Best Sheets of 2024
We tested sheets from popular brands—including, Brooklinen, L.L.Bean, and Target—to find bedding that is as strong as it is soft
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Bedsheets that cover all the bases—and fit securely over all four corners of your mattress—can prove surprisingly tricky to find. Breathability, softness, pocket size, and price are just a few factors worth considering. Add to that the scores of brands to choose from, and a plethora of offerings from each, and it becomes much harder to determine sheets that will be conducive to sleep and stand the test of time.
At Consumer Reports, we make the selection process easier by testing queen-size bed sheets from popular brands to determine how well they stand up in the areas that matter. Our ratings include a range of fabrics from synthetic to natural, at various prices and varied thread counts.
“Cotton has been the main fiber of choice in sheets through the generations and is known for its softness, breathability, and comfort,” says Kristie Rhodes, manager of woven product development at Cotton Incorporated. “Even though other fibers have entered the bed sheeting market, cotton continues as a top pick with its consistent durability and quality. Being a highly versatile fiber, cotton works well in the lightest of airy percales, luxury high thread count sateens, and cozy winter flannels.”
Although the majority of the sheet sets on the market are cotton, not all cotton sets are alike. Our tests prove that, while also busting other sheet-shopping myths.
Best Cotton Sheets
Cotton, the most common choice for sheets, tends to fetch a higher price. But not every expensive cotton sheet is worth top dollar. Our highest performers, reviewed here, come in a range of prices. But they all excel in at least one of our lab tests and get pretty favorable scores in other areas, too.
Best Synthetic Sheets
They don’t have the same breathability as cotton sheets, but synthetic options are often more affordable and softer than their cotton counterparts. In addition to being moisture-wicking, these top performers, below, outperformed the cotton sheets tested in our wrinkling assessment and aced our shrinkage test.
How CR Tests Sheets
We test the most popular size of sheets: queen. And we consider fit to be the most important standard. If a fitted sheet, no matter how soft, shrinks so much that you can’t get it over your mattress, all other attributes are moot.
In our tests, we wash fitted sheets according to the manufacturer’s directions 25 times—equivalent to about a year’s worth of washing if you launder your linens every two weeks. After every five washing and drying cycles, our testers put the sheet on an 8-, 10-, 14-, and 18-inch-deep mattress, to see whether the corners and sides still fit and tuck underneath. (A 10-inch mattress is standard.) And we measure exactly how much shrinkage occurred.
We also use a set of reference sheets as a comparison to determine how much each sheet wrinkles and (with the help of a sensory panel of testers) how soft they feel. Our engineers also assess the strength of the fibers with a machine that clamps both ends of the sheet sample and pulls it with increasing force until it tears.
In our ratings of sheets, you’ll find sets from premium brands like Matouk Sierra and Boll & Branch, as well as budget-friendly retailers like Target and Walmart.
CR's Search for the Best Sheets
From stress tests to sensory panels, our rigorous protocol separates the great from the merely good.
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