There are so many myths when it comes to sleep, whether it's fail safe ways of getting to sleep, where to position your bed in the room or being able to catch up on lost sleep. The most frequently asked question we receive about bedding here at Lily & Mortimer HQ has to be does thread count really matter when choosing bedding? Here we wanted to give you some simple answers to you questions making your bedding choice easier.
1. The Higher The Tread Count The Better The Sheets?
Higher thread doesn't always mean better quality. At Lily&Mortimer we consider the quality of the yarn used to create the fabric, look for single ply long staple cotton as they ensures it washing brilliantly and doesn't pill. Look for bedding anywhere between 190 and 400 TC, anything over 400TC we would look at other factors as some manufacturers can use mulit-ply yarn to increase their thread count. This leaves bedding feeling less smooth and heavy.
2. Does A Higher Thread Count Fabric Last Longer?
Not necessarily, there are a number of factors when choosing bedding that lasts;
- The quality of the cotton, organic cotton has a natural softness and strength meaning our yarns are of the highest quality before we start the weaving.
- The quality of the weave, we have two weaves available depending on your personal preferance. Our percale weave allows for slightly more air flow and has a crisper finish. Our Sateen weave has a soft lustre, gently enveloping the body
- Single ply cotton - some manufacturers use multi-ply yarn to increase their thread count. The multiple plys will cause more friction when washing and in general use meaning the fabric will wear faster.
3. Do I Need To Iron A Higher Thread Count?
This is really a personal choice, natural linens do have a tendency to crease. Some people like the naturallycreased look to their linen. We advise to line dry your bedding whenever possible and do not tumble dry to reduce creasing. The thread count should not impact how the fabric irons, I would always iron when slightly damp using steam.
4. How Often Should I Wash My Sheets?
Not specific to thread count but an important one in a busy household linen laundry day is time consuming so a great hack to reduce time. Use a flat sheet under you duvet, this way you won't have to change you duvet cover quite as often. If you have two pillows on the bed and only sleep with one, rotate the top dress pillowcase to your sleep pillow when you change your sheets. On average households go two weeks between feeling that hotel clean sheet feeling!