Whether it’s moving into a new apartment or switching your room up for fun, choosing the right bed sheets is actually really important. The thread count, style, conditions, and quality all play a role in the sleep you’ll be getting for the next few years.
The surprising truth is that choosing the right sheets actually comes down to hand feel, which involves the texture, drape, and perceived temperature. It can be determined easily with just the touch of your hand.
Picking Perfect Bed Sheets
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Determining Quality
You can’t always see the difference, but you can usually feel it. The fiber and yarn are what make and break the quality of bed sheets. Combed cotton and longer staple make cotton sheets silky and smooth. When the cotton feels like cotton, it’s called a “dry hand.” Choose what works best and is most comfortable for you, because you’re the one who will be sleeping on them.
Thread, Not Thread Count
If you want a sateen bed sheet, the good kind has a tight weave and the surface is smooth. When you touch it, it should feel somewhat warm, not wrinkle, and have a soft sheen on the surface.
A great percale will be cool when you touch it. Its fabric uses single-ply yarns so the surface is crisp and smooth without any ridges that are caused by plied yarns. Percale may wrinkle after washing, but putting a little water once the sheets are on the bed can take get rid of wrinkles.
Flannel sheets should have thicker, chunkier yarns that are packed in enough to allow for a lot of brushing or napping. The best flannel is napped many, many times, and the base fabric needs to have enough weight to it so all that brushing doesn’t destroy it. When you touch it, the surface should be soft. If you rub it with your fingers make sure it doesn’t pill up right away. All flannel sheets get rough after many washes, but the best kind will stay soft for as long as possible.
Jersey should not be too lightweight or thin cut. The yarns should be combed so the surface doesn’t pill, and the fabric should be finished in a relaxed state, not pulled out on a wide frame, or it will shrink and twist too much.
What type of sheets are your favorite? Share your thoughts with us and comment below.
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