If your sheets are worn or scratchy, if they slip off in the middle of the night, or if they keep you uncomfortably warm, not even a good mattress will make up for their shortcomings. That’s why finding the best sheets for your needs is so important. It can mean the difference between asound night’s slumberand hours of counting sheep.
But how do you know if a set of sheets will deliver the experience you’re looking for? It can be a challenge—and we’ve found that trying to judge a sheet by buzzwords like “thread count,” for example, does not help.Even a 100 percent cotton label offers little in determining how soft a sheet set is or how well it will hold up. Many of thesheets we testare made of natural, nonblended fibers, yet our results reveal some significant differences in strength and quality among brands. Our tests of synthetic fibers show similar differences.
When it comes to "deep pockets," tests have found that those claims are often bogus. Several queen-size cotton sheets that tout deeper pockets won’t even cover a 10-inch mattress after less than a year’s worth of washing and drying. And that goes for even the pricier sheet sets. That’s why if you’re in the market for luxe linens with a dreamy, soft feel, you should know that you don’t have to dish out a lot of dollars. Instead, use our guide to inform your decision for the best sheets.
To see all of CR’s sleep coverage, go to ourGuide to Better Sleep.
How Consumer Reports Tests Sheets
To test how well a set of sheets will serve you, we assess fit, softness, and wrinkling. We also test for strength and shrinkage, because we believe that good sheets should last.
Fit is important because if a fitted sheet (no matter how soft) shrinks so much that you can’t get it over your mattress, all other attributes are moot.All but four of the sheets in our ratings could fit a 10-inch queen-size mattress depth after routine washing, but only one was well suited for an 18-inch mattress.
In our shrinkage tests, we wash fitted sheets according to the manufacturer’s directions more than 20 times. After each wash, our testers put the sheet on mattresses of different depths to see whether the corners and sides still fit and tuck underneath.
We also compare sheets after each wash cycle with a set of references to determine how much they wrinkle.Wrinkled sheets don’t look as neat and crisp on a bed, and you may even feel wrinkles when you lie down.
Our engineers assess the strength of the fibers with a machine that clamps both ends of the sheet sample and pulls it with increasing force until it tears.In our tests, none were weak enough to be a concern under normal usage.
To measure softness, a panel of sensory testers compares each sheet with a standard of fabric swatches covering a range of softness levels.
What to Look for When Buying Sheets
How do you know whether a cotton sheet is a good-quality sheet? While consumers often hear a lot about thread count, many factors can affect the feel and longevity of cotton sheets, including the weave and type of cotton fiber. Consider the following.
Cotton-rich vs. 100 percent cotton:Sheets touted as “cotton-rich” are less than 100 percent cotton. The claim indicates that the sheet is at least 50 percent cotton, while the remainder consists of some other fiber.Choose 100 percent cotton designs for a more breathable sheet, which will keep your skin warm while allowing heat from your core to dissipate into the air. This is important especially if you sleep hot. (For more advice on how the right bedding can help improve sleep, see our article on how to get a great night’s sleep.)
Thread count:Thread count is the number of vertical and horizontal threads per square inch. The products we test have claimed thread counts ranging from 152 to 680. Thread counts exceeding 400 are most likely produced by using finer/silkier yarns such as pima or Egyptian cotton. But we find that thread count isn’t necessarily an indication of quality.One of the best sheets in our tests, theL.L.Bean Pima Cotton Percale, has a claimed thread count of only 280, yet our tests find that these sheets are soft and strong. They also shrink very little and will still fit mattresses up to 14 inches high after a simulated year’s worth of washing.
Percale vs. sateen:These terms refer to the weave of the cotton threads. Percale sheets use a “one-over, one-under” gridded weave. The result is a crisp feel and a matte finish. In sateen sheets, the horizontal threads skip over a few verticalones before they loop under and over again. What you get is a drapier, smoother, somewhat glossier sheet that some might equate with a more luxurious feel. But the best sheet for you depends on personal preference.
