What Fabric is Best for Bed Sheets?

Have you ever spent at least a night in a fancy hotel with expensive sheets? How was the quality of your sleep? Great, right?

Most people only associate sleep quality with their mattresses, pillows, duvets, and blankets. Don’t sleep on the importance of bed sheets! 

The quality of your bed sheets has a direct impact on the quality of your night’s sleep, and the fabric you choose can make all the difference.

So, what fabric is best for bed sheets? With so many different sheet fabrics on the market, it isn’t easy picking out the best bed sheet for yourself. 

Luckily for you, at California Design Den, bed sheets are our forte.

We can’t stress enough how important it is to know exactly what you’re looking for when shopping for bed sheets. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of our favorite fabrics and what makes them stand out from the rest of the pack. 

Before we tell you which one we think tops the list, let’s walk you through which ones make our final cut. 

What Are the Best Choices for Bed Sheet Fabrics?

If you’re relatively new to shopping for bedding, you probably have a lot of questions. What makes a good bed sheet? And what does GSM mean for sheets? We’ll try to simplify it for you. 

It’s all about the fabric. In fact, the type of fabric used in your bed sheets has an impact on your sleep quality and comfort levels. Therefore, before deciding which bedsheets to buy, you need to determine which fabrics best fit your sleep needs.

Cotton

Cotton is the fabric that most commonly contributes to what is in a sheet set, and It’s often considered the best fabric for bed sheets due to its versatility and exceptional properties. 

To begin with, its breathability allows for air to circulate, providing a cool and comfortable sleeping experience, especially during hot weather. 

Additionally, cotton bed sheets become increasingly softer with each wash, making them ideal for those who prioritize comfort in their bedding. 

The durability of cotton fabric is another factor that makes it a great option for bed sheets. Cotton can withstand frequent washing and use, and can last for many years, providing you with a long-lasting and high-quality bedding option. 

Furthermore, cotton is an easy-care fabric, making it a convenient choice for busy individuals who don't have the time to spend on complicated care routines. With its breathability, softness, and durability, cotton bed sheets provide an excellent balance of comfort and practicality, making it a favored option for many.

You’ll notice different types of cotton fabrics when purchasing high-quality cotton bed sheets. These cotton fabrics have several differences, so we’ll break them down for you.

Percale Weave

Percale weave cotton is prized for its crisp, cool and lightweight feel. It’s a popular choice for bed sheets due to its several benefits, which include:

Breathability 

Percale cotton is highly breathable, making it ideal for hot sleepers or those who live in warm climates. Percale's open weave promotes a comfortable sleeping environment by allowing free air circulation, preventing discomfort caused by high temperatures.

Durability

Percale cotton is known for its long-lasting durability, which is due in part to its tight weave. This means that percale sheets will hold up well against wear and tear, even after multiple washes.

Crisp feel

Percale cotton has a crisp, cool feel to the touch that is both refreshing and comfortable. This crisp feel is due to the tight weave and high-quality cotton used to create percale sheets.

Easy care 

Percale sheets are easy to care for and can be machine washed and dried without any special care required. They also resist wrinkling, so they look great even after multiple washes.

Cotton is a natural material, making percale cotton sheets ideal for those with allergies or sensitive skin. The tight weave of percale cotton helps to keep out mold.

Versatility

Percale cotton is available in a range of colors and patterns, making it a versatile choice for any bedroom decor.

Percale weave cotton sheets are sure to provide a comfortable and refreshing sleeping experience night after night.

Sateen Weave

Sateen weave is known for its luxurious feel and shine, making it a popular choice. There are several benefits to choosing a sateen weave bed sheet. Here are a few of the most notable:

Softness

Sateen weave cotton is known for its incredibly soft and silky feel to the touch. This makes it ideal for those who value a luxurious sleeping experience.

Sheen 

Sateen cotton has a subtle sheen that gives it a more sophisticated look than other cotton fabrics. This sheen is due to the way the fabric is woven, with more yarns on the surface and fewer yarns on the back, creating a smooth and glossy appearance.

Moisture-wicking

Sateen cotton has a dense weave that helps to wick moisture away from the skin, keeping you dry and comfortable throughout the night.

Warmth

Sateen cotton provides warmth, making it a good choice for those who sleep in cooler environments. The dense weave of sateen cotton provides extra insulation, helping to keep you warm on chilly nights.

Cotton is a natural material, making sateen cotton sheets ideal for those with allergies or sensitive skin. The dense weave of sateen cotton helps to keep out mold.

Versatility 

Sateen cotton is available in a range of colors and patterns, making it a versatile choice for any bedroom decor.

Flannel

Flannel has its origins in 17th Century Wales. At the time, flannel came from wool. From the 20th Century, flannel used cotton or a mixture of cotton and silk. However, today flannel is made of 100% cotton.

The difference between regular cotton and flannel is in the method of production. We derive cotton fiber from the cotton plant. In contrast, we get flannel fiber from cotton fiber. To make flannel, you weave loose spun yarn into linen and roughen it up to make it thick, wooly, and soft.

Compared to other fabrics like cotton and linen, whose quality is measured using thread count, flannel quality is measured using weight. So, the heavier your flannel fabric, the higher quality it is.

Pros

• Flannel is warm and cozy. So it’s perfect for cold nights.
• The production process of flannel fabric is cheap, making flannel bed sheets highly affordable.
• Flannel fabric is wrinkle-resistant.
• It’s soft and comfortable.

