You sheet snobs know who you are, so don’t look away! I am only kidding, of course, but I think that many of us have probably bought into the great “THREAD COUNT MYTH” at some point. Actually, perhaps many of us STILL believe in this common misconception. It has only just recently become recognized…. drum [...]

4 comments to Debunking the Thread Count Myth!

• Lei

  April 25th, 2010 at 1:24 am · Reply

  Hi Kimberly,

  This was a very interesting post. What about Egyptian cotton? Do you have any thoughts on that. I bought some sets of sheets made with Egyptian cotton, and they are very comfortable — but that are disappointing in that the fitted sheets loosely fit the mattress. These were relatively expensive sheets. Can you shed some light on that?

  Thanks.

  • Kimberly Grigg

    April 27th, 2010 at 4:30 am · Reply

    Thanks for your comment and question, Lei. Egyptian cotton is often preferred over other cottons, because it is made up of long, thin fibers, which also happens to be stronger than other types of fibers. Since more of these extra thin, long, and strong fibers can be woven into each square inch (thread count), Egyptian cotton generally produces an extremely durable sheet. In this respect, which is somewhat unique to Egyptian cotton, thread count does produce a specific, beneficial result directly related to thread count. However, as is the case with ANY sheets, it is important to know what you are getting. It is best to look for 100% Egyptian cotton to make sure you know exactly what the composition of the thread is. You don’t want your “Egyptian cotton sheets” to contain a smaller or unknown amount of Egyptian cotton blended with a bunch of something else that will fail to produce the same finished product. Another notable quality of Egyptian cotton sheets is that they start out “stiff’, but every time you wash them they get actually get softer and more luxurious! That is my favorite thing about Egyptian cotton!

    As for your fitted sheet conforming too loosely on your bed, it is probably because many sheets these days are constructed to fit over high-end pillow top mattresses. However, if you have a mattress that is standard height with no topper, the sheets will be slightly too large. If you want to rectify the situation, you can always purchase a pillow topper to fill in the difference in mattress height. They are really comfy, too!

    Hope some of that helped! Have a fabulous week!

• Lei

  April 27th, 2010 at 2:14 pm · Reply

  Thanks, Kimberly! Your response was very helpful. I have noticed that these sheets have gotten softer and softer each time they are washed. I had never considered that the sheets might have been made for a deeper mattress. Looks like it’s time to shop for a mattress topper!

  • Kimberly Grigg

    April 27th, 2010 at 2:51 pm · Reply

    So happy I could be helpful! Looking forward to seeing you soon!