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Sweet dreams start<\/span> with soft sheets. Or, at the very least, great sheets mean I sleep better, whether my dreams are peaceful or a hallucination of failed superpowers and the internet. There\u2019s a lot to navigate when buying sheets for your bed, from understanding percale and sateen to thread counts. But the right set of sheets can make your old bed feel like a hotel, or be the perfect pairing with a brand-new mattress (because what\u2019s the point in pairing your new mattress with stale sheets?).\u00a0<\/p>\n We have tested dozens of sheets to find the best of nearly every style of bed sheet. However, there are an innumerable number of sheets out there, so we\u2019ll keep updating this guide as we test more. All of the prices shown are for queen-size models. Be sure to read our Best Mattresses and Best Organic Mattresses guides for more bedding recommendations.<\/p>\n Table of Contents<\/p>\n Medea Giordano contributed testing for this guide.<\/em><\/p>\n Special offer for Gear readers:<\/em> Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off)<\/strong><\/em>. This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com, full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.<\/em><\/p>\n If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n Why buy linen sheets?<\/strong> Linen is a woven fabric made from flax plants. It is a highly breathable material, so it keeps you cool during the summer months as it doesn\u2019t trap heat. It\u2019s great for people who sleep hot. It\u2019s rougher at first than a simple cotton set, but it should soften up the more it\u2019s washed. Linen is often expensive, but it\u2019s also more durable than cotton, so a good sheet set should last a lot longer. They\u2019re not for everyone, but if you love linen clothing, you\u2019ll probably love linen sheets.<\/p>\n We weren\u2019t sure we\u2019d enjoy sleeping on linen, and we almost quit before testing started. However, consider us converts. WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano says that when she first got into bed, these Brooklinen sheets were itchy, but after a few minutes, she relaxed and that feeling went away. The result was some of the soundest, coolest sleep she\u2019s had. Neither she nor her husband woke up sweaty, even during the Texas summer with two cats snuggled into them.<\/p>\n Brooklinen makes a few of our favorite sheets, and all the types are available in pleasant colors and patterns. (There are limited edition options too.) If you\u2019re not sure if you\u2019ll like linen, Brooklinen accepts returns within a year, but you\u2019ll have to pay a $10 return fee.<\/p>\n Runner-Up\u00a0<\/p>\n Quince\u2019s linen sheets were initially softer and less itchy than the ones from Brooklinen, and they\u2019re almost $130 cheaper. However, they run just<\/em> slightly warmer. If you don\u2019t feel like you\u2019re a particularly hot sleeper but you want linen, then these are a safe bet. (Or just try them without worry\u2014you can return them for free within a year.)<\/p>\n You should line dry linen, but if you do use a dryer like we did, expect to clean up a lot of lint. That was the case for Brooklinen too, but with these sheets, the lint trap started to overflow as there was so much.<\/p>\n Other Great Linen Sheets<\/p>\n Why buy percale sheets?<\/strong> Percale is a type of cotton weave, not a type of fabric. It\u2019s also referred to as a plain weave. It looks how you might picture a classic weave to look, with an over-under style like a checkerboard. These sheets tend to be crisp, cool, and lightweight. Think of hotel sheets or your favorite button-up shirt. They\u2019re a good middle ground if you sleep hot but don\u2019t want to spring for linen and its higher prices.<\/p>\n Target\u2019s in-house brands make great, affordable sheets, including this Casaluna percale set. WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano has been sleeping on them for several years, and they\u2019re her favorite of all the types of percale sheets she\u2019s tried, even those twice the price. They\u2019re crisp without being uncomfortably stiff, and she stays cool all night in them.<\/p>\n These Casaluna sheets have held up through many, many machine washing cycles, and are only getting more lived-in and soft. There are several colors to choose from too. When Giordano upgraded from a queen to a king bed, these were the sheets she repurchased immediately.<\/p>\n Other Great Percale Sheets<\/p>\n Why buy flannel sheets?<\/strong> Flannel sheets are made of cotton, but the cotton fibers are brushed out to create a fuzzy texture. Those fluffed-out fibers also are what make flannel so warm and cozy to sleep on\u2014the teased layers of cotton do a better job of retaining heat than other styles of cotton sheets, so you\u2019ll stay much warmer sleeping on these than other sheet styles. They\u2019re great for cooler climates.<\/p>\n The Company Store\u2019s flannel sheets initially threw me off with how pink the cream color looked, especially when placed next to other white sheets. But once I saw past that, these sheets felt the softest to the touch compared to the Coyuchi and L.L. Bean flannels I tried (see below). They\u2019re a little stiff initially, but soften up with each wash.<\/p>\n They\u2019re cozy to sleep on and definitely warm\u2014these were the warmest I slept on out of the bunch. If you\u2019re looking for soft and warm at a reasonable price, these sheets deliver.<\/p>\n Other Great Flannel Sheets<\/p>\n Why buy sateen sheets?