What is it with America? Do we ALL have problem homes? If you watch Cable TV, you'd think so.  There are no end to the "make-over" stories -- even if you exclude the ones that don't have anything to do with home decorating.  Everything from the tame and fun-loving "Trading Spaces" (TLC) to the chain-sawing craziness of "Monster House" (Discovery Channel) and all levels in between.

Admit it, you sometimes watch more than a minute or two of these programs -- especially the last few minutes when you get to see the total transformation.  (You may even be addicted to them, and have tried out the techniques, colors and ideas in your own home.)  The fact is that, unlike animals, people like changes in their habitat.  We crave a new look, a new color, a new eye-catching item.

When it comes to your bedroom, even if you don't have time to do a total make-over of the room, you can still make a huge change in how it looks just by changing the color scheme of the bedding.  After all, the bed is the biggest thing in the room.  This week you'll learn more about how to select quality bedding, and how to care for it.

Pleasant dreams, and we'll see you soon.

Jim Nixon,
The Cleaners

Bed Time

If you sleep 8 hours a night...

• You spend 56 hours a week in bed.  Sure a lot less effort than a 40-hour work week!
• You spend 250+ hours in bed in a month.  That's the equivalent of a 10-day vacation!
• In the course of a year, you'll have slept for 2, 912 hours.  In other words, over 4 months are spent in slumber annually.

Wake Up to Savings Coupon!

You spend almost a third of your life in bed -- so why not give your blankets, pillows, bedding and quilts to the kind of treatment that heavy usage requires?  We're taking $5 off any order of cleaning that includes bedding, just to make you sleep a little easier.  (Include the first page of this e-mail with your order.  Offer expires Nov. 1, 2003.  Cannot be combined with other offers.)

Color is a mood-altering substance.  Walk into a brightly lit room with lots of yellows and whites, and you can't help but feel cheered.  Enter a room with cool blues or greens, and your tension melts away (which is why you find them in hospitals and doctors' offices.)  A room with wild jewel tones elevates your energy levels.

Even though we all know color has a strong impact on our mood, most people rarely change the colors of the one place they spend so much time -- the bedroom.  Perhaps its because they assume that since their eyes are shut most of the time they're there, it can't make a difference.  But just as you hate hearing a disagreeable song from the clock radio first thing in the morning, what you SEE first will also impact you -- as well as what you see before you close your eyes.

Beds are big pieces of furniture.  However, unlike a large sofa or table, it's much less expensive to refurbish a bed than to recover a couch or refinish an oak table.  The results are immediate and strong, if you make a radical change in the colors of your bed linens.  Since many linens these days are coordinated with curtains or other accent pieces, you can do a "make-over" without the sweat -- or the spilled paint and arguments.

Show and Tell

Look at the photographs above.  It's actually the same photograph repeated 4 times, but with computer alteration of the colors of the linens.  Nothing else in the room has changed -- not the walls, the window treatments, the flooring, even the accessories.  Just the linen colors.  And yet each room as a distinct personality because of the colors used.  That's the effect you can achieve with a "linen-over".

• All photos on this page are from Bedding.com.  If you want to see more, click on the photos and you'll go to their site.

Choosing Quality Bedding

Ever slept in a hotel with substandard linens?  Wasn't much fun, was it.  It was nice to get back to your own, familiar bed once again.  Our skin is an incredibly sensitive organ (yes, it's an organ) and we find it hard to rest if we're continually sensing something uncomfortable against it. When you decide to do a bedroom make-over by changing linens, buy the best quality you can afford.  Not only will better quality linens last longer, they'll feel better against your skin from the very first night.

Sheets

• Thread Count is critical in soft sheets.  The higher the number, the better the quality.  For instance, a 200-thread count means there are 200 threads per inch in the fabric.  300 is better than 200.
• Hold sheets up to the light.  A good quality sheet will not allow light to show through.  They also won't "pill" like cheaper sheets, forming skin-irritating bumps.
• If you're buying flannel sheets for winter, be sure the label says "pre-shrunk" or else you may be in for a nasty surprise when you've washed them.
• If you plan to dress up the bed, go with a neutral and/or solid color of sheeting, so that the blankets and accessories will not be fighting for attention with the rest of the bed. The color doesn't have to be boring -- darker tones can be very dramatic -- just solid or with small accents on the part that turns down.

Getting DOWN to details

So, you've got your sheets and you're ready to "decorate" the bed.  If you choose to go with down comforters or a duvet, be sure you're getting the best you can, and the one that's right for you.

• Buy a duvet without an attached cover, and then either use coordinating sheets to sew (or have sewn) a cover that will match, or buy a variety of covers so that you can have variety in the course of a year.
• "Fill" quality is key in Down.  This is the way that the down puffs up (lofts) and traps air (which keeps you warm.)  A higher rating of Fill Quality will mean a warmer quilt or duvet.
• "Where's this from?" Not all bird down is created equal!  The best down comes from mature birds, with immature bird down collapsing and not having good Fill properties. Goose down is better than Duck down.  Eiderdown is considered the best -- though its price reflects the fact that it is gathered from the nests of a very rare and protected species of Eider duck: it can cost upwards of $20,000 for a comforter.  Again, the key is to get the best you can afford for longer life of your bedding.
• How the down was processed also makes a difference.  Properly processed down has a minimum amount of organic matter left among the feathers when they're ready to stuff in the cover.  More organic material means less lofting, and can increase allergic reactions.  Read more specifics about that, as well as other allergy-related items here.
• Sew what?  Yes, the sewing of your comforter or duvet makes a difference, too.  If a comforter is simply sewn-through, there isn't as much added strength as there would be if the coverlet is "baffled" -- constructed with internal fabric walls that cause the filling to "loft" in individual chambers.  Sewn-through construction is usually best for lighter weight quilts.  For a heavier quilt or duvet, the filling needs to have plenty of room to move around a "fill" the space.

Caring for your Bedding

Obviously, you'll need to thoroughly read the care labels to know precisely what is best for your linens -- and we hope you're reading them before you buy, not after.

However, even if the labeling says these items can be home-washed, keep in mind that most home washing machines (no matter how many delicate cycles they may have) are not nearly as large as professional machines.  This is critical if the bedding is to be thoroughly cleaned, since cramming it into a machine doesn't give the water adequate space to agitate away the dirt and other soiling.  Even if you take it to the laundromat in search of a larger machine, it's hard to tell if you've done the job right.  Inadequate drying may leave dampness in feathers that will lead to mold or mildew (and smell).  Pillows and duvets can be easily burned if hot air is not allowed to escape.  Why take a chance with your investment?  Let us handle it for you and you'll be pleased with the results.

Don't store your duvet or quilt in a plastic bag after it's been cleaned.  They need to breath, and the feathers need lofting space.  spread them out as much as possible to extend the "fill" ability for years to come.

Happy decorating!