A bed is the most comfortable place in one’s home. There come many standard sizes of beds catering to the needs and budget of the user. Single beds are commonly used by students, or for the kids. They are 4 ft wide and 6 ft long. For a single user they are an ideal choice as they do not use much of the space and for well anywhere. When it comes to dressing up the single beds, you must opt for luxurious single bedsheets because they are the major contributor to the comfort you’re likely to get from your bed.
Your sleeping habits, body type, and personal preferences greatly influence the choice of sheets. It is therefore essential to determine which fabric material suits best to your body type and provide you with all your bedsheets should do. There exist plenty of bed sheet options, other than fabric material, thread count and its weave type are of equal importance. So when you’re buying then you should think of each factor wisely and make the best decision. In this article, we’ve rounded up the basic information you should know about the widely used fabric materials that are used for making the bedsheets.
Let’s begin with the fabric material…
Cotton & its derivatives
Mostly cotton or cotton blended fabrics are used. But it is necessary to know that cotton comes in various types including Egyptian cotton, Pima, percale, upland, Jersey cotton, and others. And not all types are suitable for making the sheets. To determine their quality you must know their thread count, staple length and weave type.
Staple length: it is the length of a single fibre that is being used for weaving. Three different staple lengths exist: regular, long, and extra-long. Where the regular or short-staple is 1.125 inches long, long-staple 1.25 inches & extra-long-staple is about 2 inches long. The higher the staple length the better and finer the quality will be. Based on staple length, cotton sheets are classified as Egyptian cotton, Pima, upland, and microwave.
Egyptian cotton: It has the longest staples which makes it quite durable and exceptionally soft. Egyptian cotton sheets are very breathable and incredibly comfortable. They have thermoregulation properties as well.
Pima: it also has long staples but available at affordable rates. Pima sheets are exceptionally breathable, soft, and hard-wearing.
Upland: it is also called the American upland. It contains short staples which reduce its comfort, softness, and durability. Also, these sheets don’t provide considerable comfort and luxury.
Linen
It is obtained from the flax plant. Linen sheets are luxuriously soft and comfortable. Being derived from natural resources they are chemical-free and eco friendly. People with asthma or other respiratory disorders must opt for them for their exceptional breathability and air circulation. Linen sheets absorb the body moisture and make the user feel dry and cool which makes them the perfect go-to when it comes to hot sleepers and people who live in warm areas. Usually, pure linen has high quality, strong and sturdy yarn which is quite durable and lasts for many years. But remember that linen bedding sheets are more expensive than cotton. Plus they get wrinkled easily and shrink after washing. So you opt for them, you need to increase your monthly budget to get the sheet dry cleaned regularly.
Staple length: linen sheets are quite durable and unlikely to rip; they retain moisture and prevent the skin from over-drying as well. The staple length of linen fibres is 18 to 30 inches which are responsible for all the properties it owns.
Polyester
It is a synthetic material made from plastic mainly. This plastic can be derived from any sources like plastic bottles, toys, etc. It was basically designed to replace the expensive cotton because polyester fabrics offer all the features that cotton does but they contain harmful chemicals and aren’t eco-friendly. Generally, polyester sheets are strong, durable, wrinkle-resistant, anti-pilling, and fade resistant. They are hydrophobic and don’t absorb the body moisture. To let the moisture go out polyester fabrics have a porous moisture-wicking texture which allows the moisture to escape through them and make the body dry and cool. Note that people who have been suffering from hot flashes or sweat while sleeping must check the “moisture-wicking porous texture” mentioned on the sheet’s label because not all sheets have this property.
Staple length: Its staple length varies greatly. Common fibre length is 38 mm, whereas the long staples reach to 51 mm maximum. The highest or the longest staple length varies from 80 to 100 mm.
Thread count
Other than the staple length, thread count is also important. It refers to the number of threads woven in a square inch of the fabric. There’s a misconception that higher thread count refers to the soft and comfortable sheets. But it refers to density and durability of the fabric material. The higher the thread count the denser and thick the fabric will be. As the density of the fabric material increase, breathability and air circulation decrease. Thread count varies from 200 to 1600 where 200 indicates the lowest quality. We recommend you to opt for 350 to 800 TC because it provides all one needs. Sheets with a TC of 800+ are likely to provide you with the same benefits as of 600-800 TC sheets. So think wisely before you pay. When buying the sheets pay attention to the weave and ply as well because experts say a thread count is just a number so don’t pay all your attention to it. You can also shop now bed sheets at the Oxford Home Ware online store.
Weave & Ply
Weave type indicates the pattern in which thread is woven together to make the sheets. It greatly contributes to the softness and durability level of the fabric as well. When it comes to weaving type, sateen, percale, flannel, and Jersey knitting are some common weaves. As for the ply, it indicated the softness and smoothness you are likely to get from your sheets. There exist single, double, triple and multiply ply fabrics. As the number of ply goes higher the quality goes down. So try to opt for single-ply sheets with a thread count of 400 for utmost comfort. If single ply sheets aren’t accessible go with a double-ply sheet with 600 TC to get the same level comfort.
Related Sources: https://oxfordhomeware.co.uk/collections/bed-sheets
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