1,000 Thread-Count Sheets: Be Careful What You Wish For

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I have a....

....variety of sheet sets ranging from 100% cotton to 50/50 blends. They wash beautifully in my front loader and I can easily put 2 queen sheets, a queen duvet cover and 4 pillow cases in....

The higher thread count cottons do crease more - much more in the dryer on high heat - than I would like so I dry on low heat and take them out as soon as it beeps. They still have a little moisture in them so I lie them flat on the bed. Not as creased, but then I really don't care that much. Folded correctly when dry and rotated to the bottom of the pile in the linen press means they look pretty good next time they are used...

As for the quantity that I can get in the dryer, well it is a 'Eurostyle' dryer - meaning Miele/Bosch/AEG capacity and it easily swallows the above load without an issue, but for lessening the creasing I dry the sheets and pillow cases and then the duvet cover normally....and provided I dry on lower heat, then the creasing isn't too bad as mentioned above....
 
Have had some dealings with higher count linens in the hotel

One of the Drs owns a 5 Diamond hotel. They tried the higher count linens. And we found that anything over 300 is simply a waste of money.. They are harder to finish do not look that good when finished and take longer to wash as the fibers hold soil in harder and longer. Also do NOT last a long and standard 180 to 250 count.. Guest complained about the stiffness too. Fabric softenrs did little good. They finally stayed with the 200 ct sheet and 300 ct pillowcases. Which when finished look and feel wonderful. On the hospital side nothing can beat the look feel and durability of 140 muslin. They iron faster, better and wash better with less staining. but now almost a thing of the past. the 128 and 130 muslin are just rags .Can still get 140 count muslin from Standard Textile and Hospitex on a 100 dozen order. Not as expensive either. Usually takes about 6 weeks however as they are made to order now. They are still in the old sizes too 72 x 120 not the new modern cut size 66 x 115 and some are even now as short as 102 not near enough for a good hospital bed.
 
Well, since few hospitals do mitered corners anymore, guess what is the point of going with good ole muslin? *LOL*

Those wonderful heavy bedspreads are a thing of the past as well.

Have a large stash of Pequot muslin sheets, pillow slips and a huge bolt of Pequot muslin, and am here to tell you (again), you can't kill this stuff. However heavy muslin does take a bit more effort to iron, but when done properly the linens feel a treat.

Actually am more a pure linen or metis kind of person when it comes to bed linen. If it's cotton it's either vintage percale (Wamsutta, Springmaid,Cannon and Feldcrest), or the above mentioned Pequot. Cannot abide sateen sheets, especially those made by Frette.

L.
 
"Hotel Linens"

Don't fall for the words "hotel quality" or some such when purchasing bed linens either.

All the term means is that the linens are supposed to be hard wearing to withstand repeated commercial laundering and or hard use. However it does not imply the linens are anything special in terms of thread count or some such.

I'll say it again, if you want good quality bed linen, that can withstand hot water washing with or without LCB, stop shopping in stores and head to your local thrift and seek out vintage bed linens. Even those from as recent as the 1970's will out last and wear much of what one finds in stores today, and cost much less.

Look in attics, estate sales, eBay and the rest. Up until recently women normally got tons of linens as wedding presents and hardly used much of it, then more was often purchased during her lifetime and or given as gifts. Since the stuff was hard wearing and long lasting much of the supply ended up surplus to requirements and stashed away.
 
I bought some 500 t.c. 100% cotton Martha Stewart at K-Mart which have been wonderful...they do take up the entire laundry, but really feel nice. Unfortunately, they discontinued them (I think they are dumbing-down the MS lines at K-Mart as they ramp them up at Macy's)...I bought them on clearance (originally $80, I got them for $40, and look carefully at any new K-Mart I visit to see if I can get another set...they're that good :) )
 
I also have a 1000 thread count sateen, which I bought in BJ's. The sheets are bulky, but line dried with fabric softner, and once they are on the bed....they feel like satin. No problem here.
 
"Look in attics, estate sales, eBay and the rest. Up until recently women normally got tons of linens as wedding presents and hardly used much of it, then more was often purchased during her lifetime and or given as gifts. Since the stuff was hard wearing and long lasting much of the supply ended up surplus to requirements and stashed away."

