Made It Here Awards 2026: Best Sheets

I sleep hot. My partner sleeps cold. For about four months’ worth of sleeps over the summer and into fall, we shared one queen bed, nine sets of white sheets and a 10-pound Chihuahua who doesn’t respect any personal space.

That’s how to really test sheets here in New York City. No climate-controlled chamber, just a bedroom with an AC unit and a laundromat where every set went through five washes and five dryer cycles. 

I’ve lived in New York for 20 years and have been in lifestyle media almost as long. I’ve tested everything from men’s grooming to home products, and I can tell you, when you’re elbowing your way to a seat on the 6 or fighting through the chaos of Grand Central, you don’t want to come home and wrestle with your sheets. A set that traps heat when your pre-war radiator is already working overtime? Skip. A top brand that dares to pill after one wash? Hard pass. 

Everyone wants their bed to be a sanctuary, but here, it can be the thing that helps you rise and grind or pack your bags and return to the podunk town you’ve transplanted from.

So I took the sheets category for the New York Post’s Made It Here Awards with one question: Which sets actually make it in New York City?

See our full test and criteria

What are the best linen sheets?

Linen is the OG fabric for hot sleepers. It breathes, softens with every wash, and was the only fabric my cold-sleeping partner and I both agreed on. The trade-off: It’s quite textured, it wrinkles (if that bothers you) and it can shed for the first few washes.

Best overall: Quince European Linen Sheet Set

If you only buy one set, buy this set first, and price is only half the reason.

Out of the package, Quince’s linen is a little stiff and a little rumpled. One wash fixed most of that. It got noticeably softer after the first laundromat run, then improved in smaller steps. By wash five it was relaxed, airy textured linen. Not scratchy and not slick.

The 16-inch pockets and all-around elastic held on my 12-inch mattress after washes and making the bed is easy.

It sleeps cool, which is an important factor if you live in a six-floor walk-up but the heat is controlled on the first floor. I didn’t wake up sweaty once, and it was a big step up from the microfiber and even the viscose sheets I’ve slept on. My partner, who sleeps cold, was comfortable under it, too. Linen was where we were both happiest.

The 16-inch pockets and all-around elastic held on my 12-inch mattress after washes and making the bed is easy. Quince sells this set with or without a flat sheet. The Queen size is $184.

The one real thing worth noting is the bits of fuzz. Expect a thick layer of lint in the dryer trap early on. It fades fast, but it’s real. I find that is the nature of the fabric, not where the fabric is from. But if you hate linen’s texture, no price makes this your sheet. Go percale or bamboo.

Why it beat the other linens: Cultiver was softer on night one and Sijo has the organic certification, but neither slept cooler, and Quince costs $296 less than Cultiver and $25.25 more than Sijo. It’s also $95 less than our percale winner and $124 less than our bamboo winner, which is why it takes best overall.

Material: 100% European flax linen, prewashed | Pocket depth: 16 inches | Flat sheet: 96 by 106 inches | Certifications: OEKO-TEX Standard 100 | Sizes: Twin to Cal King, plus Split King | Care: Cold gentle wash; line dry or tumble low

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Best luxury linen: Cultiver Linen Sheet Set with Pillowcases

If you’ve been burned by scratchy linen, this is the fix. Cultiver was soft the first night, with no break-in, and it kept getting softer through five washes.

It’s heavier than Quince at 165 GSM, which gives it more drape and body. I still never woke up sweaty. It’s an August sheet that layers fine for January.

It came out of the dryer a little less creased than the other linens, and by Day 3 the bed still looked expensive. The continuous elastic kept the fitted sheet in place, and I saw no pilling and no lint worth mentioning.

The flat sheet is a shared queen/king size, about 110 inches wide, so expect extra fabric on a queen.

Then there’s the $480. That’s $296 more than Quince for a sheet that’s softer out of the bag, and I can’t promise it lasts $296 longer. If night-one softness is worth that to you, this is the splurge.

Material: 100% European flax linen, prewashed | Weight: 165 GSM | Pocket depth: About 16 inches | Flat sheet: About 110 by 104 inches Certifications: OEKO-TEX Standard 100 | Care: Brand allows warm wash and warm tumble dry

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Best organic linen: Sijo LuxeWeave Linen Sheet Set

Sijo is the linen for label readers: GOTS-certified organic French flax, the only certified organic linen here.

It’s substantial and softly textured, with more body than any of the bamboo sets. Even so, it breathed. 

