Picking the right bed sheet material is important because it will affect how your bed looks and feels.
Every bed sheet material has its own unique benefits. Some are better for keeping you warm on winter nights. Others are light and breathable for hot summer weather.
The problem is that there’s a vast range of materials to choose from, and all of their manufacturers claim they’re the best. So how do you know which one is right for you?
At the end of the day, it will come to down personal preference as much as anything else. You’re wrapping yourself in your chosen material for eight hours a night, so it’s important that you pick what feels best for you.
Of course, you want to find something you’ll be comfortable in which also falls within your budget. You should also consider other factors like durability, wrinkle resistance, and ease of care when making your decision.
By the time you’ve finished reading this article, you’ll have an understanding of the pros and cons of ten different bed sheet materials so that you can pick the ideal one for your bed.
1. Cotton
100% cotton is a favorite when it comes to sheets and bedding. It’s no wonder why. Cotton is breathable, soft, easy to care for, long-lasting, and generally affordable.
However, not all cotton sheets are the same. There’s actually a wide variety of different cotton sheets available. Here are some of the most common ones:
Egyptian cotton. If you’re in the market for some high-quality bed sheets that feel super soft, you’ll want to look at Egyptian cotton. It’s the most luxurious variety of cotton sheets and is generally considered the gold standard for quality sheets. Egyptian cotton is grown in a hot, dry climate which results in extra-long cotton fibers. These make for the smoothest and softest cotton.
Source:superiorthreads.com
Pima cotton. Pima is known for its softness, as well as its natural sheen. It’s grown mostly in the Southwestern United States. If you’re looking to buy sheets that get made and sourced from materials in the USA, Pima is a good option. Pima cotton has fibers that can range from medium to extra-long and make for great sheets.
Upland Cotton. This variety of cotton is native to North America, but it has become the globally most-grown type of cotton. It’s not as soft as Egyptian or Pima cotton due to its shorter fibers. If you’re buying cotton sheets and they don’t specify the type of cotton, it’s most likely upland cotton. The good news is that upland cotton is the most affordable.
source:glammonitor.com
Supima® is a trademarked brand of woven US-sourced Pima cotton. It’s very soft and absorbent. There’s a similar brand from India called MicroCotton® which is also made from extremely fine cotton thread.
Organic cotton. If you have chemical sensitivities or allergies, organic cotton is a great choice. It’s untreated and woven from cotton that was raised without pesticides.
What to watch out for:
Make sure to read the package carefully to see exactly what you’re getting. As mentioned, anything that lists 100% cotton but doesn’t specify a variety is probably upland cotton. That’s not necessarily a bad thing if you’re looking for affordable sheets that are still soft and comfortable.
Cotton sheets are prone to wrinkles. They can also take a few washes before they reach maximum softness.
Washing instructions:
Wash cotton sheets in cold water with a gentle detergent. Dry your cotton sheets at a low temperature to ensure they last for years. Avoid using bleach or fabric softener. They can damage the strength of your sheets, leading to faster wear.
2. Jersey Knit
Source:walmart.com
Jersey knit sheets have become quite popular because they feel like you’re sleeping in a broken-in t-shirt. Because of their warmth, they can make a great choice for winter. But jersey knit fabrics can also be a bit fussy when it comes to caring for them.
These sheets use a cotton/synthetic blend or 100% cotton which has been knitted rather than woven. This gives jersey knit sheets a more broken-in soft feel from day one, as well as a natural stretch. They’re also more wrinkle resistant than standard cotton sheets.
Jersey knit sheets are measured by their weight (per square yard) instead of thread count. Quality jersey sheets weigh between nine and 14 ounces per yard.
What to watch out for:
In a word, shrinkage.
Most manufacturers advise washing in cold water to avoid your jersey knit sheets shrinking. It’s not the most hygienic option to only wash your sheets in cold water, though.
You’ll want to wash them in warm or hot water at least some of the time to make sure they’re clean and to kill any potential dust mites.
Look out for mixed lots before washing your sheets for the first time. If your pillows and sheets look different from each other, you should return them to the store.
The rising popularity of jersey knit sheets has raised quality issues with some brands. If your pillowcases and sheets haven’t come from the same die, they will wear and respond to washing at different rates.
Washing instructions:
Machine wash your jersey knit sheets in cold water with similar colors. Don’t bleach or dry clean them. Tumble dry low.
3. Flannel
Source:thevermontcountrystore.com
Flannel is usually cotton that’s had its fibers fluffed up by combing. Although it can also be made from woven wool or synthetic fibers too. It’s a really soft fabric that also keeps in body heat.