<\/strong> Sateen is a cotton weave similar to percale, but it uses a three-over-one thread style weave compared to one-over-one. Those extra threads give it a silkier feel even though it\u2019s still cotton, and it tends to be both cooler and a little heavier. They\u2019re great for summer months if you want something cool to the touch, but they also work for colder months if you aren\u2019t looking for something too heat-trapping like flannel but still want to retain some heat.<\/p>\n I have a few sets of JCPenney\u2019s Wrinkle Guard sateen sheets in my linen closet thanks to my wedding registry. They\u2019re soft and cool to the touch, with the silky finish sateen is known for without being slippery. They drape well on my bed and don\u2019t keep me too warm, but be careful how you fold them as they aren\u2019t completely wrinkle-free.\u00a0<\/p>\n The craziest thing to me about these sheets is that I can barely tell the difference between them and the Brooklinen Luxe Core Set, which is double the price (and another set courtesy of my wedding registry). They\u2019re similar and both incredibly comfortable to sleep on, but JCPenney\u2019s sheets are just hard to beat on value.\u00a0<\/p>\n Other Great Sateen Sheets<\/p>\n Why buy silk sheets?<\/strong> Silk stays cool and slick when you need it, so you shouldn\u2019t heat up and stick to your bed in the middle of the night. But it also is capable of insulating you decently well to keep you warm in the winter months. Silk is also better for your beauty rest and the reason why silk scarves, bonnets, and pillowcases are so popular. It absorbs less moisture from your hair and skin, so you stay hydrated and don\u2019t lose all your expensive beauty products to your pillow. It also causes less friction, pulling less at your skin during the night. If you\u2019re a side or stomach sleeper where your face makes direct contact with your pillow, silk is a great option to consider.<\/p>\n If you Google silk sheets, you\u2019ll see results for things like \u201ceucalyptus silk\u201d or \u201csilky tencel.\u201d These might still be comfortable and soft, but they are not real silk. Real silk sheets are categorized by their density and weight, also called momme. A higher number equals more threads, a higher density, and more durability. For example, 25-momme sheets are a higher quality and more durable, but also more expensive. The 19-momme sheets we recommend here are a perfectly good set. It\u2019s worth noting that some people find sleeping on a full silk bed to be annoying, with their pillows slipping around and the corners coming untucked, but we didn\u2019t encounter this.<\/p>\n Sleeping on these silk sheets feels like true luxury. It\u2019s soft and smooth without being freezing cold. Lilysilk is the only brand of silk sheets we\u2019ve tested, and it\u2019s very expensive to get a full set\u2014you\u2019re looking at nearly $530 for one flat sheet, one fitted sheet, and two pillowcases\u2014but the brand offers each piece individually. WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano tried the fitted sheet with a regular percale top sheet and found it cooling and comfortable. If you can spend a little more, Lilysilk has 22- and 25-momme sets available. You probably don\u2019t need a full set to feel the luxury.<\/p>\n More Silk Sleep Accessories We Like<\/p>\n Switching to a silk pillowcase might make a difference for a lot less money. We\u2019ve used and regularly sleep with Celestial Silk\u2019s 25-Momme Pillowcase ($42)<\/strong> and Silken Pure\u2019s 22-Momme Pillowcase ($78)<\/strong>. We\u2019re trying other more affordable options now. Though satin isn\u2019t as cool and luxe as silk, a good satin pillowcase gives you many of the same benefits. We like Kitsch\u2019s set ($22)<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Why buy organic sheets?<\/strong> If you\u2019re buying an organic mattress, you probably want to pair it with organic sheets. Otherwise, nonorganic sheets can bring the chemicals and materials you avoided\u2014including anything from formaldehyde and TCEP (a flame retardant) to phthalates\u2014right back into your life. Even if you have a regular mattress, you can still benefit from choosing sheets that are made of natural, organic materials.<\/p>\n WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson tests organic bedding, and these are the best organic cotton sheets he\u2019s tried. They\u2019re soft but not overly silky, which is a feeling he doesn\u2019t care for (if you do, check out the Avocado sheets below). The Brooklinen organic cotton sheets are made from Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)-certified organic cotton. They\u2019re also Oeko-Tex certified, which means they\u2019re tested for and do not contain any known toxic chemicals.\u00a0<\/p>\n The 300 thread count makes this plenty crisp and soft but not so tight that you end up sleeping hot. These are a great choice for summer or if, like Scott, you sleep on the warm side even in winter.<\/p>\n Other Great Organic Sheets<\/p>\n Why buy bamboo or eucalyptus sheets?<\/strong> Companies are making sheets from other materials now too, like bamboo and eucalyptus. The latter usually takes less water than cotton and less harsh chemicals than bamboo to produce sheets. Because bamboo plants grow so quickly, it\u2019s thought to be an eco-friendly resource we can use without depleting the planet. However, it\u2019s not a perfect solution. The process of turning bamboo into fabric uses harsh chemicals, which can actually add to air and water pollution. Bamboo viscose is slightly better than bamboo rayon.