MY MEDALLION
Choosing the right bedroom linen is an important part of having the perfect bedroom. There can be a lot of new terms and information though that goes along with finding the best linens. Fill power, or how ‘fluffy’ a comforter is, and thread count, how many threads horizontally and vertically are in a square inch of fabric, can help you find just the right fit for your own needs. Keep reading for some more information on how to choose the perfect bedroom linen for your own comfort!
1. Materials
One of the biggest questions when purchasing bedroom linen is about all the materials to choose from. The most common ones you’ll find are cotton and polyester. 100% cotton linens can be a good middle ground between softness, durability, and affordability. They’ll be soft to the touch, while not being too much of an investment. For those with a bigger budget, Egyptian cotton is a good option. It’s even softer and will last longer than regular cotton. Egyptian cotton has longer cotton fibers, which gives its softness.
Microfibre, sometimes called polyester, is the other common option, and it is often blended with cotton (to make what is called cotton-polyester blend.) The big upside is that it tends to be quite affordable, even more affordable than the 100% cotton, and is very soft compared to some fabrics. It can also feel more synthetic though but it is quite a durable material, and is less prone to wrinkles. If you’re curious and want a deeper look at linen fabrics, check out the discussion here.
2. Thread Count
Thread count is a slightly controversial topic when it comes to bed linen. Some say it’s an important factor when considering how soft and smooth the material will feel on you. Others warn that it can often be inflated by manufacturers and is not a real test of how soft it’ll feel. For the best quality, though, you should look for linens with somewhere between 300-500 thread count. Anything lower and will feel coarse. Anything above this number, it is doubtful whether you’ll even notice a difference in softness. Some even claim that those numbers are often inflated without proper methods of checking their truthfulness.
3. Fill Power in Comforters
There’s nothing better than a big, warm comforter to climb into when the weather is cold outside. However, there’s an important term to remember when buying your comforter: Fill power. While it may seem intuitive that the heaviest blankets are the warmest, that’s not actually the case with down comforters. Fill power or “loft” is a measurement that indicates the fluffiness or volume of the down in your comforter. A fluffier comforter may seem lighter, but it’s actually warmer than a lower fill power comforter. Fluffier down comforters trap more air in them, which keeps you toasty warm underneath. Another factor to consider is the difference between goose and duck down. As a general, goose down is warmer than duck. Geese are bigger birds than ducks, which means their down feathers are also bigger and fluffier. The fluffier the down, the more air it traps, and the warmer you’ll feel underneath.
4. The Breezy Summer Bedding
It’s not always about being as warm as you can be in your bed, as many summer nights are not meant for a fluffy comforter or thick sheets. Making sure you have some summer appropriate bedroom linens can make the hotter months just as comfortable for you as the winter. Look for easy-care cotton or thermal blankets. Thermal blankets like this, not the reflective emergency blanket kind. These allow for air flow through the fabric, which will help you stay cooler during the warmer times of the year.
5. The Right Pillows
Getting the right pillow for your bed and sleeping habits is just as important as the rest of your bedding! Depending on how you sleep you may want to buy a particular type of pillow too. If you sleep on your back, you’ll want to find a pillow with medium support, to help prevent snoring and support the natural curvature of your spine. Side sleepers should look towards firmer support to hug the curvatures of the head, neck and shoulders. For the stomach sleepers, softer support is best. It’ll prevent any unnatural head positions that might strain your neck.
Purchasing your bedroom linens comes with a lot of questions about your own preferences and styles. How you sleep, the usual temperature of your bedroom, and the degree of softness you desire, can all be important factors to consider. For more information on purchasing bedroom linens, visit the Medallion Blog.
