We have some jersey t-shirt sheets for winter, and Amazon Basics cotton blend for summer. I really like the Amazon ones, and the queensize set was less than $30. They’re noticeably cooler.
If you like smooth sheets, your laundering is important. Get them straight off the line or out of the dryer and on to the bed right away. If you fold them up, or worse, leave them bundled up in the laundry basket, they’ll crease and crumple until the next time you wash them.
I have two sets of true 1200 TC sheets. Both are extremely tightly woven, and have a definite body (when you flick them, they don’t flop.)
In one set, this was achieved by using extremely fine threads. Those are very smooth and fine, so thin you can literally read through them if the light is bright enough. Those are light and smooth and wonderful for hot Summer nights.
In the second set, the threads are normal and the warp is just ridiculously tight. They are so thick and crisp that the weight of them is a shock in your arms. It’s easily five times the weight you are expecting when you gather up an armload of sheets. I knew they were perfect for me when I saw all the complaints online about them being too heavy. The Duvet cover from this set is a perfect Summertime blanket all by itself. Those are my personal favorite.
It sounds like you are looking for a thickish cotton percale. When you feel them, make sure they feel smooth rather than soft. If they feel soft even before the first washing then there are too many loose thread ends, and they will pill.
The reason folks are recommending Egyptian cotton is because they have a long growing season, and therefore produce longer fibres. Long fibres means fewer loose thread ends to tangle and pill up. Get the 600 thread count if it’s not too dear. I usually end up at overstock.com for sheets, but caveat emptor, check the fibre content. Sometimes it will say “Egyptian Cotton” which is true, there is some, but the rest is 80% polyester or Rayon. Bamboo is rayon too. Some people really like the silkiness of it, but it’s not for me.
Above all, if you are getting a fitted bottom sheet, be sure you measure the thickness of the mattress. Mattresses can vary from 4" to 16" deep. You need to make sure that the pocket is deep enough, or else making the bed will be a nightmarish chore.
Good luck!
Thread count numbers have become complete BS. It’s difficult to make meaningful comparisons between what’s available. I’ve been disappointed with some rather expensive sheets and kinda feel defeated even trying anymore. My standard now have been sheets from Costco, not the best I’ve had but pretty good and an excellent value.
Not really. It’s a fairly recent gimmick/myth:
Flannel, as soft as you can get. In the winter, the top sheet is soft and warm with a blanket or comforter over it. In the summer, just use the sheet with no blanket over it. Kick the thermostat down and sleep nice and comfy.
Jersey knit sheets are almost as good.
Crisp is for potato chips, not bedding!
While a low thread count can mean that the sheets are loosely woven, a really high thread count is just a marketing gimmick. What manufacturers do is use a multi-ply thread, instead of a single ply. So what was a 125 thread count sheet might be marketed as a 500 thread count sheet, if they are using 4-ply thread. Think about it, is it even possible to weave a cloth that has 1000 threads (horizontal + vertical) in a square inch of material?
I find I do best by running my hands over the sample of sheet. Most stores now have samples attached to the shelves, or the carrying bag for the sheets is make of out the same material, so you can touch it. Find something that doesn’t feel rough, or cheap.
I also find that we wear through fitted sheets much faster than the flat sheets. It seems to be caused by rough heels and toe nails. So if I can, I buy an extra fitted sheet. I also buy an extra set of pillow cases, because we have more than 2 pillows on our bed.
I like 100% Polyester Microfiber sheets. They’re soft, they’re nicely cool, and they’re not ridiculously expensive. Cotton sheets or cotton blend never feel as smooth and soft as those to me, and the satiny or silky ones make me sweat.
Our mileage may vary, of course. I hate flannel sheets. Soft sheets feel clammy to me. Crisp feels clean and fresh.
Regarding the thread count discussion: it seems to me that using multi-ply thread can still make a difference in how the sheet feels and lasts. If the single-ply thread is the same thickness as the 4-ply thread (if that’s possible) the 4-ply would still be smoother, I think. If the single-ply thread is smaller, then the weave will be noticeably looser. I say this with no expertise at all. In any case, I have learned to stay away from anything below 200 thread count, they have always been a little too rough for my tender skin, or else too flimsy to last.
It sounds like you are looking for a crisp cotton sheet set. Know your bed size before you buy; check to see if it’s a pillow top, they need deeper pockets in a fitted sheet. If you use a mattress pad the deep pockets may be needed anyway.
Wash them before use and don’t bother w/ fabric softener at any step - if they’re cotton all it will do is make them smell. To keep the crisp feeling, use the lowest possible setting in the dryer and they’ll last much longer.
If they deform from washing, return them; it’s unlikely, but it happens even when the sheets look perfect in the package.
Look for a solid color, that style is likely to last and any pillow cases will go nicely w/ them regardless. If the set comes w/ pillow cases, wash everything at the same time for the color to wear evenly rather than washing the cases more often for example.
For me personally, I like not having to worry about fitted sheets in any way, so I just got king size flat sheets since I tuck both top and bottom sheets when I make the bed already. But I wouldn’t blame you for wanting a 4 piece set for your first new sheets!
So, as usual, the responses are all over the map.
But thank you.
I like crisp sheets that stay that way. I used to be a total thread count whore but I’ve discovered that the IKEA Dvala cotton sheets are the ones I go to by preference over every other set I own–and I have Egyptian cotton 800 TC and flannel and knit sheets as well as the IKEA ones. They’re cheap, they’re super comfortable, they wash and wear like iron, they’re deep enough to handle IKEA mattresses, which are pretty thick, and the pillow cases have the neat little pockets so the pillow stays inside and nothing bunches up. My only quibble is that the color selection is a little “meh,” but aside from that it’s nothing but applause from me.
While you’re at IKEA, get a light summer weight down comforter, a nice cotton duvet cover and some down pillows. You can get all of this for what I’ve seen a single set of sheets priced at, and you’ll be using them for years. I have all this stuff and an IKEA mattress as well, and I’ve never in my life slept so well.
Completely disagree, high thread count is mostly a marketing gimmick. I can’t stand most of the stuff marketed as high thread count (the 1000-1200 count stuff), and it’s more expensive than what I do like. Just feel the sheets and find a material that you like the touch of, personally I like crisp non-sateen cotton sheets in the 400-600 thread count range.
Yarns and strings are made up of threads. Threads are made up of yarns or strings. Which means that you can buy an 1200 thread count which is made up 300 4-ply yarns.
You can buy cheap high thread count sheets. They aren’t any better than any other cheap sheet.
I just buy cheap sheets for Walmart for my personal use. I couldn’t even tell you what the thread count is because I never bother to look. I do machine wash and dry the sheets before I put them my bed though; it helps soften them help before I have to sleep on them.
We’d never heard of “thread counts” before about 15 years or so ago, then the term seemed to pop up everywhere. So we bought some very high thread-count sheets but were not impressed. There must be some other factor that governs softness or comfort.
I’m generally happy with the various sheets Target sells. I’ve had both their store brand Threshold line and their Nate Burkus line. Both of them seem to hit a good balance between price, comfort, durability, ease of care, and other nice little features (such as tags which tell you which are the top/bottom and which are the sides). I like flannel, but not in the summer, and I can’t stand microfiber.
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