You're sheeting me.

June 27, 2012 9:10 AM

Please recommend me some bedding (specifically, a sheet set)!

My husband and I need new sheets!

When we first moved in together, in a romantic daze, we purchased shockingly expensive bamboo sheets from a local fancy home goods store. We figured it was our first joint home investment, the shop owner was very convincing (and very nice, and has sold us many other, successful items!), but these sheets are THE WORST.

After the first couple of washes, the ivory color became kind of yellowed. They get sweaty and sticky very easily. And after about a year of use, the flat sheet tore in the wash.

We use a nice flannel set during the winter, but we need something cool, soft and comfortable during the summer.

My favorite sheets ever were the ones I purchased for college at Linens 'n Things in 2003. They were (if memory serves me) 100% cotton and maybe 400 thread count? But I can't remember the brand, I think the tags are gone (they live with my parents now), and Linens 'n Things died! Well, they still have a store online, but none of the sheet brands there look familiar.

I just tore myself away from the cesspool of Amazon reviews and have come to the safe haven of AskMe. Here are my actual questions for you:

1. Does bamboo always do this? Wear terribly? We washed & dried them regularly (usually every 2 weeks), but we kind of need to do that, and the laundromat's washer & dryer are pretty harsh!

2. Can you recommend a brand (as in, one you have used or slept on) that meets the following requirements?
- 100% cotton
- medium thread count (300-400)
- NOT SATEEN. I think it's gross.
- breathable
- long wearing (like, years!)
- white or ivory
- queen size
- relatively deep fitted sheet
- available on Amazon? Organic? These two are just preferred, not required. And probably mutually exclusive.

3. I guess, given that we'd like durable, but white, sheets, we need some stain removal tips? Right now I occasionally use peroxide (rather than chlorine) bleach.

Thanks!

posted by Isingthebodyelectric to Home & Garden (21 answers total)

Best answer: Interestingly enough my favorite sheets come from Ikea. They're soft, comfy, easy to clean (I use hot water and OxyClean).

Plus, when you go to Ikea to get the sheets, you can eat meatballs and salad!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:20 AM on June 27, 2012 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Honestly, I have found that the plain 100% cotton sheet sets from Target (their store brand, whatever it's called) are some of the best, and feel better over time. Cool and crisp is a priority for me and the target sheets haven't failed to suit me.
posted by greta simone at 9:28 AM on June 27, 2012 [2 favorites]

Have you tried modal (beech) sheets? They tend to be stretchy with a jersey-ish feel to them, but I love them in the summer.

My newest set was purchased from Bed, Bath & Beyond in Dec 2010 and they are still holding up really nicely. I don't buy them in light colors, but I do wash/dry them in the machine regularly.

The only drawback is that they run easily. My cat put a few holes in my first set, but I've learned to make my bed more often to prevent that kind of thing.
posted by juliplease at 9:34 AM on June 27, 2012

Best answer: just go feel sheets at Target or someplace, and find some that make your fingertips happy. buy the most expensive ones you can afford, or the most expensive ones that are also on sale.

i'm a fan of high thread count crisp cotton. i'd never buy some online unless i'd first felt them up in a store.

I check places like target and discounters like marshalls every other month or so for nice sheets on sale, and have gradually built up my collection. rotate them often and they all last longer.
posted by th3ph17 at 9:40 AM on June 27, 2012 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Our current sheets are high-thread count from Target and I love them. One set (my favorite) is Target at Home 600 count organic, which they don't make any more, but they do make a lower thread-count version. The other is the Fieldcrest luxury 600 count, which is also very nice but not quite as nice as the other pair.

Our bed is king sized and we're going on two years rotating these sheets. Coolness is a must for us but we prefer dark sheets to avoid stains.
posted by immlass at 9:49 AM on June 27, 2012 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I purchased mine from Target about two years ago. I think they're 600 thread count, and they cost $90, which was the most expensive sheet set my local Target had. It took quite a few washes for them to soften up, but I'll definitely buy them again. One drawback: they can be quite wrinkly, and I've heard of others taking an iron to them. That's far too much work for something I barely care about, though.

To remove stains, I soak the sheets in oxiclean for a few hours roughly every 3-4 weeks. I'm so impressed with how white they are, since they're my only sheet set. Seriously, they look and feel like new after a long soak and wash.
posted by plaintiff6r at 10:30 AM on June 27, 2012

Best answer: nthing Target. I actually really like their standard sheet sets. Durable in the wash (have had a few emergency cat yack incidents where the sheets had to go through the washer at super hot temperatures), help keep things crisp and cool during Florida summers, and are relatively inexpensive.
posted by skittlekicks at 10:39 AM on June 27, 2012

My absolute favorite sheets (and I now have three sets) are the Target Home 325 Thread Count Organic Cotton Sheets
posted by magnetsphere at 10:59 AM on June 27, 2012

I usually go someplace like Marshall's or TJMaxx where they have an assortment of different brands. You can then have your pick of whatever thread count. To me it doesn't matter as long as they're 100% cotton, and *not* Sateen. It takes me a few trips but I've hit the jackpot several times finding Queen sheets for about $39.99.
posted by PJMoore at 12:45 PM on June 27, 2012

