These Are Our Favorite Sheets to Catch Some Z’s

Sweet dreams start with soft sheets. Or, at the very least, great sheets mean I sleep better, whether my dreams are peaceful or a hallucination of failed superpowers and the internet. There’s a lot to navigate when buying sheets for your bed, from understanding percale and sateen to thread counts. But the right set of sheets can make your old bed feel like a hotel, or be the perfect pairing with a brand-new mattress. (Because what’s the point in pairing your new mattress with stale sheets?)
We’ve tested dozens of options to find the best sheets in nearly every style. However, there’s an endless supply of sheets out there, so we’ll keep updating this guide as we test more. All of the prices shown are for queen-size sets. Be sure to read our Best Mattresses, Best Mattresses for Side Sleepers, Best Organic Mattresses, and Best Pillows guides for more bedding recommendations.
Updated November 2024: We’ve updated our linen, percale, organic, and bamboo sheets sections with new picks and honorable mentions.
Why buy linen sheets? Linen is a woven fabric made from flax plants. It’s a highly breathable material and doesn’t trap heat, so it keeps you cool during the summer months. It’s great for people who sleep hot. It’s rougher at first than a simple cotton set, but it should soften up the more it’s washed. Linen is often expensive, but it’s also more durable than cotton, so a good sheet set should last a lot longer. Linen sheets are not for everyone, but if you love linen clothing, you’ll probably love linen sheets.
I’ve slept on a lot of linen (don’t miss my entire guide to linen sheets), and the Citizenry’s linen set are my Goldilocks sheets. They’re lightweight and breathable but still have a nice drape and softness you don’t often find in brand-new linen. It usually takes a little breaking in to get to this stage, but the Citizenry’s sheets feel like you’ve already washed them and soften them up. Thanks to great airflow, these sheets are cool enough for warm nights but not so cool that I wouldn’t use them year-round. They’re also Oeko-Tex certified, meaning they’ve been tested for harmful substances and have been deemed harmless.
The Citizenry’s linen sheets not only feel fantastic to sleep on but come in lots of colors to go with any color scheme your bedroom might have. Parts of the sheet set (just the top sheet, pillowcases, etc.) can be purchased individually if something happens to one of your pieces.
These sheets are the softest linen I’ve ever tried—so soft that my husband didn’t even realize I had swapped out a soft flannel set for these! They’re super comfortable to sleep on but still have that light linen feel. The Cultiver sheets feel a little silkier (a word I never thought I’d use to describe linen) and drape a little more nicely around my body and on the bed. These sheets are a splurge, but if you want extra-soft linen, these are the way to go.
The only thing I didn’t like about them was the overflowing lint tray after drying them. My husband noted that they were “slippery” compared to other sheets we usually slept on, adding to the almost-silky experience of these sheets. But such softness doesn’t come cheap, and these sheets are a splurge. You’re able to buy pieces individually if you want to work your way up to a full set or worry that one piece could get shredded by your cat (though my cat has yet to do any damage to these).
Looking for more linen? Read about every set of linen we’ve tested and our shopping advice in our guide to the best linen sheets.
Why buy percale sheets? Percale is a type of cotton weave, not a type of fabric. It’s also referred to as a plain weave. It looks how you might picture a classic weave to look, with an over-under style like a checkerboard. These sheets tend to be crisp, cool, and lightweight, and they make for great cooling sheets. Think of hotel sheets or your favorite button-up shirt. They’re a good middle ground if you sleep hot but don’t want to spring for linen and its higher prices.
I shouldn’t be surprised how much I loved these percale sheets, after how much I loved the Citizenry’s linen sheets. The Citizenry launched its percale line this summer, and it has become one of my favorite cooling sheets to sleep on. I’m usually not a huge percale fan, since I don’t like a super crispy sheet, but the Citizenry’s percale manages to be soft without losing the airflow and slight stiffness that makes percale, well, percale.
While these aren’t as super soft as Supima or Egyptian cotton—more options with those below!—the Citizenry uses long-staple cotton that helps these sheets feel softer than regular cotton percale sheets. This sheet set is also organic and is Oeko-Tex and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified.
Buffy is famous for the alternative materials behind its bedding. Specifically, Buffy usually uses eucalyptus-based lyocell to make its sheets and comforters. But Buffy now has its first cotton bedding on the menu: Supima Cotton Percale Sheets. The name gives away that it’s not made of just cotton, but Supima cotton, which is a higher quality cotton that has a longer fiber and better strength. That longer fiber helps make these cotton sheets softer than your standard percale without sacrificing the airflow and structure that makes percale so nice to sleep on.
Buffy runs a ton of sales, so while these sheets are usually a similar price to the Citizenry’s, you might be able to find them for even cheaper.
Looking for more percale or cooling options? We’ve got a whole guide to cooling sheets that includes more percale picks and testing notes.
Why buy flannel sheets? Flannel sheets are made of cotton, but the cotton fibers are brushed out to create a fuzzy texture. Those fluffed-out fibers also are what make flannel so warm and cozy to sleep on—the teased layers of cotton do a better job of retaining heat than other styles of cotton sheets, so you’ll stay much warmer sleeping on these than other sheet styles. They’re great for cooler climates.
