A Brief Guide To Bed Sheet Fabrics
At the end of a long, hard day when all the work is done, dinner is finished, and you keep dozing off while watching a movie and have to rewind only to have to do it again the next time you doze off, it’s time for bed! Bed is a sanctuary, the one place you can really relax in, the place where you can escape the day’s cares in glorious slumber.
Crawling under those smooth, cool bed sheets is a real delight, but have you ever considered what they are made of? As it turns out there are a lot of different kinds of sheets available for you to sleep in, so let’s check them out!
Satin – Ah, the alluring caress of soft satin, perhaps the most romantic of sheets, except maybe silk. Satin sheets are made of synthetic fibres that are smooth and supple to the touch. There are two types, woven and knit, with woven being the smoothest and knit adding just a bit of a rougher texture that some find pleasant.
Linen – Perhaps the most well-known of all sheet fabrics, this airy, but slightly stiff material goes all the way back to ancient Egypt where it was used to wrap mummies! If you are someone who gets hot while sleeping or has allergies, you will find linen to be cooling, and hypoallergenic as well. For some, the stiffness takes some getting used to, but over time and a few washes, it will become more pliant, but never as soft as cotton.
Cotton – This is the material that is most commonly used to make bed sheets, and T-shirts, too! It’s wonderful stuff, with a soft, highly breathable, cool feel that makes them a delight to slip into. They also have the advantage of being very easy to wash, and stains are usually easy to remove. If you like the way your old T-shirts feel, you will like sleeping under cotton sheets!
Polyester – The new kid on the bed, this somewhat rough-to-the-touch fabric is made of artificial materials that can be blended in such a way as to make them soft enough to make bed sheets comfortable enough to sleep in. While perhaps not the softest of sheets, they do have advantages like a low price, wrinkle resistance, and being easy to machine wash. If you never want to iron or steam your bed sheets, then polyester is the fabric for you. Just be sure not to spill grease or oil on them, those will leave a stain that is nearly impossible to remove, especially if they are white!
Silk – This amazing natural fibre dates back to imperial China. It is made by silkworms that eat mulberry leaves and spin out the silk like a spider makes its web. If you can get past the idea of a fabric made by bugs then you can enjoy the cool, supple feel of silk, the other most romantic fabric in the world.
We hope that you have a lovely night’s sleep no matter what material your bed sheets are made of!
