When buying sheets, the higher the thread count the better. Right?
Wrong.
Years of clever marketing from manufacturers of bedding have led us to believe that 500-1000 thread count and even higher, epitomise luxury and quality. And they charge us a pretty penny for the extra threads.
But, put simply, thread count is just the number of warp (vertical) and weft
(horizontal) threads in a square inch of fabric. There is a physical limit on how many threads you can fit into a square inch and it’s about 400. Anything above that number and you have the right to be suspicious.
And I’ll explain why.
When manufacturers use lesser quality cotton, the fibres are shorter and weaker, so when that’s spun into a yarn it has to be twisted with another yarn for strength. A 300 thread count sheet using 3 ply threads, could then be marketed as 900 thread count. Whereas a single ply construction using higher quality cotton, would have a much lower thread count.
The other way manufacturers inflate the thread count is to use multiple picks, which means extra threads are inserted into the weft. This, combined with the use of poor quality cotton, means you end up with coarser and heavier threads. A heavy thread means a heavy sheet that doesn’t breathe. Which can lead to overheating and a restless sleep.
Aside from being dense, they can have a tendency to pill, because shorter fibres have lots of ends which stick out. You may have heard the term “combed cotton”. This means the shorter sticky outy (it’s a word, I invented it) parts of the fibre have been stripped away, resulting in a smoother finish and less risk of pilling.
Confused?
Let me simplify things. If you overheat in your bed at night, you will have trouble sleeping. FACT. If you have high quality bedding that allows air flow to circulate, your body temperature will remain more even and give you a better chance of a restful sleep.
The Good Sheet provides a high quality, simple, affordable and ethically sourced bedding collection that will complement any home.
Seriously, life’s too short to be reading labels in stores. So went and did all the groundwork for you. – Kamila – Creator, The Good Sheet
I’ve taken a percale bed set in pinstripe stone a test run over almost a year. This has given me a chance to wash and dry them and really give them a good workout. I love the “crispy” feel of the percale cotton as they feel fresh and crunchy when I get into bed. Some may prefer a sateen finish, but for me, I choose the percale for that really crisp finish.
Has my sleep been better? I definitely find I sleep cooler on these sheets. Because they are smooth, not dense or rough and let the air flow through, I am not getting up in the night to change my pyjamas (a frequent problem for me) or move rooms to a cooler room (another issue that my husband hates).
Features
- Long & Short side tags. OMG. GAME CHANGER.
- Internal ties to stop your quilt moving.
- Deep 40cm wall on fitted sheets to fit most mattresses
- OPTIONAL flat sheet. YASSSSS. Don’t pay for what you don’t need.
- Two pillowcases with every size set, including Single.
In my opinion, buying sheets shouldn’t be difficult. And with that many choices out there and conflicting information, it’s refreshing to find an option that removes all the BS and just focusses on a quality product at a reasonable price that looks amazing in any home.
Isn’t that some Good Sheet?
The Good Sheet are offering Far Kew readers a 10% discount on purchases with the code GOTHEFARKTOSLEEP
So what are you waiting for?
Love, FK xxxx
