BEDDING AND THREAD COUNT: BIGGER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER.
I am a self-defined fabric snob. My mom found my childhood fabric requirements obsessive and I may or may not have cried over the thread count of sheets as a child.
To be fair though, I acquired my opinions from her. As far back as the 1970’s, my mom knew that the highly marketed “poly-cotton” sheets were a sham and caused sweating and diminished sleep quality. At the time, the only viable option for bedding according to my mom was 100% cotton sheets. Through my upbringing, I was taught that bigger meant better – the higher the thread count, the better quality the sheets. And up through about the 1990’s, this was solid wisdom.
WHAT IS THREAD COUNT?
Simply stated, it’s the number of vertical threads (warp) and horizontal threads (weft) in one square inch of the fabric. In the 1960’s, 180 thread count sheets were considered luxurious. “Now you see 1,000 thread count sheets, but you just can’t get that many threads on a loom,” says Pat Slaven, a textile expert at Consumer Reports.
This doesn’t stop many companies from using ‘creative accounting’ to convince you their sheets are superior and marketing them as 500, 800 and even 1,200 thread count. They do this in a number of ways.
First is by using multi-ply threads. Using poor quality, shorter and weaker fibers, they ‘ply’ the strands together for strength, resulting in a course, thicker thread. Some companies use three-ply, four-ply and even more. They then count each strand plied within that thread in their creative accounting. As an example, using a cheaper 4-ply thread and weaving 100 of the threads per inch, they refer to this as a ‘400 thread count sheet’.
Thread count relies on the Imperial system and ‘per square inch’ thread counts. Some companies, however, use the metric system and ‘per 10 square cm’ to define their thread count. Math is hard, but you and I can both quickly figure out that 10 square cm is 1.55 inches square. So, what is marketed as a 400 thread count sheet, may really only be 258.
ADD IT UP:
So how can you be sure you’re getting what you pay for? First, check the fiber content to ensure your sheets are made of a breathable, natural fiber. Our favorite, of course, is bamboo. But we’re also fans of quality cotton and linen fibers.
- Gather a magnifying glass or microscope, a ruler, fabric chalk and a straight pin.
- Measure and mark out a 1 inch x 1 inch square of fabric and outline it with a pencil or fabric chalk.
- Using the straight pin, pull each strand aside, counting first the vertical threads (warp) and then the horizontal threads (weft).
- Add these two numbers together to confirm the thread count.
BRAND CONFIDENCE COUNTS:
Shopping a proven brand you can trust is a simple way to sleep better at night. Faceplant uses true 300 thread count fabric for our cooling sateen sheet sets. We use sustainably and organically grown bamboo fibers in our sheets and we follow Oeko-Tex® 100 standards, assuring you your sheets are free from harmful chemical residue.
So how can you be sure you’re getting the quality sheets you deserve?
Choose Faceplant, and just sleep on it. You’ll know.
