The 9 Best Cotton Sheets of 2024, According to Testing

Best Overall

Parachute Brushed Cotton Sheet Set

$259 at Parachute

If fabric softness is a selling point, the Parachute Brushed Cotton Sheet Set is best cotton sheet set for you. We gave the sheets high marks for their flawless texture, which remained soft and crisp even after going through the wash.

The medium-weight fabric has a plain-weave construction, which is lightweight without feeling insubstantial. Compared to some other cotton sheets we tested, these simply feel high-quality and luxurious against the skin.

Parachute’s sheets performed exceptionally well in tests for breathability (droplets of moisture dispersed quickly, meaning they’ll help keep you cool on hot nights) and abrasion (with no pilling or thinning fabric). They also scored well on stain tests, with the coffee stain disappearing completely, and the foundation and oil stains significantly lightened.

Further cementing their status as the best choice overall, these sheets seem to not shrink after they went through the wash. This is an impressive feat, as many other brands experienced at least some amount of shrinkage. While testing these at home, we noticed that they wrinkle easily after being washed, so you’ll want to take them out of the machine quickly. 

These sheets are available in seven colors ranging, including calming neutrals and bolder shades, so you have a range of options to fit your bedroom aesthetic. The set includes two pillowcases and a fitted sheet, but keep in mind you’ll have to pay an additional fee to include a top sheet as well. 

How It Performed After Three Months

After three months of testing, we noticed that these sheets seemed to get softer. We didn't find any imperfections, like loose threads or discoloring, and the one stain we got on them came off with ease.

We didn't have any difficulty making the bed with these sheets thought sometimes the elastic band didn't stay on our mattress well. It seemed like we had to adjust the elastic every other week or so, but we didn't think it was due to any shrinkage.

Product Details: Size: Full, queen, king, and California king | Certifications: OEKO-TEX | Pocket Size: 10 inches | Care: Machine wash | Material: Cotton

Best Budget

Better Homes & Gardens HygroCotton Sheet Set

$46 at Walmart

The Better Homes & Gardens Hygro Cotton Sheet Set is the best cotton sheet set if you’re after well-made, everyday cotton sheets that aren’t a major investment. Although they’re offered in a more limited size range than other styles, the sheets are available in 15 colors, so you’ll be able to choose which suits your space best. 

The sheets collected high scores for texture and durability and didn’t develop any noticeable tears or pilling in our abrasion test. The fabric has a cool touch and the sheets performed well on the breathability test, making them a solid option for anyone who tends to run hot at night. 

The corners of the fitted sheet are cleverly constructed with a hidden pocket to help the sheet tightly hug the edges of the mattress. As a result, the sheets stay taut long after you’ve made the bed, so you won’t have to worry if you’re someone who tosses and turns in your sleep.

Compared to some other cotton sheets on the market, we did find these to be a bit softer than percale but not as smooth as sateen. After washing them several times at home, they retained the same texture. 

How It Performed After Six Months

We didn't notice any changes in terms of quality or fit after six months of using these at home. Though they don't have as cool of a feel as some other sheets we've used, we still thought they were cozy and comfortable to use.

We particularly liked the deep pocket, which made them easy to use and ensured they didn't pop off our mattress. Overall, the sheets became part of our weekly rotation and we would still recommend them.

Product Details: Size: Full, queen, and king | Certifications: None | Pocket Size: 10 inches | Care: Machine wash | Material: Cotton

Best Splurge

Boll & Branch Reserve Sheet Set

View on Bollandbranch.com $499 at Bloomingdales

Simply put, the Reserve Sheet Set from Boll & Branch stood out from the pack: silky-smooth texture, top-quality stitching, subtle details like French seams, and finely woven fabric from the longest staple 100% organic cotton are just a few of their luxury features.

The craftsmanship is impressive, but they’re durable, too — after being washed at our testing lab, these sheets did an impressive job retaining their lustrous sheen. At home, they were washed an additional three times over the course of six weeks, and they remained bright white. And at 11 inches deep, this is also one of the best cotton sheet sets for thicker mattresses.

These high-quality features do come at a higher price point than other options. A queen set includes a flat sheet, a fitted sheet, and two pillowcases. You also have the option to add two more pillowcases.

In stain tests, the Boll & Branch sheets performed well overall, with oil and foundation stains successfully coming out and a slight coffee stain remaining. The set also did well in breathability tests. Some shrinking occurred in the width of the sheets after being washed, although the length remained unchanged.

It’s worth noting that the fabric has a slightly heavier feel than some others on this list. While we didn’t find ourselves overheating while testing them at home, it may not be the best cotton sheet choice for you if you’re a hot sleeper or live in a warmer climate.

