Bedsheets and Linens

Bed Sheets (In General)

A bed sheet is a large piece of cloth, most commonly used to cover a mattress. It is this sheet that one typically lies on.

In many parts of the world a second flat bed sheet is laid on top of the bottom sheet covering the mattress. This overlying sheet is known as a “top sheet.” When a top sheet is used, the sheet that is covering the mattress is known as a “bottom sheet”. A person usually sleeps between the two bed sheets. Blankets, comforters, and other bed covers are then placed on top of the second bed sheet. In many parts of the world, no light linen sheet is used. Depending on the location, the bed sheet can be leather, fiber or cloth.

Flat and fitted are the two varieties of bed sheets. A flat bed sheet is simply a rectangular sheet of cloth, while a fitted bed sheet has its four corners, and sometimes two or four sides, fitted with elastic, to be used only as a bottom sheet. The purpose of a fitted bottom sheet is to keep it from slipping off the mattress while the bed is in use. A particular way of folding and tucking while making the bed, known as “hospital corners,” is sometimes used when the bottom sheet is flat rather than fitted and though somewhat effective, the bed sheets do not stay on the bed as well with the flat sheet as a bottom sheet.

Bed sheets were traditionally white, but now can be found in various colors and patterns. The quality of bed sheets is often determined by the thread count, which is the number of threads per square inch of fabric. For the most part, the higher the thread count, the softer and more durable the sheet.

One should treat themselves to sheets they’ll sleep on every day. It is just plain smart to choose the best sheets one can afford as about 8 hours or 1/3 of each day is spent in the bed. Cotton is the most popular sheet fabric, but some people prefer non-wrinkling cotton blends. Flannel is cozy and the fabric of choice for cold Winter nights. For those who choose luxury sheets, satin, silk, or microfiber are the best choices, but Egyptian cottons, Irish linen and bamboo fibers are very resilient and smooth.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, May 29th, 2010 at 7:49 pm and is filed under Bed Sheets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.