Yahoo Finance Our Lab Experts and Panelists Test and Rate the Best Cotton Sheets of 2022
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Our Lab Experts and Panelists Test and Rate the Best Cotton Sheets of 2022
We updated this article in October 2022 to ensure our top-tested sheets were in stock and reflected up-to-date prices.
While nowadays you can find amazing bedsheets made of all kinds of materials, from polyester sheets to linen sheets, silk sheets and various blends, nothing feels quite like cotton. Traditional, 100% pure cotton is still the most popular bedding fabric on the market — and for good reason. Not only is it soft, breathable and durable, but it also feels more natural against your skin. Because of its popularity, though, you'll find thousands of offerings wherever you look, both online and in stores, and with so many options to choose from, it’s hard to know which sets are worth buying. Our guide can help with that.
The Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab has tested more than 240 sheet sets in recent years, including 40 new sets in 2022 alone, from cooling sheets to organic sheets, microfiber sheets, flannel sheets and beyond, to find the best sheets and softest sheets available. In the Lab, using specialized equipment and industry standards, we test each set for factors like fabric strength, pilling resistance, wrinkle resistance and shrinkage from laundering. We also have dozens of consumer testers feel and rate the fabrics for softness and comfort in a blind comparison. Plus, each set is evaluated by several consumer testers to analyze aspects like temperature regulation, fit, ease of use and appearance over time. To find the best cotton sheets available, our analysts reviewed more than 10,000 data points from testing before recommending these sets.
Our best picks:
You can read more about how we test and what to look for at the end of this article. Searching for more ways to find the best bedding? Check out our guides to the best pillows and the best mattresses you can buy.
llbean - 2/12
1) Luxe Core Sheet Set
Brooklinen
brooklinen.com
$161.10
This set earned the top spot thanks to its overall fabric quality and stress-free features, including helpful labels on the fitted sheet. For starters, the smooth fabric was strong and pill-resistant, and it laundered well in our wash tests. Bed-making is also a breeze with this set since the fitted sheet is labeled with "long side" and "short side" tabs.
Besides the stellar feedback from our tester panel, this set also has thousands of five-star reviews online from real users who swear by it. It's even a personal favorite set among our own Textiles Lab analysts. And if you're still not convinced, the brand offers an any-reason return policy, so you can get a full refund if you don't love it.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW: These Luxury Brooklinen Sheets Are Actually Worth the Hype
Brooklinen - 3/12
2) Cotton Bed Sheet Set
Mellanni
amazon.com
$56.97
Most cotton sheet sets cost well over $100, but this one's a fraction of the price and your best bet if you're looking to save. Aside from its 100% cotton fiber content, it also has a sateen weave for smoothness and an elastic band to fit securely on mattresses. The brand also says this style can accommodate a 16-inch mattress.
We haven't extensively tested this newer style yet, but Mellanni sheets have typically performed well in our evaluations and surprised our experts with their quality despite the low cost. Plus, this set is already earning rave reviews on Amazon from real users. Just note that although it claims to be Global Organic Textile Standard–certified organic, we weren't able to verify this through the GOTS database.
Mellanni - 4/12
3) Pima Cotton Percale Sheet Set
L.L.Bean
llbean.com
$159.00
Percale weaves are for those who prefer a cool and crisp cotton sheet set over one that feels silky smooth. They're also popular cotton sheets for hot sleepers because of their airy texture and breathable weave. Though they can sometimes feel rough compared with sateen, this L.L.Bean set was rated soft by most testers and outperformed all other percale sheets in our extensive evaluations. One tester even described them as feeling like "quality hotel sheets."
The fabric was strong and durable with hardly any shrinkage or pilling. Plus, percale often looks wrinkled, but this one had a smoother appearance compared with others. There's also something for every style preference, thanks to a wide range of solid neutrals, bright colors and pretty prints.
Danielle Daly - 5/12
4) Organic Cotton Sheet Set
Riley
rileyhome.com
$245.00
Popular for their soft, smooth feel, sateen sheets were one of the most popular styles among our consumer testers. This set from Riley is luxuriously soft and splurge-worthy. It's made using long-staple cotton with a combing technique to eliminate short fibers for a smoother and more durable fabric.
Testers raved about the unique lightweight feel of these sheets, with one calling it "more breathable than most sateen sheets." Plus, this set impressed in Lab tests, exhibiting excellent pilling resistance and minimal shrinkage. As a bonus, while most cotton sheets wrinkle easily, these outperformed other sateen sets we tested with fewer creases. Just note that although the brand calls them organic cotton sheets, we weren't able to confirm whether the entire manufacturing process is certified organic.
