I need an education on bed linens!

[Lynnchee]

Does a higher thread count in a single ply translate to softer, cooler sheets?

I need a duvet and sheet set, and I like my bed to feel soft and cool - not warm. What kind of material and TC should I be looking for?

I find it confusing that a high thread count would yield softer sheets. In my train of thought, the more threads you pack in an inch, the stiffer and less breathability you get. How does this not apply to bed linens?

I have personally never had bed sheets with a TC higher than 500 - and I don''t know how many ply they are. Does anyone know and feel a real difference regarding higher thread count vs lower thread count sheets?

I''ve had a silk duvet before and I really hated it. It was cool to begin with, but quickly got warm and too hot through the night. Plus, I kept snagging it.

Furthermore, how do you know that what you''re getting is a TRUE thread count anyway? There are tons of internet stores that boast 1000TC Egyptian cotton sheets for less than $100. Seems too good to be true.

 

[AmberGretchen]

lynchee - I''m sure that others will know/be able to explain more than me, but here''s my experience and limited knowledge, for what its worth.

Higher thread counts do tend to be softer for sure, but I think the quality of cotton and other factors have an effect, because definitely one place''s 500TC is WAY softer than another places 500TC. In terms of having a cool but still breathable feeling, I''d strongly recommend looking into a cotton sateen. The sateen is just the finish on the cotton - it makes it smoother, and "cooler" to the touch, but since its 100% cotton, its still very breathable.

I was always told that you shouldn''t go below 250 TC as a basic quality and durability measure, but above that the choice is more personal.

The nicest cotton sateen sheets I''ve ever found were the Hotel brand, I believe they are 500 or 600 TC, insanely soft and smooth, but cool to the touch. They often go on sale at Macy''s and you can get great deals there. I''d also check The Loehman''s Website because sometimes they have them too.

I hope that helps a bit!

 

[somethingshiny]

I am a sheet snob! I developed this over the last several years, since moving out of my parents house, and sleeping au naturel.

Thread count refers to the number of threads in one square inch of the sheet. The higher the count, the more closely woven the fibers. This is your first indication of a soft sheet.

But, don''t stop there!! The true indicator of softness is the KIND of cotton the sheet is made of.

Muslin- Kids sheets are usually made of muslin. Low end, low quality, blah sheets.

Combed cotton- they can get you with this because it''s sold as a "purer" cotton. It is cleaned in a way that produces short fibers. So, yes, it is "pure" as far as having impurities removed. But, it doesn''t make a soft sheet.

Percale~ Similar to Combed Cotton, but not sold as such. Think Walmart sheet.

Pima and Supima- A long fibered sheet that is similiar to Egyptian Cotton, but not quite as soft.

Egyptian Cotton~ The king of sheets. It really is grown along the Nile and has extra long fibers. This is the smoothest and softest sheet.

Sateen- a finish that can be put on sheets. Creates a smooth hand without the slippery feeling of satin.

Satin- Yes, they''re fun, but they''re very slippery and hard to keep in or on the bed.

Fiber length is the gold in bedding. A shorter fiber could have a higher TC but would be rougher than a longer fiber in a lower TC.

I have 600tc in a pima that isn''t as soft as my 350 in Egyptian cotton.

And, I have no problem opening up the sheets in the store and sliding my hand around in them.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Date: 7/2/2008 10:55:30 PM
Author: somethingshiny

And, I have no problem opening up the sheets in the store and sliding my hand around in them.

Ditto to this! Its really the best way to get a true sense of what the sheets will feel like.

Somethingshiny - thanks for the knowledgeable post. I, too, am something of a sheet snob but have always preferred flannel. Since we live in San Francisco, its what we use almost year-round. I have discovered I have to have really high quality 6 oz (instead of the usual 5 oz) flannel to be happy - Lands'' End makes the best I''ve found so far, super thick and super soft

Its funny about the flannel thing, I think I was just born with it because my mom tells me that I preferred it even as a baby - she said when she would (finally) get me to sleep as a baby, if she tried to put me down on regular cotton sheets, I woke up crying, but flannel I would stay asleep

 

[miraclesrule]

Somethingshiny: I've never met a "Sheet snob" ahahaha, I love it!!

I am really picky about linens too, and I have to open them before I will buy them. I have felt some horrible stuff that were advertised as Egyptian Cotton, but seemed more like sandpaper to me.

I don't know why, but some of the softest sheets I have ever slept on were Martha Stewart Sateen Cotton sheets. They weren't cheap, but they weren't crazy expensive like some of the ones I've seen on the market.

Do you find that plain sheets are the best, or do you ever go for striped or polka dot? I always feel as if I will be able to feel them. I think I am the Princess in Princess and the Pea.

Amber: I used to looooveee flannel sheets, until I started getting hotflashes

Good luck sheet shopping !! You spend a third of your life in bed...it's worth splurging.

 

[Lynnchee]

Thank you for that informative post. So many different kinds of material. The one thing that no one has noted yet is Bamboo cotton. Anyone have any experience with this? Though, the highest TC for bamboo is 300 - that I could find anyway.

