Best Fabric For Bed Sheets (Most Comfortable, Softest)
People have different ways of judging which fabric is best for bed sheets. Some go by thread count, others go by location of the fabric’s manufacture and on it goes. No matter which criteria you are using to find the best for you, keep in mind that there are a lot of best fabrics for bed sheets.
Once again you will find that everyone has a different opinion about what makes the best fabric for bed sheets. Cotton is usually the top of the list as natural fibers are always better to sleep on than chemically produced versions.
To learn more about the best fabric for bed sheets just continue to read our article. It explores the issue so you have some guiding thoughts helping you get a better night’s rest. The best sheets are not always the most expensive but high-cost counts.
Bed Sheets Fabric 101
Different Types of Fabric for Bed Sheets
When it comes to natural fibers for sleeping on, the best ones are cotton, silk, wool, and linen. These fabrics are soft, gentle on your skin, and help your body breathe as you sleep.
Then for softness, you can choose between microfiber, sateen, and flannel. These bedsheet materials bring a comfort level you may not have experienced before. Bamboo and polyester fabrics are also near the top of both lists as those materials are made to be soft and relaxing.
If you are going to go with cotton there are several varieties to choose from with upland and Egyptian as the top two choices. Then the other fabrics in this category also come with lots of versions so you can spoil yourself and pick some fine bed sheets for your home.
The real question is if you want to spend the money to buy the best of the best?
What Fabric are Bed Sheets Made of?
Bed sheets are made from a variety of fibers. The synthetic versions come in polyester, microfiber, acrylic, and nylon. The latter two are not the best versions of this option. Nylon can pill and needs to be hung up to dry, while acrylic is not the most comfortable fabric to sleep on.
Microfiber is good as it helps those suffering from allergies and asthma to sleep better. For natural fibers, you have flannel, cotton, wool, silk, and linen, to just name a few of the major fabrics.
Sateen is a weaving process, not a fabric so it is not included in this category although it can soften and smooth when made into a top-quality bed sheet. If you choose polyester over the alternatives then you are getting a fabric that should not pill, fade, or wrinkle that easily. Also, polyester is quite durable and strong allowing the sheets to stay with you for a long time to come.
Is Microfiber a Good Material for Bed Sheets?
Yes, they can if they are made from fine quality fibers. The threads are generally thinner than cotton or linen making them a lot thinner and better for summer nights or an Indian summer that is hotter than normal.
Low-quality microfiber sheets can tear quite easily so be careful when you are shopping. You may save money initially but you may end up paying more later on. If the feel of the sheets is important to you then you may want a microfiber bed sheet. Their construction equals a silky feel that allows you to rest easier.
Again, you want top-quality microfiber bed sheets as they keep you warm without letting you overheat. The durability of this type of bed sheet is top-notch as well. The fabric holds its dye very well and should not fade as fast as cotton will.
The bad news here is that the higher thread count in those microfiber sheets is going to raise the price somewhat.
Best Fabric for Bed Sheets to Stay Cool
You have several choices here and which one is the best is going to be up to your personal preferences and experience. The cotton fabric in a percale weave is said to be one of the best cooling sheets to sleep between.
Next, you have linen which is thinner than cotton and always a good choice when you want your body to breathe throughout the night. Running a close third are different types of bamboo bed sheets. Bamboo is a fabric that has a very versatile nature and keeping you cool is just one of those gifts.
Honorable mention would go to sheets called moisture-wicking sheets. We are not sure what fibers are being used to make these sheets but they are supposed to be an athletic grade quality.
If you are the type of person that likes only cotton sheets then the Egyptian cotton bed sheet is probably the best of all the cooling cotton sheets you can buy.
Most Comfortable Fabric for Bed Sheets
For allergy and asthma sufferers, a good microfiber may be the most comfortable bed sheet to sleep on. These sheets are made to be hypoallergenic and allow the user to get better sleep without having their allergies triggered. Bamboo fabric is also good for this situation.
As we mentioned previously, of all the cotton sheets you can sleep on Egyptian cotton is the all-round best. It is just made from top quality fibers and usually comes with a high thread count.
For some people silk, flannel and wool can’t be beaten. Some will prefer sateen because the cost of silk is quite high and sateen provides a silk-like feel, Then others may prefer polyester or poly blends to the natural fibers and find they sleep very well and without discomfort on those type of sheets.
