Guide to Wellness – July 2019

Ratings Cotton Sheet Sets

H OW WE TEST: We calculate the
Overall Score by evaluating sheet
sets for fit, shrinkage, strength, and
wrinkling. Fit denotes how well a
fitted sheet can cover a mattress
after a maximum of 25 wash-dry
cycles without popping off from
under the mattress or at the corners.

A Poor rating in our Fit test means

the sheet could not reach all four

corners of the mattress. Shrinkage

is scored by measuring a section

of each sheet before and after

10 washes. Strength is a combination

of how well the fibers in the sheet

stand up to tearing and the strength

of the seam, and is evaluated by

clamping the sheet or the seam

between two jaws and pulling with

increasing force until the sample

tears. Wrinkling is a comparison

of dried sheets against wrinkle

references from the American

Association of Textile Chemists and

Colorists. To assess Softness, a panel

of 11 staffers compared sheets with

three reference softness cloths and

placed each sheet into one of three

categories (soft, softer, and softest).

Price is for a queen-size sheet set

that has one fitted sheet, one flat

sheet, and two pillowcases.

Brand & Model Overall Score Price Test Results Fits Mattress Thickness* Notes

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SHEETS

! 0 Matouk Sierra^79 $350 0520 0430 Soft^000

These sheets were the only ones that would fit

the deepest mattresses after a year’s worth of

washing, but they have so much slack that they

do not lie taut across the mattress.

$ 00

L.L.Bean Pima Percale

Sheet Set^74 $150^04300550 Soft^000

These were the most tear-resistant of all sheets

tested—they could be pulled uniformly in all

directions and across their seams without

tearing. They also shrank the least of any

sheets we tested.

! 00 Frette Porto^65 $725 0420 0340 Softer^00

Frette’s fitted sheet has elastic only on the four

corners (instead of around the entire bottom

edge), yet our testers reported that it fit snugly

and neatly all the way around.

! 00 Brooklinen Luxe Core^61 $150 0430 0340 Softer^000

This sheet is the best value of our recom-

mended models that earned a “softer” desig-

nation in our sensory tests.

! 00

Boll & Branch Percale

Solid Sheet Set^61 $240^04300330 Softer^000

Our testers didn’t note any outstanding quali-

ties in these sheets. The manufacturer claims

they’re made from organic cotton.

Wamsutta Dream Zone

1000TC^40 $200^02300430 Soft

00

These were the heaviest of the cotton sheets

tested, most likely because of the claimed 1,000

thread count. They also had the widest elastic

band around the fitted sheet. Neither seemed

to matter, though, in terms of performance.

Target Threshold

Organic Sheet Set^30 $45^01300430 Softer^0

The idea of organic may appeal, but our tes-

ters could not get these sheets to fit on any

queen-size mattress after less than a year’s

worth of washes, giving them a short life span.

Casper Cool Supima 28 $140 0130 0430 Softer^0

Casper’s fitted sheets have a seam around the

top edge of the mattress for a neat fit, but they

were the smallest of any set tested and would

not fit on a standard mattress after less than a

year’s worth of washes.

Pinzon by Amazon

Pinzon 400 TC Egyptian

Cotton Sateen

25 $50 0120 0340 Soft^0

Though this set didn’t shrink much, the fitted

sheet had so little slack that it could no longer

be stretched over the mattress after less than

a year’s worth of washes.

*Indicates fit on mattress after 25 wash-dry cycles.

01 02 03 04 05

POOR EXCELLENT

! 0

RECOMMENDED

$ 0

CR BEST BUY

CR.ORG GUIDE TO WELLNESS 67