TechGearLab

It's a tall order, asking bedding to work in every season for every person, but if any set can do it, it's the Brooklinen Luxe Core 480. This 100% cotton set has something to offer everyone. It's crisp enough to keep its shape and look perfectly pressed every morning while still soft enough to feel like you're slipping into your favorite t-shirt each night. The 480 thread count is maximized by a sateen weave, combining incredible smoothness and comfort with impressive breathability that keeps you cool when it's hot and cozy when it's cold. The fitted piece stays put impressively well on mattresses of varying thicknesses, while the envelope pillowcases easily contain all puffiness of pillows. Between their exceptionally attractive modern patterns, an OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification, and their supreme comfort, you too will want to work from home so you never have to get out of bed again.
If your mattress is exceptionally thick, these 15 inch deep pockets may not stay put. However, due to some very careful stitching and completely rounded corners, it came very close to covering our 18-inch mattress. If you're searching for a specific bright color to match your bedroom decor, you're out of luck, as the Luxe Core comes in all neutral tones &mdash; though we think they complement just about every space. And if you tend to eat in bed, you may want to get a darker color, as it took 6 full washes to remove a red wine stain from the white pinstripe set we tested. That said, at the end of the day, we think this set breathes exceptionally well, feels fantastic, and has something to offer just about everyone.
Health & Sustainability Rating: OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified

Cotton sheets are well-known for their breathability and durability, and the Brooklinen Luxe Core 480 is our favorite cotton set. Their 480 thread count still manages to be lightweight and oh-so-soft on the skin. These sheets maintain slight crispness and a comfortable amount of air space around the body, keeping you cool on hot nights and warm on cold ones. They're relaxed and chic, with fetching designs to modernize your bedroom, and they feature a simple yet durable construction that fit our mattresses and pillows perfectly. From their excellent skin feel to their OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification, you may question ever getting out of bed again. 
On the downside, a higher thread count inherently equals a slight decrease in fabric breathability. However, this effect is mostly mitigated by their sateen weave, maintaining more space between fibers, and their crispness, allowing more air to circulate under the sheets and around your body. Keep in mind, however, that if you tend to eat or drink in bed, you'll want to be extra careful around the Brooklinen Luxe Core &mdash; it took us six washes to remove a red wine stain from the corner of the fitted sheet. Caveats aside, for cotton sheets that work to maintain the perfect temperature, we highly recommend this set.
Love the feel and durability of cotton sheets? Check out our Egyptian cotton sheets review.
Health Rating: OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified

Cotton sheets are well-known for their breathability and durability, and the Brooklinen Luxe Core is our favorite cotton set. Their 480 thread count still manages to be lightweight and oh-so-soft on the skin. These sheets maintain slight crispness and a comfortable amount of air space around the body, keeping you cool on hot nights and warm on cold ones. They're relaxed and chic, with fetching designs to modernize your bedroom, and they feature a simple yet durable construction that fit our mattresses and pillows perfectly. From their excellent skin feel to their OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification, you may question ever getting out of bed again. 
On the downside, a higher thread count inherently equals a slight decrease in fabric breathability. Luckily, this effect is mostly mitigated by their sateen weave, maintaining more space between fibers, and their crispness, allowing more air to circulate under the sheets and around your body. Although, keep in mind that if you tend to eat or drink in bed, you'll want to be extra careful around these cooling sheets &mdash; it took us six washes to remove a red wine stain from the corner of the fitted sheet. Caveats aside, for cotton sheets that work to maintain the perfect temperature, we highly recommend the Brooklinen Luxe Core.
Love the feel and durability of cotton sheets? Check out our Egyptian cotton sheets review.
Health Rating: OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified

Upgrade Pick

amazon.com

Great Bay makes a LOT of flannel sheets, and we tested several different sets, including these from the Belle collection. They're soft and supple and easy to enjoy. Their 170 GSM weight is the low end of "heavyweight," adding warmth and durability without being excessively warm. They're soft without being clingy, making for a more pleasant sleeping experience for those of us who toss and turn. The 14" deep fitted sheet fits our thinner mattress just fine, though we're dubious it would be such a good fit on a thicker mattress. Between the plethora of prints available in the Belle collection and the many other flannel collections with more unique prints, we're sure just about everyone can find something to love here. And they're pretty reasonably priced for this lineup, too.
However, they're not the most impressively constructed set we tested. They're not bad, just about average for this group. Depending on how you sleep, "average" may be just fine for your bed. They also showed more pilling by our feet than many others, which doesn't bode well. We found several conflicting sources of information on their construction, with some saying they're OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified, while other sources didn't make that claim. The set we tested didn't have the official OEKO-TEX tag, so we're guessing these particular ones aren't certified. Still, they're a pretty solid and likable set of sheets, with a ton of fun and whimsical prints and patterns.
Health Rating: OEKO-TEX claimed but not verified

Budget Pick

walmart

target

Wirecutter

Our favorite affordable cotton sheets are available in two sizes that will fit a dorm bed, and they come in an assortment of solids and prints. Don’t wait to buy them, though—they sell out fast.

