Bedsheets. For all you sindonologists

[toggleswitch]

OK. What does one like and dislike?

Threads per inch?
Jersey-kint for winter?
Cotton?
Polyester-cotton blend (Percale "no-iron")

In terms of clothing, I will not wear polyester against my person. It smells badly with my body chemistry. I will allow some poly in business shirts and some in business trousers. Socks may have up to 10% of such fiber.

In terms of bedsheets, I don't like the smell of pillowcases that contian poylester. They smell burnt to me, no matter how careful I am with them in the dryer.

Of course, all-cotton pillowcases look awful. And Missy here don't iron. (Along with one other thing in life which shall remain nameless).

Just bought some Taget brand all-cotton sheets with a 300 thread-per-inch thread count. Don't like the "hand" of it, or feel of it on my face. I needed to replace a bottom that I had drilled a hole through. Wanted to keep the top around, to use again.

Your thoughts and preferences?
[this post was last edited: 6/11/2010-12:30]

 

[Unimatic1140]

I love flannel sheets, the softer the better.

 

[circlew]

JCPenney

I like the "Home Expressions" sheets I've bought there. They're 250TC, come in lots of colors, and reasonable in price (on sale 50% off now). I've got 3 sets; one I've used for 4 years,and they still look good.

 

[toggleswitch]

The other thing I cant stand about farbric items for the home is the ridiculous price charged for a square/rectangular seamed piece of fabric.

 

[iheartmaytag]

replace a bottom that I had drilled a hole through. Wanted

My goodness Toggles,
Some of the personal things you disclose.

As for sheets, I actually like plain white cotton, but those animals are hard to find. My Mom got a set from my sister for her birthday a few years ago that are Percail (sp) they are almost satin like, Mom doesn't like them tells me not to put them on her bed.

Don't like flannel at all. Makes the bed too hard to make, and hard to fold-- they won't slide.

 

[mixfinder]

Hole in the Mattress

So Toggles, you've read the great literary work, "Hole in the Mattress" by Mister Completely? After sleeping around it's my experience the nuances of thread counts past 600 are imperceptable. The more the sheets are washed the better they feel anmd hung on the line they are crisp and refreshing. I love all things domestic and consider it joy to iron. I enjoy the feel of ironed sheets and the look of the crisp pillowcase resting on the comforter.

 

[toggleswitch]

No, I'm not from Mytilene or that island at all.

That is personal?

Actually the hole was stretched with my big-toe (nail) , if you must know, LOL

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mytilene

 

[whirlcool]

We have a few sets of 300 Thread Count Egyptian Cotton sheets (in white, of course) that we have had for a few years. They are VERY soft and comfy. The trick it to take them out of the dryer as soon as they are dry. For some reason our dryer normally has 12 minutes left on the timer when they are dry.
We don't like anything under 300 thread count. When I grew up my mom bought us those 180 thread count sheets that were always falling apart and had a burnt smell to them.

A lot of hotels now a days use 600 thread count sheets. I find them too hot in the summer. 400 thread count is as high as I like.

Karen likes those satiny frilly satin things. I don't like them much as you slide around a lot on them. She has a few sets in colors like gold and lavender. Plus they feel a bit "girly" to me.

Yes, sheets can be very expensive. There are some people who hang out at a corner gas station near us selling 600 thread count sets. They are going for $20.00 per set. Which includes both sheets and pillowcases. I wonder where they source them from. Could be the Chicago "fell off a truck"?

 

[maytagbear]

For me, anything much above 300 tpi

does not seem to improve things. However, I still have lots of pure cotton sheets from my childhood.

As I have said before, wrinkles do not freak me out nearly as much as stains do.

JCPenney seems to have a corner on price/quality.

I miss the Yves Saint Laurent sheets I lost in a bad, bad breakup. The field was light tan, and the print was overlapping squares in a darker tan and aqua. Been looking for a set at estate sales and other places.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[hunter]

sheets

We used to buy sheets WITHOUT 'no iron' plastic resin from the Vermont Country Store. In recent years, as Wamsutta went away, we can't get 'em.

However, overstock.com has some sheets made in India which do not seem to have resins in them. They are 300 count if I recall correctly.

I won't wear polyester against my body either except for my workout shirts (5.11 tactical 'muscle mapping' shirts, which have silver embedded in the fibers as an anti-microbial). My absolute favorite is cotton and wool -- wool for cooler weather, of course. (For shirts, Sir Pendleton wool shirts are awesome -- expensive as all get out: http://drewsboots.com/pendle.htm BUT the ones I have I have had for 12+ years and they all still look great. Wifey washes them in warm water, warm rinse, with SOAP flakes. SOAP, not detergent).

Hunter

 

[joelippard]

I enjoy the Ralph Lauren sheets, 400 TC, Cotton, from Belk. I wash them each Saturday in the Rollermatic and they dry very crisply on High in the flowing heat dryer. Pull them out hot and put them straight on the bed to smooth out the remaining wrinkles.
I love that crisp feel, I even spray a little starch on the pillowcases to firm them up some more. I love the feel of those crisp sheets sliding against my legs when I get into the bed. If I were rich I'd demand that the help clothe my bed in fresh linen each day

 

[bajaespuma]

What a surprise; I'm a difficult customer.

