There is nothing quite like the feel of high quality sheets, and many people claim that it helps them sleep better at night. Although it certainly is true that sleeping comfortably does make a difference in your sleep habits, most people don’t truly know how to buy sheets that will provide what you need.
It all has to do with a common misconception about threadcount. This myth is propagated by the industry, and it basically says that purchasing sheets of a higher threadcount is going to mean that you are buying higher-quality sheets. Is that true?
Let’s let the true experts weigh in on the matter. The following is from Huffington Post…
“[It’s] an invention of the American market,” said [Nancy] Koltes, [a luxury linens designer]. More specifically, thread count isn’t so much a “lie” as it is a falsified way to determine to the quality of sheets, especially when it’s used as the only way to determine quality. Just as we attach labels like “low-fat” and “organic” to food, linen retailers extended this to luxury linens in the mid-1990s, Koltes explains. By the early 2000s, the “thread count lie” had reached new levels when the first 1,000-plus thread count linens were introduced. “It’s just all promotional. Thread count doesn’t represent quality,” Koltes says. Nevertheless, it seems to have stuck with customers.
If we can’t rely on threadcount to know when we are purchasing a quality set of sheets, what should we look for? Here are a few factors for your consideration…
1. Fiber: If you want higher-quality sheets, look for longer fibers. You can look for pima, supima, organic cotton, cotton-poplin, cotton-polyester, and bamboo.
2. Weave: If comfort is a priority, look for sheets with a sateen or percale weave.
3. Location: Purchasing sheets from a particular country can make a difference in the quality. According to Amanda Mettler, a textile buyer for Gracious Homes, a 200 threadcount from Italy is of a higher quality than a 1000 threadcount from Pakistan. Purchasing quality sheets from France or Italy will usually provide you with the most comfort.
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