The Company Store’s flannel sheets initially threw me off with how pink the cream color looked, especially when placed next to other white sheets. But once I saw past that, these sheets felt the softest to the touch compared with the Coyuchi and L.L. Bean flannels I tried (see below). They’re a little stiff initially, but soften up with each wash.
They’re cozy to sleep on and definitely warm—these were the warmest I slept on out of the bunch. If you’re looking for soft and warm at a reasonable price, these sheets deliver.
Why buy sateen sheets? Sateen is a cotton weave similar to percale, but it uses a three-over-one thread style weave compared to one-over-one. Those extra threads give it a silkier feel even though it’s still cotton, and it tends to be both cooler and a little heavier. They’re great for summer months if you want something cool to the touch, but they also work for colder months if you aren’t looking for something too heat-trapping like flannel but still want to retain some heat.
I have a few sets of JCPenney’s Wrinkle Guard sateen sheets in my linen closet thanks to my wedding registry. They’re soft and cool to the touch, with the silky finish sateen is known for without being slippery. They drape well on my bed and don’t keep me too warm, but be careful how you fold them, as they aren’t completely wrinkle-free.
The craziest thing to me about these sheets is that I can barely tell the difference between them and the Brooklinen Luxe Core Set, which is double the price (also courtesy of my wedding registry). They’re similar and both incredibly comfortable to sleep on, but JCPenney’s sheets are just hard to beat on value.
Why buy silk sheets? Silk stays cool and slick when you need it, so you shouldn’t heat up and stick to your bed in the middle of the night. But it also is capable of insulating you decently well to keep you warm in the winter months. Silk is also better for your beauty rest and the reason why silk scarves, bonnets, and pillowcases are so popular. It absorbs less moisture from your hair and skin, so you stay hydrated and don’t lose all your expensive beauty products to your pillow. It also causes less friction, pulling less at your skin during the night. If you’re a side or stomach sleeper where your face makes direct contact with your pillow, silk is a great option to consider.
If you Google silk sheets, you’ll see results for things like “eucalyptus silk” or “silky Tencel.” These might still be comfortable and soft, but they are not real silk. Real silk sheets are categorized by their density and weight, called momme. A higher number equals more threads, a higher density, and more durability. For example, 25-momme sheets are a higher quality and more durable, but also more expensive. The 19-momme sheets we recommend here are a perfectly good set. It’s worth noting that some people find sleeping on a full silk bed to be annoying, with their pillows slipping around and the corners coming untucked, but we didn’t encounter this.
Sleeping on these silk sheets feels like true luxury. They’re soft and smooth without being freezing cold. Lilysilk is the only brand of silk sheets we’ve tested, and it’s very expensive to get a full set—you’re looking at over $800 for one flat sheet, one fitted sheet, and two pillowcases—but the brand offers each piece individually. Former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano tried the fitted sheet with a regular percale top sheet and found it cooling and comfortable. If you can spend a little more, Lilysilk has 22- and 25-momme sets available. They’re a little more durable, but 19 is still very high quality.
Switching to a silk pillowcase might make a difference for a lot less money than replacing the whole set. Silk sheets boast benefits for hair and skin, and a pillowcase targets those benefits to your face and hair. While using a silk pillowcase didn’t fix all my hair problems, my hair was certainly softer while I slept on one of these. Of the silk pillowcases I’ve tested, these are my favorites.
This silk pillowcase is a great value at $40, and it has a better weight for that price than other brands. Quince’s silk pillowcase is 22-momme, where others usually have a 19-momme for that price, and that heavier weight makes it slightly thicker and softer to the touch. It has a zipper enclosure, which I liked since it kept the pillowcase looking polished, and I didn’t have to worry about my pillow wiggling its way out of the case while I tossed and turned in the night. Sleep Number’s Silk Pillowcase ($50) felt very similar to it and also has a zipper enclosure, but it costs $10 more and is a slightly lighter weight (21-momme).
Why buy organic sheets? If you’re buying an organic mattress, you probably want to pair it with organic sheets. Otherwise, nonorganic sheets can bring the chemicals and materials you avoided—including anything from formaldehyde and TCEP (a flame retardant) to phthalates—right back into your life. Even if you have a regular mattress, you can still benefit from choosing sheets that are made of natural, organic materials.
These are fantastic all-around percale sheets—lightweight! Crisp without feeling like paper! Still soft to the touch!—that happen to be organic and are better priced than other organic sheets we’ve tried. The Citizenry’s percale set is soft enough that it doesn’t get complaints from my husband. The brand also makes my favorite linen for the same reason: The ability to make fantastic sheets that are softer than other, similarly priced options.
This set has a 300 thread count, which is a nice spot for staying breathable (especially if you want organic sheets that will keep you cool) while still staying soft. The long-staple cotton used helps with that softness, too. The Citizenry’s percale is made from Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)-certified organic cotton and is Oeko-Tex certified, which means they’re tested for and do not contain any known toxic chemicals.
WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson tests organic mattresses, and these are his favorite organic sheets to pair with them. They’re soft but not overly silky, which is a feeling he doesn’t care for (if you do, check out the Avocado sheets below). I’ve also found the organic percale is just a touch softer than Brooklinen’s regular percale. The Brooklinen organic cotton sheets are made from Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)-certified organic cotton and are Oeko-Tex certified, like the Citizenry sheets above. They also have a 300 thread count.
Why buy bamboo or eucalyptus sheets? Companies are making sheets from other materials now too, like bamboo and eucalyptus. The latter usually takes less water than cotton and less-harsh chemicals than bamboo to produce sheets. Because bamboo plants grow so quickly, it’s thought to be an eco-friendly resource we can use without depleting the planet. However, it’s not a perfect solution. The process of turning bamboo into fabric uses harsh chemicals, which can actually add to air and water pollution. Bamboo viscose is slightly better than bamboo rayon.
While former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano says she prefers the crispness of percale, these Luxome sheets made from bamboo viscose are the softest bedding she’s ever slept on. They’re silky and drape well, but have deep pockets and elastic straps to keep them on your mattress all night. They’ve held up in the wash too. We were nervous they’d get pilly like some similar cheap soft sheets we’ve tried from Bed Bath & Beyond (RIP), but that hasn’t been the case.
Bamboo is often touted as cooling, mainly due to how cool the sheets feel to the touch. But I’ve found a lot of bamboo will warm up through the night, leaving me just as hot as warmer sheets. Ettitude’s Signature Sateen Bamboo Sheets, however, have been my go-to bamboo that actually keeps me cool all night long.
It’s a little surprising since these sheets still have a solid 300 thread count and sateen weave (which is heavier than other weaves), but Ettitude’s Signature sheets feel super lightweight to the touch and don’t warm up as much as heavier bamboo I’ve tried. They’re still nice and soft, too, retaining that silky cool feel bamboo is known for. These sheets are worth the splurge if you want something that’s super soft, breathable, and won’t leave you sweating at 3 in the morning.
On a tight budget? Some of our favorite sheets are surprisingly cheap compared to other similar sets, but they cover a range of sheet styles.
After a cross-state move that required me to ditch anything that didn’t fit into my car, sheets somehow didn’t make the cut. So I popped into Target to grab its cheapest queen sheet set off the shelf and promptly left the store, because my moving budget had dried up. Target’s Room Essentials set is made with a plain cotton weave, and I didn’t expect them to hold up for long, especially with my claw-happy cat in the house.
It’s been four years and I still use these sheets. They’re soft and light after years of use and feel a bit like a favorite T-shirt I’ve worn in the perfect amount. My husband, much to my ire, calls these “the nice sheets” even though we have actual nice sheets. They’re affordable and are comfortable to sleep on.
Not every set of sheets was one we loved. Here are some other sheets we tried and would avoid.
To sleep with a top sheet or not to sleep with a top sheet has been a matter of debate in the past few years, with some opting to speak for a generation. WIRED is divided on this issue, though most of the Gear team seems to go without. I start out the night with a top sheet but usually find it bunched up in the morning. Former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano is passionate about always sleeping with one. (“This millennial has not killed the top sheet industry,” she says.)
Do whatever keeps you comfortable. Many companies now offer the option to forgo a top sheet altogether while purchasing a set. If you think you don’t like a top sheet because you get too hot, you might just need to find a cooler material.
Thread count is the number of threads you’ll find in one square inch of a sheet’s fabric. The thread count can range pretty widely on sheets, and some brands like Parachute claim it doesn’t matter. You also might see some styles of sheets won’t call out thread counts at all—silk uses a different system, called momme, which focuses on the weight of the silk, and flannel sheets usually list the ounces of weight of the flannel.
Ultimately, higher thread counts mean literally more thread—it’s a denser weave and weight that can also feel heavy if you’re used to lighter weaves and lower thread counts. Some equate thread count with quality or softness, but you shouldn’t treat it as the ultimate rule of how good a set of sheets will be. You can use thread count to understand two things: texture (higher thread counts usually mean a smoother feel) and warmth (more threads will retain more heat). If you want lighter sheets, lower thread counts could actually be better for you, but higher thread counts can mean a smoother feel or warmer layers if you’re a cold sleeper. Even if you like a toasty bed, you never need a thread count as high as 800 and 1,000, so don’t splurge for super high numbers.
This one’s easy: by sleeping! I sleep on each set of sheets for about a week to see how they hold up and how comfortable they are. I check how well secured they stay on the mattress throughout that week, how well they retain heat (taking the material into consideration; flannel should be keeping me much warmer than sateen, for example), and how soft or unsoft they feel after prolonged exposure. I also wash them as soon as they arrive in a normal, cold cycle; check whether the texture has changed at all after a wash; and do the same thing after a week of use. I also keep sheets on hand to compare textures side by side with similar styles of sheets.