My Sister and I still have some vintage cotton sheets that our family had in the 1960's. They're percale(whatever that means) and nothing I've ever bought is as delicious on the body as these things. May be a function of their age, but they're soft and smooth and feel like talcum powder on the skin. I've bought some expensive 300 count sheets, but have been disappointed by their flimsiness and things like puckering seams and hems that never seem to lie flat. My Mother was really good at finding good linens; I wish I had asked her before her heath declined.

I'm also really tired of contour sheets that require a mattress that's 18 inches thick to stretch to smoothness.

 

[filterflo58]

"I needed to replace a bottom that I had drilled a hole through" excuse me?..kidding..
anyway for those like me who detest ironing..here is my trick for all cotton sheets(percal? yuk!).
place sheets in dryer for like 8 minutes in high heat(for queen set)IMMEDIATELY remove, yes they will still be damp of course..FOLD a few times and hang on a drying rack.
next day you should find much less wrinkled sheets ready to use.

 

[yogitunes]

300/400 thread egyptian cotton is preferred, smooth as percale and warm and soft as flannel, also like pure flannel too, cozy winter and summer especially without jammies

can't stand cotton percale, can't seem to warm up in bed with these on the mattress, they just always seem too cool

I either hang the top sheet on the line longwise, fold at the bottom, or iron a crease down the center, just helps to make the bed faster once you center the crease down the center of the bed, equal hangover on each side

 

[launderess]

Percale

Is a weave, often measured by thread count.

For cotton bed linens, muslin is about 140 threads per square inch. Percale runs up to about 200 or so threads per square inch. When you see sheets with obscene high thread counts such as 300 or more, that means they are made from either thiner cotton threads and or double cotton threads to pack more into the same square inch area. This however does not equal better wearing or quality bed linens. Natural cotton linens top out at around 280 or so (the amount of thread from normal cotton fibers).

The best wearing cotton bed linens are historically muslin, especially the older heavy stuff such as vintage Pequot. These were the linens used by hospitals, in the nursery, children's bed rooms, and any where else that demanded bed linen that would stand up to hard wearing and repeated laundering. Also housewives that couldn't afford "better" percale for their bed linens, used muslin.

Heavy muslin fell out of favour because it takes ages to dry and is hard to iron (trust me on this, have tons of the stuff), and was replaced by cotton/polyester blends. Indeed most hospitals have moved away from heavy muslin cotton sheets to cotton/poly blends.

Many people today are seeking out vintage cotton and muslin linens because they often are better wearing and feeling that what one can get today, even when one spends several hundreds.

Sadly vintage cotton linens such as those won't be found again, nor can they be produced as the mills long since have closed down, and equipment either sold off overseas or simply destroyed, left to rot...

In the sewing Internet group I belong to, many tell about having clothing and bed linens made from old feed sacks. At first thought the idea seems odd, but am told feed sack material then isn't like the coarse stuff of today.

What is in my linen cupboard?

Vintage and old pure linen (French, Irish and some from Belgium).

Pure vintage cotton "Supercale" by Wamsutta
Pure vintage cotton muslin by Pequot.

 

[xraytech]

naturally I buy JCPenney sheets.
I prefer the 300 thread count percale sheets, always line dried and left out until just before bedtime so they are the freshest when you get in bed.
I hate flannel sheets, too heavy and hot. also not a big fan oof 100% cotton, I like the polyester/cotton blend.

 

[jeffg]

All cotton, washed in Woolite for darks (no optical brighteners & smells good). Flannel is great for winter.

Launderess, most of what's in our linen closet is 20+ year old Cannon, Fieldcrest and Royal Velvet. The stuff wears like iron.

 

[whitekingd]

I LOVE SHEETS!!

When I was first on my own, I had one set of sheets that I used for several years. Then I got hooked on sheets. Currently I have eight sets of sheets in rotation. All are Martha Stewart Everyday sheets from K-mart. Some are all cotton, others are cotton/polyester blend, others are "Sateen" style. I love how each set feels different. They all are holding up very, very well. When K-mart closed out the MSE brand, I snatched up a few more sets. They are in storage, waiting to be put in the rotation when a set finally wears out. The way they are wearing, it might be a long time!

 

[frigilux]

The regulars here may recall I purchased a set of 1,000 thread count sheets
(discontinued Madden/JC Penney), having never slept on anything but standard 250-300 thread count sheets from discount department stores.

I did not care for them at first. They reminded me of the canvas drop cloths my dad used when he painted. I was expecting them to be uber-soft, and that they definitely were not (although they've become somewhat softer after 1-1/2 years of washing).

I was also not prepared for what happened the first time I washed them. They are bulky! The Frigidaire TL'er couldn't budge the load of 2 sheets and 6 pillowcases. They have to be washed in front-loader. And they need to be dried in batches--1 sheet, 3 pillowcases in the case of my comparatively small 5.8 cu. ft. dryer drum.

