Sheets that go PING in the night - How to choose the correct bottom sheet for your bed
Have you ever woken from a deep sleep to find your bottom sheet has come adrift leaving it creased and crumpled underneath you, making you feel really uncomfortable?
We think there’s nothing more annoying!
Make sure you choose the correct type and size of sheet by following our tips below:
Type of Sheet – Fitted or Flat?
There is a choice of fitted and flat sheets, both of which may be used as a bottom sheet.
Before fitted sheets arrived in the late 1950s, the only option was a flat sheet. Flat Sheets are folded around the mattress and tucked in using carefully folded hospital corners to keep the sheet snug to the bed. Many hotels use this type of sheet and it takes great skill at making the bed, with plenty of fabric to tuck in to keep in place.
In 1959, Bertha Berman patented a design for fitted sheets that had corners sewn in a way that would fit the sheet to the mattress. These sheets although less than perfect as they still managed to pop off the bed were the start of the fitted sheet we know today. In 1990, Gisele Jubinville patented a design for a much better fitted sheet that grabs a mattress and stays put. She sold the patent in 1993 for $1 million.
Fitted sheets now have elasticated corners which keep the sheet in place underneath the mattress.
Size of Mattress
Whether you choose a fitted or a flat style sheet, the main thing is to choose the correct size.
Fitted sheets need to have enough depth to be able to cover the mattress protector and mattress and still have enough fabric to tuck under the mattress to be held in place.
The same applies to flat sheets; there must be enough fabric to enable at least 20 cm to tuck in under the mattress.
Firstly, you need to know the size of bed you have.
The best thing to do is take a tape measure and check the size. If your bed has been made outside the UK, the chances are the mattress sizes will be different to beds made in the UK.
Check the bed size against the size chart on our website, which shows American and UK sizes.
Check the depth of the mattress and then any mattress toppers you have on top.
