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akodo1 t1_ja37dsj wrote

You do need to realize no sheet is actually going to be "buy it for life"

Your body will rub on the fabric causing wear. Unlike the handle of a hammer which can lose a few mm of substance and still hold up, that wear on a sheet will make a top quality sheet fail in about 10 years of daily use

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unfettered_logic t1_ja4mcla wrote

I bought a set from Costco and have had them for 15 years and counting. They are still the most comfortable set I have used and they broke in really well. It was their Kirkland brand 700 thread count I think.

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akodo1 t1_ja9w0nz wrote

What often makes something soft and "broken in" is the individual fibers making up a thread break making the threat have a fuzzy halo of little strings that collectively feel soft. So the softer, the closer to breaking!

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Ystebad OP t1_ja37p3h wrote

I had same sheets growing up for probably 20+ years. The ones we have now (lands end) have lasted almost that long. Neither of these were particularly expensive, just pretty good quality.

Given I’m well over 50, I figured if there was a higher quality manufacturer out there, I might well be able to buy it for MY life :)

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akodo1 t1_ja389j2 wrote

The way most people use sheets is the take pair A off the bed and put on pair B then wash pair A.

10 years of daily use, or 20 years of rotational use is a good result from sheets.

The cleaner you go to bed, the better the sheets last too (less grit to rub against the fabric)

Finally, the kind of sleeper you are plays a big part. People who move around a lot will wear the sheets faster.

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Western_Detective_84 t1_ja4mtn2 wrote

Perhaps somewhat ironically, washing is also a huge wear factor for sheets!

Still, although I'm not surprised at a 20 year lifespan for sheets, I'd also bet those sheets are no longer white, and they aren't very far from being at the fragility point where the fabric will tear from the simple action of making the bed.

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akodo1 t1_ja9um3d wrote

And a wear factor on the laundry machine!

Make both sheets and laundry machines last longer! Wash less often!

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Western_Detective_84 t1_jaa70ge wrote

You know, having sat on your comment here for a couple of days, I'm going to walk back my statement that a sheet can't be BIFL. 20 years is a good long time. And since I've got some sheets of my own that have been in use that long, perhaps not so unusual. And, I suppose they WOULD fit under the group definition of BIFL, namely: "Products that are well-made and durable (even if they won't last an lifetime) are accepted.". Now, having walked that back, I've thought of something else. In a high thread count sheet, the threads are smaller, so are they then LESS durable? And I don't know the answer.

But I can google "life expectancy of sheets" as well as any other person! BTW, I'll bet you there is somebody who has researched this, but I don't know of it. One of the links I found (below), said it will depend more on the quality of the original cotton, but if all things are equal, a higher thread count should yield a higher lifespan. But that's a manufacturer's website, so, grain of salt? IDK. I saw a lot of sites saying a lifespan of 2-5 years was normal. Do a search yourself. You might be interested in some of the results, and it won't take you long to get through a couple.https://www.verolinens.com/how-long-do-bed-sheets-last/

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