Cotton vs Polyester |Which is the best for bedsheets?
What is the Best for Bed Sheets: Cotton VS Polyester?
Planning to buy bed sheet online? There are a plethora of aspects to consider such as choosing the best eCommerce platform, identifying some of the best bed sheet brands, and then looking for the best bed sheet variants as per personal preference, and home decor needs. Then, there is the thing about which fabric is the best for bed sheets. One of the oldest and the most common debates about bed sheets is which one is better, cotton bed sheets or polyester bed sheets. Though the question may seem simple, the answer is quite subjective. Wondering why? Be it cotton or polyester, as a fabric to craft bed sheets, each of them have their own pros, and cons. And, when it comes to customer preference, and buying sentiment, both make ideal choices.
Actually, it is not about being the best. It is about which one suits the best for you and your needs. For finding the perfectbed sheet for your bed that can offer you a restful sleep, you don't need to figure out the best of the two options. Instead, you need to evaluate them on various factors and then decide.
What is a Cotton Bed sheet?
A bed sheet made of the natural cotton fiber is a cotton bed sheet. To know more about cotton fabric, you need to learn about its fiber, weaving and thread count. Though most bed sheet buyers are only aware of the importance of thread count in a bed sheet, however, weaving and fiber length are also significant points to consider.
There are three main types of fibers American Upland, Pima, and Egyptian cotton. American Upland is the most commonly used fiber with a short-staple. Pima comes next in the frequency of its usage in making cotton king-size bed sheet. Pima has relatively longer staple fibers than American Upland. Egyptian cotton has the longest fibers of all. However, it is rarely used in making bed sheets. However, it is rarely used in making bed sheets.
Generally speaking, long fibers make high-quality bed sheets that are not only exceptionally soft, the better is the quality and softness of the bed sheet. Normally, a bed sheet with a thread count higher than 200 is considered to be of good quality.
There are two main styles of weaving a bed sheet sateen and percale. While percale weaving leaves a matte finish on the product, the sateen-weaving style is a bit shinier. Needless to say, sateen weaving is more expensive and less heat-resistant than percale.
Advantages of Cotton Bed sheets
The debate on which fabric is the best for bed sheets is a rather ongoing one without any viable response. Here, we have jotted down some of the key benefits of cotton bed sheets.
- Cotton is a natural material and hence is good for sensitive skin and allergies.
- The fabric is cool and breathable. Hence, it is good for summers and especially for sweaty sleepers.
- It is easy to wash and dry.
- It becomes softer with age.
- Gets draped on the bed gracefully.
Despite its numerous advantages, cotton bed sheets are not immune to criticism as well.
Disadvantages of Cotton Bed sheets
- It can be quite expensive.
- Cotton is made of natural fibers that tend to break down early. Hence, bed sheets are not very durable.
- It is prone to wrinkles.
However, if you wish to ignore the above few disadvantages, cotton can be the foremost choice of fabric for crafting comfy bed sheets. If you are planning to buy double bed sheets online, you won't have to look beyond some of the premium-quality cotton bed sheets at Jaipur Fabric.
What is a Polyester Bed sheet?
Polyester bed sheets are made of a synthetic material called polyester. Since the fabric is synthetic or man-made, not much processing is needed for making a bed sheet after the manufacturing of the fabric. Hence, this makes the polyester bed sheets a cheaper alternative to cotton bed sheet.
Polyester bed sheets are lightweight and soft to touch. Some tightly woven high-quality polyester sheets are quite lustrous like silk and often are confused with silk in their feel. Due to its fabrication process, the polyester sheets are usually prone to static. Thus, it can be really bad for your hair.
Many times, 100% polyester bed sheets are labelled as microfiber, that is, a tightly-woven fine yarn. However, it is not necessary that all microfiber labelled sheets are made of pure polyester. Hence, a careful read is important to note if the labelled bed sheet is 100% polyester or a mix of nylon and polyester.
Advantages of Polyester Bed sheets
- Polyester fabric is highly durable and so is the bed sheet made of polyester.
- These are affordable.
- Easy to launder and dry.
- The fabric is light-weight and soft.
- Sheets are wrinkle resistant and do not shrink with age.
Disadvantages of Polyester Bed sheets
- Not much breathable and moisture-wicking
- More prone to pilling and static
- The sheets become rougher with age, hence not good for sensitive skin.
Comparison between Cotton and Polyester Bed sheets
Advantages of Cotton Bed sheets over Polyester Bed sheets
- Well, no one can really decide the best bed sheet for you, except yourself. You need to evaluate your skin type, sleep pattern, and duration, your climate, your budget, etc. to decide whether you want to go for cotton or polyester bed sheets.
- Becomes softer with age unlike polyester sheets that become rough over long-term usage.
- Not prone to static or pilling like polyester sheets.
Advantages of Polyester Bed sheets over Cotton Bed sheets
- Cheaper as compared to cotton sheets
- More durable than cotton sheets
- Are more resistant to wrinkles and shrinkage than cotton sheets that shrink after every wash
The Solution Blended Bed sheets
Well, no one can really decide the best bed sheet for you, except yourself. You need to evaluate your skin type, sleep-type, your climate, your budget, etc. to decide whether you want to go for cotton or polyester bed sheets.
However, if you too are confused like most people are, then we do have a solution for you. There are options in the market for buying blended bed sheets. These bed sheets are made of a mix of cotton as well as polyester fabrics. Such types of sheets offer advantages of both the fabrics.
For example, a blended sheet will be more breathable than a polyester one but less than a cotton one. Additionally, this bed sheet will have more longevity than cotton sheets but less than the polyester ones. Again, it will be more wrinkle-resistant than most cotton bed sheets but less than the polyester ones.
When you buy blended bed sheets, you can choose from a range of different mixes of both the fabrics. If you like cotton bed sheets more than the polyester ones, you can choose a mix of 60-40 where 60% of fabric is cotton and 40% is polyester or vice versa.
However, this is just an example and there are hundreds of other mix options for you to choose the most comfortable bed sheet that can provide you a good night sleep. All you need to do is make up your mind and start searching for your perfect style while buying double bed sheets online.
FAQs
Are cotton sheets better than polyester?
The debate on which is better - cotton, and polyester may seem never ending as both the fabrics have their own set of merits, and demerits. However, simply put, cotton bed sheets are derived from natural fibres, are soft to touch, come with great breathability, and moisture-wicking attributes, and thus are great for summers. On the contrary, polyester sheets are cost-effective compared to cotton ones, are wrinkle-resistant, and low-maintenance. So, the decision is yours, entirely!
Which is better cotton or polycotton?
While cotton fibre is derived naturally, polycotton fabric is a mix of cotton and polyester fibres. You will find several variants of polycotton depending on the cotton-polyester weightage. Cotton being a natural fabric is great for summers, is soft, and breathable. At the same time, cotton sheets are a bit on the higher end, and susceptible to wear, and tear, and wrinkling. Polycotton overcomes the challenges of cotton as it is less prone to wrinkles, is more durable, and cost-effective as well.