Submitted by GardeningCrashCourse t3_yg9yao in BuyItForLife
Update: Thanks for all the suggestions. Sounds kind we didn’t understand thread count. We’re going to research through these!
My parents bed sheets have lasted almost 40 years, my bed sheets don’t last a year before they ware through. We buy 1000 thread ct. sheets too.
Indeed…. Thread count is a gimmick and high thread count typically translates to thin threads. Feels silky, but doesn’t breath and wears out fast. My favorite sheets are linen. Not the softest and super low thread count but they are super breathable due to the low thread count and linens ability to wick moisture from your body. Allows your body to regulate temps much better in both hot and cold weather. Never going back.
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Amazon “deals” have gotten me so many times with this nonsense. I’ve had plenty of crappy “high thread count” sheets from them.
Linen. Gets softer as it's washed.
Also, line dry your sheets whenever possible. Much less wear and tear on sheets and better smells after drying.
People say this, but I’ve yet to smell a line dried sheet that smells better than one fresh out of the dryer with fabric softener.
People say this, yet I continue to hate the stench of fabric softener and consider it bad for my laundry, bad for my skin/health, and pure environmental pollution.
Im glad im not the only one who detests fabric softner. Everytime i get a whiff of it i feel like im being poisoned.
I don't use fabric softner but I am from the east coast so to me put your laundry out to dry is like asking for it to rain.
That's because you are. Fragrance free
Agreed. Fabric softener is completely unnecessary
Wool dryer balls do the trick for me.
When I was drying blankets, I put a few drops of lavender essential oil on the dryer balls. They tumble and spread the scent.
Ah nice, I understand you can "recharge them" by putting a bit of lanolin on them, though that sounds messy and I've never tried.
Try vinegar in your washer. Also, try a vinegar based fabric softener. It's all I use now.
I never understood what the point of them was. My clothing is already soft. It's clothing. It's made to feel good on your body. Else I wouldn't buy it. Fabric softener seemed like just adding stinky perfume chemicals for no reason at all.
Totally agree. Those synthetic, toxic scents are awful, an assault on the nostrils, and utterly unnecessary pollution.
Can we stop using toxic when we don't understand toxicology please? I've yet to pick up a paper and read, "Man dies from Bounce use". Don't like fabric softeners due to *.reason? Great! Don't use them. But don't sound the Horn of Helm's Deep like the stuff is toxic when it ain't.
I agree actually, it’s definitely overused - however there are studies linking synthetic detergents and softeners (maybe not specifically the scents in them but nevertheless) to carcinogenic ingredients. I’ll try and link one here later if I can find it.
But even more than that it is well known that they are extremely damaging to the environment for several reasons, when compared to plain soap or milder, biodegradable cleaners, (killing microorganisms and destroying biodiversity; surfactants causing foaming in rivers and leading to long term damage; changing the ph in soil and water; inorganic phosphates causing eutrophication which depletes oxygen in water; they don’t properly biodegrade, causing maximum long term pollution of soil, rivers and water sources;), so in that case they are far worse than what we might commonly use the word toxic for.
Thank you for your reply!
There are unscented fabric softeners, including sheets, which I really only use to get rid of static.
Fabric softener is synthetic or natural beef tallow with petrochemical fragrance, so really don't get why you are discouraging a suggestion for a natural line dry.
Do you specifically enjoy having your clothing covered in synthetic beef fat and chemicals? I prefer Air.
I had to stop line drying at one point years ago when a neighbor bought an outdoor meat smoker. That fresh line dried smell was replaced with smoky meat smell several times a week.
I think we’re missing the big point here in that these would be the best smelling sheets of all.
“Honey, these brisket scented sheets are amazing!”
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This would break my heart 😂😭
I had to stop line drying because my a-hole neighbors complained I had a clothesline and apparently it's against HOA rules. Now I sometimes just drape them over my patio table instead, that's how much I crave that sweet sweet line dried sheet smell!
I dry our clothes inside our home. It has little to do with our neighbor's meat smoking, which I am unsure if they do, but everything to do about efficiently drying our clothing without chemicals or energy.