\u00a0<\/p>\n A Eucalyptus Sheet<\/p>\n We were already fans of Buffy\u2019s enormous Wiggle Pllow, and now we\u2019re happy to have tried the company\u2019s sheets too. They\u2019re light and airy and yet feel warm, like you\u2019re cozy under your favorite blanket, without making you hot and sweaty. WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano says her husband struggles with waking up sweaty on materials like percale, even when they feel cool to the touch, but he commented on how nice he felt sleeping in these. She did, however, note that they slid up the side of her mattress more than some other sheets.<\/p>\n The fabric uses a sateen weave but is actually Tencel lyocell, which is made from sustainable wood sources\u2014in this case, eucalyptus\u2014and it\u2019s biodegradable.<\/p>\n A Bamboo Sheet<\/p>\n While WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano says she prefers the crispness of percale, these Luxome sheets made from bamboo viscose are the softest bedding she\u2019s ever slept in. They\u2019re silky and drape well, but have deep pockets and elastic straps to keep them on your mattress all night. They\u2019ve held up in the wash too. We were nervous they\u2019d get pilly like some similar cheap soft sheets we\u2019ve tried from Bed Bath and Beyond (RIP) but that hasn\u2019t been the case.<\/p>\n On a tight budget? Some of our favorite sheets are surprisingly cheap compared to other similar sets, but they cover a range of sheet styles.<\/p>\n When I upgraded my mattress after moving across California, I popped into Target to grab its cheapest queen sheet set off the shelf and promptly left the store. Target\u2019s Room Essentials set is made with a plain cotton weave, and I didn\u2019t expect them to hold up for long, especially with my claw-happy cat in the house.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been four years and I still use these sheets. They\u2019re soft and light after years of use and feel a bit like a favorite T-shirt I\u2019ve worn in the perfect amount. My husband, much to my ire, calls these \u201cthe nice sheets\u201d even though we have actual<\/em> nice sheets. They\u2019re affordable and are comfortable to sleep on.<\/p>\n Other Great Budget Sheets<\/p>\n Avoid These Cheap Sheets<\/p>\n Oh how we wanted $20 sheets to be the unexpected hero of our testing, but alas, this Amazon Basics Microfiber set<\/strong> is a failure. They feel (and sound!) kind of like those paper robes you have to wear at the doctor\u2019s office. We hardly lasted a night sleeping on these.<\/p>\n To sleep with a top sheet or not to sleep with a top sheet has been a matter of debate in the past few years, with some opting to speak for a generation. WIRED is divided on this issue, though most of the Gear team seems to go without. I start out the night with a top sheet but usually find it bunched up in the morning. WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano is passionate about always sleeping with one (\u201cThis millennial has not killed the top sheet industry,\u201d she says).<\/p>\n Do whatever keeps you comfortable. Many companies now offer the option to forgo a top sheet altogether while purchasing a set. If you think you don\u2019t like a top sheet because you get too hot, you might just need to find a cooler material.<\/p>\n Thread count is the number of threads you\u2019ll find in one square inch of a sheet\u2019s fabric. The thread count can range pretty widely on sheets, and some brands like Parachute claim it doesn\u2019t matter. You also might see some styles of sheets won\u2019t call out thread counts at all\u2014silk uses a different system, called momme, which focuses on the weight of the silk, and flannel sheets usually list the ounces of weight of the flannel.<\/p>\n Ultimately, higher thread counts mean literally more thread\u2014it\u2019s a denser weave and weight that can also feel heavy if you\u2019re used to lighter weaves and lower thread counts. Some equate thread count with quality or softness, but you shouldn\u2019t treat it as the ultimate rule of how good a set of sheets will be. You can use thread count to understand two things: texture (higher thread counts usually mean a smoother feel) and warmth (more threads will retain more heat). If you want lighter sheets, lower thread counts could actually be better for you, but higher thread counts can mean a smoother feel or warmer layers if you\u2019re a cold sleeper. Even if you like a toasty bed, you never need as high as 800 and 1,000 thread counts, so don\u2019t splurge for super high numbers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sweet dreams start with soft sheets. Or, at the very least, great sheets mean I sleep better, whether my dreams are peaceful or a hallucination of failed superpowers and the internet. There\u2019s a lot to navigate when buying sheets for your bed, from understanding percale and sateen to thread counts. But the right set of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-technology"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
Linen Sheets<\/h2>\n
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\nPercale Sheets<\/h2>\n
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\nFlannel Sheets<\/h2>\n
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\nSateen Sheets<\/h2>\n
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\nSilk Sheets<\/h2>\n
\nOrganic Sheets<\/h2>\n
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\nAlternative Materials<\/h2>\n
Best Budget Sheets<\/h2>\n
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Do You Need a Top Sheet?<\/h2>\n
What Does Thread Count Actually Mean?<\/h2>\n