Having given them some time, I grew to love them. I don't like to have blankets and comforters on me while I sleep, and, especially during the summer, these weighty, substantial sheets are all I need to stay comfortable.

I will definitely replace these with similar sheets when the time comes.

 

[launderess]

High Thread Count Percales

Don't like em! Haven't a bit of use for them!

Had a few sets given as gifts, and after a few weeks of usage they were banished to the bottom shelves of the linen press.

Like you said, they feel like canvas and are so "bulky" that even in the Miele one cannot get more than two or three king sheets, plus a few pillow cases in because they do not compact down. Indeed think the things actually repel water! *LOL*

Will say historically it has taken several launderings to "break in" new sheets. Nothing like the above, but my Wamsutta percales are soft and hems straight after about six months worth of laundering.

As for "wearing like iron", vintage linens had to, it was what the housewife, housekeeper or whom ever was purchasing linens expected.

Just reading the care booklets and advertising from old Pequot or Wamsutta told the tale. Linens had to withstand not only harsh use (think homes with all those children), but weekly laundering with very hot water, LCB and hot irons or mangles. Or, even worse commercial laundries (up until the 1960's or so, it was very common for homes to still sent out laundry).

Proof of how hard wearing these lines were lies in the fact so much shows up at estate sales and the like. Women normally got quite allot of linens in those days when they married, and often purchased more at "White Sales" or for whatever reasons, but the sets already opened and being used just refused to die! Thus the surplus to requirement stock sat stored and unused.

 

[dirtybuck]

My Sheets and A Question About Laundering

I've got sheets in my linen closet that are 200 ct (Walmart brand) and 250 ct. (JCP). I would eventually like to branch out to some 300 ct. sheets. Ironing? PBBBT to that! I also like to mix and match the colors of the sheets on my bed to make things a bit different.

OK, now, I wash my face and I wash my hair (although since I've been shaving my head, there really isn't any hair to wash at this time), and I wind up with discoloration on the pillowcases from the oils on my face. What can be used on the pillowcases to get rid of the oils?

I generally wash my sheets ever week and a half in somewhat warm water in a top loader (if I can help it) at the laundromat, using (for now) All powder with a bit of Arm and Hammer Oxy Clean liquid (for a power boost).

Drying is done on the permanent press cycle.

 

[jeffg]

Bill, if your sheets are light colored you can probably get away with washing them in hot water. Body oil stains are not easily shifted in lukewarm water unless you're using bleach or other additives. Also, showering at night instead of in the morning will help avoid the problem.

 

[brettsomers]

Sheets at laundromat

In my experience, washateria machines are a little tricky due to the short cycle times. Yes, hot water for body oil stains. Also, be sure the machine is not loaded too heavily. Consider a strong detergent like Tide or Foca if using a toploader.

 

[petek]

I don't care for the high thread count sheets either. To me they feel like your sleeping on a sheet of paper, they're not soft. My personal favorite are the jersey knit sheets which are like T-shirt material, soft and stretchy but they don't last too long. In fact none of the sheets today seem to last very long. I've got some sheets I bought back in the 70's that are still in good condition.

 

[sudsmaster]

Oh, snoot

One weaves all one's linens out of organic flax one grows in window boxes in one's tiny one room apartment on the lower west side.

One hand washes them in big pots of tepid water on one's tiny gas range, and then hangs them on the railings of the subway car one takes to and from one's job shilling counterfeit cosmetics to unsuspecting tourists in the Big Apple.

They feel much better than burlap, and they seem to repel bed bugs, almost completely.

LOL.

 

[dirtybuck]

JeffG.

As the weather has now heated up, I try on most days to take a shower in the morning and evening. I HATE going to bed sweaty!

 

[mixfinder]

Check Rated Consume'r's Report Best Buy

In 1958 Consumer Reports recommends Harmony House (Sears) Muslin 148 thread count fitted $2.08 and flat $2.08 Among the 190 thread count Percale, Bates Whispercale won the high ranking award with a whopping cost of $3.40 for flat and $2.54 for fitted. CR recommends holding a sheet up to the light and looking for uneven yarn, knots and similar defects which indicates a weak spot.

 

[dirtybuck]

MUSLIN!

Oh man...a whole 130-150 thread count! A dishtowel or dishcloth would be better on your bed.

BTW...I went to JCP's for the heck of it today. They were having a sale on 200 thread count (19.99 per set) and 300 thread count (29.95 per set). However, in searching the rest of the Home Store, I couldn't find a 250 thread count set anywhere. Did they discontinue them?

 

[circlew]

The JCP Home Expressions line is only available in the catalog and online.

 

[launderess]

Muslin

Actually properly laundered, starched and ironed muslin sheets can feel far better than linens of a higher thread count. It would also depend upon what sort of cotton threads, the weaving process and if the fibers were "combed" or not.

Heavy muslin is a bear to dry and iron, even with a mangle, hence the reason many housewives simply left their sheets "line dried", then one agrees, it would be like sleeping on a huck dish towel.