If breathability is your biggest concern, go for sheets made of a natural fiber like cotton. Within the cotton category, percale sheets are the crispest and most lightweight of all the bedding thanks to its plain weave, and they feel the coolest to me. Percale's matte finish also contributes to its cooling factor.
Percale sheets are the only sheets that are consistently crisp and cool, it's all due to the nature of the weave.
Cotton percale sheets are popular for their lightweight and breathable nature that feels crisp against the skin. While sateen sheets (another type of equally loved cotton sheets) are known for their soft and silky smooth texture, percale has a basic weave that offers more breathability if you sleep hot.
Breathable sheets made of natural materials like cotton or linen allow for increased air movement and ventilation, both of which keep you cool and dry while you sleep.
Instead, hotels focus on choosing bed sheets woven from single-ply and long-staple cotton, usually with a percale weave. A thread count of around 200+ for a percale weave or 300+ for a sateen weave feels suitably luxurious, and is often the weight that high-end hotels will use.
Hotels use both sateen and percale sheets, depending on the style and guest experience they want to provide. Many luxury hotels prefer percale sheets because they are crisp, cool, and durable, offering a fresh, breathable feel. Percale is ideal for warmer climates or guests who enjoy a lighter texture.
Frette: The gold standard when it comes to luxurious hotel linens, Frette has been producing its famous Italian sheets for more than 160 years. You'll find these perfect linens lining the beds of the world's best hotel brands, including Mandarin Oriental and Ritz-Carlton.
Cotton percale, linen, and bamboo are all great choices. Cotton percale is light and crisp, linen allows for excellent airflow, and bamboo is soft and regulates temperature well, especially in humid conditions. These materials can help hot sleepers stay cool and comfortable.
Linen is a popular choice and is quite breathable, whereas other materials have moisture-wicking and temperature-regulation properties. After sleeping on nearly every sheet there is for weeks, I've concluded that linen and cotton percale make some of the best cooling sheets.
If keeping cool is your priority, look for low thread count sheets in the range of 180 to 280. This way, you can be sure your bedding is soft and built to last while also allowing for steady airflow while you sleep.
Spray each piece with starch.
This is truly the key to achieving the same look and feel of a hotel bed. Starch goes above and beyond water by setting the fabric so that your linens stay crisp (but not stiff) longer.
Low thread count sheets use the percale weave which is cooler and feels crisp. Linen also uses low thread count percale which is why people say linen is cooler.
A good hotel sheet feels beautifully crisp, primarily because of the percale weave used to make them but also because of manufacturing quality.
Percale sheets are crisp and cool to the touch with a matte finish, which makes them ideal for summer or warm sleepers. On the other hand, sateen sheets are silky and smooth with a sheen finish, which makes them perfect for winter or cold sleepers.
Miracle Sheets Review: The Basics
Miracle Brand sheets are definitely good at suppressing bacterial growth, so they take longer to develop odors than sheets made of ordinary cotton. But you'll still have to wash them every 10 days or so to keep them clean.
Breathability: Bamboo regulates temperature well; cotton keeps you cool but isn't as versatile. Durability: Bamboo retains its texture and colour over time, while cotton may wear more quickly. Feel: Bamboo feels silky and soft, while cotton has a classic, crisp texture.
Material. Most of the sleep experts I spoke to agreed that sheets made of natural fibers, like cotton and linen, are your best bet for sweaty sleepers because they're the most breathable (and therefore cooling).
What material is the best for cooling sheets? Generally, the best fabrics for host sleepers are cotton percale, linen and Tencel/lyocell, especially if they have added cooling technologies.
Because bamboo sheets are delicate and soft, it's advised that you air dry them, to avoid damaging the fibres and maintain elasticity and colour. However, it is possible to machine dry bamboo sheets, so long as you choose a low heat and remove your bedding from the dryer as soon as the cycle is finished.
But when I learned that Oprah put Cozy Earth's Bamboo Sheets on her Favorite Things List in 2018, calling them "the softest bedding ever," I took notice. Then, over the next several years, she named the brand's pajamas, socks, waffle towels, joggers and body butter Favorites too.
Quality cotton with a high thread count is what makes hotel sheets so crisp. Plus, the percale weave is the most popular weave for hotels which makes the sheets extra cool and extra crisp.
Gwyneth recently told Airmail "My sheets are from a company called Beltrami, in Italy.