4 Useful Tips for Choosing Bed Linen

Good quality bed linen can significantly contribute for good night’s sleep. Usually it is the last thing we see before going to bed and the first thing we encounter when we wake up. Nowadays, everybody can obtain a quality bed linen set from various places - company stores, supermarkets and online stores. When choosing the right bed linen set it is important to pay attention to several things – the material, the way of weaving, the number of threads and color.

Advice 1. Chose the right material

Bed linen sets are made from a number of different natural and artificial fibers. At homeslinen.com you will find only bed linen sets from natural materials - 100% cotton, percale, cotton sateen, linen etc. Bed linen sets made entirely or partly of polyester are not available.

Cotton

Cotton bed linen sets drain the sweat from the body and and easy to wash. The cotton usually does not peel and does not form flosses on its surface with time. Its main drawback is that it wrinkles easily. Always have in mind the shrinkage percentage of the cotton you are buying, usually it is around 3%. In the chart below are the different types of cotton and their advantages.

Cotton type Benefits

Egyptian cotton	Uses fiber length 3.5 cm from 100% cotton, which makes the fabric unprecedentedly soft. Extremely durable. Rarity on the Bulgarian market due to its high price. In section "Luxury bed linen sets" you will find genuine bed linen from Egyptian cotton, origin Israel.
Sateen	Composed of 100% cotton, more fibers on the surface, than below, which gives smoothness and subtle sheen. Cannot be compared with the low price sheets on the Bulgarian market marked as “satin”, which are actually made of polyester. Less stable than other materials due to its weaving method. Soft and fine texture (like satin).
Ranforce	Ranforce fabrics are made of 100% cotton and are one of the most popular fabrics for bed linenes. They usually have opaque surface and are stronger and softer than regulat cotton sheeting. The yarn structure is spiral, ring weave. It has bigger thread count and is more durable to usage and washing. Unlike regulat cotton sheeting, where there might be polyester content, its composition is 100% cotton.
Cotton and Polyester	Do not drain the sweat from the body so effectively and makes you feel hot and wet during the night. Appropriate combination of quilts and blankets as it gives them strength and durability.
Pima cotton	Cotton grown in the USA, Australia or India. Shorter fibers, which makes the fabric less soft. It is less durable, compared to cotton with longer fibers. Not available on the Bulgarian market.
Supima cotton	Cotton grown in South America. Longer fibers from Pima, more durable and soft. It is not available on the Bulgarian market.

Silk

Silk bed linen is naturally cool, keeping your comfort during night. Silk bed linen is hypoallergenic, making it an ideal choice for people suffering from allergies. The best silk bed linen is made from the so called "Mulberry" silk, which is very durable. Bed linen sets of pure silk are rare on the Bulgarian market, as the price for a double set starts from 1 000 leva.Bed linen sets with woven silk at more affordable prices can be found.

Bamboo

Unless it is grown with pesticides, bamboo bed linen is naturally hypoallergenic. It is very important that the bamboo bed linen is washed on gentle cycle in the washing machine and if possible to air dry, because the fabric is not very durable. Bamboo bed linen is the ideal choice for eco life lovers and is nowadays more available on the Bulgarian market.

Polyester

Polyester bed linen sets are the most common and the cheapest on the Bulgarian market. These sheets are rough and hard and do not breathe like natural fabrics, which may lead to more sweating and uncomfortable sleep. At homeslinen.com we do not offer any products made entirely of partially from polyester. You can find polyester only among some of our other products - bedspreads, duvets and pillows, where it is an indispensable component for maintaining the strength and integrity of the product.

When choosing the right material for your bed linen set it is important to know your individual needs, since each type of material has its advantages and disadvantages.

Advice 2. Pay attention to the number of threads

With the exception of silk linens, with everything else, the higher the thread number, the better quality. The number of threads can vary from 50 to 350 cm2. Producers reach these numbers summing up the number of vertical and horizontal threads that make up the fabric per square centimeter. The higher the number, the softer and more durable the fabric is.

Advice 3. Do not forget the way of weaving

The way of weaving bed linen determines how the fibers are connected with each other. It is important to clarify what are the desired characteristics of the bed linen and then to chose the right method of weaving, which meets your criteria. Below you will find the main ways of weaving bed linen on the Bulgarian market.

Percale – Bed linen, which has the same number of threads from below and above. Extremely durable and soft.

Ranforce – Same as the percale, the ranforce have the same number of threads from below and above. The difference between them is that the ranfoce uses a smaller number of threads per square centimeter.

Satin - Satin has more threads from above than from below, making it soft and tender to the touch, but also weaker.

Advice 4. Choose the right color

People react differently to different colors. When choosing the bed linen it is important to look at it the same light which like in your bedroom, since textiles do not look the same at different amounts of light. Different colors have different effects on the occupant of the bedroom. For example, the colors from the pink-purple range are associated with creativity and fertility. More about the effects of colors on your sleep and wellbeing you can read in our article "Psychology of color."