All my duvet covers and sheets are falling apart

[BabyGanoush]

If I fold them or put them on the bed, I hear "crack" and they seem to shred very easily now, sort of just pull apart.

Seems they have reached the end of their life...

I guess they are all from about 10-12 years ago, so fairly "old" but did not think they would so suddenly give up the ghost. 100% thick quality cotton.

We have about 3 sets each, which we rotate every week (so every sheet and duvet cover gets used for 1 week out of 3, if that makes sense).

Is this a normal life expectancy for sheets?

Somehow I thought they would last forever...

Well you've had your money's worth - go and enjoy getting some new ones!

do you think?

how long would you expect sheets/duvet covers etc to last?

The higher the thread count the thicker the sheets will be and they should last longer.

In the 'olden days' (when I was little) people used to 'edge to middle' sheets. Cut them down the middle where they are most worn and put the 2 outside edges together and sew up. Gave you a seam down the middle but they lasted twice as long.

This was the olden days though and now we just buy new stuff ??

10-12 years old!? Wow that's a long time! :)

I buy a new set every couple of months or so, I enjoy seeing different colours and patterns but I admit I mainly buy cheap ones from primark or George at asda, 50/50 poly cotton.

sounds about right to me.
my favourite bedding is falling apart after 15 years and I'm distraught. (well not really but it will be hard to get a worthy replacement)

and it must be cotton, I don't like the feel of poly-cotton.

Ours are 20. Wedding presents.

20! Do you use them regularly?

The thing is, they are lovely thick heavy cotton, a bugger to dry in winter, but such fab quality.

I have not been able to find the same quality in the UK (yet), have tried White Company (quite thin), John Lewis (strong but almost paper -like in its crispness) laura Ashley (fine but nothing special, bit thin) and Debenhams (what was I thinking).

These are all second rate, and only use them for the kids.

I feel sad about my old fashioned thick ticking stripe heavy sheets. I LOVE nice sheets.

If I could just replace them I would, but I can't

That is sad op. I don't think 10 years is that old really. Ours are over 5 and that has gone in the blink of an eye.

I had to chuck out some wedding list stuff recently - we've been married 15 years. Like you, it was all good quality stuff and I thought it would last for ever. Bit really.

My favourite sheet has just torn in the middle after 7 years. :(

I should have done the sewing trick.

If you love them that much then edge-to-middle is the only option.

Don't have any sheets that are 10-12 years, and not really thought about how long they might last. That said I'm a bit of a stingy bugger but I do like a nice high thread count (generally bought at TK Maxx Home Sense!).

I know what you mean about not wanting to replace the ones you love. One of our duvet covers got a stain on it that wouldn't come out and had to be thrown away and I was gutted. It took me months to find a replacement that I liked as much.

Never heard of edge to middle, but I'm glad I have as it appeals to my thriftiness :)

I've got the 500TC stuff from House of Fraser which is really expensive (but often in the sale) and it feels lovely but the fitted sheets have shrunk horrifically and distort the mattress now when I finally manage to force it on. Then after a day or so it pings off the mattress again!

I have lovely old linen from my grandmother. Some of them even have seams where they have thinned and she cut them down the middle and turned them around so the outer edges became the middle seam (iykwim!).
DH and I did buy lots of lovely white cotton bedding for our new bed 3 years ago. It is doing well and was surprisingly reasonable for the thread count/quality. I think the comapany was Soak and Sleep (was Bed and Bath back then) as I keep getting emails from them!

My mum used to do that edge to edge thing with the sheets.

I have a fav duvet cover that is 25 yrs old & just starting to go thin on the top edge :)

I'm in my 40s. Some of my bedding older than me! Most is 20+ years old, cotton and going strong!

I just threw out my favourite duvet cover. It was lovely thick cotton and was 15 years old and an engagement present from Habitat. It just started to disintegrate.I've not seen anything that comes close.

Ticking isn't much used as sheeting in the UK, you may have to order replacements from the USA. Also worth looking at www.kingofcotton.co.uk.

Thanks penfold

The beloved originals were from usa

I am trying to figure out the seam-changing thing, but it is a bit like the non verbal reasing tests at school where you have to rotate 3D structures: I just can't see it!

Would the middle then not just become the middle on the other side?

I stitched mine back together, but really the fabric is gone and will tear again.

I bought some real linen ones from Soak and Sleep, lovely and heavy material. Feels nice. Washed well, no shrinkage.

Will report back in 15 yrs time to tell you if they lasted

Trixy, back in the 90s Habitat used to be really good...

No, Baby, you cut top to bottom, like from your head to toes.

Then flip each side so the frayed middle is on the outermost edge.

The head and feet will still be top and bottom.

Sew down, top to toe. You'll have a ridge between you and any DP you might have though.

That's right.
Edge to Middle:
Cut down the middle from head to toe (where the most warm bit is). Flip each 'middle' over lengthways so the newly cut surface becomes the outside 'edge'. The original 'edges' become the new 'middle' - sew down this new middle.

The warm bit of the sheet is now at the outside edge and the less warm bit is where you sleep this giving twice the life (albeit with a seam down the middle).

My mother did it all the time.