Guide to Wellness – July 2019

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FOR THE FIRST TIME since 2010, CR has
tested bedsheets. We recently put a cross-
section of widely available cotton sets—
from Amazon, Casper, L.L.Bean, Target,
and others—through their paces in
our labs. (For details of our testing, see
How We Test, on the facing page.)
Based on the initial results, here are
a few guiding principles to remem-
ber when you shop for your next set.

Thread count does not predict
performance. We found no correlation
between thread count and performance
in the sheets we tested.

Sheets can shrink significantly. Cotton
sheets we tested shrank up to 6 percent,
and some no longer fit on a mattress after
many washes. Bamboo viscose sheets

we tested (not rated) shrank by more than

15 percent; our testers couldn’t force the

fitted sheet onto even an 8-inch-high

mattress after just a few washes. Synthetic

sheets (not rated) had almost no shrinkage.

The feel of cotton remains consistent

after numerous washes. We felt sheets

before and after washing for our sensory

perception test. Of the sheets we tested,

our panelists did not notice a significant

difference between the sheets when new

and after they’d been washed 25 times.

Price doesn’t indicate performance.

Near the top of our ratings, sheets from

L.L.Bean cost $150. Near the bottom, the

$140 Casper Cool Supima sheets shrank

so much we could no longer fit them on

any queen mattress.

Sheet manufacturers use a host

of terms to describe products,

though their significance is debat-

able, especially when it comes

to cotton. “The type of cotton and

the way it’s woven is much more

important than the thread count,”

says Kathleen Huddy, chair of

the subcommittee on Home

Furnishings at ASTM International,

a standards-setting organi-

zation. Below, we define several

of the most common terms

you’re likely to see when shopping

for sheet sets.

Bamboo Viscose

Otherwise known as rayon from

bamboo, bamboo viscose is

made of chemically processed

bamboo pulp that is then spun

into a fiber to make fabric.

Egyptian Cotton

A type of cotton, grown primarily

in Egypt, that has long fibers (up

to 1⅝ inches) and is thought by

many to be among the strongest.

Percale

Cotton or other fibers closely

woven in a plain-weave, or

crisscross, pattern. Describes the

weave of most cotton sheets.

Pima

A type of cotton that has a

fiber length of up to 1⅝ inches

and is said to be characterized

by high fiber strength.

Supima Cotton

Brand name of Pima cotton

grown in the U.S., trademarked

by the Supima Association.

Sateen

A type of weave that gives sheets

a glossy appearance.

Thread Count

The number of vertical and

horizontal threads that go into

each square inch of material.

HOW TO DECODE

LINEN LABELS

What Our Rigorous Cotton-

Sheet Testing Revealed

INSIDE

CR’S LABS

WRINKLING FIT

FIT STRENGTH

66 GUIDE TO WELLNESS CR.ORG