Sheets for very hot weather

July 22, 2016 7:00 AM

I cannot find good sheets for super hot weather. Not humid, just desert hot.

Plus, my room is the hottest in the house. Yesterday I splurged on bamboo sheets at Costco for $150, thinking "these are going to be a lifesaver"! Well, I almost died. They were so hot I couldn't sleep at all. They felt like a drapey soft blanket. I would love a cotton sheet that is fairly soft but not drapey and heavy and thick. I will pay $ for them!! I am thinking linen would have the same problem- too drapey. Also, by the way, I am so embarrassed to return the sheets to Costco!

posted by tangomija to Shopping (31 answers total)

Never be embarrassed to return stuff to a store. You only bought them yesterday and they didn't work out for you - that's clearly a valid reason to return an item. Trust me, the costco employee you deal with is not going to care or think less of you. They'll be happy it was a problem-free return and probably not even remember your name two minutes after you walk away.

To be honest with you, sounds like you want sheets with fewer thread counts, not more. I recently purchased these. They're not fancy, but they are soft.
posted by INFJ at 7:12 AM on July 22, 2016 [4 favorites]

Get undyed, untreated, bleached white, plain finish cotton sheets. They're probably the best you'll find. When it's hot I sleep without a top sheet. And sometimes I sleep on top of a Woolworth's wool blanket with the topsheet on top of the blanket because it's scratchy, with no sheet on my body. I find the biggest issue with hot nights is that beds aren't very breathable. The wool blanket underneath has a perhaps paradoxical cooling effect.

Ideally you'd have a hammock that was as firm as a bed, so that you had airflow underneath, and a smartwool top sheet the weight of their running socks. But these things don't exist.
posted by dis_integration at 7:14 AM on July 22, 2016 [7 favorites]

Yeah, I came to recommend the wool mattress pad. The theory is that it wicks the moisture away.

Is a waterbed a possibility.
posted by Bruce H. at 7:22 AM on July 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Pay attention to the weave of the cotton you select. You don't want to go for a high thread count (like 1000), because that means the weave is tight and won't breathe quite as well. Percale is a weave that will be a bit crisper than sateen.
posted by lizbunny at 7:33 AM on July 22, 2016 [3 favorites]

Try percale sheets. I bought some from Target for fairly cheap and have been happy with them for summer sleeping in the high desert.
posted by BooneTheCowboyToy at 7:34 AM on July 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Costco is one of the easiest places in the world to return things to. They do not care, not one single bit. They just want you to be happy. You can return anything. I returned, get this, soup. It was a box of several boxes of soup, I didn't like it, and I took it back. I took back soup. I am a person who has returned soup. I'm okay with that and so is Costco. Your sheets make even more sense to return! Don't feel embarrassed about it at all!

The best summer sleeping sheets I have are some really cheap no frills ones from Ikea. I think it's that they're cheap and ultra lightweight because of their aforementioned cheapness that helps a lot there.
posted by phunniemee at 7:35 AM on July 22, 2016 [9 favorites]

I will second linen as the best choice. I am a very hot sleeper year-round and linen has been a lifesaver. Linen very breathable, stands up to sweat well and gets more and more comfortable as you care for it.
posted by deadwater at 7:48 AM on July 22, 2016 [2 favorites]

I splurged on Rough Linen sheets and now I sleep like a queen (even when my AC is broken).
posted by sallybrown at 7:54 AM on July 22, 2016 [3 favorites]

Linen sheets are amazing. Cool in summer, comfortable in winter. And you only need one set because they last forever and wash softer each time.
posted by bearwife at 7:59 AM on July 22, 2016 [2 favorites]

Percale! They stay deliciously cool in the summer, and there's always a nice cold spot if you move around a lot. Everywhere has percale, and you don't need super-expensive ones.
posted by xingcat at 8:06 AM on July 22, 2016 [2 favorites]

Cheap cotton sheet with a low weave. If the draping bothers you iron them after washing to put a bit of backbone in them.

If you have the budget silk is great for heat. I have slept on a pair once in my life in an Australian summer & it was heaven but according to the owner of said sheets you can't buy cheap versions or they will suck & they are fussy to take care of. But one day when I'm rich & have someone else do my laundry those are my dream sheets.
posted by wwax at 8:32 AM on July 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Here is your answer: LLBean percale sheets. They are reviewed by Sweet Home and I own them. They're both crisp and soft and quite lightweight. I bought a set in white a couple years ago and would buy them again.
posted by purple_bird at 8:57 AM on July 22, 2016 [3 favorites]

LL Bean percale sheets, absolutely.
posted by joan_holloway at 9:03 AM on July 22, 2016

Best answer: 100% cotton, not sateen. Percale. Thread count 300 or more.
posted by PJMoore at 9:04 AM on July 22, 2016

Best answer: Percale. I've got three sets of the Target brand and they have been life-changing. LL Bean is almost certainly better quality than the Target but for the value Target is pretty good.
posted by good lorneing at 9:21 AM on July 22, 2016

Also, just to confirm: you're washing them before using them, right? The starches/sizing/etc on new sheets will make them feel extra hot and sticky if it's not washed off.