How It Performed After Six Months

We used these sheets for six months and they fit our mattress just as well as they did when we first used them. We described them as being the perfect fit and we appreciated that there wasn't a lot of excess fabric that bunched up.

There were times where these sheets did get warm, especially when shared with another person. However, we never woke up overheated, so we think it depends on your sleeping environment overall.

Product Details: Size: Full, queen, king, California king, and split California king | Certifications: Fair Trade Certified, Global Organic Textile Standard Certified (GOTS), OEKO-TEX | Pocket Size: 11 inches | Care: Machine wash | Material: Organic cotton

Best Value

Nest Bedding Sateen Organic Cotton Sheet Set

$112 at Nest Bedding

Overall, there’s a lot to love about Nest Bedding’s Organic Cotton Sheet Set, which is Fair Trade certified. The texture is gloriously smooth, and not as heavy as sateen sheets tend to be. These sheets performed well in our tests, scoring particularly high marks for quality and durability. They also scored well for breathability, though they weren’t quite as moisture-wicking as some other sheets on this list.

Price-wise, the Nest Bedding set falls somewhere in the middle of the pack, but they’re an even better value when you consider that they’re the only retailer on our list to include four pillowcases (in a queen or king set). At 16 inches deep, these sheets are also a good choice if you have a thicker mattress.

After going through the wash, the texture on these sheets became slightly less silky but still very soft. Though the fabric did shrink a little, they were still easy to get on and off the mattress.

In the stain test, these sheets resisted coffee and makeup well, but the oil stain darkened after being treated and washed. If you tend to wear a lot of oil-based products on your skin, you’ll want to wash them off before bed to ensure you don’t stain the fabric.

How It Performed After Six Months

When we first started using these sheets, we noticed that they became much softer. After continued use, however, we stopped noticing changes in the texture, though they remained soft. The fitted sheet was slightly difficult to get onto the mattress, however the corners never popped off the mattress so it didn't seem to be an issue.

These sheets felt breathable and we never got overly warm while using them. Overall, we felt that we would recommend these sheets, especially to hot sleepers.

Product Details: Size: Twin, twin xl, full, queen, king, and California king | Certifications: Fair Trade | Pocket Size: 16 inches | Care: Machine wash | Material: 100% organic cotton

Best Flannel

Coyuchi Cloud Brushed Flannel Sheets

$198 at Amazon $198 at Wayfair $198 at Nordstrom

For a cozy addition to your bedding, this set of flannel sheets by Coyuchi is worth considering. Although they’re a bit more expensive than other sets, the GOTS-certified set is offered in several sizes and colors and during testing, we thought they felt high-quality. 

Flannel sheets tend to be quite warm but you don’t have to worry about being too warm with these sheets. We liked that they had a soft feel and medium weight, so they didn’t feel too thin or heavy. Even though there was a tight weave, we still noted that they felt breathable as well. 

After washing this set, the sheets still felt soft. We didn’t notice any loose threads or damage either, and they remained in good condition even after we continued to wash these sheets while testing them at home for six months. 

How It Performed After Two Months

These sheets had a thick and luxurious feel that felt almost like a blanket. We loved their soft feel and felt that we wanted to put them on our mattress and use them immediately. Somehow, they seemed to get softer over time and we loved that offered a warm and cozy feel.

Product Details: Size: Twin, full, queen, king, and California king | Certifications: GOTS | Mattress Depth: Not listed | Material: Organic cotton

Best Percale

Lands' End Premium Supima Cotton Percale Sheet Set

$119 at Landsend.com

If you want your bedroom to feel like a hotel, the best cotton sheet set to consider is the Lands’ End Premium Supima Cotton Percale Sheet Set. The sheets feature a crisp and cool percale weave and are offered in a variety of colors and sizes as well. 

When first evaluating these sheets, we noticed a long, loose string on the top sheet’s stitching. It didn’t unravel when we pulled on it, however, and the sheets seemed durable and high-quality otherwise. 

Percale sheets can have a stiff feeling, so we appreciated the soft and almost silky feel of these sheets. They also seemed breathable in the lab and when we tried them out at home, they worked well for both a warm and cool sleeper. Plus,we washed these sheets in our testing lab and at home, and they didn’t wrinkle much either time. 

How It Performed After One Month

Although they were not as cooling as we expected, we still felt that these sheets would work well for both warm and cool sleepers. They became part of our bedding rotation and we didn't notice any issues in terms of quality. The sheets were also soft and we liked the gray color that we tested.