Best answer: I have had phenomenal luck with sheets from Garnet Hill (discovered by accident via their outlet in the White Mountains, and now I purchase their sheets exclusively). I personally swear by their t-shirt sheets, which I have found to be silky, ridiculously long-wearing, and warm in the winter and cool in the summer. However my taste in sheets does admittedly run towards the very soft: if you didn't enjoy the bamboo sheets, you may prefer something crisper - they have percale, which is very crisp, or other woven cotton sheets. They additionally sell Eileen Fisher linen sheets, which I have heard are incredible, but which are a bit too unaffordable for me as a grad student! Their flannel is also the best I've ever tried. My understanding is that they take returns for the entire life of the product, for any reason, and I have found their customer service to be extremely helpful and accommodating in general. Garnet Hill is a bit pricey, but have periodic sales (they're having one now on jersey sheets), and the quality of all of their stuff is excellent is excellent: sometimes you do get what you pay for.
posted by UniversityNomad at 1:37 PM on June 27, 2012

I should also note, as regards your specifications, that the Garnet Hill t-shirt sheets I have been using have not pilled, changed color (the white is still very white, with no oxyclean etc.), ripped, or anything else, in the entire time I have had them. I have probably used them for the equivalent of a continuous year on the bed. I used to use Kimlor jersey sheets, but found them rougher, and to pill much more easily (still fine, but GH were comparatively much better). The Twin XL that I have has very deep pockets (it accommodates a memory foam topper of several inches, in addition to the mattress), and is elasticated all the way around for a much more secure fit. I haven't found there to be any egregious wrinkling: when I take them out of the dryer, there seem to be hardly any wrinkles, especially when I stretch the sheet over the bed (that said, I'm also not the most detail-oriented person, and I have a policy of never ironing anything, so YMMV!). I think they're absolutely perfect, although if you found bamboo to be too soft in any way, I probably would recommend their woven ones instead of jersey, or linen if you really want to splurge for quality.
posted by UniversityNomad at 1:51 PM on June 27, 2012

Best answer: We also got bamboo sheets, thinking they were so soft and cool -- and then they pilled like a mofo. Really soft materials tend to do that unless they're tightly knit/woven, which is why high thread count sheets are great. Also, bamboo is technically a rayon/synthetic and won't breathe as well as cotton or linen.
posted by pised at 2:24 PM on June 27, 2012

I love the cheapest sheets from Ikea. They're like old-fashioned muslin sheets, sort of, in that they're nice soft cotton but not a stupidly high thread count, so they breathe. And they don't seem to have any gross chemical coating on the fibers. They're just very comfortable against the skin.

And while I'm at it I'll put in a plug for the cheap cotton towels from Ikea, too. They're very absorbent but thin, so you can fit more of them in the washer and dryer, and they don't take as much energy to dry--so you can either reap the savings as money, or as the luxury of using a fresh towel more often.
posted by HotToddy at 3:36 PM on June 27, 2012 [2 favorites]

I have these Organic Cotton sheets from Target and I love them. I have three other sets of sheets that I barely use anymore because they aren't nearly as comfy as the Target ones. The only downside is they get very wrinkly if I leave them sitting in the dryer too long.
posted by Nolechick11 at 6:56 PM on June 27, 2012 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I also have IKEA fitted sheets - after a few washings they are incredibly soft and comfortable. They now have sheets with different thread counts, but these were bought several years ago and are just their basic sheets.
posted by bendy at 7:52 PM on June 27, 2012

Best answer: Do you like crisp sheets? Like really crisp?

I love these Wamsutta sheets, only at Bed Bath & Beyond. They are like what I imagine it would be like to sleep on really high quality copy paper.
posted by thebazilist at 10:08 PM on June 27, 2012

Target actually has some really nice sheets (650 thread count or something) and when I checked at my local store on Saturday, they were on sale.
posted by easy, lucky, free at 10:10 PM on June 27, 2012

Response by poster: Thanks to all of you well-slept people!

1. The oxy-clean and rotate-multiple-sets-of-sheets advice is great - I will try both of these things! I don't have much money to spend, but I like the idea of building up sets of sheets over time.

2. The twice-linked target sheets (325 count) are sateen - but they have other percale sets. I will definitely try one out.

3. I think Garnet Hill is too pricey for me just now! Same with Wamsutta, although I THINK, I THINK those may have been the brand I had in college? They must have been on sale, though! I'll keep both of these brands in mind for the next time my thrifty conscience is blinded by excitement :)

I'll report back (if anyone cares) once we've tried something out! BED PEACE to you all!
posted by Isingthebodyelectric at 9:44 AM on June 28, 2012

Well just start collecting your 20% Bed Bath & Beyond coupons! They send one when you sign up for their email list (or rather, when you enter an email address that happens to get forwarded to your main email account), they come in the mail if you enter your mailing address on their site, and they come in the Bed Bath & Beyond circular inserts.
posted by thebazilist at 4:12 PM on June 28, 2012

Another vote for Ikea. Beware, though, of "the cheapest," as sometimes "the cheapest" in recent years have involved polyester (!). "The cheapest plainest COTTON" at Ikea. They get comfier with every wash. Not for the lovers of "crisp" with the crazy thread counts, but. If that is not your style of sheet anyway, Ikea's should suit quite well.
posted by kmennie at 3:58 AM on June 29, 2012

Yes, that's what I meant! The cheapest plainest COTTON! Didn't even realize they had polyester now.
posted by HotToddy at 7:57 AM on June 29, 2012