Your bedding is one of the most important items in your home. Nothing is as beneficial for your health as a good night's rest, and a fine sheet set on your bed can make all the difference. When people choose bed sheets, most often they look first for color, and why not--we all like pleasing colors, and beds are the focal point in any bedroom. Our favorite color can be an essential factor, but there is much more that goes into choosing sheets and sheet sets. This sheets buying guide has been created to provide you information on how to buy sheets and choose the right bedding for your needs.
Bed sheets today are beautiful, functional, colorful and best of all, they are washable. With the selection of designs, materials and colors available today, it is hard to believe that the original sheets were simply a piece of cloth laid over straw or another mattress material that was available. If the cloth was not washable, sheets were simply hung periodically over a clothesline to air out. Wealthy people could afford finer weaves in their sheets, often Egyptian cotton or silk sheets. Sheets of Egyptian cotton were prized for their strength and the ability to survive repeated washings.
With the advances of technology, sheets fabrics became more diverse and colorful. Sheet sets became popular, and later, matching bedcovers, such as comforters and duvet covers. Today, sheets come in an endless array of colors, patterns, fabrics and embellishments. Making our beds is now a completely creative experience with no boundaries except our individual choice.
Even though buying sheet sets or water bed sheets is mainly an easy task, don't look just for colored sheets or printed bed sheets when you choose bedding. The three most important qualities in choosing sheets are thread count, weave, and fabric. Read on to learn more about these qualities.
Thread count is the total threads which run horizontally and vertically in a square inch of fabric. Higher thread count indicates a tighter weave and lends softness to the material. A thread count of at least 200 makes a wonderful, long lasting sheet. Sheets with a thread count of 300-400 are a little nicer yet still affordable. 400-900 thread count sheets may cost a little more, but if it is softness you want, these sheets are wonderful. Thread counts of 1000 or more make very soft and smooth sheets, but the finer threads used to achieve this high thread count often make these types of sheets less durable.
Weave creates the texture of the fabric and affects the look and feel of the sheets. Percale sheets are woven closely in a kind of basket weave and have no gloss, creating smooth-textured sheets. Sateen sheets are woven with more fibers on the fabric surface, creating a luster almost like that of satin sheets.
Fabric "hand" is a term for how cloth feels when it is handled, which creates the tangible sensations that influence consumers' preferences. Fabric hand--texture, thickness, softness, etc.--is measured by human, electronic, or mechanical means in painstaking, sophisticated processes to assess fabric quality and probable performance for its end use.
Fabric offers more choices in bed sheets than ever before. The most common fabrics used in bed sheets are:
How to buy sheets for your bed is simple: sheets are standardized to fit all common mattress sizes. Sheet sets contain a fitted sheet which wraps around the mattress, a flat sheet that is laid over the fitted sheet, and one or two pillowcases. Two is the standard, but twin size sheet sets come with just one pillowcase. Sheets are sold in the following measurements:
On our product pages you will find instructions for the care of each item you wish to purchase. Overstock.com recommends that you follow the manufacturer's instructions to care for your sheets.
Storing your sheets
Most people enjoy having several sheet sets for the purpose of changing the look of their bedding each season. You can fold and stack the bottom bed sheet, the top sheet and one pillowcase, then insert them into the second pillowcase for neat and orderly storage. Whatever the reason for buying several sets of bed sheets or water bed sheets, it is handy to have an attractive place to store your sheets between uses.
A spacious storage cabinet or elegant armoire from our furniture store will complement your home and provide extra storage for your sheet sets. Treat yourself to a handsome armoire or storage chest in your choice of styles, and store your new sheets at an affordable price set well below retail.
My new mattress is thicker than my old one. Which sheets will fit it?
Most new mattresses run 12-20 inches in depth, whether spring mattress or memory foam, and today most sheet sets are manufactured with deep pockets to accommodate these variations. Because of the elasticized corners on most fitted sheets, sheets with deeper sides will fit almost any mattress snugly, whether it is an older style mattress or a newer one. In our bedding store you will find bed sheets to accommodate all mattress sizes, even if you have a mattress pad or memory foam topper on your mattress.
What is meant by "EAG"?
The designation EAG, or Extend A Grip, is a feature pertaining to the adaptation of skirting and other mattress coverings over the ends, sides, corners and top.
Why are designer sheets so expensive?
Not to worry--at Overstock.com, prices on everything are always so reasonable that you can afford whatever you choose. You should purchase your sheets based on the thread count you are looking for and the color of your choice, not solely on a name brand. In other stores, designer sheets can cost $1700, yet they are no different than regular sheets for $200 with the same thread count.
How can I keep my sheets from pilling?
"Pilling" is characteristic of all manmade fibers. Polyesters and acrylic fabrics tend to unravel with wear and the loose threads collect on the surface. Natural fibers, such as linen and cotton, also "pill", but the loose fibers are removed during washing. Suggestions for minimizing the "pill" effect are:
How do I remove wrinkles from my sheets?
We are all short of time and ironing anything can be irritating, especially sheets. In the 1990s manufacturers started putting certain finishing agents on their fabrics to decrease wrinkling. If ironing your bedding is not an option, check the manufacturers' instructions on the product itself to be sure that you chose sheets which will remain as wrinkle-free as possible.
Is it hard to care for silk sheets?
A general rule for silk sheets: use gentle washer cycle, mild soap, rinse cool and tumble dry on low setting. Silk bed sheets and garments resist wrinkling and will also hang-dry beautifully.
If the product information indicates that a fabric is washable, then it has most likely been washed before manufacturing to ensure that it is cut and finished to size. Overstock.com recommends that you follow the manufacturers' instructions on the care of silk sheets.
While you are online shopping for sheets of Egyptian cotton, silk bed sheets, or even those red satin sheets you have been thinking about, pick up a few new pillows or some gorgeous down bedding, and give your bed a complete makeover.
Why not buy more than one set of bed sheets--this is Overstock.com, after all! We have the best prices on the internet for sheets and everything else. You will probably find that laundry day is easier if you have more than one sheet set for each of the beds in your home. Besides, even great sheets last longer if you alternate sheet sets between washing.
Treat yourself--enjoy the newest advance in sleeping health and comfort: memory foam. Overstock.com carries a huge selection of memory foam mattress pads, memory foam mattresses and memory foam pillows, all at generous discounts to accommodate your choices and give you ideas as you shop with us. We enjoy being your favorite online store for home bedding! As you consider the best choices for you, visit our buying guides for additional information on bedding, mattresses, memory foam, and pillows.
With so many year-round discounts on Overstock.com's huge selection of sheets, flannel bed sheets, waterbed sheets, kids' sheets, baby crib sheets and other bedding, you can truly afford to pick up bed sheets for all of the beds in your home. Our quality sheet sets will be beautiful for years to come and give you that comfortable, peaceful sleep that you need.
Splurge! Not only does Overstock.com have super discounts on everything, we will ship everything in your shopping cart for just $2.95, and that translates into a huge savings for you!