I am interested in the Bamboo because of it''s wicking ability. Especially useful when I get night sweats.

Though, I''ve never seen or felt these products in person. I can only find them online. I think I will go ahead and buy the bamboo as the duvet and see how I like it. There''s a 30 day satisfaction guarantee on them.

As for the sheets, I think I will take everyone''s advice and go to Macy''s or something and stick my hand in the sheet sets to get a better feel. Does Macy''s carry the luxury brands that get up to 1000TC?

And how would I address the issue regarding whether the TC you''re purchasing is a true TC in a single ply? Will fiber length be noted on all packages? I''ve asked a salesperson over the phone these questions before and they had no idea what I was talking about. She sounded annoyed. I guess, to her, sheets are just sheets. Put them on the bed and just go to sleep already.

So, I figured PS would be a great place to get an unbiased opinion. Just as we are finicky about diamonds, i''m sure many of us are finicky about bedding too!

 

[oobiecoo]

I think I''m in the minority here, but I prefer lower thread counts and non-sateen(usually). The best sheets I''ve ever had were a cotton polyester blend in about 250 thread count and they were crisp and cool and didn''t pill like many sateen sets I''ve had.

My friend has some bamboo sheets and loves them... they stay cool but not as "crisp" as I normally like. Maybe I''m just weird

I may be wrong but I think the fiber length just depends on whether it is a pima or egyptian cotton. Egyptian is longer.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I have had really good luck with bamboo and especially modal fibers. Modal is made from beech trees and the BB&B carries jersey sheets made out of them that are the softest I have ever used, even consumer reports say they are the softest they have tested. Because it is a natural fiber it breathes prettey well, but not really well.

We have bamboo/cotton towels and in my opinion, they are substancially softer than plain cotten, but I don''t know how that translates to sheets.

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 7/3/2008 1:32:33 PM
Author: brazen_irish_hussy
I have had really good luck with bamboo and especially modal fibers. Modal is made from beech trees and the BB&B carries jersey sheets made out of them that are the softest I have ever used, even consumer reports say they are the softest they have tested. Because it is a natural fiber it breathes prettey well, but not really well.

We have bamboo/cotton towels and in my opinion, they are substancially softer than plain cotten, but I don''t know how that translates to sheets.

I am a 100% modal sheet kinda girl. They aren''t really expensive but they are so soft I can''t sleep on cotton sheets anymore. They stay relatively cool but not too cool (good thing for Indiana Fall & Winter). They are also wrinkle-free. They only have sheets, not duvets or comforters, but you could pick a good quality one of those to match. They also have a sateen line they came out with fairly recently. I have given several sets to my friends as wedding/birthday/etc. gifts and they become hooked!

 

[bebe]

I saved this info ages ago. I have some more if you want.
I have been looking for a nice sheet set and matching duvet with shams that won''t set me back 1500.00
It''s hard, especially since I want it in ivory with old gold simple detailing, kinda like hotel sheeting.

I bought one set at Macy''s. I just spent 2 days ironing the duvet and shams, then the top sheet and 4 pillowcases!
I still want a nice set, and I will get one eventually. But in my case, you get what you pay for!! There were loose
threads everywhere and sloppy seams. It was not the quality it should have been.

I have bought from Overstock - total disappointment. Nothing wrong with the sheets, but not what I wanted. I''ve also bought from a specialty linen store, again the product was not quite what the salesman said it was. They were a 500 ct, but were very heavy and not as silky feeling as they should have been.

keep us posted and if you have any question, just ask. I''ve looked a lot and might have something saved in my bedding files!




The Truth About Thread Count

Over the last several years the focus on thread count has dominated the bedding marketplace. The numbers have kept going up… first we wanted 400 thread count, then 600 thread count… and now everyone wants 1000 thread count. The sad truth is that by focusing only on thread count the customer is not getting the best product. In fact, thread count is not even the most important quality indicator.

Sheeting Quality Indicators

1. Fiber Quality
2. Yarn Size
3. Finishing
4. Thread Count & Construction

Fiber Quality: 100% cotton sheets are by far the most popular and widely used type of sheets. (We do also like silk, cotton/silk, modal and linen; but we’re going to focus on 100% cotton.) There is a huge variety in the quality of 100% cotton sheets. The highest quality cotton is long staple cotton. Staple refers to the length of the cotton fiber; the longer the fiber the better because it creates stronger and finer yarns. Among long staple cottons, the longest are Pima and Egyptian. Also note that not all Egyptian cotton is long staple, only the cotton grown in designated areas (Giza lots) is of the premium quality that is associated with "Egyptian cotton".

Yarn Size: The fineness of each yarn is what the term yarn size refers to - the higher the yarn size, the finer the yarn. (think of men’s suiting where they often speak of 100s wool etc) Finer yarns allow for lighter, more supple fabric. Higher thread counts are created with finer yarns, as more of them can be woven into a square inch. Also, super fine yarns can be twisted together, creating 2 ply yarns that can then be woven into sheeting. When 2 ply yarns are made with a very high yarn size, they make a nice product that is not at all weighty or blanket-like.

