Luxury Bed Sheets & Bedding

Is Egyptian cotton superior to others and if so, why? Read on but don’t expect a colorful journey down the Nile River.

Contrary to other cottons, the higher the thread-count on cotton grown in Egypt the stronger and more durable it is. When creating threads or yarns, the long staple or fiber of Egyptian-grown cotton renders a thread smaller in diameter, but sturdy and resilient. In fact, if cared for properly, Egyptian-produced cotton fabric used for bedding products can actually last for decades.

Sheets created from Egyptian grown cotton are a bit harder to the touch than other cottons, particularly when the bedding is new. However, with every laundering, these sheets become softer and softer. Like a fine wine, age improves Egyptian fibers and, unlike many products, you will prize your sheets more and more as they age and become smooth and luxurious.

Another plus concerning bedding made from Egyptian cotton fibers is the fact that they produce less lint and therefore do not pill after repeated washings like other bedding materials do. For this reason, at one time only the most expensive stores carried bedding made from Egyptian fibers. Today, however, most department stores and online bedding sites carry an assorted selection of Egyptian produced cotton sheets.

Egyptian cotton over the years has supplanted the shorter-fibered, King Cotton grown for so long in the Deep South of the United States. When buying bedding, bear in mind some bedding labels. If a package contains the words “cotton rich”, the amount of cotton it contains may not be very rich at all. If the package says "percale", this means that the thread count is at least 180 count. Many people mistakenly believe that percale is a fabric type in its own right. The word simply indicates a thread count. Percale can be 100% cotton or a blend of cotton and other fibers. Only buy fabrics that state an exact proportion of the cotton in the bedding (unless you are purchasing sheets for someone you really don’t like).

Considering that one third of our lives is spent in bed, it might as well be soft supple and luxurious time, don’t you think?