GROUPON GUIDE TO COLUMBUS

The Guide on How to Buy Bed Sheets

BY: Editors |Mar 25, 2019

Supima and Pima Cotton

Pima is a general term for a cotton variety with extra-long fibers, while Supima is a trademark for pima cotton grown in the American Southwest by a consortium of growers. Both Pima and Supima cotton sheets are a step up in quality from your basic everyday cotton sheets, but that means they'll also cost more.

Benefits: They absorb more dye than regular cotton, so prints and colors are more vivid. The strands are also more durable, so these will last longer.
Pro Tip: Only about 3% of the annual US cotton crop is Supima. It might be tougher to find, but it's well worth it.

Shop supima and pima cotton sheets

Bed Sheet Materials

Cotton

Your basic cotton plant is the most common source of the fibers that go into bed sheets. Cotton sheets are generally soft and breathable, making them some of the most comfortable sheets to sleep under even if the summer heat is stifling. Some cotton is combed, which means that the shortest fibers were removed to ensure a stronger weave.

Benefits: Treated well, your sheets can last a number of years.
Pro Tip: They get wrinkled easily, so take them out of the dryer as soon as it turns off. For a pristine, hotel-like finish, iron them before use.

Shop all cotton sheets

Egyptian Cotton

Thanks to its extralong fibers, which are wound into thin but durable strands, Egyptian cotton (a large part of which is indeed from Egypt) is the highest-quality and most expensive material available for bed sheets.

Benefits: Not only do Egyptian cotton bed sheets stand up to repeated washings and long-term use, but they also get softer and softer the longer you use them.
Pro Tip: These should be laundered as gently as possible, using delicate cycles and detergent and low heat.

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Thread Count

What is it?

Thread count is a numerical value used to measure how many strands of thread are woven into a fabric. It's measured by counting the number of threads contained in 1 square inch of fabric, including both the length (warp) and width (weft) of threads.

Why does it matter?

Generally, the higher the thread count, the softer the sheets, but anywhere from 200 to 800 means they'll be comfortable and long-lasting. Prices tend to climb along with the thread count, but know that many sheets have diminishing returns as numbers get into the high hundreds.

What if the package notes "GSM" instead?

With synthetic materials such as microfiber, you'll sometimes see the measurement of grams per square meter, or GSM. It's a measurement of weight, so the idea is that the heavier the material, the thicker it is. The same caveats apply here, though; just because a sheet set has a higher GSM doesn't automatically mean it has better construction.

Mattress Size

Properly set up, the fitted sheet of any sheet set needs to cover the entire mattress, with the corners securely tucked under. To figure out whether a fitted sheet will work with your mattress:

First take a measurement of the thickness of the mattress from top to bottom, factoring in pillow tops and mattress toppers.
Determine the pocket depth on the fitted sheet, which is often provided by the packaging (if not, measure the seam in the pocket).
With both measurements in hand, this rule of thumb will help you determine whether a fitted sheet should fit your mattress: