After a long day, all we wish is for a good sleep. And beds are the most comfortable space in your home for a peaceful sleep. Selecting and buying a good bed sheet is as equally important as buying a mattress. A soft and smooth bed sheet makes you fall asleep within a few minutes and gives a peaceful sleep.
There are many varieties of bed sheets available in the market nowadays. Different types of materials, quality, patterns, and sizes are available. And you cannot just buy whatever piece of cloth and use it as a bedsheet.
It is always a good option to invest a little amount on buying a good and luxury bedsheet for yourself as a person spends one-third of their lives sleeping. It is definitely worth investing in.
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History of bed sheets
Europeans were the first to use linen fabric. And bed sheets were originally made in linen. As linen fabric was very cooling and breezy, it was used to make bed sheets, pillowcases, napkins, etc.
Later on, in the 1830s cotton came to the market. Slowly, people started using cotton bed sheets as it was even more comfortable. And now, we get bedsheets in varieties of materials according to our comfort and needs.
Types of bed sheets
The two major categories of bed sheets:
- Fitted bed sheets
- Flat bedsheets
Other than the main categories, the subcategories of bed sheets can be differentiated based on the below characteristics
- Material
- Elasticity
- Pattern
- Size
- Thread count
Fitted bed sheet
Fitted bed sheets are the sheets with elastics attached to all four corners that are pulled over to hold the mattress. These types of bed sheets do not lay flat on the mattress but fit onto the mattress securely.
This type of bed sheet is also called a bottom sheet since it was traditionally used as a lining over the mattress and another bed sheet was laid on top of it.
It is very important to measure the exact size of your mattress while buying fitted bed sheets because it is supposed to fit properly on the corners of the mattress. Fitted sheets can give you problems with laundry and folding as they have elastic on each of their corners.
Flat bedsheet
As the name says, flatbed sheets are simple rectangular pieces of cloth that lay flat on the mattress with no elastics on its corners to pull over the mattress. It is easy to wash and easy to fold and easy to maintain.
Flat bedsheets are also known as the top sheet. It can be laid on top of the fitted bed sheet as well. Since the flat sheets are not attached to the mattress it is easy to remove and clean, and you don’t have to remove or was the bottom sheet regularly.
Types of bed sheet materials
Linen
Linen is made from flax plants and this material of bed sheets are best for hot climates. Linen has good airflow which avoids overheating. And after each wash, the fabric becomes even softer. It is quite expensive but durable for years.
Cotton
Cotton is the most widely used material for bed sheets and is very popular and easy to find. There is a lot of advantages to using cotton bed sheets. Itis perfect for all seasons, easy to wash, durable, and breathable.
There are many different types of cotton used for making bedsheets like Egyptian cotton, Pima cotton, and micro cotton differentiated depending on the staple length. Among these, Egyptian cotton is the most famous and most high-quality cotton because it has extra-long staple fibers that produce extremely durable bed sheets.
Flannel
Flannel is also a type of cotton but it is weaved in a different weaving technique which makes them fluffy, so it is a great option for winters. Flannel bed sheets are constructed with a twill weave.
Silk
These bed sheets are considered luxurious because they are very expensive. Silk is hypoallergenic so it is the best option for people with allergies. But silk bed sheets are high on maintenance.
Microfiber
Plain polyesters are not a good option for bed sheets. But when it is finely woven, it becomes softer and more breathable which is called microfiber. But this material produces heat so it is not a very good option for most of the seasons.
Threadcount of bed sheet
The number of vertical and horizontal threads per square inch is called the thread count. bed sheets with a thread count lower than 250 can be very rough. And thread count between 250-400 is considered very good quality and softer bed sheets.
And more than 500 thread count is sometimes impossible but the manufacturers count the number of fibers twisted and piled for a single thread and count that to the thread count vo make the high thread count possible.
