BED SHEETS
What to Look For When Buying New Sheets Other Than The Thread Count
Don’t lose sleep over making the right choice when purchasing sheets
--
Thread count
Completely ignore thread count. Most are made up. Do you know who regulates thread counts to ensure they are accurate? Nobody. I’m skeptical when I see anything anything over 1000 thread count claiming to be 100% cotton because that’s impossible.
Thread count is how many threads there are in a one inch by one inch square going in both directions. One way to fudge thread count is by using a 3 ply yarn where there’s 3 ultra narrow threads vs 1 strong one.
Using a singly ply 100% cotton yarn 680 would the maximum with current manufacturing techniques. You really bought bed sheets at a gas station? Oh, it was the county fair. 2000 thread count? 3 dollars more than the 1500 thread count? Neat.
Buying online
If you don’t know the brand, buying online is a crap shoot. After selling mattresses for 5 years I laughed at my girlfriend for buying a 30 dollar king size sheet set on Amazon and having the audacity to call it comfortable. When they arrived I couldn’t believe it. They felt almost as good as the $200 sheets I bought for my bed from the mattress store.
You get what you pay for.
They were a cotton polyester blend so they didn’t perform as well. While soft to the touch, they had no stretch or give. And they also slept warm. But for the money it was a great value.
Feel around
Touch the sheets. Not just rubbing one side. Take enough out so you can feel them between your fingers. Is it thick? Does it have any stretch to it? Run your fingers over it. You can’t do that online. Online is a crap shoot unless you know the brand.
Material
Personally, I like my sheets cotton. The polyester blend feels better and is cheaper but cotton is cooler. I prefer the cooler, softer and less common Pima over the stronger Egyptian cotton. Supima cotton is the best of both worlds. Wool is great for the cold, just remember to take them off when it gets warm.
So what’s the right sheet?
The only sheets I can recommend are Dreamfit. They aren’t cheap but you get what you pay for. I did not receive anything nor will I for saying this. It’s just the most comfortable sheets I’ve owned and I believe their thread count to be accurate.
In the budget category the Amazon Basics sheets are good. I can’t recommend them but I do understand not everyone has over one hundred bucks to spend on sheets.
