Do You Really Need a Top Sheet for Your Bed?

How It’s Made

The Saatva Organic Sateen Sheet Set is made of 100% cotton with a 300 thread count and smooth sateen weave. The set comes in three colors — white, ivory, and grey — and each set includes a flat sheet, fitted sheet, and a pair of pillowcases. The fitted sheet has a 16-inch pocket depth, so you can use this set on most beds, including thick pillow-tops. If you’re a fan of eco-friendly products, the cotton in these sheets has Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certification to show it meets strict standards for organic sourcing.

How It Performed

The sateen weave gives the Saatva Organic Sateen Sheet Set a luxuriously silky feel, and the cotton has breathable properties that should keep you cool even on warmer nights. One of the benefits of silky sheets, apart from the smooth feel, is that they’re less abrasive. This makes them a great fit for sleepers with skin that’s easily irritated. The sheets are machine-washable in cold water on a gentle cycle, and you can tumble dry them on a low heat setting.

Saatva offers 45-day returns for these sheets, and you’ll also receive a one-year warranty. Shipping is free in the contiguous U.S.

How It’s Made

The Luxome Luxury Sheet Set is made from a bamboo-derived viscose fabric, worked into a sateen weave. The fabric is naturally smooth and incredibly breathable, while the sateen weave tightens it into a lustrous, silky surface. The fitted sheet has a much larger than standard pocket depth, so it’s able to fit mattresses up to 17 inches thick.

How It Performed

Sheets made from bamboo-derived fabrics are known for their exceptional cooling, and the Luxome Luxury Sheets embody that quality. The sheets drape closely to your body without trapping too much heat, so the set is suitable for year-round use. Our testers gave these sheets high marks on each of our temperature control tests, and our hot-sleeping testers in particular gave their seals of approval.

The bamboo-derived fabric is exceptionally soft to start, and the sateen weave takes that softness to a deeper level. Right out of the packaging, our testers noted the silky-smooth feel of the Luxome Luxury Sheets and couldn’t get enough of their softness. “Gliding” was a common word our testing team used to describe the feeling of touching and laying on the sheets. Our testers with more sensitive skin specifically noted the smoothness of these sheets and that the fabric didn’t rub too harshly as they were lying in bed.

How It’s Made

The sheets and pillowcases are constructed using viscose derived from bamboo in a sateen weave. As a result, each component feels very soft, smooth, and gentle on your skin. Viscose’s excellent cooling properties also make the set a solid choice for hot sleepers and people who reside in hot or humid climates.

Six sizes are available, including a split king with two fitted sheets for couples with adjustable beds. You can also choose from 14 different color palettes ranging from neutrals and earth tones to more vivid options like Pacific blue and sage. A pocket depth of 20 inches ensures universal compatibility no matter how thick your mattress is.

How It Performed

The Bamboo Sheet Set was popular among our testing team for a number of reasons. We appreciated how silky-smooth each sheet and pillowcase felt against our skin, yet these items also earned favorable ratings during our temperature control tests — we’ve found softness and cooling don’t always go hand in hand. Other performance areas where the set fared well include fit and ease of care.

Although the Bamboo Sheet Set is fairly pricey, Cozy Earth offers free ground shipping for all U.S. orders and reasonable rates for international deliveries. The company allows returns and exchanges within 100 nights of receipt. If you’re satisfied with your set, your purchase is further backed by a 10-year warranty against manufacturing defects.

How It’s Made

The Quince Organic Percale Sheet Set is well-priced, soft, and comfortable. The sheets are woven from 100% cotton and designed to get softer over time. In addition, the cotton is the long-staple variety, which is known for its durability. The high-quality material paired with the reasonable pricing makes these sheets an exceptional value. You can choose from a wide array of colors, including patterns like stripes.

How It Performed

The Quince Organic Percale Sheets are breathable and have a crisp quality that softens with each wash. The sheets earned high marks during our temperature control tests and met the needs of most of our hot sleepers. The fitted sheet has a 16-inch pocket depth, so you should be able to fit this on most models. Each set comes with a fitted sheet and flat sheet, and one to two pillowcases depending on the size of the set.

Quince offers a generous 365-night sleep trial to try out the sheets. Shipping is free in the contiguous U.S.

How It’s Made

Silk & Snow’s Egyptian Cotton Bed Sheets are soft, smooth, and exceptionally breathable. Each item is composed of extra-long staple cotton with a sateen weave for a silky finish. A hemmed border on the flat sheet and envelope-style closures for the pillowcases add to the set’s  luxurious design. You can choose from a handful of colors to match your bedroom decor, including some seasonal options, along with six sizes aligning with standard mattress dimensions. Matching duvet covers and pillow shams are available as well. Certification from the Cotton Egypt Association ensures all of the set’s components are made from authentic Egyptian cotton.

