Expensive bed sheets can be worth the money if they are made from high-quality materials like mulberry silk, Egyptian cotton, bamboo, or linen because they can help to regulate your temperature, keep you dry, soothe your skin, be kinder to your hair, guard against allergies, and last a long time.
Investing in luxury linens can help you stay cool and comfortable throughout the night, leaving you less prone to overheating and waking up in the middle of the night. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you're a cold sleeper, the right duvets and sheets can keep you warm and cozy.
The two most important factors that make luxury bed linen expensive, and differentiate it from regular bedding, are the quality of the fabric and the craftsmanship. This applies to any sheet, whether it's made from cotton, silk, or natural fibers such as bamboo.
The quality of your sheets can make all the difference for comfortable sleep. At night, our body expends heat and it is important to choose bedding that doesn't trap the heat. When sheets trap body heat, the internal temperature of the body rises making one sweat and eventually wake up.
A nice set should cost about the same as percale, between $50 and $150 for a queen, but the thread count should be between 300 and 600 (the weave requires more threads per square inch).
What's the best thread count for sheets? In our tests, top-rated bed sheets often have thread counts between 300 and 500. Anything above 500 isn't necessarily better (so don't be deceived when you see thread counts over 1,500), and on the flip side, you can still find quality sheets with thread counts under 300.
Anything with a thread count nearing (or above) 1000 thread count is almost certain to be significantly lower quality than sheets with a more reasonable number. Most fabrics with a thread count over 600 are a sign of deceptive marketing tactics at work.
If you use a sheet set every day of the year, you'll need to replace it after about two years. However, luxury cotton sheets, like percale and sateen, can offer another year or so of use. And with linen, you'll get three to five years — sometimes more.
With this in mind, most experts recommend buying new sheets every two to three years if you're buying sheets of standard quality.
Luxury sheets often have a percale or sateen weave. Percale is crisp and cool with a matte finish, while sateen is soft and smooth with a lustrous finish on one side. The weave can also affect the breathability and weight of the sheets. The feel of luxury sheets is determined by the materials, weave, and thread count.
Luxury hotels and yachts dress their beds with Frette, so you should too. Historically, Frette linens have been featured everywhere from the altar of St. Peter's Basilica to the dining car of the Orient Express, and more than 500 European royal families have slept beneath its sheets.
Cotton is the best material for bed sheets. Top of the line is 100 percent Egyptian cotton. Second best is 100 percent pima cotton, also known by the trademarked name Supima.
One of the main reasons why hotel beds are so deliciously comfortable is because they are covered in luxurious and premium soft sheets. The management opts for light, silky, breathable, and crisp material such as silk or Egyptian cotton with a thread count of 300 or higher because of their excellent softness.
Oprah loves the Cozy Earth bamboo sheet set for its soft comfort and breathable, moisture-wicking fabric.
Oprah loves Cozy Earth for their ultra soft, breathable bedding that is perfect for hot sleepers because it helps keep your body cool while you snooze. The hypoallergenic sheets, pillow cases, duvet covers and comforters are made from 100% viscose from bamboo that feels degrees cooler than cotton.
Sheets should be completely replaced after 2-3 years.
Visible signs of wear and tear (thinning, yellowing, fading) are the most obvious indicators your sheets are past their prime, but you might start to feel the decline as well, which can disrupt your oh-so-important sleep.
Most people should wash their sheets once per week. If you don't sleep on your mattress every day, you may be able to stretch this to once every two weeks or so. Some people should wash their sheets even more often than once a week.
Is it okay to change your bed sheets once a month? While your specific sheet changing habits might vary a little bit depending on your lifestyle, your body, and your preferences, most experts agree you should change your sheets every week or every two weeks.
In addition to being more durable, hotel style sheets often have a more luxurious feel than home bedding. This is due to the higher quality of the fabric and they're more tightly woven, resulting in a smoother and more comfortable surface.
High thread count sheets are hot for two reasons; 1) the amount of cotton in the sheet making them thick. 2) the sateen weave which while soft/silky, doesn't breathe and traps heat. If you're always cold at night, high thread count sateen sheets are a great choice.
Generally, the higher the thread count, the softer the sheet, and the more likely it will wear well — or even soften — over time. Good sheets range anywhere from 200 to 800, although you'll occasionally see numbers over 1,000.
The microfiber polyester fabric is very soft and feels great at first touch. When compared to cotton, polyester is much more wrinkle resistant. After just one pass with the iron, these sheets were totally wrinkle-free, and they stayed looking presentable even after a night's sleep.
The highest thread count you should look for is 1,000. Anything above that number is unnecessary and often lower quality. This is because manufacturers use thinner cotton to cram in as many threads as possible, increasing the ply or the number of single threads twisted together.
A sheet of a better-quality fiber with a lower thread count will feel softer and stand up to washing better than a sheet of a lower-quality fiber with a higher thread count.” It will also let air flow through the weave, giving you superior breathability and allowing for a more comfortable sleep.