How many washings should we expect to get out of the products that we purchase?

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Written by Rich Fitzmorris

Question: Our business is selling bed and bath linen to the hospitality market, specifically to hotels and condo management companies who have OPL. The majority of the products that we provide for these customers are T-180 white percale bed linen and white 86/14 blended cam border terry. One question that we are often asked is "how many washings should we expect to get out of the products that we purchase?"

Although we have on numerous occasions asked the manufacturers of the products that we sell for this information, they seem reluctant to say how long their products will (or should) last. My guess is that their reluctance is due to the fact that there are so many factors that could affect the life of the product, they are hesitant to make such a statement. However, I feel sure that someone out there has some idea of what would be "industry averages." If so, I would appreciate someone sharing those numbers with me, so that I could share them with my customers.
Mike Saulters, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Answer: I would expect a manufacturer of textiles to have this information for you on the average life of their products used in different industries. This information could be used to increase sales of their products if they have reasonable data to support their claims. However the standard for quality, where wear or age of the textile is not obvious, has been 300+ washings on quality blended sheets and 100-150 washings on quality terry towels.