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Just as a pillow case protects the pillow, a mattress cover, duvet cover and properly fitted sheets help keep your bed clean and easy to care for.
Parts Of A Well Made Bed
Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up.
Mattress
If the mattress is old, smelly and lumpy, there isn’t much you can add to make this bed comfortable and inviting. Memory foam mattresses are readily available in all standard bed sizes. Try them out at a retail location to determine the firmness you like.
Mattress Cover
Don’t skip the protection! Consider a mattress an investment and protect it from spilled coffee and other accidents. A waterproof mattress cover will be a shield against liquid spills ( dogs, kids, angry cats ). A water resistant mattress cover will protect the mattress long enough to handle light accidents while you quickly remove it from the bed.
Fitted Sheet
Also known as the bottom sheet, the fitted sheet has rounded, elasticized corners that allow the sheet to hug the mattress tightly. You want to use the correct size for your mattress, otherwise you will end up tearing the sheet if it is too small or sleeping in a mess of wrinkles if it is too big. The purpose of the bottom sheet is to provide a clean, soft surface to the sleeper while also protecting the items beneath it. Instead of taking apart the entire mattress covering for routine housekeeping, just launder the bottom sheet.
Top Sheet
The top sheet is a flat sheet that lays on top of the bottom sheet. You sleep in between the bottom sheet and the top sheet. You are comfortable and the top sheet is providing a layer of protection between you and any blankets on top of the top sheet. Instead of washing your blankets so often, you only need to launder the sheets for regular housekeeping.
Blanket
Blankets can range from super light weight to super heavy. If you stick with the routine of sleeping between the bottom sheet and the top sheet, aside from accidents, you will only need to launder a blanket occasionally.
Comforter
Sometimes called a duvet, most comforters are two layers of fabric with a soft fill in between the layers. They can vary widely as far as warmth and care. A duvet cover is used to protect a duvet or comforter. Instead of laundering the duvet, wash the cover for regular housekeeping.
Bedspread
A bedspread is decorative covering that can also provide a little extra warmth on those bone chilling January nights. It is also a defense against any activity during the day that you don’t want to sleep with at night.
About Thread Count
While shopping for linens you will come across the term ‘thread count’. Very simply, thread count is the number of stiches per an area that makes up the fabric. The lower the thread count, the more coarse and loose the fabric will be. For example, a sheet with a 200 thread count will be rougher, thinner and cheaper than a sheet with a 500 thread count. It most likely will not last as longer as one with a higher thread count.
However, with the introduction of microfiber products, thread count is not the only way to judge a fabric without feeling it. Many products will offer a comparison of the microfiber feel to the feel of a particular thread count.
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