Mattress Forum

I own 2 sets of Dreamfit 4's and love them... I also suggest the microfiber sheets from Comphy's. Still my favorite out of all of the sets I own (including 2 sets from Tempurpedic of Egyptian cotten as well.) I got mine at a Costco table they did nearby... apparentlyl you can'g just buy them from a regular retailer.

Thank you for the reply. I'm glad you like the Dreamfit 400s, and I'm definitely considering them. The things that scare me a bit about them is that they don't mention if they're single ply threads or twisted two ply threads. They don't mention what type of Egyptian cotton, and they don't even mention what weave they are. I'm assuming they're a sateen, but I'd just be guessing. If you happen to know any of these answers, please fill me in.

I did find three good forum threads here regarding sheets including:

http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/cool-sheets/15055-A-1.html 

http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/best-cotton-sheets/18639-A-1.html  -  Great education from budgy on reply #2 of this thread.

http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/advice-needed-where-buy-sheets/11609-A-1.html

These forum threads were very valuable, which has me leaning towards the St Geneve "My Favourite Sheets": http://www.beddingsuperstore.com/i?store=cat&id=6479. I only wish they came in a couple of more colors. My wife prefers medium and dark colors like taupe or chocolate. I'm also looking at the LL Bean 280TC Pima Percale sheets: http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/64157?feat=1156-CL2. Unfortunately I probably won't be able to physically feel any of these, and will be forced to make a blind faith purchase online based on reviews alone.

Please let me know if there are other sheet sets I missed. I will note that my parents have microfiber sheets, and they just don't work for me. I need cotton.

Also, I'd love an expert opinion on which mattress pad I should go with. Our main reason for purchasing a mattress pad is to protect the mattress, not for cushioning.

As far as mattress protectors go, you want something that will hopefully not change the feel of your mattress. i have used 3 different ones. 1 form Tempurpedic had no material on top to help disperse any liquids/sweat, etc. the other two are from GBS and Protect-A-Bed. Between the two, I like the Protect-A-Bed version better as they stretch in all directions leaving virtually no change in feel. I have heard that if you have a very plush mattress, it may feel slightly less squishy, but I have not experienced that and only heard it a couple of times in the last several years. I have had no experience with the other versions of water/moisture resistant pads (vs. the water-proof ones).

If the Dreamfits really are 400TC single-ply and are real egyptian cotton, then they truly are an astounding value. Something tells me they are either 2-ply or not real extra-long staple egyptian cotton.

Here is an excerpt from budgy's post I referenced above:

In the world marketplace, many cheap cottons are also being referred to as "Egyptian Cotton". If an Egyptian Cotton article seems to be a very low price, it is probably not genuine. There are three things to be aware of when you are purchasing Egyptian cotton linens. First of all, there are the contents - Some fabrics are labeled as Egyptian cotton when in fact they have a tiny percentage of genuine Egyptian cotton ~ say 5% or so. Second of all, the definition of "Egyptian Cotton" in some dictionaries is simply any finely woven cotton ~ this does rather leave the door open. Lastly, cotton grown in the country of Egypt may sound expensive and high in quality, but can be any variety. Since American Upland cottons (which are a much shorter fiber) now comprise 90% of the world's crop, it is a safe assertion that this might be in the package.

The more inmportant thing is that you mention they are soft, and that you like them, which is why they're still on my short list. I'm more concerned with their longevity, especially since they're not exactly inexpensive. Right now the St. Geneve "My Favourite Sheets" are looking like the favorite for me to try (even though they're a stripe and only come in 2 colors), but would love to know if there are any other recommended options to consider in my price range. Especially a pima (or supima) percale type sheet. I had these as a kid, and remember them being very comfortable, and long lasting. The LL Bean's I posted above have some bad reviews, so I'm a little leary of them. I can't seem to find any others in my price range.

As far as mattress protection goes, I'd much prefer to stick with all natural products like the St. Dormeir Natural Wool Mattress Pad, or the 100% Cotton mattress pad. I'm leaning towards the 100% cotton right now, but am open to expert opinion.

I saw you recommend the Allegro sheets which are a bit outside my range, but was wondering if they are substantially nicer than the MFS. I can almost get 2 sets of MFS for the price of one Allegro set, but was wondering if the Allegro set will outlast them significantly or are that much nicer of a feel?

Also, please let me know if anyone has experience with any of these:

http://www.garnethill.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDetailView?storeId=10054&catalogId=10054&productId=221425&langId=-1&SourceCode=G1WSB1

http://www.bed-linens.net/cotton-domestic

The Allegro sheets are really nice, thats probably the best priced legitmate egyptian cotton sheet milled in Italy you will find.  The sheets are actually thinner than the 'MFS', but a lot softer after a few washes and likely just as durable if not more so.  I have heard good things about 'Matouk' sheets, supposed to be good for the price.  

