A lot of people have been asking me about sheets and bedding lately, specifically which brands or materials are best. When it comes to brands, there are many to choose from, and most of them offer nearly identical products. While material often comes down to personal preference, there are some ‘red flag’ materials that are indicative of a low quality product. Here’s my opinion on materials to avoid:
Polyester - If you’re shopping for bedding on a budget, you’ll likely run into a lot of options with polyester blends, most often polyester and cotton. Polyester has quite poor breathability, and tends to trap moisture pretty well. This gives them a hot, sweaty, gross feeling during summer months. They also just feel sort of synthetic in general, would not recommend.
Microfiber - technically another type of polyester, but I’m giving it its own category since it’s often marketed differently. While these sheets might feel soft and cozy, they’re another non-breathable, sweaty synthetic fiber.
Cotton with thread counts above 500 - With threadcount, higher doesn’t necessarily mean better. In fact, some brands will artificially claim higher thread counts by making their sheets double or triple-ply. So instead of a 900 tc sheet set, your getting three 300 tc sheets stuck together. This just means a heavy, less breathable sheet with more of a table-cloth like feel. You don’t want that
Silk - Some may disagree with me here, but in my opinion, silk bedding is simply not worth it. It may be soft and breathable, but it’s a pain to care for. You gotta wash in cold water, you can’t machine-dry it, and even then it’s not a particularly durable material.