Last year, I bought three sets of high thread count sheets from Overstock.com. The first is 800 count and soft, almost like flannel. Those are about 18 months old, now. The other two I got last Christmas. They are 1200 count, heavy and smooth.
Within the last month all three fitted sheets have begun to disintegrate. I’ve never bleached them, I wash them in cold water.
What did I do wrong?
The same thing happens to us. We have gone through 3 sets of sheets since we started buying high thread count. They feel much much better but don’t last as long.
One thing that did help was putting a separate casing over our down featherbed topper. I think the down bits were rubbing on the sheets and wearing them out faster. But, even after doing this, the sheets do still wear out faster than lower thread counts.
This shouldn’t be the case at all, but I’m at a loss to explain why it’s happening to you. Do you line dry them outside? Maybe the sun is hastening their demise. If it’s just the fitted sheets, could it be that your body sweat is causing it? Are they reputable brands? In other words, are you really getting the higher thread count advertised? (You can’t really check without a microscope and a whooooooole lot of patience, but in one square inch of fabric there should be the number of threads stated on the package. Usually half in the warp (up/down direction) and half in the weft (across direction) for a plain weave.)
It stands to reason that in order to achieve a higher thread count, the manufacturer may be simply using a thinner thread - rather than the assumed method of weaving an equivalent thread more tightly. I think this is why high-thread-count sheets have dropped in price so much.
If the individual threads are thinner, it’s make sense that they’d fray quicker.
When was the last time you shaved the calluses on your heels?
Also, this is a nice quick explanation about thread count and just what it means/doesn’t mean.
Generally, high thread count should be paired with a nice quality material. I prefer Pima cotton - the one set of Egyptian cotton sheets I have is pilling, which pisses me off no end. I also go for sateen weave, as I find it softer.
The best sheets I can remember getting were from a Springmaid/Wamsutta factory seconds store. Only 250 threadcount, but Pima cotton, sateen weave. They lasted for probably 7 or 8 years, but the fitted sheets definitely went first - right at where my overgenerous hips would cause the most friction (during sleep, and get yer minds out of the gutter). Also showed substantial wear down at foot position, and I can feel when my heels need an appointment with a pumice stone.
I’ve been looking at modal and bamboo lately, but haven’t had a chance to form an opinion on those yet. Modal feels nice, but looking closely, I can see a lot of loose fibers, which contribute to pilling.
Anyway, I don’t scrimp on sheets. If I’m going to spend 1/3 of my life in bed, I want to be as comfortable as possible. 
I have bought 3 different brands, from Bed Bath and Beyond, and Macy’s. One was a sateen finish, the other 2 were not. They wear out in different spots each time, although there is always wear at edges of pillowcases. I machine wash, tumble dry like the tags indicate. We even have a new dryer now so there have been 2 different dryers. Same thing.
I guess picunurse and I just wear out our sheets! I still refuse to buy the cheap ones though!
Velma, my cheap ones have lasted for 20 years.
Hockey Monkey, The tears are in different places. The lastest was under the pillows.
Well, if your cheap ones are poly/cotton blend, then they are nigh indestructible. I do fabric crochet and my friend gave me an old set of sheets to tear up that she got for her wedding – 40 years ago. They were worn, but not torn.
Any type of 100% cotton will wear out faster than poly/cotton.
I’ve never had a problem with sheets wearing out. I don’t scrimp, but I’m not buying 1200 thread count either. I have noticed some very high thread count sheets for low prices lately.
We have a couple of sets of Ralph Lauren sateen that have lasted a good while. All are 100% cotton. I don’t think I do anything special regarding them.
I bought a set of the modal sheets for the guest room. Not bad, pretty comfortable. They get slept on maybe 30 days a year, no one has complained.
According to Consumer Reports thread counts above 400 are a sleight of hand scam.
If you bought high thread count sheets from Bed, Bath and Beyond, you might be eligible for a refund because of a class action settlement in the high thread count scam.
Our higher thread count sheets (around 500) are lasting for-frickin’ ever. Some of them are over five years old, used constantly, washed in a regular washer (some with and some without bleach), and usually hung to dry (sometimes put in the dryer), and they are in about as good a shape as when we bought them.
I see from the article that there may be problems with high thread count sheets like not breathing as well - I think we have a slight problem with that, but not bad. One thing I don’t like about the pillow cases is that they hold head grease far too well. I have to soak them in hot water then wash with dishwashing liquid to de-greasify them. So they’re not perfect, but ours aren’t wearing out.
Ha. I like that you can get a 20% off coupon as your settlement. You mean you will give me something you make freely available to everyone? Wow, thanks!
That probably does explain the ones from Bed Bath though. Those were the worst by far in terms of durability (but so soft!)
I’ve had bad luck with the premature wearing of higher thread count (though they were BB&B) sheets. My favorite sheets were an ugly floral set on sale at Kohl’s. They were so ugly no one bought them until I scooped them for cheap. Low thread count, ugly, but they were crisp, comfortable, not scratchy, and lasted for years.
Just as an FYI, the finer the thread is, the more costly it is to produce. That’s why high thread count sheets have always been more expensive. You are right…in order to get more threads in, the yarn has to be thinner. Using a thinner yarn in a lower count sheet will result in an inferior product, but in a 1000 or 1200 (or higher) count sheet, the results are exquisite.
The main reason the prices for this little luxury has been coming down is because they are mainly being manufactured overseas in China or Mexico where labor is much cheaper. I used to work in a plant here in NC that made very high end sheeting. That plant is now closed because the labor cost too much to be competitive.
I had this exact experience with high thread count overstock sheets. Mine started pilling after about 3 washings, and the color got splotchy (no bleach). I don’t know if their sheets are just poor quality or what.
On the other hand, I’ve got some wamsutta sheets that are about a decade old and have been in nearly constant use (I think they’re about 300 thread count), and they’re still in very good shape and very soft, so I’ll probably stick with that brand from now on.
Some. Some high thread count sheets are a scam. Not all. If the price for a set of high TC sheets seems too good to be true, it probably is. Quality workmanship is deserving of a higher price.
Do you have any reason to believe they’re not all a scam?
I was employed for several years by a company that manufactured high end sheets. I was involved in R&D as well as all aspects of the manufacturing. I have personally counted threads under a microscope as part of the R&D process. I know that it’s possible to achieve a higher thread count without cheating.
One of the sets, strangely, seems to be melting. My husband had the flu and threw up on it. I flushed it with water then, washed it immediately, in hot water, but no bleach. When it came out of the dryer, it looked like it had been soaked in battery acid. I know, vomit is acidic, but I’ve managed to save clothes that had actual battery acid on them by flushing with water immediately.