Softest Fabric for Bed Sheets
The usual suspects will be mentioned here as well and with the usual caveat. The softest bed sheet is the one you like the most and prefer. But it is hard to beat Egyptian cotton though silk does give that fabric a good run for its money.
In the winter you may find that wool and flannel are the softest bed sheet you could put on your bed. Flannel and wool have nice comfortable qualities that allow you to stay warm without losing any comfort at all.
Next, there are many microfibers and fleece bed sheets. They are made to be soft and allow you to find your comfort sweet spot with ease. You will find that when it comes to the softness you will want the top quality sheets no matter the brand of fabric. Low-quality sheets just do not have what it takes to compete.
Spending a little extra money for softness will help you to sleep as you know you won’t be replacing them any time soon.
Best Fabric Bed Sheets for Summer
The best fabric sheets for summer are the ones made to keep you cool through those hot humid nights. Cotton and linen are two good options. The natural fibers and their weave style make sure your body can breathe as the night passes.
Silk is good for both winter and summer. It has magical powers that allow it to cool you when the temperatures are high and warm you when the temperatures are a lot lower. Linen is similar to silk in this characteristic.
Then if you prefer something exotic you can purchase bamboo sheets. They are made to keep you cool throughout the summer months. Long with those choices you have modal and tencel fabrics that work hard to keep you cooler.
Most Breathable Fabric for Bed Sheets
The list is long here as well. There are a lot of good fabrics that are great for when your body needs to breathe. Silk heads the top of this list as it brings so much more t your rest than just good looks. It lets you breathe easier throughout the night and acts as a good insulator between you and the heat.
Cotton and linen are two fabrics that are well known for good breathability characteristics. Their lightweight and sometimes percale weave make sure the heat escapes so you do not overheat at any time throughout the night.
Then you may want to test out the different rayon type fabrics. They are said to be good at letting a body breathe when the temperature rises. There are many varieties of rayon so you have a good selection to work with.
The problem you will have here is that there are just too many fabrics to choose from.
How to Calculate Fabric Consumption for Bed Sheet
The first thing to do here is to remember the differences in fabric width when you go buy it from the store. Clothing fabric is usually 36 inches wide, quilting fabric runs between 40 to 44 inches wide and home decor fabric hits as high as 54 inches wide and you may find some fabrics as wide as 60 inches.
Now to make the change, you need to determine how wide the fabric is you are replacing, then measure the sheet both its length and width. The first equation is length divided by 36 equals ___ then round down to the nearest 1/4 yard.
For the width, the equation is width divided by the width of the yardage you are replacing which equals ___ and round down again. The numbers look like this for a king-size bed sheet: #1. 102 divided by 36 = 2.83 rounded down to 2.75 yards; #2. 108 divided by 40 = 2.7 rounded down to 2.5 yards.
Then multiply 2.75 by 2.5 which will equal 6.875 or rounded down to 6.75 yards in total consumption.
Fabric Consumption Formula for Bed Sheets
We just did that for you and as you can see it is not a difficult formula to use. All you need are the right numbers and you can get the total yardage consumption in a matter of minutes.
Just make sure to measure twice and record the exact numbers. Decimals do not matter as you will be rounding down. Then make sure to multiply after you do your division to get the accurate amount of fabric consumption.
Hopefully, you did not skip math when you were in high school as now you know that you will use it sometime in the future. One note we forgot to mention, you cut off the unusable parts of the bedsheet before you start your measuring.
Where to Buy Fabric for Bed Sheets
This is going to be easier than figuring out the formula for bed sheet consumption and coming to its total. The first place to start is right in your home town. Many local fabric shops can help you find the right fabric for your bedroom needs.
If they do not have it then they can direct you to who can and that may be to their main competitors the big box stores like Walmart, Target, or even large department stores.
Next up is Michaels. Hobby Lobby and Joanns as they keep a good stock of bed sheet fabric, at least you hope they do. You also hope they have a friendly and helpful staff to make your purchase go smoother and easier.
If you do not feel like getting out into traffic, turn on your computer and search Amazon, or one of the many online fabric stores that have lower prices. The drawback here is you do not get to feel the fabric before you buy it.
Some Final Words
When you are looking fr the best bed sheet fabric, go with the fibers you like. If you are happy then you have the best. If you are not then look for high-quality cotton, linen, bamboo, and so on. The better the quality the better the bed sheet.
A good night’s sleep is not that far away.