Sijo says it’s stonewashed and preshrunk, and I didn’t notice any shrinkage. It softened over the first few washes, then leveled off: Wash five felt like wash three. A little shedding hung around through the third wash, and it came out less wrinkled than I expected. Full disclosure: I’ve owned another set of Sijo linen for more than six years with zero issues.

The pockets are 16 inches, but Sijo recommends this set for mattresses up to 13 inches. My 12-inch mattress was fine and the corners held. A thick pillow-top might not be.

At $148.75, it’s $35.25 less than Quince. Pay it if organic matters to you.

Material: 100% French flax linen, stonewashed and preshrunk | Pocket depth: 16 inches; brand recommends mattresses up to 13 inches | Flat sheet: 92 by 104 inches | Certifications: GOTS, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 | Care: Cold gentle wash; tumble low; remove promptly

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What are the best percale sheets?

Percale sheets are the crisp, matte cotton, cool-to-the-touch option that doesn’t cling. Cheap percale can feel like printer paper until it’s been washed a few times, and that’s where the three sets I tested split apart.

Best percale: Boll & Branch Percale Hemmed Sheet Set

Every percale I tested slept cool. Boll & Branch is the one that was also soft from the first night.

That’s the whole case. Brooklinen and Quince both needed a few washes to relax. Boll & Branch felt crisp and cool when I got in, soft against my skin right away, then got smoother with every laundromat run. After five washes: no pilling, barely any lint, and on Day 3 the bed still looked fresh. No crinkly noise, either.

It handled the seasons. I was comfortable with and without an extra blanket as the bedroom cooled into fall, and I’d keep it on the bed in August and January. The pillowcases are a sneaky win: smooth cotton without the occasional prickle you get from linen.

Boll & Branch makes it from organic long-staple cotton, certified by GOTS and OEKO-TEX, in a Fair Trade Certified factory. The flat sheet is the longest percale here at 108 inches, 4 inches longer than Brooklinen’s. Plenty to tuck. I kicked my feet out anyway. I always do.

Why it beat the other percale sets: The white is slightly sheer, though it doesn’t look or feel cheap, and the 17-inch pockets leave some slack on my 12-inch mattress. At $229.00, it’s $189.10 more than Quince’s percale. You’re paying for Night-1 softness and the credentials, not a sheet that’s three times cooler.

Material: 100% organic long-staple cotton, percale | Thread count: Not listed | Pocket depth: 17 inches | Flat sheet: 96 by 108 inches | Design: 7-inch hem; full top-stitched elastic | Certifications: GOTS, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, Fair Trade Certified factory | Care: Cold wash; tumble low or medium; no bleach or softener

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Best percale for easy bed-making: Brooklinen Classic Percale Core Sheet Set

Brooklinen, which got its start in Brooklyn in 2014, makes the percale that’s easiest to live with. The fitted sheet has “long” and “short” tags, so you’re not spinning it around the mattress three times. It came out of the package with barely a wrinkle beyond the folds. My move: Pull it from the dryer fast and make the bed right away. No iron.

It’s 270-thread-count long-staple cotton, crisp, matte and structured. It started a little firm and relaxed with each wash, like percale should. No pilling, no noise, and it held up through five laundromat cycles. I noticed minor shrinkage, nothing that hurt the fit.

It slept cool overall, with one sweaty night out of 14. As a hot sleeper, I’d use it year-round. Cold sleepers will want something cozier in January.

At $127.20, it’s $101.80 less than Boll & Branch. You give up Night 1 softness, not much else.

Material: 100% long-staple cotton, percale | Thread count: 270 | Pocket depth: 16 inches; brand recommends 12- to 16-inch mattresses | Flat sheet: 92 by 104 inches | Certifications: OEKO-TEX Standard 100 | Care: Cold wash; tumble low; remove promptly

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Best budget percale:  Quince Organic Crisp Percale Sheet Set

$89.90  for an organic cotton percale queen set, flat sheet included. That’s the pitch, and the sheets back it up.

It’s 280-thread-count organic long-staple cotton, and it starts out thin and a little stiff. Washing fixed that. By Wash 5, it was light, crisp and comfortable, with no pilling, no loose threads and minimal lint.

It sleeps cool. I had two clammy nights out of 14 and would still use it all year. My partner found it a little too chilly for winter.

The 16-inch pockets fit my 12-inch mattress well, and the 96 × 106-inch flat sheet beats Brooklinen’s on size. It did look a bit more wrinkled by Day 3.

The real move: Buy two. You can keep a fresh white set in rotation and still spend less than one set of Boll & Branch.