I recommend the Ikea Mulig drying rack, holds a twenty pounds of dry clothes. Maybe 30lb wet.
We have a high ceiling in our family home and my dad installed a clothes line on a pulley system.
"Ah, a man of culture, i see" must be your line every time you see the clothesline and him together.
Which is a fair statement, as hanging your laundry in the courtyard, the palazzo, the ancient ruins, is something humans have been doing since the agricultural revolution at least, ie when our non- nomadic culture developed and changed radically.
OMG! I have seen those in British tv shows. I want one so badly. I have high ceilings in America and I very much want a British cast iron pulley ceiling dryer.
The floor based IKEA rack is still good, but I have Victorian dreams.
I mean, that could likely get me to start line drying personally. But it's all about preference, if it wasn't Reddit I'd be shocked over how bent out of shape people are on this.
Well that might certainly attract all the cats and the dogs in the area 🤣
It sort of did. Same neighbor ended up with several dozen stray cats. Who then all had kittens. They ruined several neighbor’s landscaping etc. Health department got involved. Then they left piles of wood for their fireplaces unused and that attracted rats.
My dryer seems to work just fine without any fabric softener. Maybe I've got a special unit!
Bruh fabric softener is just artificial scents from mass produced chemicals. It’s so unnecessary and just creates more waste. “Smelling good” doesn’t add function to sheets. In fact fabric softer deteriorates cotton over time.
Stop using fabric softer. Shit is for boomers
I’m far from a boomer, but you guys have really educated me on a few things and I’ll try vinegar. I was speaking strictly from a scent standpoint, as I’m a fragrance lover. But I wear cologne every day, so you’re right, dryer sheets are probably unnecessary in my circumstances.
You can use a non-chemical linen spray. Buy it or put some essential oils and distilled water in spray bottle.
Screw fabric softener and dryer sheets.
You prefer a gross, laboratory chemical smell to a fresh smell?
You've been brainwashed by advertising.
Fabric softener, ew. Use distilled vinegar in the rinse cycle to get it extra clean & fresh.
How much vinegar?
Start off w half a cup for small loads; one cup for full loads. And use a second rinse option if available. Wash hot, dry low.
About ⅛ c vinegar as a rinse/fabric softener in a front loader works for me. I wash on cold/cold, saves $ (unless someone is sick or for very young or elderly etc). If things stink or heavily soiled I add baking soda or borax then turn washer off while it’s in the washing mode and let things soak. I never rinse twice unless I accidentally add too much detergent. It’s believed to be worse to use too much detergent than too little. Manufacturers want you to use a lot. When I clean my coffee machine w vinegar I reuse the vinegar to help w baking soda to scour bathrooms and toilets.
Thanks for the tips! Definitely gonna try these out.
You’re welcome. Consumer Reports is often my reference. I think they work hard to help w well researched tips.
There's a lot of people talking about how fabric softener is bad for you and your clothes. It's also bad for your dryer. The wax that they use for softener coats the dryer and can make it break down much earlier.
Found the guy that lives next to a dairy farm.
Line drying is probably the reason even inexpensive sheets last forever around here.
Does anyone have preferred brands for their linen sheets? I love linen sheets and have bought ones that I thought were good quality but have similar problems with them wearing through within about 3 years.
I can actually contribute to your question with my hunt for linen sheets! I bought sets from both Cultiver and the Citizenry. The ones from the Citizenry are significantly softer and seem to have held up better after a couple years of washes (in that the buttons didnt fall off in the wash like the cultiver ones). The cultivers are kinda scratchy.
I think there are a couple threads on here about it. Our bed thread ones are about 2 ish years old and feel pretty sturdy still. We got ones from the citzienry a long time ago and they wore out very fast. Would not reccomend.
I haven’t had sheets from them, but linenme’s towels are lovely.
I got mine from Bed Threads and they're pretty new but I really like them so far
Thanks for all the ideas; I’ll check them out.