Types of cotton fiber:Cotton fibers—or staples—come in different classes. These include short staple, long staple, and extra-long staple. Sheets made with short-staple cotton (commonly Upland cotton) are simply labeled as cotton. Those woven from long-staple or extra-long-staple cotton often call that out: Pima and Egyptian cottons are popular forms of extra-long-staple cotton; Supima is a brand trademark for a pima cotton grown in America. Typically, long-fiber cottons are softer, stronger, and less likely to pill. However, unscrupulous manufacturers might mix different types of cotton, so just because a product is labeled as such doesn’t mean it will perform as expected.
How to Buy the Correct Size Sheets
Before you shop, measure your mattress’s height, including your mattress topper if you’re using one. While you should buy sheets that have a deeper pocket than the thickness of your mattress, doing so doesn’t always mean they’ll continue to fit after you wash and dry them numerous times. We’ve seen shrinkage of up to 6 percent in the cotton sheets in our tests, and one of our synthetic fiber sheets saw so much shrinkage that it failed our test. In almost half the samples, there is so much shrinkage that the sheet no longer fits the mattress. Only two cotton sets in our ratings live up to the claim of “deep pocket” sheets; none fit mattresses that are 18 inches tall. So keep your receipt. You should wash your sheets before sleeping on them to remove finishes or excess dye. If the fitted sheet shrinks so much that it’s difficult to put on your mattress, or if you don’t like how the sheets feel once they’ve been washed, return them.
The Truth About Eco-Friendly Sheets
Contrary to popular belief, the growing practices for organic and non-organic cotton are quite similar, at least from a sustainability standpoint. “The big differences come down to where the seeds come from, and which chemicals are used to grow and protect the crops,” says Kavita Mathur, an associate professor at North Carolina State University’s Wilson College of Textiles in Raleigh. “When they are produced responsibly, both organic and conventional cotton can be grown with lower environmental impacts.”
She also says you can’t typically tell whether a sheet is made from conventionally grown cotton or organically grown cotton. “They’re indistinguishable,” she says. And “all cotton, regardless of production methods, is biodegradable, microplastic-free, and carbon-capturing.”
When a textile product carries Oeko-Tex certification, it means that every aspect of it—not just the cotton but also its threads, buttons, and any other components—has been tested for toxic chemicals (such as formaldehyde and harmful dyes) and deemed safe for human health.
As for bamboo sheets, they’re not as green as you might think. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission has ordered retailers to stop labeling and advertising rayon textiles as “bamboo.” Once the plant fiber has been processed, it’s rayon. You may also see this labeled as bamboo viscose, but it’s the same fiber. In addition, the processing uses toxic chemicals that emit hazardous air pollutants during manufacturing. (For more information on what eco-labels mean, see our article on mattress and bedding certifications.)
Sheet Brands
Amazon Basics is Amazon’s private-label brand. It sells a range of all-cotton percale and sateen sheets, as well as synthetic fiber sheets.
Better Homes & Gardens is best known as the widely circulated lifestyle magazine owned by DotDash Meredith. In 2008, the storied brand partnered with Walmart on a line of home products that includes bed and bath textiles.
Boll & Branch sells sheets at Nordstrom and directly to consumers through its website. It makes 100 percent cotton, sustainably sourced sheets made through family-owned farms and factories.
Brooklinen, an early online bedding brand to sell without an intermediary, brings higher-end sheets directly to consumers at more reasonable prices on its website. It also sells its sheets on Amazon.
This Macy’s exclusive brand sells a range of bed and bath products, including high-thread-count sheets, Egyptian cotton sheets, pillows, comforters, and mattress toppers.
L.L.Bean is an American retail company, founded in Maine in 1912. It sells percale, sateen, and flannel sheets.
Matouk is the product of the efforts of three generations of the Matouk family, started in 1929. It sells percale, sateen, and cotton sheets.
Threshold is Target’s home goods line. It sells sheets made in a range of designs and from a variety of materials, including cotton, cotton-poly jersey, linen blends, and microfiber.
How Consumer Reports Evaluates Sheets
From strength to shrinkage, our tests zero in on sheets that will last.
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