Shopping for Bedsheets
Who connects to most scary and lost feeling at a bed linen store when a vendor or sales person inquires ”What do you prefer to see in Bedsheets?” or “What size of bedsheets are you searching for?” or “What kind of prints or fabrics do you require?”
Such questions put us in a dilemma and generally confuse us. It grows into the most terrible experience when we purchase an incorrect size of Bedsheets for our bedrooms; often worse when we take wrong sized bedsheets for gifting our loved ones or indeed the worst when we take it for our business clients!
It’s an uncomfortable moment for both, We and our loved ones or our business client all get unpleasant in such a scene.
Do you want to be independent from such dilemmas and unpleasant times and get confident and proud, to develop yourself as a pro in choosing appropriate proportion, colours, and prints in bedsheets for your home or for gifting them to your cherished ones.
To avert such a dreadful ordeal, here are the basic tips which will prepare you to become a pro in bedsheets shopping.
So, let’s begin our journey in knowing the important things that we need to know before stepping out from our homes for shopping!
1. Size of a bed Sheet
2. Knowledge of different fabrics suitable for a bed sheet
3.Right knowledge of colors
4.Budget for each Individual bed sheet
1.Size of a Bed sheet
With varying sizes of our beds and mattresses, we are often unsure of the suitable size we need for our bed or for the person whom we intend to give that as a gift.
If we look at the different sizes available in our local market or the ones that are available online, there are 4 main sizes for a standard size double bed, which we need to know. These sizes are :
90” x 100”
100” x 108”
108” x 108”
108” x 120”
Then, there are sizes suitable for a small queen size bed.
90”x 90”
So, the 3 most important and valid questions arise in our minds are
1. How to know which of these 4 sizes will fit my bed?
2. What is a standard Bed size ? Is my bed standard or smaller or bigger than standard size?
3. Is the knowledge of my Bed size enough to find the size of bed sheet I require?
Let’s see the important factors for selecting bed sheets for any bed. This alone will solve 80% of our problems for finding the right bed sheet..
Selecting bed sheets based on bed size
Bed size: It’s the measurements of the length and width of the bed.
Beds are of different sizes and these days, beds sizes are also customised as per our requirements. There are basically 3 main sizes that are commonly available in the market.
A standard double bed measures 6 feet x 6 feet.
The next size that is common is 6 feet x 6.25 feet.
The biggest of these is 6 feet x 6.5 feet.
A queen-size bed may vary in measurements, 5 feet x6 feet or 5.5 feet x5 feet.
A customised size bed can go as big as you desire. We came across as big as 16 feet x6.5 feet size recently, for which we customised the required size of bedsheet.
The next question that arises is, Does the bed size alone is enough to select the suitable size of a bedsheet?
There is one more important factor in choosing the right size of a bedsheet. That important factor is “Mattress Thickness” or “the height of a Mattress”.
Mattress thickness vary from 4 inches to 8 inches but it may go to 10”, 12” or even 16” depending on our need and preferences.
The bed sheet sizes are mainly available up to 8 or 10 inches of mattress thicknesses. For mattresses that have a thickness of 10 inches or above, we make the sheets on order.
Now, let’s see how the bed size and mattress thickness are affecting the size of a bedsheet suitable for our room.
Calculating and Finding the Right Size of a bedsheet for our beds
Once we understand this logic, we will become a pro in selecting the perfect size of bedsheets for our beds which will remove all the heartache and save our precious time and money by preventing us to buy the wrong sizes and later going to the store or shop keeper to request them to change and going through an embarrassment in this whole process of return and exchange.
Understanding the Calculation
Calculating the right size for our beds will not be overwhelming for us anymore once we learn how to calculate the right size by following these simple steps:
1.Measure the length and width of your bed.
For e.g. let’s say, its length is 6 feet and width is 6 feet. Let’s convert into inches for better and accurate calculation.
6 feet x6 feet = 72 inches x72 inches
(1 feet = 12 inches; so, 6feet= 6x12= 72 inches)
2. Then, measure the thickness or the height of the mattress you have on your bed.
Let’s say its thickness is 4 inches.
3. Now do the total length of bed and mattress thickness.
Length of bed = 72 inches.
Thickness of the mattress = 4 inches.