100%. Breaths much better, which despite it not being as soft, contributes to better sleep.
Can u recommend a brand of linen sheets?
I bought Quince sheets around a year ago after the set I inherited from my parents (probably from the 80s, judging on the pattern) started getting holes. They're pretty solid so far, and we just bought a set of Brooklyn Loom sheets to alternate on laundry day, but I haven't even slept on them yet so I can't speak to their quality.
I would NOT recommend Brooklinen though. Very thin, feel cheap, and get holes quickly (around a year and a half in, in my sister's case)
But yeah. I don't know if these quince sheets will last another 40 some odd years like my old set, but they seem pretty good so far.
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/113446?page=pima-cotton-percale-sheet-set
These sheets are great. They were a tad scratchy at first (like the first couple of days), but they get softer with time and are great quality.
I had those in my cart and was waiting to Purchase but it seems like they are a good option!
They’re the only sheets I have. They’re amazing.
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A while ago someone posted a link to a site where you can buy hotel gear. Hotel sheets have to hold up to constant washing and be soft af. Can’t remember the site but that was a real lightbulb of an idea.
I’m going to dig around to find that link!
You can buy off some of their sites. I know marriot you can buy their sheets. Just bought my wife their robe for her birthday
Kirkland signature
Seconding Kirkland Signature. They’re my favorite sheets.
Just threw the bottom sheet out of a Kirkland set I bought ten years ago. They were like $65 for king size, 600 thread count. I’m sad they’re worn out, but they were great sheets. I saved the pillowcases and top sheet to use with other sheets.
If I can remember correctly, I don't think they have the same option anymore for the sheets. Our first ones we bought from them are lovely. The scond pair that we more recently bought.t though, are not the same, and less lovely, even though they were supposed to be the same line.
That’s sad, because Kirkland brand is usually really good. I won’t gamble on replacing the sheets there.
When did you get the more recent set? I've liked the Kirkland sheets in the past but I noticed they changed.
Are they still good sheets?
We got them last year in 2021. They're OK, holding up, but they're not as thick and luxurious as the prior set.
Same. I think I get about 5 years out of a set.
Target Threshold is also really good.
Frette percale at around 250tc. Don't buy anything over 350 thread count. Any brand saying that they have over 350 is selling short cotton staples in multi ply yarn to increase count through math. It falls apart.
1000tc is a true statement of having bad product. It will fall apart; It is made to.
You'll need to spend what you're parents did, which is like $500 a set. (Look at an inflation calculator. It's a comparable sum).
Yes. My grandparents invested in a new duvet and sheet set in the 80’s. My grandma spent about $300 on the sheets alone. The duvet was Amish down and about $1000. Thirty years later I still use those sheets and my mom still uses the duvet. They were sickeningly expensive but will probably outlast us!
I don't understand people's mentality that that's seen as sickeningly expensive. We spend a third of our lives in bed, and good sleep is fundamental to health. It's a small investment.
I mean, that was equivalent to two months’ worth of mortgage payment back then. So yes, it was very expensive.
It is sickeningly expensive when you’re living paycheck to paycheck. I’d love to buy some more expensive quality sheets, but 300 for a sheet set is WAY beyond what I can afford. I’d have to save up for quite some time.
People think bedding is disposable. They don't think it's bilf accessable as microplastic sheets are marketed as doorbuster deals at $25usd a set with a 1500tc, when a proper set of 250tc sheets cost $500usd.
Bridge pricing is worse, when people flex their spending and buy something at $250usd then those sheets don't close the quality gap and fail, those people then say expensive sheets are bad. There are multiple examples of this on this thread. Literally, a decent percale is $500, a decent linen is about $700-1000. There are people here complaining that their $300 linen sheets failed, but they have no understanding of Belgium or Ireland flax protocols, or staples and weaving.
Sorry for the rant, but you are soooo correct that a third of life is sleep. Good sheets are healthful.
Same. I still have down pillows my mom bought for me in the late twentieth century (lol, had to) as well as linen and cotton percale sheets from my grandmother from 1930's Ireland. With proper cleaning and care they are still great.