It’s great for keeping warmly snuggled up on those cold winter nights. Plus you can turn your thermostat down a bit.
Like jersey knit fabric, flannel is also measured in weight per yard instead of thread count.
You’ll find the best selection of flannel in stores once cold weather arrives. In fact, flannel sheets often come in a variety of holiday-themed designs and patterns.
Flannel doesn’t wrinkle easily and is available in a range of price points.
What to watch out for:
Flannel sheets are measured in terms of ounces per square meter, or grams per square meter (GSM) if you use metric. A flannel sheet with a rating of five ounces or 170 GSM will last a long time and keep you warm.
Flannel sheets can experience pilling. Also known as those little pieces of lint or fuzzballs that form on some fabrics. Pills don’t interfere with the functionality of your sheets, but some people find it unsightly.
Washing instructions:
Wash flannel with a mild detergent in lukewarm water. Dry flannel sheets on low to reduce pilling and keep them feeling soft.
4. Tencel®
Source:tentree.com
This is a brand name for a sheet material made from the wood pulp of eucalyptus trees. The generic name for this type of material is lyocell.
Tencel is a more environmentally friendly fabric than cotton or synthetics. It takes less energy, chemicals, and water to produce.
It’s a very durable yet soft material with natural antimicrobial properties.
What to watch out for:
Tencel sheets aren’t as breathable as cotton ones. This means that if you sweat a lot in the night, your sheets can develop a slightly clammy feeling to them.
Tencel is naturally shrink-resistant, but it may shrink 2–3% in size the first time you wash it.
Washing instructions:
Use cool water for Tencel with mild detergent. Tencel shouldn’t go in the dryer. Hang or lay it flat to dry instead.
Oxygen and chlorine bleaches won’t harm Tencel fibers, but they might discolor the dye for finishes in the fabric. So you might want to avoid using them unless your Tencel sheets are white.
To remove wrinkles, use a warm iron. Make sure it’s not too hot… remember, it’s wood pulp, and you’ll burn it!
5. Silk
Source:overstock.com
Silk sheets are synonymous with luxury for many people. If you want to indulge in a comfortable night’s sleep or add some romance to your bedroom, it’s hard to beat silk.
These soft fibers are still naturally produced by silkworms. Silk is also hypoallergenic. Plus it doesn’t catch on the skin as easily and can help prevent tangled hair and bedhead.
The big downsides to silk are how much it costs and the delicate care that it requires to wash.
What to watch out for:
Silk isn’t measured by thread count. It has its own unit of measurement: mommes (“mm.”) It measures how much the silk weighs. 19mm silk is a good mix of shine, strength, and affordability to aim for.
Silk is sometimes also blended with other materials. Make sure to read the package’s fine print and get 100% silk if that’s what you want.
Washing instructions:
Use lukewarm water and a gentle detergent. You should wash by hand the first few times to soften the silk fibers and protect its natural sheen. Then you can start to machine wash on the delicate cycle. Use cool water and dry on the lowest possible temperature, or hang to dry.
If you need to remove wrinkles, cool iron it on the reverse side.
6. Satin
If you don’t want to shell out for real silk, satin is a human-made material that mimics the look and feel of the real thing. Satin sheets can be made from a variety of materials like cotton, wool, polyester, or even blended with real silk.
Satin sheets are cool to the touch and feel silky. They’re a good choice in warmer seasons.
What to watch out for:
Even though they aren’t real silk, satin bed sheets can still be expensive. Their natural sheen might also not match the furniture and other items in your bedroom. Plus, they’re less durable than some other types of sheets.
Wet satin is prone to tearing, so handle it with care when washing.
Washing instructions:
Satin can be made from a variety of different materials and blends. So it’s important to follow the care instructions on your specific sheet.
As a general rule, hand wash with cold water and a mild detergent and hang it to dry. The dryer is too harsh for most satin bed sheets.
7. Polyester / Microfiber
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Polyester bed sheets are made using a synthetic material. There’s a wide range of polyester sheets available, ranging from lower quality to some of the best available.
Polyester is inexpensive, but it can also be a scratchy and stiff material if used on its own. For this reason, you usually find polyester blended with cotton or another material.
Super finely woven polyester is called microfiber. Microfiber sheets can be just as soft and breathable as cotton. A high quality double brushed microfiber sheet provides superior moisture wicking as well.
Microfiber is naturally wrinkle free, so no chemicals are needed to keep them looking and feeling crisp.
Microfiber fabric has a very tight weave, which means dust mites can’t crawl through it. It’s hypoallergenic and makes a great choice for allergy sufferers.
Microfiber resists stains and is very durable. It’s a great choice for children’s bed sheets. It also holds color better than other materials so your sheets will keep looking bright for longer.