High quality at a fantastic price. These sheets wrinkle more and are less breathable than other sateens we’ve tested, but they’re just as soft as some we’ve tested that cost triple.

These sateen sheets from Target are almost as soft, durable, and wrinkle-resistant as sets we’ve tried that cost four times the price.

These sateen sheets from Target are almost as soft, durable, and wrinkle resistant as sets we’ve tried that cost four times the price.

These all-cotton sheets are fantastic quality for the price, and they come in more prints than almost any pick on our list.

With a high thread count, these white sheets offer solid picture quality for a low price.

expert-review

Sheets Buying Guide

Our Favorite Printed Sheets

Are you willing to splurge a little on some seriously fuzzy, warm sheets that you may never want to part from? The Pinzon Heavyweight Velvet are those sheets. At 190 GSM, they're the thickest, heaviest flannels we tested. They live up to the "velvet" in their name, keeping us cozy and comfortable without feeling oppressively hot. Their OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification helps keep your mind at ease while you spend even more time curled up under these ultra-snuggly flannels. They're some of the most wrinkle-resistant linens we tested, and they come in a range of solid colors &mdash; and even a few florals &mdash; to match your bedroom decor. Their construction gives us plenty of confidence in their ability to withstand our toenails as we burrow into this cocoon.
However, if your bed is rather thick or oversized, these may not be large enough. Even on our relatively thin mattress, they were just big enough to keep it covered and tuck in at the foot of the bed. They have very little overhang, and their 15" deep pockets feel smaller than they measure. The velvety goodness that feels so nice is also quite clingy to skin and especially clothes. Tossing and turning in these sheets while wearing pajamas quickly resulted in a crumpled mess. But for a great enveloping warmth that beckons you to stay in bed all day, the Pinzon Heavyweight are tough to resist.
Health Rating: OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified

Pinzon 190-Gram Heavyweight Velvet Flannel Sheets Review

The Amazon Basics Ultra-Soft is exactly how we want a cotton sheet to feel. Yes, we know that statement is highly subjective, but just hear us out. Both of our lead testers prefer percale over sateen-woven cotton, but personal preference aside, these sheets are cool, crisp, and comfortable. After the first wash, this 300-thread count option definitely fell on the smooth and stiff side of the feel-spectrum. Through multiple laundering cycles, the fabric began to relax and soften a bit while still retaining that crisp quality of excellent cotton sheets. This sheet has the thickest elastic band of any we tested, eliminating any worry of it coming undone in the middle of the night.
You can expect some wrinkles from this cotton sheet. Unless you go above and beyond and iron these regularly, they just won't reach their ultimate crisp potential. The pockets fit better than many other cotton sheets we've tested, but there is still a bit of extra material that sticks out from the corners. Our main gripe with this sheet is that the pocket depth isn't listed online or on the packaging — how are you expected to know if it will fit your mattress? Fortunately, the deep pockets were well-suited to our 18-inch mattress, so we can confirm that this fitted sheet should accommodate all but the thickest beds.
Health Rating: None

These bargain sheets aren’t the most luxurious flannel set we recommend, but they outperformed many pricier sets we’ve tested. And they come in the most modern, whimsical prints of all of our picks.

The Best Flannel Sheets

A dream to sleep on: comfortable, breathable, easy to care for, and durable.

If you like a cool, crisp feel to your sheets, this is one of the most comfortable percale sets we’ve tried. They’re durable and breathable, and the more you wash them, the softer they get.

If you like a cool, crisp feel to your bedsheets, these are comfortable, very breathable, and reasonably priced. Available in twin, full, queen, and king, and offered in eight neutral colors.

The best percale we’ve ever tried is durable and breathable, and it gets softer the more you wash it. The two pattern choices aren’t the trendiest, but they might work for you.

If you like a cool, crisp feel to your sheets, these are comfortable, very breathable, and reasonably priced.

Why We Love L.L. Bean Sheets

bazaarvoice

L.L. Bean 280-Thread-Count Pima Cotton Percale Sheet Set Review

I've tested 19 sets of sheets, and L.L.Bean makes the softest cotton sheets I've ever slept on

These are softer and more durable-feeling than equally priced sets, but they aren’t sold by the piece, and we have read complaints about them developing holes or tears after a short time.

Sheet Set Comparison