Frette or Sferra is the equivalent of old Wamsutta from the 1950's. Frette is mostly what I buy, but Sferra and Anachini are also excellent.
I’m trying to parse the difference between their described “crisp, cool feel” of percale versus the “silky soft hand of cotton sateen”. I don’t know what that means. 😆
Percale and sateen are two different weaves. Percale is a simple over/under where warp and weft are equally exposed. It's sturdier and good if you sleep hot. Sateen has more exposed weft and feels silky, it's less breathable and good if you sleep cold.
Thread count is a lie.
Pima, linen, Percale ( IANAE but I have read this weave lasts longer than others).
thread quality is more important than count ad count can be artificially inflated with ply.
Agree w percale which is crisp & cooler than sateen. Would also go w 300 tc. Would choose Supima, Egyptian cotton or linen for fabric.
Do they rotate through ten sets of sheets or something? Even Vera Wang sheets only lasted me five years. I would go for Egyptian cotton percale weave and don't worry about thread count. Martha Stweart brand had a deal on that last I checked and they've been great so far.
Just 100% percale cotton. Nothing else. least 200 TC (*＾3＾)/～♡
Vintage Wamsutta percale. There's plenty available on Ebay.
Yes. We had a sheet for 20 years that we held onto for dear life until it was no longer salvageable. So thick and smooth, I MISS those sheets.
Redland Cotton. Expensive and worth it. Thick but not too warm. They wear well, getting softer with each washing. And made in the US, which is a bonus.
Second redland, their fabric and stitching are both top knotch. Really happy I went out on a limb and bought some a few years ago.
The Vera Wang sheets at Kohl’s. Best sheets ever.
I’ll look into those. Thanks for the suggestion.
No prob! I have a set that has lasted for 15 years, with good care. They’re amazing.
Red Land Cotton- ultra cozy
Linen is the buy it for life solution
Frette,, or Sferra.
:)
Another vote for frette. They have online sales 3x a year which brings the normally unaffordable price down to earth and usually jump on it with sheets and towels.
Happen to recall if these sales are typically around the same times, and when? Thanks!
I don't, sign up to their email list and when you see the 80% off one. Go crazy.
Ah okay thanks. Fingers crossed they do something here in the holiday sale season.
The Company Store percale. These sheets are the best. They have lasted me 10+ years before they even start to hint at signs of wear. I typically rotate between 3 sets, and always wash on hot and tumble dry. I bought a set of Brooklinen at the same time as my last set of TCS and the Brooklinen wore through in 5 years whereas TCS is still going!
Another vote for Company Store percale.
Boll and branch. Stupid expensive but I definitely spent more on replacing bad sheets, trying ones I didn’t like, & throwing out ones that pilled before I gave in and got ones that last.
I second the hotel recommendation. You can buy stuff from the Hilton. https://www.hiltontohome.com/category.aspx?bedding
I wish they’d let you buy just the sheets. Honestly I feel like $1500 is a pretty good deal for the whole kit if you needed everything, but all I need are some sheets!
Look under linens. https://www.hiltontohome.com/category.aspx?cotton-stripe-linens
Bedsure bamboo sheets. Incredibly soft. Never going back to anything else!
I am shocked I had to scroll this far down to find the only other bamboo fan, these guys are missing out. I'm swapping out all my cotton/polyester for bamboo where I can.
Haha I know! My ex, my current bf and his sister all use the bedsure brand. Are you using bamboo materials for anything other than sheets?
Cozy Earth Bamboo pajamas are awesome. I have also bought Bamboo viscose nightgowns on Amazon. Both have held up really well too
Ooo OK! I'd love some super soft jammies jams!
Yes!
I just switched my undies over briefs and boxer briefs (DAVID ARCHY) for summer and winter. I can't speak for BIFL (but IMO no undies are, or should be) I can say I spent ~$1500 finding the right pairs and tested every (or almost) product with bamboo and polyester. I can't stand cotton and polyester makes a fine brief (Reebok) but not boxer briefs. I needed something to protect my legs from the wind.
