Bed Linen Buying Guide

There is a wide range of bedlinen available these days in a wide variety of man-made, natural and mixed fibres. Natural fabrics let your skin breathe whilst man-made fabrics are generally harder wearing. Mixed fabrics combine the benefits of both natural and man-made fabrics.

As a general rule, the higher the thread count of a fabric, the better the quality.

Cotton

The quality of cotton varies throughout the world but the most luxurious and expensive cotton of all is Egyptian cotton which grows on the banks of the Nile , producing the longest fibres. Cotton may be woven in various ways to give a different quality and feel to the resulting fabric.

Cotton percale is made from high-quality combed cotton (180 threads per square inch or more) to create a smooth crisp linen that is cool to the touch. It is long lasting, durable and launders well. The highest quality has a 200 threads per square inch count.

Cotton jacquard has a self-pattern in the fabric, typically striped, checked or floral. The thread used is finer than percale and is a high-quality combed cotton which feels extremely smooth.

Cotton sateen is generally made from a combed thread, but uses a finer thread than percale to produce bed linen of a higher thread count because the threads are thinner. It has a sheen and feels luxurious, soft and smooth against the skin but is slightly less hard-wearing than percale. It is available in 300 threads per square inch count.

Linen

Pure linen is one of the finest bed linens you can buy, renowned for being crisp and cool. It has a lower thread count than cotton percale, as the threads are heavier and more loosely woven. When new it has a slubbed appearance, which, with laundering and age, softens to a beautiful, light sheen. More expensive than cotton, it requires more careful laundering, but is extremely long lasting. It is usually available in 112 threads per square inch count.

Linen cotton combines the coolness and texture of linen with the better laundering qualities of cotton and is generally cheaper. It is usually blended in a 50 per cent linen, 50 per cent cotton mix.

Polyester cotton

Polyester cotton is usually to be found in a 50/50 mix of polyester and cotton. It is easy to look after, launders well and is very hard wearing. Good quality polyester cotton can usually be found with a thread count of 180 per square inch.

Silk

Silk is probably the most luxurious and expensive fabric of all and will keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. It has the softest and smoothest feel when next to the skin of all the fabrics.