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- After reviewing dozens of contenders for the best sheets, our top pick is the 280-thread-count Pima Cotton Percale Sheets from L.L. Bean.
- Crisp, cool, and comfortable against your skin, these sheets make bedtime a treat.
Few would deny that at the end of a long, hard day, sliding into a comfortable bed outfitted with soft, smooth sheets that pamper your skin is one of life’s greatest pleasures.
After all, you spend nearly a third of your life between those sheets, so why wouldn’t you want the best? So we’ve made it easy for you: We checked out all the top buying websites, listened to opinions from bed sheet buyers, and tried sheets ourselves to compile our list of the best bed sheet sets you can buy.
Here are the best sheets for your bed in 2019:
- Best sheets overall: L.L. Bean 280-thread-count Pima Cotton Percale Sheets
- Best sateen cotton sheets: Brooklinen Luxe Sheets
- Best sheets with patterns and colors: Crane & Canopy Sheet Sets
- Best flannel sheets: Pinzon Velvet Flannel Sheets
- Best organic cotton sheets: Boll & Branch Signature Soft Hemmed Sheet Set
- Best modal sheets: Pure Beech Modal Sateen Sheets
- Best microfiber sheets: Brooklyn Bedding Microfiber Sheets
Updated on 03/01/2019 by Malarie Gokey: Updated prices and added related buying guides.
Read on in the slides below to learn all about our favorite sheets.
A note on thread count and weave
Thread count: higher isn’t always better
When it’s time to buy sheets, many people simply assume that the higher the thread count, the better, and make their choice based on this feature alone. While it’s true that thread count (a measurement of how many threads run vertically and horizontally in one square inch of fabric) is important, it turns out that there’s another factor that plays a bigger part in sheet comfort: type of fabric.
In fact, according to Consumer Reports, there’s no reason to pay extra for sheets with a thread count over 400, but it is worth your while to spend a little more on sheets made from the best cottons: Pima, Egyptian, or Supima. These long-fiber cottons weave into the softest, most comfortable sheets.
What about weave?
Weave is also important when it comes to choosing sheets you’ll love. There are two basic weaves: percale and sateen.
- Percale sheets have the same number of combed, tightly woven threads running horizontally and vertically. If you prefer sheets with a slightly crisp, cool feel, this is the weave to choose. Percale sheets are durable and strong, standing up to repeated washing even in hot water. Look for a thread count between 200 and 400 for lightweight sheets, 400 to 600 if you prefer more weight.
- Sateen sheets (not the same as satin, which is a fabric, not a weave) have more threads running vertically than horizontally, creating fabric with a slight sheen and a very soft, silky feel. Sateen sheets are generally more delicate than percale bedding, and more likely to pill or come apart in the wash. Still, if you crave the silkiest feel against your skin, this is the weave for you. Thread counts between 300 and 600 are the sweet spot for softness and strength.
The best sheets overall
Why you'll love them: L.L. Bean’s wonderfully smooth 280-thread-count Pima Cotton Percale Sheets are durable, comfortable, and just the right weight to give you sweet dreams all year round.
Woven from 100% Pima cotton for the smoothest, softest, make-you-want-to-wiggle feel, L.L. Bean struck gold with its highly rated percale sheet set. As with all percale sheets, these have just a bit of a “crisp” finish, which feels nice and cool against your skin. They are the perfect weight for summer, and unless you live in a very cold climate or prefer to switch to heavier winter sheets, they are cozy enough for the colder months with the addition of a heavier blanket or comforter.
When you toss them in your washing machine and dryer, the sheets come out fresh, unwrinkled, and ready to coax you into the land of Nod. Sized to fit over mattresses up to 15 inches thick, these cotton sheets won’t slip or slide as you sleep, and they hold firm to the mattress. They are available in seven basic colors, although alas, no brights. There are a few prints, as well.
L.L. Bean shoppers praise these sheets for their refusal to pill, long life, and wrinkle resistance. Quite a few customers commented that they have purchased several sets of the L.L Bean sheets, and a common remark was, “These are the only sheets I’ll buy.”
Professional reviewers agree. We chose these sheets as our top pick in our guide to the best cotton sheets. In our testing, these sheets had a soft hand feel right out of the packaging and they were cool and soft to sleep on.
We're not the only ones who think the sheets are great. The Wirecutter has chosen the L.L. Bean 280-thread-count Percale Sheets as its number one choice three years running, saying these sheets offer a “superior cool feel at a great price.” The Wirecutter added that its experts love L.L. Bean’s lifetime guarantee, meaning you can return the sheets at any time for any reason.
Consumer Search is another review website that picked the L.L. Bean sheets as its top pick, saying the sheets are “ideal for lovers of crisp, 'old-school' cotton sheets.” The reviewer did comment that some buyers felt the sheets were a bit too rough, however, although they do get softer the more they are washed.
Pros: Smooth, crisp feel, durability, reasonable price
Cons: Only fit mattresses up to 15 inches thick, no bright colors, few prints
Buy the 280-thread-count Pima Cotton Percale Sheets at L.L. Bean for $109.00 (Twin),$129 (Full), $149 (Queen), $169 (King)
The best luxury sheets
Why you'll love them: If you take your sleep comfort seriously, the pampering touch and good looks of Brooklinen’s Luxe Sheets will have you sleeping like a baby.
Started as a Kickstarter project in 2014, Brooklinen has quickly soared to the heights of success, due to its reasonable prices for high-quality bedding. Luxe Sheets start with the best long-fiber cotton, which is woven into single-ply yarn for the finest, yet softest threads. This also means that the finished thread count of 480 is the true number; many other manufacturers weave lower quality, 3-ply yarn into their sheets, then use this trick to inflate their thread count.
Brooklinen’s Luxe Collection is a sateen weave, with a soft-as-the-clouds feel. Because sateen is woven more tightly than percale, you’ll find these sheets cozy and warm, with a soothingly “heavy” feel that many sleepers love. In fact, the commerce editor of our Insider Picks' team has been sleeping on these sheets for more than two years, and reports that they are “hands down the best sheets I've ever put on my bed.”
Brooklinen customers echo our writer’s words, with most saying they loved the softness of the sheets, which increases every time they are washed. As a bonus, the sheets’ wrinkle-resistance improves with each wash, as well. And, by the way, you can do that washing in your machine, then either line-dry your bedding or use your dryer on low heat.
The buzz doesn’t stop there. Brooklinen has received positive press all over the web, with InStyle saying, “In order to design beautiful, affordable, and ridiculously comfortable sheets, Brooklinen co-founders Rich and Vicki simply focus on quality and manufacturing responsibly.” Vogue writes, “the allure of this brand is certainly its technique and use of long-staple Egyptian cotton, which produces sheets and comforters that are softer than most.”
Brooklinen offers the Luxe Sheets in five solid colors, along with stripes and dots. You can even mix-and-match colors or patterns within a sheet set, which is definitely a unique perk. The sheets fit mattresses up to 15 inches thick, so be sure to measure before ordering.
Pros: Super soft, high quality, mix-and-match sheet sets
Cons: Expensive, best if line-dried
Buy the Luxe Sheet Collection at Brooklinen for $129 (Twin/XL), $149 (Full/Queen), $169 (King/CA King)
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