What Sheet Count Really Means

When preparing to move into your new apartment you’re bound to go shopping.

One purchase that most people seem to make when setting up their new home is new sheets. There is something about the pairing of a new apartment with new sheets that makes it all the more exciting. But with so many different types of sheets out these days and so many different brands making them, what does each label mean?

How do you know what you’re really buying? Let’s find out.

• Flannel Sheets. This is one of those sheets that is built for the cold. It is designed to not only be warm but, to trap heat as well. Take your love of flannel shirts one step further with these bad boys.
• Silk. Fun fact, silk is naturally hypoallergenic. It also can be more on the expensive side and easy to damage. Silk is also supposedly good for keeping your hair healthy and strong. For college students using a shared laundry machine though, silk might not be the best option for the bedding shelf.
• Bamboo. Rumor has it that these sheets are good for the environment. However, in order for the bamboo to be useable for sheets, it requires a lot of chemical processing. So while the sheets feel soft and appear “green,” they are actually kind of expensive and still harm the environment. If you absolutely have to have bamboo sheets, look for the most chemically free option you can find.
• Cotton. This is the big one, the most common family of sheets. There are actually 5 subcategories of cotton and each is different from the next. But all you need to remember when shopping is that the higher the thread count, the softer the sheet.

You’ll buy thousands of sheets throughout your lifetime. Every Time you stain a sheet or mess up on laundry day, you’ll end up at the store trying to remember which sheet you liked best.

Have any tips on finding the perfect sheets for your apartment? Let us know!