What to watch out for:
Polyester fabric can attract lint and pet hair more than some other fabrics. Especially if you live somewhere that gets really dry in the winter.
Washing instructions:
Polyester should be machine washed with cold water, and low tumble dried. Avoid dryer sheets, fabric softeners, and bleach.
You might want to wash your polyester or microfiber sheets on their own so, they don’t pick up lint from your cotton laundry.
Avoid ironing polyester. Since it’s similar to plastic, it will basically melt at high temperatures.
8. Bamboo
Bed sheets made from bamboo? You read correctly!
It’s hard to imagine that something as stiff and rough as bamboo can be made into a fabric, but it’s true. Well, sort of. It needs to go through a lot of processing first.
Bamboo sheets are soft, durable, and silky. They’re also as breathable as cotton. They wick moisture away instead of absorbing it, so they don’t discolor over time as much as materials like cotton.
Bamboo bed sheets are antibacterial and hypoallergenic. They’re a great choice for all seasons.
Source: Cozybamboo.com
What to watch out for:
Most bed sheets labeled as bamboo are actually rayon. This is a material created by turning the bamboo into pulp, dissolving it with chemicals, and then re-solidifying it and turning it into a thread.
So while the idea of using bamboo sheets sounds environmentally friendly, it’s actually quite the opposite.
The process involves lots of harmful chemicals and isn’t as environmentally friendly as manufacturers would have you believe. They might say that no chemicals are used in cultivating, but mention nothing about the manufacturing process.
Bamboo sheets are also more expensive than other options.
Washing instructions:
Wash bamboo sheets in cold water with a gentle detergent. Use a low dryer temperature. Take the sheets out as soon as the dryer is done to avoid wrinkles. Avoid using dryer sheets, bleach, or fabric softener.
9. Linen
Source:roughlinen.com
While linen can be a general term for bedding and fabrics, it’s a specific material as well. Linen bed sheets are woven from flax. It’s that same plant you might be using the seeds from to get extra Omega-3 and fiber in your diet.
Linen fibers are thicker than cotton. That makes them really durable and strong, and they’ll last longer than most other fabrics.
They’re really breathable and absorb moisture. So you’ll stay cool in the summer, but warm in the winter.
What to watch out for:
Linen sheets, due to the thick nature of their fibers, have a lower thread count than other materials. Getting linen sheets with less than 200 thread counts isn’t that uncommon. You’ll want to aim for linen sheets of 120 thread count or higher though if you want a quality set.
Linen should be air dried to avoid pilling. It also wrinkles easily.
Washing instructions:
Linen needs to be pre-washed to prevent pilling. Use a gentle cycle with cold or lukewarm water, along with a natural and very mild detergent. Don’t use bleach or fabric softeners on linens.
Hanging linen bed sheets to dry or laying them flat is best, but you can occasionally put them in the dryer for short amounts of time if needed.
10. Blends
Source:workwearfabrics.com
Bed sheets come in all forms of blended fabrics. Most of them have some amount of cotton in them. A cotton/polyester blend is the most common.
Blended fabrics often lend the best of all the materials included in them. Depending on the materials, blended sheets can be durable, wrinkle resistant, and inexpensive. They make great bed sheets for children.
Source:etoz.com
What to watch out for:
Anything blended will feel less luxurious than pure 100% cotton sheets. Blends with more than 30% synthetic materials might feel thick to some people and are less breathable.
Washing instructions:
Every blend is different. You’ll need to refer to the instructions on the label. But generally, sheets made with blended fabrics are pretty easy to care for and can be machine washed and dried.
So Many Materials to Choose From!
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The bed sheets you choose will affect how your bed looks and feels. As you can see, every material is a bit different. They come in a big range of price points, and some require special care when washing and drying.
There are a lot of different bed sheet materials to choose from, and the amount of choice can be overwhelming at first.
But hopefully, this article has given you a good idea of some materials you want to investigate further, and which you can rule out entirely.
Cotton is an all-around good choice if you want something comfy and breathable which is also affordable and easy to care for. You can opt for linen if you want something a bit more rugged and durable.
If the environment is a priority for you, Tencel sheets might be worth considering, which gets made from eucalyptus pulp. Bamboo sheets seem environmentally friendly at first glance. But the manufacturing process uses lots of harsh chemicals which isn’t great.
If you want to indulge in some luxury, silk sheets arguably feel the nicest, but that comes at a higher cost.
All of these materials can give you a comfortable night’s sleep, and each has their own pros and cons. I hope this information has helped guide you in the right direction. Now it will come down to personal preference to make your final decision.
What’s your favorite bed sheet material and why?