But hands down the David Archy is the softest most comfortable feeling underwear of the 23 brands and 3-5 variants of each brand, not including sizes.
Thank god for Amazon's return policy, they pretty much paid me $75 with their card to find out what I liked and what fit properly.
For sheets, I went the bargain route and went with Hotel Sheets Direct ($33) as soon as I touched them I knew I was done searching. I tested the Umchord brand but they felt horrible and never left the package. Bedsure was next on my list to try. Did yours shrink at all when you washed them? My sheets seemed to shrink but they replaced them without needing to send them back. They claim it fits a 16" mattress but I could get them to barely fit my 10" without my corner keepers. I simply washed in warm water like normal, nothing crazy and that's what the brand said I should have done.
I do want to buy shirts too but the ones I can find are $20-40 and not in my size. Not that i'd buy a $40 tee shirt.
I'm really picky with any purchase and insist on doing research but especially when it comes in contact with my skin.
Edit: I just picked up a set of bedsure to compare for $36. Thanks for your recommendation.
Great info! I'll definitely be piggy backing on your boxer brief recommendation for the special man in my life.
I did not notice that my sheets shrunk BUT I live in a camper so my king size mattress is a little smaller than most. My BF actually complained that his bedsure sheets were too big and he has a very tall queen mattress. So hopefully it's not an issue for you.
I am also very diligent with spending money and tend to do a lot of research on any purchase that's more than a couple dollars. Hope you love your bedsure sheets as much as I love mine!
Thanks for the heads up. FYI they had GREAT prime day deals, I'd expect the same for black Friday but of course, with the holiday window, you can buy now and save later by buying when it's cheaper and returning it for the more expensive price.
I save my ethics and morals for non-billion dollar companies, especially when it's simply returning a new item for them in the return window you could return the used one.
Another vote for bamboo...
Sferra.
I’ve been using Comphy brand sheets since 2013. We have 2 sets that we wash and change out every week that we originally bought in 2016 that are still in excellent condition. Comfortable, stain resistant, and tough. I first learned about them at a bed and breakfast where they were on their insanely comfortable bed.
I keep hearing good things about bol and branch but I've never tried them.
I really like the quality of Garnet Hill, but I haven't purchased new from them in over ten years so I don't know if they are still as good. More affordable next best would be Pottery Barn. My latest love for VERY affordable are the Threshold brand at Target.
LL Bean makes the best flannel sheets and are 100% worth the cost.
This is what I buy when they go on sale. Garnet Hill supima percale bottom sheet and duvet cover. Nice and cool and crispy.
I'm glad to hear they are still nice. Yes, they are just perfection. Soft and crisp at the same time.
Frette from Italy but sold in US are the best.
Brooklinen
second Brooklinen. I've had their classic percale for years and love them. I first bought from them around 5 years ago. The second sheet I bought weren't as immediately soft though but after several washes I can't tell the difference between the two.
Lands end Oxford cloth sheets.
Dreamfit sheets. Pricy but worth every penny. Corners never pull off. We have some going on 14 years in great condition.
I always buy sheets at TJ Maxx, cotton 400 thread count. Lower thread counts give more durability and are still comfortable. 1000 thread count sheets are made with smaller threads, which are more fragile.
100% cotton percale are the way to go.
Brand-wise, I've had Simply Vera sheets from Kohls for 15 years that are still going strong. I also have a bunch of Polo Ralph Lauren from 25+ years ago when I worked at the outlet and got crazy good deals on clearance sheets. My current faves are the basic Brooklinen sheets. Have only had for a few years but the quality is comparable to the others I mentioned, so I expect them to also last a long time.
Maybe they don’t wash as often as they should?
I buy 100% cotton around 300-350 thread count (usually Kohls or TJ Maxx), but I rotate several sets. I’m the 17 years I’ve been married, I’ve only purchased new sheets because of stains, bottom sheet elastic giving up, and one incident where a cat really needed his claws trimmed and he was staging a major act of protest.