Cons

• Flannel is warm, making it unsuitable for hot sleepers.
• It has low moisture-absorbing qualities, making it unsuitable for you if you sweat a lot at night.
• Because flannel is heavy, it’s not breathable.

Our Highest-Rated Cotton Bed Sheets

If you’ve been looking into ‘how often should you replace bed sheets?’ here are our customers’ favorite cotton-made bed sheets that you should check out.

• Twin fitted sheet
• Queen fitted sheet
• Twin bed sheets
• Twin XL adjustable bed sheets
• Queen-size deep pocket sheets
• Purple sheet sets

Pima (Supima) Cotton

Pima cotton is another high-quality and luxurious cotton variety. However, unlike Egyptian cotton, its pricing is slightly lower.

Nevertheless, Pima cotton produces medium to extra-long fibers ideal for bed sheets. Its fabric is known for its softness, natural sheen, and durability.

Pima cotton is mainly grown in the US. So, if you’re looking for American-made bed sheet types that are less expensive than Egyptian cotton bed sheets and of higher quality than Upland cotton bed sheets, then Pima cotton bed sheets are the choice for you.

Pros

• Like Egyptian cotton, Pima cotton is strong, soft, smooth, durable, and flexible.
• It’s a luxurious, high-quality cotton variety that’s less expensive than Egyptian cotton.
• It’s grown mainly in the United States.
• It has a cooling effect. Therefore, it’s great for hot nights.

Cons

• It’s more expensive than other cotton options.
• Pima cotton isn’t wrinkle-resistant.
• Similar to Egyptian cotton, some manufacturers use knockoffs or blended Pima cotton without fairly adjusting their prices.

Silk

You should opt for silk if you don’t mind paying a premium for luxurious and incredibly soft bed sheets.

Silk is a high-quality natural fiber extracted from silkworms. Its fabric is known for its softness, smoothness, durability, and luxuriousness. In addition, silk fabrics are known for their temperature control and breathable qualities. This ensures silk bed sheets have unrivaled comfort levels.

Pros

• Silk bed sheets are best for people with allergies.
• It’s soft, cool, and has temperature-regulating qualities, making it perfect for use in hot environments.
• Silk has moisture-absorbing capabilities making it perfect for those with sweaty and sensitive skin.
• It’s a super luxurious and comfortable material that’s perfect for those who want to sleep in style.
• Silk lasts long when properly maintained.

Cons

• Silk’s production process is long and complicated, making silk bed sheets very expensive.
• It’s a delicate and fragile fabric, and if poorly maintained, it doesn’t last long.

Bamboo

When naming sheet fabrics, bamboo probably isn’t the first name that comes to mind, but bamboo plants produce high-quality bamboo rayon fabric. Bamboo rayon fabric is known for being lightweight, smooth, and soft. In fact, its softness levels are comparable to silk.

The bamboo rayon fibers are so long that they can stretch the entire full sheet size. The long fibers greatly increase your bamboo sheets’ durability and reduce pilling after machine washing. Bamboo is also known for its temperature-regulating, moisture-absorbing, and breathable qualities.

You should note that the fabric used in bamboo bed sheets isn’t 100% bamboo plant fiber. The fiber is known as bamboo rayon, a semi-synthetic fiber derived from bamboo cellulose and other chemicals.

However, you don’t have to worry about these chemicals affecting you since they’re usually disposed of. To be sure, check whether the bamboo sheets you’re purchasing have the OEKO-TEX and Certi-PUR certifications. These certifications prove the sheets are safe to sleep on and free from chemicals.

Pros

• Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants in the world and is known for its sustainable and renewable nature. Bamboo bed sheets are made from the fibers of the bamboo plant, reducing the environmental impact compared to traditional cotton sheets.
• Bamboo fibers are naturally resistant to mold making them a great option for those with allergies or sensitive skin.
• Bamboo bed sheets have the ability to wick away moisture, keeping you dry and comfortable throughout the night. This makes them ideal for hot sleepers or those living in humid climates.
• Bamboo is known for its temperature-regulating properties, helping to keep you cool in warm weather and warm in cooler weather.
• Bamboo fibers are incredibly soft and silky, providing a luxurious sleeping experience. The softness of bamboo bed sheets increases with each wash, making them even more comfortable over time.
• Bamboo is strong and durable, making bamboo bed sheets long-lasting and resistant to wear and tear. They’re also easy to care for and can be machine washed and dried without any special care required.

Cons

• Due to its superior breathability compared to other fabrics, it does not get hot comparatively, which may make it less appealing for people sleeping in colder environments.
• It’s pricier than a lot of other options.
• There’s a high risk of brands labeling their products as ‘100% Bamboo’ to attract unwitting customers.

Conclusion

After exploring the different types of fabrics used to manufacture bed sheets, one thing is clear. The best fabric for your bed sheets is a fabric with the following qualities: softness, moisture-absorbent, temperature control, durability, smoothness, breathable, durable, easy to care for, and affordable.

So, which of the above fabrics do you think is the best?

It should be pretty clear that at California Design Den, we think Cotton is king. 100% cotton is by far the most durable, comfortable and breathable fabric when it comes to bed sheets. You can trust us when we tell you it’s not a close race.

At the end of the day, it’s important to go with the fabric that gives you the best night’s sleep, so you shouldn’t take your decision lightly.

If you’d like to learn more about purchasing the best bed sheets, check out our article, ‘Thread Count Guide for Buying Bed Sheets.’

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