Also, if you can use a fan as well, do that -- even no sheets at all can feel hot with no air movement in the room.
posted by asperity at 9:37 AM on July 22, 2016 [2 favorites]

Also, I have totally returned underwear to Costco. And that was <$10. $150 sheets you don't like? You should definitely return those.
posted by asperity at 9:41 AM on July 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

You could also consider getting a buckwheat pillow. Those run cooler than other types of pillows.
posted by Michele in California at 10:26 AM on July 22, 2016

nthing the LL Bean percale sheets Mefites recommended when I asked about getting hotel-like crispy sheets. They've been great in hot weather.
posted by Elsie at 10:31 AM on July 22, 2016

I use 300 thread count percale sheets from Coyuchi. I'm like the princess & the pea -- can't sleep comfortably on any other sheets. The high thread count thing is an urban myth. Also, sateen makes me feel like I'm sleeping on rubber ugh.
posted by janey47 at 10:36 AM on July 22, 2016 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks so much everyone! Wow, a wool mattress pad- never would have known.
posted by tangomija at 10:44 AM on July 22, 2016

Best answer: You want natural fabric that's threadbare.

Go to the thriftstore and find a sheet that's one season past when it should have been cut up into rags.
posted by aniola at 11:06 AM on July 22, 2016 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Yep, cotton.

But about your embarrassment, just remember that the people staffing the returns counter at Costco don't really care if the company has to pay a little extra for restocking. They gets paid by the hour no matter what gets returned or not returned! They probably barely notice what it is that they're running under the scanner.
posted by ostro at 11:11 AM on July 22, 2016 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Yes! That is so funny! I had a set of sheets from Goodwill for 10 years That I absolutely loved!! Super thin and looking terrible. I donated them and regretted it, even though they were ugly. And the other thing was they said cotton and polyester. I can't believe I liked something with polyester. I never see those threadbare sheets anymore. I just see heavy duty ones at the thrift stores. I guess I'll keep looking!!
posted by tangomija at 12:10 PM on July 22, 2016

Maybe try Craigslist?
posted by aniola at 12:30 PM on July 22, 2016

These guys pop up on my FB feed: http://www.sheex.com/performance-bedding/l/100

Their whole thing is cool-sleeping sheets.
posted by disillusioned at 1:29 PM on July 22, 2016

++ Linen
posted by The Shoodoonoof at 2:48 PM on July 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

I recommend percale sheets from Macy's Martha Stewart collection. They are 360 threads and they are light and crisp and really comfy and breathable.
posted by Otter_Handler at 3:37 PM on July 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: What about tencel? Have any of you tried it? Also, I don't use my ceiling fan at night bc it dries out my eyes so bad by morning.
posted by tangomija at 8:10 PM on July 22, 2016

Hello, I also am a miserably hot sleeper this summer.

Nthing LL Bean percale sheets if you can afford them; I have also had good luck with cheapo, low thread count Ikea cotton sheets in the past. (Bonus tip: get a cheapo spray bottle and mist your top sheet with water before bed until it's damp, then turn on a fan. Evaporative cooling for the win! This also works with your nightclothes if you just cannot deal with a topsheet on a particular night.)

Re: ceiling fan drying your eyes out, I had the same problem until I got myself an eye mask. This one is lightweight and doesn't make my face much hotter than it is already. It has the added benefit of blocking out the early dawn light in summer.
posted by Owlcat at 1:23 PM on July 23, 2016

Best answer: Tencel is a form of rayon, as is bamboo (in textiles), so I think you'd find it similarly hot and clingy, unfortunately.

I've always been a very hot sleeper, and I live in Texas, so I can most definitely relate. I always liked crisp cotton percale sheets, but found the higher thread counts too hot. A couple of years ago I switched to linen, and I truly will never willingly switch to anything else. The feel of linen sheets is hard to describe; it breathes well, and rather than cling to your skin, kind of "floats" or drifts over you in a cushy, cozy way. It can be rather spendy, but is very durable, especially if you're able to line-dry it. And btw, sometimes Costco has linen sheet sets online.
posted by theperfectcrime at 2:55 PM on July 23, 2016