Riley - 6/12
5) Organic Crinkled Percale Sheets
Coyuchi
coyuchi.com
$208.00
This sheet set checks off the boxes for a variety of preferences: It's made with GOTS-certified cotton for those who prefer organic, the fabric is light and airy for those who prefer breathable and cool and it's crisp for those who prefer a relaxed look and feel. In fact, the brand uses a special process to achieve its signature crinkled finish.
Besides its organic certification, it's also Fair Trade Certified, which means the sourcing and manufacturing process upholds rigorous standards for ethical issues like wages and working conditions. The fabric washed well in Lab evaluations, though it did have some pilling and wrinkles (which is expected for a crinkled fabric). Plus, at-home testers told us they loved how the sheets felt soft yet crisp and cool at the same time.
Danielle Daly - 7/12
6) Organic Cotton Bed Sheets
Delilah Home
amazon.com
$149.99
Truly organic sheets can cost hundreds of dollars, but this set is GOTS-certified and still less than $200. The certification is especially important because it shows the entire manufacturing process — not just the growing of the cotton — follows strict standards.
Though it had some shrinkage and wrinkles after we washed it, the sateen fabric outperformed other organic sheets and proved to be both soft and strong. One at-home tester highlighted how it stood out for its smooth and lightweight feel.
Danielle Daly - 8/12
7) Legends Hotel Wrinkle-Free Sateen Sheet Set
The Company Store
thecompanystore.com
$259.00
This luxury sateen set costs more than most sets in this roundup, but it's certainly worth the splurge, thanks to its substantial thickness and incredible softness. It's made with Supima cotton, which is a premium fiber grown in the U.S., and comes in many colors, with the option to mix and match your set. Plus, if you have a tall mattress or use a mattress topper and need deep-pocket sheets, this set is offered in both a standard 14-inch depth and an accommodating 18-inch depth for Queen, King and California King sizes.
This set earned one of the highest softness ratings in a blind comparison, and our reviewers told us they wanted to purchase it for themselves. The fabric was also strong and shrink-resistant in our Lab tests, though there were some wrinkles and pilling compared to other sets we evaluated, despite its "wrinkle-free" claims.
Danielle Daly - 9/12
8) Brushed Cotton Sheet Set
Parachute Home
parachutehome.com
$269.00
This novelty set has a basic percale weave with a brushed surface so you get a unique mix of lightweight and crisp with soft and cozy. The brushed surface is somewhat similar to flannel's construction, yet the fuzziness is much more minimal and not as hot.
Unsurprisingly, this sheet set was rated softer than all other percales we've tested. Our panel of reviewers loved how it felt and noted its relaxed appearance. And although brushed fabric can often easily show signs of wear, this one stood up well to our durability tests without significant shrinkage or pilling.
Parachute - 10/12
9) Hotel Sateen Sheet Set
Cuddledown
$202.00
Cotton sheets can look crumpled and messy at times (even when you take them out of the dryer right away), but this set has a wrinkle-resistant finish and looked the smoothest after we washed it. And because it’s certified by Oeko-TEX, you don’t need to worry about unsafe chemical levels from the finish.
The cotton is also combed to remove short, poking fibers, and testers gave it top marks for feeling smooth. Although the fabric didn't perform as well in our strength test, it was durable overall in laundering tests, with minimal shrinkage.
Danielle Daly - 11/12
10) Hemstitched Supima Flannel Bedding
Garnet Hill
garnethill.com
$222.00
Ideal for cold sleepers, flannel sheets have a brushed surface that traps air inside for extra warmth. These sheets aced our tests, outperforming other contenders. In fact, it was the only flannel set that earned a perfect softness score from our consumer testers.
Testers gave this set high ratings across the board, raving about the comfort. One even commented, "These sheets are deliciously soft to the touch — like a giant cuddle when you get in bed each night." The fabric also performed well in Lab durability tests, with high scores in strength and moderate wrinkle resistance, though it pilled easily, as is characteristic of flannel materials. The brand sells each component separately, so you can mix and match colors or opt to skip the top sheet.
Garnet Hill - 12/12
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✔️ Pilling resistance: To mimic tossing, turning, wear and tear, we use our abrasion machine to rub swatches together, then visibly score signs of pilling according to textile industry standards.
✔️ Dimensional stability: Each sheet is repeatedly laundered and evaluated for shrinkage and appearance after multiple wash cycles.
✔️ Wrinkle resistance: After laundering, each sheet is taken right out of the dryer to our specialized lighting room and visually assessed for creases based on industry standards.
✔️ Other factors: We also check how well the sheets fit onto a sample mattress and consider any claims, from cooling features to organic labeling.
Grace Wu
