The exclusivity of your suite. Champagne on ice when you arrive. Crisp sheets tucked into a plush bed piled high with freshly fluffed pillows. Late checkouts, lounging in a bathrobe, living your best life.
Staying in an upscale hotel is a special kind of indulgence.
But what if you could bring a little of that luxury hotel feeling into your bedroom with new sheets?
It’s easier than you might think. Once you know how hotels keep their sheets so comfortable and crisp, you can treat yourself to a staycation every night at home.
Why are hotel sheets so comfortable?
The image of crisp white bedsheets tucked into a thick mattress is synonymous with a night in a nice hotel.
Hotels go to great lengths to create a cosy sleeping environment. In most boutique and luxury hotels, the sheets are high-quality in a sateen or percale weave with a high thread count.
100% cotton sheets with a thread count of over 300 are popular in luxury hotels because they are affordable, breathable and withstand commercial washing.
Is Egyptian cotton better?
Hand-picked Egyptian cotton is often found in many hotels. What makes Egyptian cotton superior to regular cotton is the length and quality of the fibres.
The extra-long-staple fibres are softer and stronger than short-staple cotton. Egyptian cotton is also more breathable and durable, although the added comfort does come at a higher cost.
How do hotel sheets stay crisp?
As you can imagine, hotels sheets are subjected to pretty intense washing on a regular basis. Keeping hotel sheets crisp is the work of commercial detergents, fabric softener and bleaching agents.
Sure, all those detergents keep the sheets clean and crisp for the next guest. But does the end justify the means?
There is a better way for you at home to achieve that luxury hotel sheet feeling that doesn’t require turning your laundry into a laboratory.
Get the luxury hotel sheet feeling at home
It’s worth noting the role of mattresses and duvets in the comfort equation.
Luxury hotels use high-quality foam mattresses (or mattress toppers) and duvets stuffed with down to create the sensation of sleeping on a supportive cloud. They also scatter pillows on the bed, which is a trick you can use to plump up the comfort of your bedroom.
But it all comes down to choosing the best sheets, so when you slide into bed at night, you experience the everyday indulgence of high-quality bedding.
Bamboo is a natural building material that grows quickly and absorbs carbon dioxide, making it super easy on the environment. Use this code: OLARA10 and save an additional $10 on your total order!
Consider alternatives to cotton
Luxury hotels sheets are cotton because cotton is affordable and withstands commercial washing. However, all that washing wears out the fibres fast. And for people with sensitive skin, harsh detergents can be a nightmare.
Buying 100% organic bamboo bed sheets is a better way to achieve a luxurious hotel feeling at home. Bamboo is softer than cotton, more breathable than silk or satin, and washable with mild detergent.
So why don’t hotels use bamboo sheets? It’s likely the answer has to do with laundries.
Hotels use hot water, perfumed commercial detergents, fabric softeners and tumble dryers to remove any trace of the previous guest. But bamboo doesn’t require any of that. Simply wash with mild detergent and hang the sheets out to line dry to keep your sheets incredibly soft, hypoallergenic and durable.
Discover the new OLARA Hotel Collection. Organic bamboo bedding designed to bring the feeling of holiday comfort into your home.
Get the right thread count
Part of the reason hotel sheets are so comfortable is the thread count. Thread count (TC) refers to the number of threads in a square inch of fabric, counting vertical and horizontal strands.
Generally, a higher thread count means softer material. But above 700TC, the story changes.
Thread quality is often more important than thread count. Cramming 1,000 low-quality cotton threads into a square inch of fabric will not create a softer sheet than 500TC Egyptian cotton.
Luxury hotel sheets are usually 300TC or 400TC cotton, with a tight percale or sateen weave to achieve the sought-after softness.
For the same reason, you won’t find bamboo bed sheets higher than 500TC (Australian standards). Fitting more fibres would require degrading the quality and strength of the yarn. The sheet would be soft, at the cost of bamboo’s natural antimicrobial and moisture-wicking properties.
Wash your sheets regularly
Washing bedding every seven to ten days is ideal. It depends on your lifestyle, of course, but clean bedding is essential for your health, sleep quality and comfort.
It’s not realistic to wash your sheets as often as hotels do. And in fact, washing too often can damage the fibres that keep your bedding soft.
So while hotels wash their sheets hundreds of times a year, they will also be buying new sheets to replace the ones worn out by washing.
A more sustainable (and manageable) solution is to buy a second set of high-quality bedding and change once a week. That way, your sheets stay fresh, and you aren’t buying new bed sheets frequently.
Fold and store spare sheets with care
Between uses, get in the habit of folding your bed sheets and storing them in a cool, dry linen cupboard.
There are lots of reasons to fold your sheets after washing (yes, even your fitted sheet):
- Eliminate allergens and dust
- Reduce clutter
- Avoid wrinkles
- Keep sheets crisp and clean
Proper storage is essential to maintaining hotel-quality comfort. Treat your sheets with kindness, and they will repay you with a little luxury every night.
Go neutral
Most hotel sheets are white or off-white because bright neutral colours make the room look cleaner. Plus, white sheets match every kind of décor.
If you want to create a mini-hotel experience in your bedroom, choose a neutral colour for bed sheets.
OLARA bamboo bed sheets come in five neutral shades, including natural, crisp white, fawn, smoke grey and charcoal.
White bed sheets are easier to clean than you might imagine. It’s best to avoid bleach with bamboo sheets, but a mild wash is all you need for most discolouration. To get rid of stubborn marks and get your sheets back to that hotel-fresh feeling, pre-soak the stained area for 15 minutes to a couple of hours.
The bottom line on luxury hotel sheets
You can bring the crisp, comfortable feeling of hotel sheets into our own homes.
Investing in high-quality Egyptian cotton is one option. But eco-friendly bamboo is softer, more breathable, better for your skin and easier to wash.
If you’re ready to treat yourself to a bit of luxury every night, discover OLARA 100% bamboo bedding.