Product Details: Size: Twin, extra long twin, full, queen, king, and California king | Certifications: Not listed | Pocket Size: 16 inches | Care: Machine wash | Material: Supima cotton

Best Organic

The Citizenry Organic Cotton Sheet Set

$269 at The Container Store View on The-citizenry.com

Made of 100% organic long-staple Turkish cotton, the Organic Cotton Sheet Set from The Citizenry are light, airy, and smooth — and they scored some of the highest marks in many of the categories we tested. 

The fabric manages moisture exceptionally well, feels soft and cool to the touch, and is highly durable. They’re also fairly lightweight, making them some of the best cotton sheets for hot sleepers or those who live in warmer climates. They were also the most stain-resistant sheets we tested, and the coffee, foundation, and oil all came out completely after being washed. 

The sheets are both OEKO-TEX and GOTS-certified, which confirms the sheets are not made with any substances deemed harmful and are made with organic materials, respectively.

We appreciated the high-quality details on these sheets, such as an envelope enclosure on the pillowcases and seams reinforced with a double-straight stitch followed by stylish serged edges. The colors are gorgeous too, and in addition to the requisite neutrals, you have the option of a narrow sand or light gray stripe pattern.

One downside is that these sheets did shrink a bit in the wash. We also had some difficulty getting the fitted sheet to lie taut on the bed during lab testing— it was a little too generously sized and required some tucking, although it did stay put once on. Measuring your mattress to make sure it’s the right depth for the fitted sheet may help ensure a perfect fit.

How It Performed After Six Months

As a hot sleeper, we appreciated the lightweight feel of these sheets. We didn't notice any significant changes in terms of quality, though the sheets did seem to get softer. During testing, we tried a striped set and appreciated that even after multiple washes, the stripes didn't fade either.

Product Details: Size: Full, queen, and king | Certifications: Global Organic Textile Standard Certified (GOTS), OEKO-TEX | Pocket Size: 10 inches | Care: Machine wash | Material: Organic Turkish cotton

Best for Hot Sleepers

California Design Den Cotton Sheets Set

$63 at Amazon $55 at Target $83 at Walmart

The California Design Den Hotel Cotton Sheet Set is a no-frills option that’s less expensive than other sets and available in a wide range of colors. 

During lab testing, the sheets felt very lightweight and soft, especially after being washed. However, we found the overall quality to be a little lower. We appreciated that they felt lightweight and didn’t have any imperfections upon inspection. However, these sheets did not perform as well as other brands for durability, for example, and ripped during testing.

Unlike some other options, we found that these sheets were absorbent and breathable. While testing them at home, we woke up cozy and comfortable, so they’re a great option for warm sleepers or those living in hot climates. 

Although the sheets should fit 16-inch mattresses, the fitted sheet was difficult to get onto a 10-inch mattress during lab testing. We were able to secure it, but keep it in mind if you have a thick mattress or use a mattress topper. 

How It Performed After One Month

We liked the smooth and soft feel of these sheets. Although they're not particularly lightweight, we woke up cozy and comfortable each time we used them. In comparison to other sheets we've tried, we woke up sweaty or warm much less when using these. Overall, they felt breathable and we liked how well they regulated our temperature while we were sleeping.

Product Details: Size: Twin, twin xl, full, queen, king, and California king | Certifications: OEKO-TEX | Pocket Size: 16 inches | Care: Machine wash | Material: Cotton

Best Sateen

Lands' End Sateen Bed Sheet Set

View on Landsend.com $35 at Kohls.com

For those who prefer sheets with a luxe sheen, look no further than the Land's End Premium Supima Cotton Sateen Bed Sheet Set. The sateen set includes a fitted sheet, a flat sheet, and one or two pillowcases, depending on the size. It's also offered in several colors, so it's easy to find one that suits your bedding style.

During lab testing, these sheets felt high-quality. We tested a beige version and noted that the color didn't vary throughout the set. The sheets fit our mattress with ease though the top sheet was a bit long. However, we didn't think it was a dealbreaker as it could be easily tucked or someone might like wrapping themselves in it.

The sheets aren't necessarily heavy but we thought they had a substantial feel to them. However, we think warm sleepers would still like using them. The sheets had a cool feel and after laying on them for a few minutes, they reached a comfortable temperature. When we shifted on the sheets, the cool feeling returned.

How It Performed After Six Months

We tested these sheets at home for six months and they became one of our favorite sets. We liked that they had a thick and luxe feeling while still being comfortable to use. The quality remained consistent through testing and we didn't notice any loose threads or other imperfections. Stains could also be easily removed and overall, we thought the set still looked brand new.

Product Details: Size: Twin, extra long twin, full, queen, king, California king, and split king | Certifications: Not listed | Pocket Size: 18 inches | Care: Machine wash | Material: Supima cotton