Man-made fabrics aren’t as popular as natural fabrics for sheets and blankets, but they do have their upsides. They are usually first manufactured as liquids and formed into individual fibers. This makes them very hard to die after the fibers are woven into fabric.

Acetate: This fiber isn’t very strong but can be woven into fabrics that have the luxurious look of silk but don’t feel like silk. Acetate doesn’t absorb moisture easily, it dries fast and it is resistant to shrinking. It is a very resilient fabric.

Acrylic: A soft and deluxe fabric that has the bulk and hand of wool. Bouncy and lightweight, acrylic is washable and dries easily.

Lastex: An elastic fiber made from Latex. It is used with other fibers to create materials like Spandex. This fiber will deteriorate after multiple washings and lose it’s elasticity.

Nylon:  Stronger than any other used fiber, nylon became a household name after it was first used in hosiery in the 1940s. Nylon fibers are smooth, non-absorbent and dry quickly. Dirt doesn’t stick to nylon nor is it damaged by chemicals or perspiration. Ironing nylon can by a problem at high temperatures as the nylon will melt. Always use a low temperature on the wrong side of the iron when ironing nylon.

Polyester: A strong fiber that resists creasing and therefore keeps it’s shape more easily. Polyester will melt at medium to high temperatures if one isn’t careful. When blended with cotton, polyester helps give cotton more durability thus making these blends last longer than pure cotton.

Rayon: Made from cellulose, rayon has many of the qualities of cotton. It’s a strong, highly absorbant fiber that comes in a variety of qualities and weights. Rayon can be made to resemble natural fabrics. It doesn’t melt at high temperatures – it burns instead. Rayon wrinkles easily and might stretch when wet and shrink when washed.

Your bedroom is one of the most important personal areas in your life. A good mattress, sheets, blanket and/or comforter can create a relaxing, deep sleep experience. Rest is even more important in today’s information-rich society. It’s important to relax and free your body and mind of the frantic chaos of modern life. Having quality home bedding will help you do this.

In choosing the right bedding it’s important to first choose the right fabrics your bedding will be made from. Different fabrics have different characteristics that make each suitable for a certain style or taste. The fabrics can be divided into two categories: natural and man-made. The natural fabrics are wool, cotton, linen, and silk. The man-made fabrics are acetate, acryllic, nylon, polyester, and rayon. Bedding can be made from any of these choices, but natural fabrics are considered to be more appropriate to bedding than man-made fabrics. In particular, it is rare to see bedding made from rayon.

After choosing the fabrics, the next step is to consider the various options for the bedding itself. A general collection of bedding is to have a mattress cover, a sheet over the mattress cover, and a blanket over the sheet. The bed’s occupant sleeps between the sheet and the blanket, using the blanket to cover himself. Sometimes, especially in the winter months or in cooler climes, a comforter may be placed over the blanket to provide further warmth.

It’s always a good idea to make sure that the bedding you choose is right for your needs. If you don’t like the feel of wool, for example, avoid using it in bedding that will be touching your skin, like wool sheets or wool blankets. Wool comforters, however,  can be very comfortable on cold nights, even for people that don’t normally like wool. If you don’t like rayon, polyester or other man-made fabrics, natural fabrics are far superior to man-made fabrics. Consider a reasonably priced cotton or silk sheet if you are looking for that extra bit of softness.

A sheet is a sheet, at least in terms of it’s basic construction. The fabric the sheet is made from, however, drastically seperates one sheet from another. There are many kinds of cotton fiber for sheets to be made from, from Egyptian cotton to Indian muslin. A basic way to tell one sheet from another is thread count: how many threads per square inch does the sheet contain? Simply holding it up to a light source is a quick way to discern this. If you can see the actual weave of the fabric, your sheet has a low thread count. The higher the thread count, the softer and more durable the sheet is.

Let’s review some different types of sheets and a few characteristics of each one:

Muslin: These are considered to be the low end of the cotton spectrum. Muslin is a “rough-and-tough” fabric and it has a thread count of 128-140.

Percale: A flat, smooth, closely woven fabric that is combed. A combed fabric has undergone a cleaning process that eliminates dirt and short, undesirable fibers. Percale can come in 100% cotton or 50% cotton/50% polyester varieties. It is also a finer fabric than muslin, with a thread count of 180-200.

Pima or Supima: A high quality cotton whose long fibers are similar to Egyptian cotton. The difference between the two is purely geographical.  Both pima and supima are popular bedding fabrics because of the soft hand feel they possess.  The thread count of Pima/Supima is from 200-300.

Egyptian Cotton: The queen of all cottons grown on the banks of the Nile. Egyptian cotton owe’s its superior durability, luster, and silky hand feel to its extra long fibers. The thread count of Egyptian cotton goes from 200-400.

Of the types listed above, Egyptian cotton is the most popular of them all by a wide margin. The incredible softness of the cotton is due to the fact that that rich soil and humid conditions along the Nile riverbank are perfect for growing long cotton fibers (called staple). The long length of the fibers allows the cotton to be spun into very fine yarns that are lustrous and durable, making for a quality fabric. Not surprisingly, this also makes Egyptian cotton the most expensive on the market.

When translated into sheets, Egyptian cotton sheets are the cream of the crop. The luxurious feel of the cotton fabric against your skin make for a very enjoyable sleeping experience no matter how your day has gone.