Finishing: After the cotton yarns are woven into a fabric, the fabric needs to be finished. This includes singeing and mercerizing. The singeing process is vital; it burns off the tiny fuzz that can later develop into pilling on your sheets. Mercerizing is a treatment conducted under tension, in order to increase strength, luster, and affinity for dye. Bed lines of lesser quality may not be singed or mercerized. High quality bed linens will always be.

Thread Count & Construction: Thread count is simply the number of threads per square inch of fabric. These consist of vertical threads (warp) and horizontal threads (weft) woven together. Construction refers to how the thread count is achieved (# of warp and weft yarns, # of picks in the weft, use of 2 ply yarns etc.) To achieve higher thread counts, sometimes 2 ply yarns are used and sometimes multiple yarns (picks) are inserted into the weft. In weave quality terms alone, the best fabric will be made with single ply yarns and have a single pick. The highest thread count you can get with this type of construction is 360. Above that, 2 ply yarns and/or multi-picks must be used.

weft & warp

In a quality product, the incremental comfort value of increasing thread count over 300 is very little. A 300 thread count can feel far superior to a 1000 thread count. Thread count has become a simple metric used by marketing people to capture interest and impress with high numbers. The problem with mass produced high thread count sheets is that to keep the price down, important elements of quality must be sacrificed, meaning in the end the customer gets a product with an impressive thread count but that probably feels no better (or even worse) than something with a lower thread count.

How does this happen?

* Weaving with 2 ply yarns that do not have a high enough yarn size so the end product feels heavy and blanket-like.
* Inserting multiple yarn threads into the weft. These are usually visible to the naked eye. We’ve heard of as many as 8. This practice reduces the quality of the fabric; it seems less tightly woven despite its higher thread count.

Lately, the sheeting market has been focusing on "Single Ply" as a selling point because customers are catching on to the fact that high thread count does not necessarily equate to quality. But sheets made with single ply yarns with 6 to 8 picks do not result in the best feeling weave. There is no simple answer to the thread count, ply and pick game; there are thousands of combinations that will make a beautiful product. Keep in mind that with higher thread counts, price and quality do go hand in hand. An extremely high thread count sheet at a very low price is exactly what it sounds like: too good to be true. This is not to say that you have to spend a small fortune for quality sheets - just don''t fall into the thread count trap. Unfortunately, a lot of companies don''t make it easy to be well informed. At Linenplace, we do our best to present you with all the information you need to find the product that''s right for you. We would like to encourage our customers to focus less on thread count and more on the other quality indicators (fiber quality, yarn size, finishing and construction). We believe you will get a better, more comfortable product that truly represents quality and value.

 

[somethingshiny]

Date: 7/3/2008 1:44:58 AM
Author: miraclesrule
Somethingshiny: I've never met a 'Sheet snob' ahahaha, I love it!!


Do you find that plain sheets are the best, or do you ever go for striped or polka dot? I always feel as if I will be able to feel them. I think I am the Princess in Princess and the Pea.

Amber: I used to looooveee flannel sheets, until I started getting hotflashes

I love my flannel sheets in the winter time, too. I have to have the really heavy soft ones. And, actually, I found the best flannel sheets at Linens & Things.

I am REALLY hypersensitive to clothes and bedding. DH says I'm the Princess, and btw, Pea is his nickname. (nothing gross though). I have a set of Dobby Stripe sheets that I CAN feel the stripe in. When I slide my legs against the stripe (like opposite of its length), I can feel where each stripe starts. But, they're really soft and one of my favorite sets. So, even though I can feel the stripe, it's not bothersome. I have huge issues with wrinkles in the sheets, too. That will actually wake me up to feel a wrinkle. So, I also try to get the wrinkle resistant sheets. But, with all of my sheets, when I dry them I put tennis balls and fabric softener in with them. It beats them soft and wrinkle free. Then I just fold them right away.


Lynchee~ From what I've experienced, most sales people in the bedding industry don't really know what's going on. It's something I've figured out on my own through the years. A good brand of sheet (which doesn't have to be the $500 brand) will list what material (Supima, Egyptian, etc.) Many brands will also list as "long fiber" or "long staple". As far as the ply, that's as varied as thread count in terms of how it will actually feel.

I like the Hotel brand and Linen's and Things higher end sheets. I've had bad luck with Overstock, QVC, and places like Penneys. But, like I said, I'm a sheet snob, and it takes a lot to make me happy in the bedroom.

 

[bebe]

ya know, now that I think about it, the softest set of sheets we have owned were Charisma.
I think they lasted about 8 yrs. They were so soft and silky, but poor things, were starting to look 12 yrs old!!

The last time I looked at the Charisma brand, they didn''t seem to be as nice as our old set.
Anyway, I''m still searching for the perfect sheet. I hear Sferra is good, as well as Anchinni (sp).
There are 20 or so top manufacturers, but you do have to pay through the nose. But if they last many
years, then it''s a good investment.