However, excessive thread counts mean little if the fibers used are of low quality. Extra long staple cotton for beddings is best to maintain the durability of cotton fabrics. This ensures cotton bed sheets will not fray, wrinkle or pill easily after a few tumbles in the wash.

Thread count is another important factor, but not in the way it is popularly conceived. The common knowledge about thread count is that higher is always better, but that’s not always true. In fact, brands selling sheets with astronomically high thread counts in the thousands are usually fudging the numbers with double-ply threads or other sly methods.