Allegro pricing is actually really well priced for what it is, for instance you can compare the softness of the sheet to the St. Geneve Capri, both 300TC Egyptian cottons from Italy.  The Capri fabric is a lot more expensive because they bring the fabric over in 98 different colours.  Allegro they make in 2 colours, and they make a LOT of it. Capri would be a little smoother because its not a stripe fabric.  It may sound wierd to say this because the fabric is woven by a machine...but Allegro is a lot less labour intensive.  In order to set up one of these full width looms it takes about 2 days worth of labour to tie in the warp and weft yarns by hand. 

Funny how I was prepared to spend $1200 to $1500 on a new mattress a few weeks ago. I then find this website, and am now looking at almost $4K after doing much research, between a new 100% natural Flobeds mattress, expensive sheets and a 100% cotton mattress pad. Damn'ed internet!

Anyhow, Thank you all for the great bedding education!

PS. Can anyone recommend a good detergent for washing the Egyptian Cotton sheets? I've read Woolite for darks or Tide are good, but was wondering if there are better/safer products?

As far as off the shelf detergents go the only one I would recommend is Tide Free.  

The best detergent I know of for these types of fabrics is Le Blanc Linen Wash.  It's what I use and it also smells great...although Le Blanc contains no whiteners of any kind so if you order white sheets they will have a hard time removing perspiration stains.  

Another amazing option which is very gentle on fabrics and will probably save you the $42 a year on detergent costs is to use soap nuts. I do not particularly endorse any one seller, but these guys have good info on the product.

http://www.earthsberriesoapnuts.com/

How would the Jeneve series compare to the Capri series of sheets. Both are 300TC. The Capris are made in Italy using Giza, while the Jeneves are made in Israel of a long staple cotton. Do these feel similar? I can get the Jeneves for less than $250: http://www.beddingsuperstore.com/i?store=cat&id=3674&sid=34E5BA1XUPY789

I'm just trying to decide if it is worth the extra $$$ for the Capris. Please give me your expert opinion.

Thanks for your help.

budgy, nevermind. I realized the Jeneves are labeled as "combed cotton", not long staple (although I'm guessing it is). I also realized they are a jacquard. It's amazing what one can find out when going to the mfgr website .  I'll almost certainly be ordering the Capris.

ZackG, thanks for your recommendation. Do you know what country these are made in? Are these the ones you're referring to?: https://www.linenspa.com/Products/600-Thread-Count-Egyptian-Cotton-Sheets/

I don't want to be negative but I have heard bad things about beddingsuperstore.com  I don't think they even have a retail showroom; you can probably get another online dealer that has a retail showroom to match their pricing though.  

megalops wrote:

Thanks for the response. Being made in China explains a few things, especially the fact they claim to be single ply & 600TC sateen. I don't believe sateen can be woven using single ply at 600TC, but I am certainly no expert. Odds are that these are also not Extra Long Staple Egyptian cotton, and are more likely to be upland cotton grown in Egypt.

I'm glad to hear they are comfortable, but if I'm spending that much on sheets, I want to make sure they're going to last a while. I'm thinking I'd rather pay a little more upfront to know I'm getting high quality.

Sheets, well for my nickel the Coyuchi organic sheets are superb and frankly the basic made in USA organic percales are fabulous (really they wear well and soften so nicely - feels great)  I got my basics from HolyLambOrganics.com  (though others sell them).  They will happily send you a swatch for touch/color test.  I'm a bit of a sheet snob (hypersensitive) and frankly have been thoroughly pleased and amazed.  

Mattress pad -  both HolyLamb and SoaringHeart.com are somewhat  local for me (SH offers free shipping and currently has a white sale going)  and I absolutely love these companies for a reason. Total information and good stuff.  I went for a wool 'puddle pad' /moisture barrier underneath my thick wool fleece topper and Soaring Heart has a wonderful explanation as to why the wool makes sense - just pop to their wool pad page and they tell you. 

Wool pads are most effective when used underneath a cotton pad - in short, to your question as to whether you need cotton or wool or both - - get both.   

There is a caveat though - no matter if they are washable or not the wool pads do not go in your dryer and that needs to be considered.  (Yes indeed, even the St Dormeir says to not put it in the dryer).  Why? Well in a dryer the oils in the wool would be stripped and they become useless.    So I put a protective cotton cover over my mattress, then the wool pad and my thick wool fleece topper, which has a thick cotton backing. They need air more than soap and water to stay fresh.    The wool pad does not move around on our bed at all even though there are no straps or attachement points.   For full encasement protection the cotton pad at Soaring Heart is awesome

I've bought many many sheets over the years including very expensive ones, and I couldn't believe how smooth, generous, cool and comfortable these sheets are. They feel absolutely luxurious, wash like a dream and don't shrink or pill. I also love that they're solid colours and no flowers etc. which I dislike. I immediately went out and got 4 more sets and I doubt I'll ever buy anything else.