Material: 100% organic long-staple cotton, percale | Thread count: 280 | Pocket depth: 16 inches | Flat sheet: 96 by 106 inches | Certifications: OEKO-TEX Standard 100 | Care: Cool wash, mild detergent; tumble low or hang dry; no bleach

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What are the best bamboo sheets?

Bamboo sheets aren’t bamboo the way linen is flax. The plant gets broken down and spun into a regenerated fiber, either viscose (Cozy Earth, Luxome) or lyocell (Ettitude). All three felt silky and cool to the touch. All three also gave me at least one damp or sweaty night, which linen never did.

Best bamboo: Cozy Earth Bamboo Sheet Set

Cozy Earth didn’t sleep on the coolest of the bamboo sets. It won because it’s the one I’d want to live with.

It was silky the moment I got in, smooth, fluid and satiny, and it stayed that way through five laundromat washes. No pilling or change I could see. Cozy Earth warns about slight shrinkage, and I saw a little, but this set starts big: 18-inch pockets the brand says stretch to fit mattresses up to 20 inches. On my 12-inch mattress, a little shrinkage just meant less slack. The 110-inch flat sheet is the longest I tested. I still kicked it off.

The trade-offs: It’s cool to the touch, but I had a couple of sweaty nights, and the tight sateen weave doesn’t breathe like linen. It’s slippery, sometimes too slippery on a restless night, and the fabric shifts, so the bed needs more straightening. It wrinkles less than cotton or linen, though.

Why it beat the other bamboo: It’s $123 less than Ettitude, it fits taller mattresses than either rival, and Cozy Earth backs it with a 100-day trial and a 10-year warranty against defects. Luxome makes a real case with corner bands, fewer clammy nights and a price that’s also $123 lower, but it also wants dye-free detergent and no ironing, ever. Cozy Earth asks for cold water and a gentle detergent.

I’d put it on the bed in August. Cold sleepers will want something warmer in January.

Material: 100% viscose from bamboo | Pocket depth: 18 inches; brand says it stretches to fit up to 20 inches | Flat sheet: 96 by 110 inches | Design: 360-degree elastic | Certifications: OEKO-TEX Standard 100 | Trial and warranty: 100 days; 10 years against defects (per Cozy Earth) | Care: Cold water, gentle detergent

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Best bamboo for fitted-sheet grip:  Luxome Luxury Sheet Set

Luxome’s trick is in the corners. Extra corner bands on the fitted sheet kept it anchored when I moved around, which matters on sheets this slippery.

It’s smooth, satiny and light, soft from the first wash, with a pronounced cool touch. I had one clammy night in 14, the fewest of the bamboo sets, and I liked it into the cooler weather. My partner, the cold sleeper, preferred something else.

Confession: Luxome asks for a mild detergent with no dyes or perfume. I washed it in the same regular Tide as everything else. It came through five washes with no pilling and no shrinkage I could see, so call that a stress test; it passed.

The downside is extra fabric. With 17-inch pockets on a 12-inch mattress, the corners held but the slack showed, and the bed needed straightening by Day 3.

At $155, it’s $123 less than Cozy Earth.

Material: 100% viscose from bamboo, sateen | Pocket depth: 17 inches, with extra corner bands | Flat sheet: 94 by 106 inches | Certifications: OEKO-TEX Standard 100 | Care: Cold delicate wash with dye- and perfume-free detergent; tumble low; no softener; no ironing

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Best bamboo lyocell: Ettitude Signature Bamboo Sheet Set

Ettitude is the bamboo set for people who care how the sausage gets made. It’s lyocell from bamboo, not viscose, made in what Ettitude calls a closed-loop process.

It’s light, silky and drapey, soft from the first night and still soft after five washes. No pilling, no fading, barely any lint. Pulled from the dryer fast and shaken out, it didn’t hold wrinkles until I slept on it.

On temperature, it landed in the middle: cool to the touch at first, cool to neutral overall, with a couple of damp nights. My partner, the cold sleeper, found it fairly comfortable.

The 17-inch pockets fit fine, and the 100-inch-wide flat sheet is the widest bamboo one here. Ettitude publishes lab results on wicking and cool-to-the-touch feel. Those are its numbers, not my nights.

At $359, it’s $123 more than Cozy Earth. Buy it if you specifically want lyocell.

