I’ve gotta try this myself…
I bought some new sheets recently, ran them through a regular wash cycle before putting them on our bed, and immediately thought, wait, did I accidentally buy a negative thread count? They were so stiff and almost scratchy. After doing some hunting online, I did the following:
• Washed them on the hottest setting
• Used no detergent (the idea is that new sheets have chemicals on them and detergent just makes it worse)
• Added lots of fabric softener
• Dumped in a cup or so of baking soda during the wash cycle
• Took them out of the dryer as soon as they were dry, rather than leaving them to sit in there for a while
(via SundryBuzz.com)
Williamo's Blog 
We’re supposed to wash them before we use them??? Who kept this big secret from us, and why has it taken this long to come out or for me to know about it?
I love the feel of new sheets. I’m not sure I’d want to give that up to wash them beforehand. After all, there’s only a short window of opportunity to get that feel. It’s sorta like the new car smell, which makes it seem all worthwhile to pay the big bucks for a new car, instead of settling on a used one.
p.s.,
I’m sure it couldn’t have been a guy who wrote the above
I think you must buy higher thread-count sheets than I do; I can’t stand the feel of new sheets – they’re way too stiff. Maybe I should opt for the more plush sheets after all… 😉
You won’t be able to go back once you do 🙂