Sheets Buying Guide

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.

Buying sheets

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.

Sheets terminology

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:

• Combed cotton is cotton which has gone through a process to remove shorter fibers and any impurities in the material, which creates a smooth, soft fabric.
• Egyptian cotton is a long staple cotton grown only in Egypt. It enjoys worldwide renown as the strongest, most beautiful and lustrous cotton produced, and its extraordinary quality is due to the long growing season in that country. Sheets of Egyptian cotton with a high thread count are reputed to be more luxurious than any. Thread count for Egyptian cotton bed sheets is usually 200 and above.
• Flannel is a blend of cottons. Quality is not measured by thread count, but in ounces of material per square yard of fabric. Four ounces or more per square yard is considered good quality flannel. Flannel bed sheets are highly popular for their warmth and are often used in baby bedding.
• Italian linen is a luxurious fabric made only in Italy from the long-staple luxury cotton which is grown exclusively in Egypt. The lustrous cotton and the processes used in Italy to create the fabric are so high quality that bed sheets of this material are truly luxury items.
• Muslin is cotton which is rougher yet tougher than others. Muslin is frequently used in children's bedding, and printed with shapes or figures. During washing this fabric tends to "pill" and fade more than other bed sheets. The thread count varies from 128 to 140. Refer to the "Common sheets questions" section of this sheets buying guide for more information about "pilling."
• Percale is a combed and close-woven cloth of either cotton-polyester blends or 100-percent cotton. It is finer and softer than muslin and generally has a thread count of 180 to 200. Because of their polyester blend, percale sheets have a very low wrinkle factor.
• Pima cotton bed sheets have a silky, soft feeling. It is grown only in Australia, Peru and in the United States in Pima, Arizona. "Supima" is a trademarked name for 100-percent pima cotton which has been grown in America. The term means "Superior pima." Pima cotton sheets usually have a thread count of 200 to 300.


• Sateen is a weave, not a fiber. It is a certain weave of natural fibers and cotton and should never be confused with silk. Sateen sheets are produced in a unique two-threads-over-one-thread method of weaving, which gives these bed sheets their special luster.
• Satin is also a weave, not a fiber. Satin is woven of wool, cottons, acetate, polyester, silk or other materials. All weaves of satin bed sheets are extremely smooth and sleek.
• Silk fiber sheets are known to be more desirable and luxurious than any other sheets. Silk threads are longer than any other because each single fiber of the silkworm cocoon, unwound, can reach 1600 feet. This makes silk fibers very delicate and extremely strong. Silk fabric is not graded by thread count (TC), but by "momme weight" (its weight in pounds). The standard is a piece of silk 45 inches by 100 yards. Two ounces per linear yard equals 12.5 "momme weight" (pronounced mom-ee). The higher the momme weight, the more silk that is used in weaving. Garments are usually made from 8--12 momme, while silk bed sheets usually have a heavier 16--19 momme weight. Silk is versatile and elegant, and is the only fabric we use that has a history going back more than three thousand years.

Sheet set sizes

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:

• Crib: 28 inches wide by 52 inches long
• Twin: 39 inches wide by 75 inches long
• Twin XL: 39 inches wide by 80 inches long
• Full: 54 inches wide by 75 inches long
• Queen: 60 inches wide by 80 inches long
• King: 76 inches wide by 80 inches long
• California King: 72 inches wide by 84 inches long

Caring for your sheets

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.

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