SallySmiles, thanks for your response.

I too am looking forward to my new flobed. Although I already placed my order for it, I won't be taking delivery of it until early February, due to my request.

Regarding Coyuchi, I did get swatches of their 220 percale and their 300 percale. The 300 feels very nice. Unfortunately, their percale fabric is made of cotton sourced and woven in India. The sheets are finished in USA, albeit of imported materials. I'm also a bit concerned about the fact that they don't mention the type of cotton they use which leads me to believe it is upland cotton. These assumptions don't mean they're not quality sheets, just that they seem pricey for what they are. If they were less than $200 a set, I'd seriously consider them. Being close to $300 a set leads me towards the St. Geneve stuff.

Regarding the mattress pad, I've decided to stick with 100% cotton. I'll probably get the one from flobeds, but will check into HolyLamb and SoaringHeart. I received a sample bed kit from flobeds, and am very impressed with the amount of wool sewn into the encasement. I can compress it to about 3/8", but once I release it, it expands to 1.5". Because of this thick layer, I'm pretty sure I'll be fine with just a cotton protector pad.

One other sheet set I found was these: http://www.daxstores.com/organic-cotton-sateen-sheets-and-pillowcases.html. They also make a 200TC percale. I got swatches of each, but the percale felt a little rough. Their 280 TC sateen was surprisingly nice despite the not so high threadcount, especially after I washed it once. These are made completely in USA. I may consider getting a set of these for my son's bed, just to see how they feel after a few washings.

I have seen the St Dormier at many sites and three of recent finds did state that they were to be 'machine washed and air dried' - so that would be a plus since you pointed out several others say low heat in dryer. OK then!!      Yes, I have washed my 100% wool 'puddle pad/moisture barrier' with no loss of function and minimal loss of fiber.   If it were not for the very thick backing on my fleece topper I would have a cotton mattress pad over the wool pad.

My thick wool fleece topper can be machine washed - but it would take a commercial machine without a doubt - 

One is a generic 464TC percale from Italy. The percale is obviously a 2 ply yarn woven at 232 TC tightness, and was labeled as Le Telerie Toscane THEOREMA Solid Percale. The tags on these sheets only state 100% cotton made in Italy. These are an extremely nice set of sheets, and are extremely heavy in actual weight, even though they are fairly thin and breathable. I may actually weigh them before they get washed the next time, as they were much heavier than any other king sized sheets I've ever felt. Also very smooth and soft for Percale. I can't wait until these have been washed several times. I may go back and get another set even though my wife is not crazy about the two remaining colors they had. These were only $160 a set.

The other set is a 310TC Sateen from Portugal.  The Sateen was labeled under Peacock Alley Oasis which I believe is a name they created just to liquidate products through Tuesday Morning. These Peacock Alley sheets claim to be Egyptian cotton. These sheets are extremely soft, but sleep a tad hotter than the percales.These were $90 a set. An excellent deal compared to anything else I've seen in that price range

The only other quality sheets I saw at the 4 Tuesday Morning stores I went to were Sferra, but most of which were made in China. They were all jacquards and sateens, and overpriced for Chinese sheets as far as I'm concerned. The Sferras they had from Italy were all in sizes other than King.

If anyone is looking for some qualiy sheets, I highly recommend Tuesday Morning stores.

We ordered and received our Hudson's Bay 8 point blanket. So far we a very impressed, albeit the weather being warm. The truth will be told when it gets cold. I always like to sleep with a blanket at least on my lower half to keep my legs and feet warm. With our past blankets, I could not pull the blanket over my upper body with causing me to sweat. So far this has not been a problem whatsoever with the Hudson's Bay. My upper body sleeps great, and my lower body stays nice and warm.

When we first unpackaged it, my wife was not pleased. We bought scarlet, and it is brilliantly colored. Brighter than she expected. She also thought it was too scratchy, but she's never had a wool blanket before in her life. I broke out my wool camping blanket (dad's old military blanket) for her and she quickly realized that the Hudson's blanket wasn't scratchy at all when compared. She did appreciate the fact that it is oversized (100" x 108").

Having slept with it for the past week, she commented last night how much she now loves it, and how happy she is that we decided to keep it! If it ever gets cold this winter, I'll post an update to let you know how it performs in cold weather. So far though, we both absolutely love this blanket.