Material: 100% lyocell from bamboo, sateen | Weight: 120 GSM | Pocket depth: 17 inches | Flat sheet: 100 by 106 inches | Certifications: OEKO-TEX Standard 100, Class I | Care: Cold gentle wash, mild detergent; tumble low or line dry; no softener or dryer balls

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Bed sheets compared

Award	Queen price*	Standout features
Best overall: Quince European Linen Sheet Set	$184.00	Softer after 1 wash; no sweaty nights
Best luxury linen: Cultiver Linen Sheet Set with Pillowcases	$480.00	Soft from night 1; least dryer creasing
Best organic linen: Sijo LuxeWeave Linen Sheet Set	$295.00	GOTS certified; substantial feel
Best percale: Boll & Branch Percale Hemmed Sheet Set	$279.00	Soft from night 1; 108-in. flat sheet
Best percale for easy bed-making: Brooklinen Classic Percale Core Sheet Set	$199.00	Orientation tags; barely wrinkles
Best budget percale: Quince Organic Crisp Percale Sheet Set	$99.00	Under $100; no pilling
Best bamboo: Cozy Earth Bamboo Sheet Set	$308.00	Fits up to 20 in.; 110-in. flat sheet
Best bamboo for fitted-sheet grip: Luxome Luxury Sheet Set	$190.00	Corner bands; 1 clammy night
Best bamboo lyocell: Ettitude Signature Bamboo Sheet Set	$359.00	Light and silky; cold-sleeper approved

How we tested

I slept on nice white queen sheet sets for 126 nights, from summer into fall, to determine the best set of bed sheets. Each set got 14 nights, split into two 7-night stints, so no set got all the heat waves or all the cool nights. Every set had a fitted sheet, a flat sheet and 2 standard pillowcases, and every set went on the same bed: a 12-inch queen mattress with a breathable, non-waterproof cover and the same four-season comforter on top. The flat sheet was in use every night.

The bedroom has no central air. I aimed for about 68 degrees with a window AC unit, a fan and, once the heat came on, the radiator. 

Every set got five washes and five dryer cycles at a laundromat: cold water, a 30-minute low dry, Tide Original Liquid, no fabric softener and no dryer sheets. That’s 45 washes and 45 dryer cycles. Same routine for every set, which means Luxome got a harsher detergent than its label asks for. I call that out in its review.

There’s no numeric scoring. I judged every set on four criteria, weighted equally. Dimensions and pocket depths are the brands’ listed sizes.

• Cooling: How the sheet felt getting into bed, whether I woke up hot, sweaty or clammy, and whether my cold-sleeping partner was comfortable, too. I noted damp nights when they happened and gave each set a plain verdict: cool, neutral or warm.
• Wash and wear: After each laundromat cycle, I checked for pilling, lint in the dryer trap, fading, loose threads and tired elastic, and whether the fabric felt softer or rougher than on night 1. I didn’t tape-measure before the first wash, so shrinkage here means what I could see on the bed, not inches
• Feel and fit: How each set felt on night 1 and how that changed, whether it made noise, how the fitted sheet sat on a 12-inch mattress against its listed pocket depth, how the flat sheet tucked, how dog hair and claws behaved, and how the bed looked by Day 3.
• Value: The verified white queen price with a flat sheet, and whether what each set delivered on the other 3 criteria justified the gap between sets.

Which sheets are worth it? Final verdict

126 nights later, the Quince European Linen Sheet Set is the one I’d put on my own bed, and on value it isn’t close.

Cooling: I never woke up sweaty on it, and it was the fabric my cold-sleeping partner and I were both most comfortable under. Wash and wear: It got softer after the first wash and held up through five laundromat cycles, with early lint that faded fast. Feel and fit: Textured, relaxed linen, 16-inch pockets that held on a 12-inch mattress, and a bed you make by fluffing. Value: $184 for the full queen set, $95 less than Boll & Branch and $124 less than Cozy Earth.

It isn’t for everyone. If linen’s grain bugs you, Boll & Branch is the crisp cotton pick and Cozy Earth is the silky one. And five washes isn’t five years. But I’ve slept on and washed linen like this for years, and it holds up.

Quince got through a window-unit summer, five laundromat cycles and a cold sleeper’s veto, so if you’re buying one set of sheets this year, make it the $184 linen that made it here.

Who tested these sheets?

Barret Wertz, senior commerce editorial director.

I’ve spent 15-plus years in lifestyle media, including as managing editor at SPY, style and grooming editor at AskMen and style and grooming director at Men’s Fitness, and I’m the unofficial pet person on the Post’s shopping team. I’m a hot sleeper who shares a bed with a cold sleeper and a dog, which makes our bed a pretty good stress test. My takeaway after 126 nights: Pick your fabric first. The winner in that fabric will handle the rest.

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