Ever wondered why Indian Railways provides white bed sheets in its trains

Trains are the most common and widely used mode of transportation across India. When it comes to long distances and overnight travel, we often use bed linen provided by the railways including blankets, bedsheets and pillows.

At some point, many of us have used the blankets provided with bedrolls in the air-conditioned compartments of Indian Railways. These bedrolls and pillow covers are washed daily and given fresh to each passenger on the train. Have you ever wondered why the bed sheets and the pillow covers provided to you are always white? Indian Railways always hand out white sheets and covers for your journey.

Contrary to what you may think, this is not a random coincidence but a well planned strategy of the Railways. Let us tell you the reason behind it. Indian Railways operates a vast number of trains on a daily basis, requiring the use of several thousand bedsheets and pillowcases each day. These linen items are provided to passengers in compartments and are collected after a single use for cleaning the next day.

The cleaning process involves specialized machines equipped with large boilers that generate steam at a temperature of 121 degrees Celsius. The bedsheets are subjected to this steam for 30 minutes, ensuring they are thoroughly sterilized.

This intense cleaning process has led Indian Railways to prefer white bed sheets over coloured ones. White bedsheets are found to be more suitable for such rigorous washing conditions. They respond better to bleaching, which is necessary to maintain hygiene and cleanliness.

The harsh washing process, which includes exposure to high temperatures and strong detergents, can cause colored fabrics to fade or become dull. In contrast, white bed sheets can be bleached effectively, retaining their brightness and giving the fabric a clean, lustrous appearance despite repeated washes.

By opting for white bedsheets, Indian Railways ensures that the linen provided to passengers are not only sterile but also visually appealing.

Apart from that, using different colored bed sheets would require washing them separately to prevent colors from mixing. If washed together, the colors could bleed, and mix with each other.