The sum of these come out to be = 72 inches + 4 inches + 4 inches= 80 inches.
4. Now do the total of the width of the bed and the thickness of the mattress. Here, the width is also 6 feet that is, 72 inches;
So, the Width of bed=72 inches
Thickness of the mattress = 4 inches on either side
The sum of these come out to be = 72 inches + 4 inches + 4 inches= 80 inches.
Now, as per our calculations, our bed size including our mattress thickness, is coming out 80 inches x80 inches.
Now, let’s find out how much we need to hang or tuck our bedsheets under the mattresses so that our mattresses don’t show off the sheet nicely cover them and it is not coming out from under the mattresses when we sit or get up from our beds.
Let’s take the above example size of 76 inches x76 inches.
Ideally, we need 6 to 8 inches on either sides of the length of the bed and 8 inches either side of the width of the bed but some people feel 6 inches are fine with them and some people want 10 or 12 inches to tuck under the mattresses for extra covering. So, this is a preference for how much fabric they want to hang or tuck.
If we take the ideal 8 inches to tuck under the mattresses on all sides, let’s see what size of a bedsheet do we need to buy for our bed.
Calculating the length of the bed sheet
Length= 80 inches + 8 inches on one side + 8 inches on the other side of the length.
80+8+8= 96 inches
or
80”+6” +6” = 92” (if we want 6 inches on either side for tucking).
Now, let’s calculate the width we require for our bed sheet.
Width= 80 inches + 8 inches + 8 inches = 96 inches
or
80”+6” +6”= 92” (if we want 6 inches on either side for tucking).
So, does this length and the width of 92”x92” or 96 inches x96 inches suitable for our bed?
The answer is “No”. Most fabrics, specially cotton have a tendency to shrink. The shrinkage may vary from fabric to fabric depending on its quality of yarn, weaving style for the sheet, average threads interlaced per inch square inch of the sheet and shrinking percentage of the fabric after multiple washing.
Cotton, depending on its yarn quality and weaving, may shrink, varying from 2% to 12%.
The higher the thread count of the fabric, the less shrinkage it has. More the yarns are loosely woven, and more is the shrinkage.
Also, the sheet size that are mentioned on the packaging, are referring to the cut size of the fabric. If it's mentioned on the packaging of the sheet that this sheet measure 90 inches x100 inches, it means, the fabric measured 90 inches x100 inches when it was cut to create a sheet. We do the stitching on the edges to make it neat and prevent threads to unravel and spoilt, increasing the life of the bedsheet. For this, it may need 2 inches to 3 inches of fabric to fold on all sides.
Therefore, the stitched bed sheet of size mentioned 90”x100” is normally 87 inches x97 inches.
When we consider all these factors, including shrinkage, a 90”x100” sheet after washing, it may leave us with 87” x96”. Shrinking normally happens on the length of the fabric as it stretches the yarns on the length while weaving; which keep its actual length or shrink when we wash the fabric.
So, we can say that 90”x100”inches are sufficient for our 6 feet x 6 feet bed having 4 inches mattress thickness.
Following table will help you all to get a precise knowledge of bedsheets sizes for different bed sizes and mattress thickness.
S. no. Bed Size Mattress Thickness Suitable Size(Approx.)
1 6’ x 6’ 4” 90” x 100”
2 6’ x 6’ 5” 90” x 108” 100”x 108”
3 6’ x 6’ 6” 100” x 108” 108”x 108”
4 6’ x 6’ 8” 108” x 108”
5 6’ x 6.25’ 4” 90” x 108” 100”x 108”
6 6’ x 6.25’ 5” 100” x 108” 108”x 108”
7 6’ x 6.25’ 6” 100” x 108” 108”x 108”
8 6’ x 6.25’ 8” 108” x 108”
9 6’ x 6.5’ 4” 100” x 108” 108”x 108”
10 6’ x 6.5’ 5” 100” x 108” 108”x 108”
11 6’ x 6.5’ 6” 100” x 108” 108”x 108”
12 6’ x 6.5’ 8” 108” x 108”
13 6’ x 7’ 8" 108” x 120”
(customised size)
I hope the above table will help you to a great extent in knowing the correct size of a bedsheet for your bed, and it will save your time.