How It Performed

Egyptian cotton is a remarkable bedding material because it’s soft yet durable. Our team loved the silky-smooth feel of these sheets and pillowcases and, despite the sateen weave, each item proved quite breathable during temperature control tests. The bedding is also fully machine-washable, so the set is easy to keep clean, and the sticker price is below average compared to other Egyptian cotton collections. A pocket depth of 15 inches means you can use the fitted sheet with most mattresses, but we recommend measuring your bed’s height before buying the set to ensure a proper fit — especially if you also sleep with a mattress topper.

How It’s Made

The Classic Percale collection is composed of long-staple cotton with a crisp hand feel that at first may remind you of a freshly ironed dress shirt, but should soften with subsequent wash cycles. Each component has a mid-level thread count of 270, ensuring both durability and breathable construction that won’t retain too much heat. Brooklinen has one of the more extensive return policies out there, giving you a year to return sheets.

How It Performed

Brooklinen’s Classic Core sheets provide a classic percale sheet experience that’s a few steps upgraded from your typical department store sheets. The percale weave and cotton construction allow for plenty of airflow, helping even our hottest testers sleep comfortably. The sheets are slightly softer than a nice dress shirt when they’re fresh out of the box, and they keep a crisp feel that gets a bit softer over time and washes.

Brooklinen’s sheets got major points from our team when it comes to design. Along with several regular color options, Brooklinen offers multiple limited time colors and patterns throughout the year. The short and long sides of the fitted sheets are clearly labeled, which is always a nice touch. We noticed that some of the heavier dyes have a tendency to run at first, so we recommend washing more colorful sets on their own a few times before use.

How It’s Made

The sheets and pillowcases in this collection are composed of viscose, a naturally soft and smooth fabric derived from bamboo fibers. A sateen weave enhances the buttery feel of each item. The bamboo is organically grown and sustainably harvested.

You can choose from seven neutral colors and six sizes. The fitted sheet’s elastic banding can be used on any mattress between 6 and 15 inches tall, a range that encompasses most models sold today — though high-profile beds may need more pocket depth. Each set component can be washed and dried in household machines for quick, easy care.

How It Performed

Sateen-woven viscose is a luxuriously soft fabric that drapes closely to the body — our testing team likened the feel of this material to natural silk. The sheets and pillowcases also feel cool to the touch, so the set can be a great asset on hot or humid nights. Easy care and durable construction round out the set, and the sticker price is very approachable given the bedding’s lasting power.

Sweet Zzz ships free of charge to customers in the contiguous U.S., and delivers for an additional fee to Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada. All orders come with a 100-night sleep trial, and the set is covered under a lifetime warranty against material defects.

How It’s Made

One of Quince’s newest offerings, the Giza Cotton Sheet Set includes a fitted sheet and one to two pillowcases depending on which size you select. A flat sheet can also be added for an extra fee. Each component is composed of pure Giza cotton with a sateen weave, resulting in a silky-smooth feel and close drape. You can choose from five neutral colors to accent your bedroom decor.

How It Performed

This set really showcases the appeal of sateen-woven cotton bedding. The sheets and pillowcases are touchably soft and smooth, making them ideal for people with sensitive skin or those who want to prevent wrinkles. Since cotton is naturally breathable, the sheets also sleep very cool – even during hotter times of the year.

The fitted sheet’s 16-inch pocket depth makes the set compatible with the vast majority of mattresses sold today. These sheets and pillowcases are also easy to clean, as each item in the set is fully machine-washable. Quince’s 365-night sleep trial is one of the longest in the online bedding industry, so you’ll have plenty of time to decide whether the Giza Cotton Sheet Set is right for you.

How It’s Made

The Sijo AiryWeight Eucalyptus Sheet Set is made from 100% Tencel lyocell fabric derived from eucalyptus. This material is known for being exceptionally breathable, cooling, and lightweight.

How It Performed

The materials used in the Sijo AiryWeight sheets are high-quality, a fact that shone through in all aspects of our testing. Our team found these sheets incredibly soft and light, and they were a crowd favorite during the testing process.

These sheets aced all of our temperature control tests, staying nice and cool despite the environment. Every one of our hot-sleeping testers was very satisfied with these sheets and noted that they’d be great for year-round use. These sheets are thoughtfully constructed, making full use of the Tencel fabric and drawing out some of its best qualities.