Sheex Arctic Aire Max. Very soft and durable. We have 4 sets.
Look for sheet ratings on Wirecutter website. It gives reviews and the methodology behind everything they do. Excellent resource.
If you can find sheets made with real flax linen those are the type that last forever. They are more pricey but they last and last.
LL Bean, The Company Store, Land’s End.
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Search bed sheet in the sub there are great recommendations there. Also this depends on your budget. I decided on the company store sheets. White long staple egyptian (Giza) cotton. Worth it so far. I’m wary because they’re a home depot brand now. There’s also aulit (?) linens that I wish I looked into before I bought the company store ones. Aulitfinelinens.com there was a person in one of the threads who works for them and tells of the quality and stuff without being a shill.
Lands end has reallyyyy nice supina cotton sheets. They are around $200 but I got them for $100 last Christmas. They are THICC and should really only be used during colder months. Really nice quality, definitely recommend
1000tc? Why? They wouldn't breathe at alllll, and the threads would be incredibly thin.
Buy like 300-400tc if you want them to last.
I bought sheets in college from Walmart for like $20 bucks, lasted for years, nice and soft. Then I went through buying sateen stripes, high threadcount, bamboo, you name it and ran through each and every one of them in MONTHS! Pilling, washing poorly even when using cold water and low-heat tumble dry.
Three years ago, I bought $20 sheets from Target, on sale from $30. And let me tell you, I live on these sheets and worked from home for 2.5 years and continue to have a hybrid schedule. I do all of my homework and workwork on this bed on these sheets. They are holding up great and I expect them to hold up for another 5-7 years. They are the Target brand "By Design" or something like that. Love 'em. Not 40 year sheets but I'll take it!
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Hudson Park Hudson Park Hudson Park. I found some used sets on Facebook marketplace because they are very expensive retail.
None of them if you have Restless legs syndrome!
Thread count shows a lack of quality. You know you’re looking in the right place when thread count isn’t a factor.
I buy brooklinen. Have 3 sets for over 2 year now and rotate them every few days. Comfy, feel crisp after putting on bed.
Anyone else have god experience with them?
I love the Wamsutta dream zone ones. I got them at bed bath and beyond with a coupon.
Cozy Earth!
Bamboo sheets are super soft, breathable, and durable.
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Get bamboo sheets and pillows.... long lasting , feels just like silk.
I have just discovered flannel bedsheets for the winter and I'm never going back, I can hop under my blankets without shivering. As for the brands, if you're EU-based, check Yumeko.
I like sheex
Thread count is meaningless other than as a marketing ploy. The best, most durable sheets were the ones made no later than the 1990s, the earlier 1990s. Thread count was never mentioned, known about or cared about until after then.
Sheet types I stay far, far away from: microfiber, sateen, brushed, Tencil, bamboo, polycotton, cooling, warming, thread counts, any containing petroleum products such as polyester. Any that are made in China.
Ikea! I had one set for more than 10 years before bleach accidentally got spilled on them. They were so soft and comfy.
I have new ones from ikea and they are on track to be just as good. They also fit my very thick mattress when others would just fly off.
Yes! The higher-end versions at IKEA really surprised us. The midrange and lower priced options there were pretty bad. But even their most $$$$ ones aren’t that much considering the quality.
I’ve had my Buffy sheets for three years now, still love them.
Bamboo viscose is where I put my money, but sheets aren't BIFL. At least shouldn't be.
Target Threshold.
My moms sheets have also lasted 40 years but they are 1/2 polyester.
Threshold from target! Hold up amazing in the wash and are so comfortable
I don’t want to own bedsheets designed to last forever
40 year old bed sheets? Gross.
You just wash them to make them clean again.
Why not just ask your parents?
Damn, I was going to tell you are comfortable your mom's bedsheets are but surprisingly you already knew that.
This family affairs fetish has reached its peak
Main_Tip112 t1_iu7pfie wrote
Not sure of a specific brand, but thread count isn't necessarily an indication of quality