must be the SENSITIVE detergent.

I have found that, even though we recommend Earth Choice some customers have a favourite all natural laundry detergent that is certainly 100% chemical free, however, most of these contain an essential oil, such as lavender or eucalyptus oil.  These oils, overtime, will damage and oxidise the silver in the sheets.  So, of course, wash all your other clothes with your favourite  detergents or your high powered whitening detergents  and  wash your Earthing sheet separately in one of the recommended detergents. 
 
Most commercial washing powders or liquids will contain a whitener or brighteners and these will also oxidise the silver of the sheet over time and should definitely be avoided.  Please also be aware of natural detergents using LEMON as brighteners, this will have the same chemical reaction as whiteners.
 
Never use any type of Bleach or Oxi-Detergents to remove a stain or whiten your sheet – you will immediately destroy the conductive properties of the silver and your sheet will be DEAD!
 
Some people may feel that a Wool Wash or a Eucalyptus Liquid is mild and gentle, this may be the case for normal clothes, however, as these contain natural oils, you will definitely damage the silver in the sheet over time.
 
Another big point is please don’t try and make the sheets, throw blanket or plush pad softer by adding a fabric softener pad to the rinse as this will put  a film right over the silver thread and basically put a shoe on it making the sheet un-conductive and over time will  damage  the silver.
 

Should You Machine Wash Or Hand Wash?

It is best to use a washing machine than hand wash as again this helps clean the silver more thoroughly.  You can use a gentle or normal wash cycle.
 

How Can You Dry Your Sheet:

It is perfectly fine to hang your sheets on a clothesline in the sunshine to dry.  However, if you live in an apartment or you have continuous wet weather you can dry your sheet in a clothes dryer, however, make sure the heat is set to LOW.  I find that if you wash your sheet in the morning and throw over some chairs it will be close to dry by the afternoon and you can easily finish it off in the dryer for a short time only.  Keep in mind if you continuously use the clothes dryer this will compromise the silver thread over time as it would any other fabric and may reduce its longevity.

Can You Iron Your Sheet:

If the creases in the sheet are really annoying you, you can iron the sheet, preferably with distilled water and on a low setting.  You will find that most creases will come out of the sheet once your body is on it.
 

Lotions And Potions On Your Body:

Most of us women love putting on some type of body lotion, whether it’s a delicious smelling coconut oil, luxurious body butter or a beautiful perfumed cream and this is fine when sleeping on an Earthing Sheet, just don’t put these lotions on just before you go to bed because they could end up on the silver and damage it if not washed soon after.  If you put on these creams on in the morning or early evening, there should be no problem as they would have absorbed into your body.  If for some reason you forget and go to bed just try and wash the sheet the next morning.
 
For those that maybe using medicated rubs or lotions, such as Dencorub, etc., the same will apply. 
 

Some Other Points to Remember:

Every person is an individual with different circumstances and body physiology and this in itself can affect the silver in the sheets over time.  You must remember that Earthing is still a relatively new discovery and we don’t have all the answers yet as to why some sheets will last longer than others if all of the above is followed. 
 
However, we do know that if the sheets are conductive when you receive them and then they become un-conductive over time it is usually something that is happening to them at the user’s end.
So you must try and look at what could be affecting the silver….  Are you following the instructions 100%?  Are you taking medications or supplements that could be sweating out and oxidising the silver?  Could you have a heavy build-up of minerals in your washing local water?  And unfortunately sometimes we just don’t have an answer, however, the health benefits of sleeping Earthed certainly outweigh the fact that your sheet may not last the distance of 2 years and that you will have to replace it.
 
Well, there is a lot of information here and I hope this has helped to clarify the reasons why we ask you to do certain things when caring for the sheet, it really is very simple if you follow these 7 easy steps – maybe print this out, laminate and put on your washing machine as a reminder each time you or your family does the washing.
 
If you feel that you may have inadvertently not followed these instructions you can easily test the conductivity of the sheet with our Product Tester, which is available from the “Testing Category” of our shop http://www.barefoothealing.com.au/p/product-continuity-tester/PTEST
 
You can now purchase replacement sheets only, without cords and plug and you will find these at  http://www.barefoothealing.com.au/c/accessories-spares/replacement-products/181.
If you need any further help you can always talk to one of our Earthing consultants on 1300 327 844.

 
   



 
 

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