The Best Microfiber Sheets

Buying Guide

Slipping into a soft and comfortable set of bedsheets is a simple luxury that brings peace and relaxation at the end of a hard day. A soft and clean set of bed sheets should feel comforting to your skin and provide a layer of warmth as they gently hug you while you melt into a restful sleep. Traditional cotton sheets can shrink in the wash and have been known to harbor allergens that can be detrimental to getting any real rest when using them, but microfiber sheets have stepped up to compete with the finest cotton sheets in terms of comfort while also being a hypoallergenic and highly durable material.

Sets of microfiber sheets are made from polyester, like seen in the AmazonBasics Microfiber Sheet Set, and are often brushed during their fabrication to create a soft and supple feel. This finish makes them feel like they are as soft to the touch as some of the finest high thread-count cotton sheets on the market, but the impressive part is that they only cost a small fraction of those same cotton sheets. The manufacturing process allows microfiber sheets to be very lightweight for hotter climates or heavier for those cold winter nights, but the soft finish will still be there to make sure you’re as comfortable as possible.

Microfiber sheets come in some highly festive color schemes that can help achieve nearly any look you want from your bedsheets. If you think a floral design with bright flowers would look nice in your bedroom, you can find it in certain sheet sets, along with a slew of other fun colors and designs. There are, of course, the traditional offerings of white, black, grey and beige colors that we commonly see, but each brand carries a variety of colors and patterns that can be fun to imagine yourself using in your newly updated bedroom.

The fit of your sheets is an important factor to think about. If you have a thick mattress, you will want to find sets of sheets that have deep pockets that have enough material to properly cover the entire mattress without exposing parts of the side. A set of deep-pocket sheets might be a little too big for a thinner mattress, but if the fitted sheet in the set has an elastic band around the entire perimeter, rather than just at the corners, it will generally still fit those thinner mattresses with a significant portion of the sheet tucked underneath where it’s out of sight.  If you want the perfect fit, measure the thickness of your mattress and search for sheets that are designed for a similarly thick mattress. Some sets of sheets, like the Mellanni Bed Sheet Set, offer the fully-elastic fitted sheet but also designate that they are designed for mattresses up to 16″ thick if you read their product description. This information will have you using the right size sheets for the best fit and smoothest results.

A major benefit of any microfiber sheet is its hypoallergenic designation. The polyester microfibers resist the transfer of allergens from one source to another, unlike cotton which will happily harbor those allergens and transfer them to you when you lay down in bed. If you find yourself becoming stuffy or sneezing when you get into bed, especially after you have felt clear and fresh all day, you could be dealing with a situation that involves allergens in your bed. This would be a great reason to try out an affordable set of microfiber sheets and see if you notice any improvements in your breathing at night. If it doesn’t seem to help, you at least can have a comfortable new set of sheets to put into your laundry rotation.

Speaking of laundry, microfiber sheets really excel in this category as well. Microfiber sheets won’t shrink in the wash and can be cleaned regularly without showing wear and tear or fading. The durability of the microfiber material makes them convenient to own in this regard, as they continue looking bright and new even after many months or even years. They will often have a high resistance to wrinkles as well, as they tend to look smooth and lie flat on the bed without having to fuss over the wrinkles that can sometimes be pressed in during the drying cycle in the wash. To add to the allure of how easy it is to use them, they are even naturally stain-resistant so you won’t see the same discoloration that sometimes happens in older cotton sheets.

• Be sure there are matching pillowcases included in your set of sheets, assuming you want them. As a note, sets of sheets designed for smaller beds, like a full, will have shorter pillowcases and will not completely cover a king-size pillow.
• Depending on your washing machine and dryer, one set of bedsheets might be close to the maximum capacity for these appliances. For the cleanest and most wrinkle-free laundry, you want to make sure not to overload the washer and dryer when you’re cleaning these.
• Get the right sheets for the climate you are in. If you get hot when you sleep, lean toward a set of sheets that are thin and breathable so you can get your rest without overheating. Alternatively, if you need to be bundled up in a cocoon of blankets and sheets every night to stay warm, you will benefit from the thicker and heavier sheets that help make you feel warm and secure.