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Does anyone know the secret of finding good quality bed sheets to buy? I've spent several hours on line and the reviews are off-putting: hems falling apart, mismatched fabric, dye washing out, pilling. Pilling? Really? I've never had sheets pill and it is a very common complaint.
And what is all this nonsense about the sheets having to be washed in cold water?
The same complaints are made about sheets in a large range of prices from $39 to $160. I thought I'd just bite the bullet and pay for good sheets, but reviews at the higher prices are complaints about the same flaws as the cheap ones.
I'm not a big fan of sateen. I need the deep pockets and the only thing I've found that is not sateen is one (one!) ad for percale sheets.
I've tried Macy's and Costco which have always been my go-to places. Obviously Costco is no longer selling the same sheets as the set I got 20 years ago that is still good, but no longer the right size for my bed.
I recently bit the bullet and purchased linen sheets that cost $300 from Anthropologie online. Love.
I also purchased a simple cotton set, made by Target (There’s a sale online now!) called Simply Shabby Chic, 100% cotton , don’t know thread count and don’t care. It is a very light cotton that feels wonderful in a very old fashioned way, and if I have to replace them after a short lifespan, then so be it- they feel and wash THAT GOOD. They were super inexpensive but to me they feel like heaven. I think I will go get another set (sets) for such time as they do wear out. It will be a bargain for something I really, really like.
Also if you have Tuesday Morning you might try them. I’ve been happy with the Peacock Alley brand, but I’ve only tried their blankets.
I’ve also considered The Company Store online.
So, maybe you need to experiment with several brands, price ranges and content and just buy what ‘feels’ good?
And what is all this nonsense about the sheets having to be washed in cold water?
This is a large part of why I want to see sheets sold ala carte.
White for the fitted sheets and some pillow cases -- to be washed in HOT with bleach.
Colors & prints for top sheets and the other pillowcases -- cold water is okay.
Quote:
The same complaints are made about sheets in a large range of prices from $39 to $160.
Yep. The "nice" ones fail at about the same rate as the 'cheap" ones.
I recently bit the bullet and purchased linen sheets that cost $300 from Anthropologie online. Love. ............ I agree - hate sateen, hate percale.
When I read up on percale and sateen I discovered that this describes the way the sheets are woven. For sateen, the threads in one direction in the weave number much fewer than the threads in the second direction that runs perpendicular. That lets the fabric "slide" a little (on a microscopic scale, lol) which to many people feels soft and luxurious. Meanwhile percale is the classic weave that you would expect from the old days with threads in one direction numbering the same as in the cross-direction. When this is cotton it feels "crisp" to us. For example, https://www.thomasleesheets.com/perc...sateen-sheets/
The thread count refers to number of parallel threads per inch. More threads per inch means thinner threads and fewer means thicker. Thicker threads (fewer per inch) can mean stiffer fabric which some like and others feel is cheap.
Then you have the actual threads: linen, bamboo, cotton, synthetic. Synthetic can feel silky if you like that, while very dry or very sweaty skin might not. Pima refers to the subtype of cotton species producing the fiber when ginned. Pima are more advanced breeding leading to longer fiber from the cotton seeds. Yes, "cotton" comes from the hairs on cotton seeds.
So many options, something for everyone. I loved the cotton, low thread count percale (LL Bean has these), but found that the hemmed part up at the top of the bed got impossibly and permanently bunched up after several washings. It is like a wad of scratchy sheet right at chin level. So now I switched to the thinner cotton threads of the medium thread count from a department store. YMMV.
I have more trouble getting the fitted sheets to fit. Now they make too many sized mattresses "depth" wise and the fitted sheets no longer fit right. It drives me crazy.
I've had expensive and cheaper sheets. I see no huge difference in how long they last as long as you don't buy the cheapest.
I hate the super-soft "grabby" kind of cotton sheets now - some even say "tshirt" sheets. It seems hard to find crisp, heavy percale.
Girl, I was on a mission to find the crisp, cool, heavy sheets that I recalled from my grandmother's house.
I finally found a good option at Bed Bath and Beyond. They carry percale sheets that are nice. You have to specifically look for percale.
I wash our percale sheets in hot water and then air dry them outside in the sun. OMG. Heaven. They smell fabulous and feel like only percale can feel - like you say, crisp and a bit heavy, but FABULOUS. They don't wrinkle badly at all, and we've had them for three years now and they're holding up really well.
They were about $200 for our king size bed, maybe $250 with the pillowcases. They are sold separately in various colors.
The only sheets that are like the ones I grew up with are the ones I grew up with.
You can find unopened packages of sheets from the 50s-60s-70s on eBay. It's amazing. I don't like those super-depth mattresses anyway.
Bonus points if you like retro prints!
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