Since you sleep eight hours a night on them, get to know your bed linens. Start with one of the most often asked bed linen questions: what distinguishes a flat bed sheet from a fitted bed sheet? A fitted sheet is used on the bottom and has its corners and occasionally the sides fitted with elastic. A flat sheet is used on top and is rectangular.
Continue reading to learn more about the benefits of fitted and flat sheets and their respective purposes.
This way, you can decide on the best sheet and buy from top suppliers like Bedtonic, which specializes in creating high-quality, luxury bedding and homeware products.
What Is the Purpose of a Fitted Sheet?
Fitted sheets, often called bottom sheets, feature four elastic corners that embrace the mattress. Fitted sheets preserve your mattress and give comfort while you sleep, whether you choose tencel or cotton. Use fitted sheets on your bed for several benefits. Some of them are:
- Easy to clean: Wash your fitted sheet with your flat sheet and pillowcases, eliminating the need for dry cleaning.
- Longevity of the mattress can be increased: Protecting your mattress from dust build-up with a fitted sheet will lengthen its lifespan, typically lasting 7-10 years.
- Soft surface enhances sleeping comfort: Your mattress may be soft and supportive like a cloud. However, a soft, supple, fitted sheet might make you fall asleep on cloud nine.
What Is the Purpose of a Flat Sheet?
The term implies that flat sheets lie flat on your bed. They can be tucked under the mattress’s bottom corners as a top sheet but may not hold as securely as a deep fitted sheet due to their lack of elasticity.
Fitted sheets are a bedding requirement, but flat sheets are more controversial. Older generations think bedding sets need top sheets, but millennials think they’re unnecessary.
The following are possible justifications for using a top sheet:
- Prevents duvet dirt via cleanliness.
- Cooler sleep in warm weather
- Easy to wash more often than duvet for hygiene reasons
So, how do you determine which sheet to opt for?
This debate has numerous sections. Fitted sheets are hard to fold, take longer, and appear messy in a linen cupboard or stack. No one disputes that they fit and look excellent on the mattress.
Many who prefer the fitted sheet without the flat sheet (top sheet) argue that the flat sheet is an addition. This sheet is unnecessary as duvet covers protect the duvet. It’s just more work and money.
People who like both fitted and flat sheets disagree. They say the extra sheet makes the bed cozier and keeps the duvet cover clean. A flat sheet is easier to clean than a duvet cover; thus, it requires less laundering.
Final Thoughts
In the end, the decision is yours. Hotter sleepers could prefer to leave it out (particularly in the summer) or might value the ability to wash the perspiration off it more frequently and simply than changing the duvet cover. Cooler sleepers might prefer the extra layer of the flat sheet (ideal for the winter). It is ultimately a matter of personal preference.