Yup...that is why I am using 100% cotton bed linens, week in and week out. They belonged to my grandmother and mother. Fifty years later, they are still holding up wonderfully.

Joe
 
I alternate between..............

....350 or 400 count Sateen sheets and 600 count non-Sateen sheets. Compaired to other 250 - 300 count non-Sateen sheets in the past, the 600 count sheets do wrinkle more in the laundry then the others did. I ALWAYS dry them in the dryer on the LOW setting (per the instruction tag).

I actually prefer the feel of the 600 count non-Sateen sheets, so I can put up with a little wrinkling.
 
I bought some "hotel quality" linens recently that are fairly soft and nice, but they tangle to hell in the washer. It seems the fitted sheet gets air trapped in it and tangles something terrible. I actually hold the corners out of the water as the 'Tag starts to agitate so they will be pulled under with no air trapped. What's this all about?
Bobby in Boston
 
Vintage American Linens

Really is a shame, but we shall never see the likes of Wamsutta's "Supercale", or Pequot's great muslin again. Even the highly sought after Curity "gauze" cotton diapers wont reappear as well.

For the most part textile mills in the South and other parts of the USA closed down and or transferred production overseas. Equipment was either abandoned or sold off to places like India, if not scrapped.

Many craft people would love to get their hands on cotton feedsack fabric of old, but that too is history. Have heard wonderful tales of persons who remember with great fondess shirts, and other clothing made at home (usually by their mother's) from discarded feed, grain, flour and sugar sacks.

Now before anyone gives pain about wearing "sack cloth", from what one understands it was VERY soft and durable. Not at all like the burlap one sees today.

L.
 
Are Big Lots sheets "factory seconds" or poor quality I was there this morning and the selection was pretty slim for queen sets but the prices were ok. I don't want to buy them if they're poor quality,, I didn't recognize any of the brand names.
 
Friends of mine alway buy the highest count sheets they can find, yet out of the other side of their face, they complain that high count sheets always pill.

Anyone else have pilling issues with high count sheets?
 
If you dont know the brand names

Don't buy them God alone knows where they are made and he is not sure. All Ways stick with a trusted name JC PENNEY own brand is not a bad sheet at all. And not that bad on price either.
 
Percale sheets shouldn't pill. Sateen, flannel or other weaves because of their nature. Cotton/polyester can and often does pill.

Pilling can also be caused by polyester rubbing against cotton, such as if one wears polyester or coton/poly blend night attire on certian cotton or blend sheets.

Have seen some Frette and other sheets with really bad pilling. Usually sateen and one can tell from the area of pilling that it is where the body comes into contact with the sheet (such on bottom sheets), and one moves about allot.

L.
 
I agree to only buy sheets from aname you know. I personally almost exclusively buy the J.C.Penney sheets, same goes for bath towels and rugs and draperies, best value and quality for the money. The only exception is when on a few occasions I have been able to find N.I.B. Sears Harmony House or Perma Prest sheets.

Sam
 
It's not necessary to go vintage to get durable high quality bed linens.

I've have very good luck with Kirkland brand 600 count Pima cotton sheets. Quite soft and don't show many wrinkles after line drying. And very sturdy. Been using the same set for the last four years with no sign of wear. Wash in hot water very week (Neptune @130F) w/o chlorine. Have also washed them at 160F in Miele with no ill effects.

I've never seen an all cotton sheet pill.

I have seen some "high thread count" sheets at Walmart and other places that are really a cotton poly blend. I avoid those like the plague.
 
I have 5 sets of Martha Stewart Everyday sheets from K-Mart ranging from 180 to 300 thread count. Very high quality sheets at a great price. After four years or so, they literally look like they just came out of the package!
 
Jersey Sheets

Pete we have used these for a few years and won't go back to the regular sheets. So soft to sleep on and so easy to put on beds. Wal Mart and Target here carries them.
 
Sprinkled Down and Ironed

I like sheets that have been hung to dry then sprinkled down with regular tap water and ironed via ironer/mangle. Really any all cotton or natural fiber sheet can be pressed and will stay nice until laundered again. I have not purchased linens in several years and mine are still sleeping well.
 

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