Avoid the 5 sheet buying mistakes that will keep you up at night

Dreaming of the AAAHHHH.....  feeling when you drop into bed tonight?  Or is your experience more of a nightmare? Don’t make mistakes in setting up the place where you spend one third of your life. Are your bed, mattress and sheets worthy?   Let us help you sort out the fact from fiction and get products that make a real difference for your comfort (and your sleep!). 

Mistake #1:  Overthinking thread count.

Have you been trained to think that thread count is the only thing you need to consider when buying sheets?  Quick definition:   Thread count is simply calculated by adding the number of horizontal and vertical threads in one square inch of fabric. As so many have pointed out recently:  higher numbers are not necessarily better.  There are other variables underlying those numbers including the quality, type and thickness of each fiber, and the weave (see below).  What is the best thread count for bedding?   Bedding thread counts start at around 150, anything over 200 will result in a softer, more comfortable fabric.   A recent Consumer Reports test confirmed that higher thread count does not guarantee better sheets and gave highest marks to sheets with a thread count of 280. In fact, the highest thread-count fabrics are known to breathe less and tear more than lower thread-count fabrics.

Fix: Consider the fabric specifications: specifically long-staple cottons can be spun into finer threads that feel softer.  Don’t be fooled by the illegal marketing practice of inflating thread counts by counting “plies” of lower quality fibers that are twisted together with each thread. Evaluate more important elements such as comfort, shrinkage, fit, and brand reliability and customer service.

Mistake #2:  Weave Warning

Fabric weave can affect your comfort. 

Fix:  Know your weave with this straightforward guide.  Let’s start with Sateen and Percale, which are the two most common fabrics used in bedding.   

Percale is a classic sheet fabric, cool and light feeling, with a matte finish, like a button-down shirt. This feel is accomplished by the simplest weave style – one thread over, one thread under. The fabric is durable, getting softer with each wash and provides great breathability. These are a great choice if you tend to run warm at night.

Sateen sheets give a luxurious feel. It is the closest thing to satin but without the price tag! Its weave style – one thread under, three threads over – exposes more thread which gives it a silky feeling. Sateen tends to be heavier in weight and perfect for year round use.

A less common weave you may hear about is twill.  The over and under pattern of this fabric creates a herringbone (diagonal) pattern, and it results in a heavier fabric, more often used in fashion and furnishing. 

 

Mistake #3:  Stumped by size.

It sounds silly – everyone knows what size bed they have, right?  It’s not quite that easy sometimes, and there are many confusing mattress names, international sizes, and special bed types to throw us off. 

Fix:  Read the fine print and be ready to measure! 

Queen sized beds are most common in the US with about 45% of us sleeping on one.  Standard residential queens measure 60 inches wide by 80 inches long, and there are not many variations.  (A common size used in RVs is known as a “Short Queen” which is 75 inches long and will be back in stock at QuickZip by June 2019!)

King  - we had to write a whole blog on the confusing king world – but the short version is that a standard US King measures 72 inches wide by 80 inches long.  Then it gets complicated....... here are a few common king alternatives (and see the blog for information on international “king” sizes):

• California King (AKA: Western King or King Long) – 72 inches wide by 84 inches long.
• Split King (AKA: Dual King) –this style is becoming more and more popular particularly on adjustable beds that raise and lower. The split king is usually 2 separate Twin XL mattresses (38 inches wide x 80 inches long) that are side by side. 

Full (AKA: Double).  Measures 54 inches wide by 75 inches long.  A small percentage of full-sized mattresses are Full XL which are 80 inches long

Twin (AKA: Single). Measures 38 inches wide by 75 inches long.  This is a common size for kids, bunk beds, day beds, lofts, etc.

Twin XL.  Measures 38 Inches wide by 80 inches long.  This size was formerly mostly found in college dorms and some hospital beds; but, as noted above, this size is becoming popular for split king adjustable beds. 

Special Sizes: You can find mattresses in so many custom and special sizes – everything from those with corners cut off for perfect fit in an RV or boat, to a “Texas King”.  At QuickZip, we can’t make them all, but work hard to stock sheets in the most common sizes.  We make a special dorm Twin XL that is narrower and thinner, sized perfectly for college mattresses (and some in-home hospital beds).    

 

Mistake #4: Getting into Deep Sheet.

Sheets are usually sized to accommodate average mattress depths; but Consumer Reports found that 50% of queen sheets didn’t fit the average after repeated washing.

Fix:  Know your mattress depth and buy sheets that accommodate it.  We did a lot or research in sizing our sheets, so we know it is often hard to find information on sheet (and mattress) depth. Regular mattresses range in thickness from 10 to 14 inches; however, there are also thicker mattresses available ranging from 15 to 22 inches, and sheet for these styles are generally labeled “deep”, or” extra deep”. 

QuickZip sheets have elastic in the corner seams so they flex to fit your mattress.  Here are our sizes.   

Size	Dimensions (Inches)	Max Depth (Inches)	Min Depth (Inches)
Crib	27x52	6.5	4.5
Twin	75x39	10.5	5
TwinXL	80x39	15	6.5
Full	75x54	15	6.5
Queen	80x60	16	7.5
King	80x76	17.5	10.5
Cal King	84x72	17.5	10.5
RV/Short Queen	75x60	13.5	6
Special TwinXL Narrow	80x36	8	4

 

 

Mistake #5: Forgetting Fit
We hear it every day:  “I’m looking for sheets that won’t pop off my mattress”; “will your sheets work on adjustable beds”? or,” a split king”? or” a loft bed”.    So many of our customers are not happy with the regular sheets that they bought because the don’t “work”, they want a better sheet.  (and Duvet covers are a whole separate conversation. We reinvented those too  - more on that another time)

Fix:  Go beyond size and depth. QuickZips are built to stay snugly on your mattress through the night, no sagging or popping off; to zip off and on for quick changes; and to fold easily (no Youtube required.)