Flat sheets versus fitted sheets

The only problem with fitted sheets, as I see it, is that they may shrink. Given that in my experience they tend to vary considerably in fit, this may or may not be a good thing. With one of my fitted sheets, it's a constant battle to get all four corners on the mattress, and I swear it's getting worse after washing.
 
Wits_End said:
The only problem with fitted sheets, as I see it, is that they may shrink. Given that in my experience they tend to vary considerably in fit, this may or may not be a good thing. With one of my fitted sheets, it's a constant battle to get all four corners on the mattress, and I swear it's getting worse after washing.
Click to expand...
what are they made pf Wits End? i not experienced this but then i only wash at 30/40deg. I have a couple of cotton ones & one 'cool comfort' which is cotton + tencel.
 
Arnie Pye said:
I need some new sheets. The only kind I have ever bought for myself (until now) are flat cotton sheets.

OH and I have a double bed with a very heavy, deep mattress and changing the bedding is a nightmare for me because of the weight of that mattress, even with OH's help.

Does anyone here have experience of both flat sheets and fitted cotton sheets with a deep mattress? Which kind is easier to use for someone who struggles to change the bedding?

What I'm keen to avoid is what happened to my bedding as a child when my mother bought fitted sheets for the first time. (They were nylon - the wonder material of the 1970s - yuck.) The fitted sheets always ended up with lots of wrinkles going vertically down the centre of my bed and would eventually come off the mattress altogether if I tossed and turned a lot.

I'm wondering if fitted cotton sheets actually reduce the amount of effort required in changing the sheets? Opinions welcome.
Click to expand...


It depends what the mattress is sat on ie the the divan/frame and whether the mattress sits 'in' or 'on' it and how deep that part is.

I found Tielle fitted sheets fit a deep mattress with a topper on. But as the mattress needs to be lifted up from the frame to plop the corners round it and I also have various injuries as well as ME I haven't been able to do that myself for a few years.

I don't know whether if it is just a flat base your mattress is on a flat sheet or fitted would be more possible to just try and tuck the corners under without lifting the mattress?
 
JemPD said:
yes, because you bought them in store.
you cant return things bought in store for any other reason than faulty.

online/distance purchasing rules are completely different, because you can fully examine/inspect items and try on clothes in store, but when you buy online you only have a picture to go on.

Just for interest in case it helps anyone... I am well up on the law on this as i've had to argue it many times (lol never about sheets!) over the years. It used to be called the Distance Selling Regulations but they were upgraded into the Consumer Rights Act in 2015.

you can get the exact wording if you look it up online, but you

-have the right to 'cancel a contract' within 14 days from receipt of goods - ie send it back. You can cancel a contract and return items for any reason as long as items returned in re saleable condition - ie not used or damaged. But you must pay the cost of return (hence my only using firms with free returns - where the returns label is included in the parcel).

You can open a packet and inspect the items - where it is 'reasonable' to do so. So a bag with an item of clothing in it has to be opened to try it on, a sheet packet has to be opened to feel the fabric of the sheet to check softness etc.

But for example a toy figurine in clear, sealed hard plastic case, cant be cut into & then retuned because you can see clearly what it is & the feel of it isn't an integral part of the item, so its not reasonable to 'inspect' the goods in that way because to do so would leave the item not re saleable.
There are exceptions to the returns regs for this like perishable goods & its good to check the individual store's specific rules, but those rules cannot contravene the law regardless of what they may say.

Obviously you coudlnt return a sheet if you'd slept on it, but just taking it out & looking & checking it big enough is not 'using' it, it is entirely reasonable.

but N.B. the rules for returns for items bought in store are much more limited the above only applies to items bought online/mail order.

This is a link explaining your rights. It geared more to problems such as faulty goods, but the online returns/contract cancellation law is on there too.

Consumer rights & protection: get money back - MSE (moneysavingexpert.com)

One small caveat is that i had a huge row with Curry's because i maintained it was essential and reasonable to turn on a TV to check the picture quality as that was the integral part of the TV, but they said that constituted 'using' it. I won in the end, but it was a battle, so just be a little circumspect in checking policies on electronics.
Click to expand...


Ha! I had similar with Argos and CD player (I know - discussion for another time explaining that but yes it was this year). Apparently you can't open the box and still return it via the online. After I said this was ridiculous and the reason I needed to return it was that it sounded tinny (it was a good brand so not anticipated as you would if it weren't) they, in the middle of covid, relented and said I could try returning instore.

Eventually got a relative to do this later than their returns date (because I rang up to book at return with 5 days spare, getting it to a store via someone else was a bit of a different task) and used the old 'want to swap it for something more expensive so you are actually making more money out of us' trick. But I will remember that forever. Weird they can do that now.
 
Wits_End said:
The only problem with fitted sheets, as I see it, is that they may shrink. Given that in my experience they tend to vary considerably in fit, this may or may not be a good thing. With one of my fitted sheets, it's a constant battle to get all four corners on the mattress, and I swear it's getting worse after washing.
Click to expand...


that is true. I had different brands before Tielle and a number eventually over the years got slightly smaller - eventually donating them to someone with a smaller bed and it wasn't worth the struggle and getting new ones with more depth (there was more than enough room in the deep ones I bought but I didn't see that as a bad thing - and it wasn't as I have changed beds and toppers since). I was heartened to find egyptian cotton that could be washed at 60 and didn't seem to shrink. Online is quite good for the reviews on these types of matters if you find a site where you can trust them - I just click to the 1 or 2 out of 5 ratings in order to see what issues those dissatisfied people flag up.

Whoever it was who said these things vary greatly in size etc is right. I was buying based on extreme sensitivity to not being soft enough - until I went high enough thread count I had to have someone iron my sheets and still got red raw legs and it was the sheet as had a big soft topper beneath that (I move a lot in sleep but am also just weirdly sensitive to things) so was focused on some pretty specific criteria for myself. I do just remember getting them out of the pack and realising how much more depth they had.
 
JemPD said:
good point.

@Leila this may be the difference - i have never had a bed that wasnt a divan - so the mattress sits on top of it, so the corners of with the mattress & about an inch underneath are completely accessible.
Click to expand...


I don't suppose yours happens to be one that is 'on legs', comfy and not ridiculously expensive?

I have a dogleg staircase so the 'block divan' won't get round the corner. But my woodframe bed is really tricky for that reason and hearing that you can just get under your mattress with no lifting underlines to me how if I found a magic divan that would make a big difference!
 
Wonko said:
Curry's have always been like that, so was one if their competitors, who went out if business a few years ago.

Basically they operate a you bought it, it's yours, why would we buy it back policy.
Click to expand...


Ahhh that one has tip-of-tongued me now! also began with C?! often together on retail parks. going to annoy me until I remember that one .. or get so tired I give up lol!
 
One option is to put a thin mattress or thick mattress topper on top of your big heavy mattress and just tuck your fitted or flat sheet around that. If you don't like the look of having the sides of your big mattress exposed, you can put a sheet around that too, and leave it there much longer as you won't be lying on it, so it won't need washing.
 
bobbler said:
I don't suppose yours happens to be one that is 'on legs', comfy and not ridiculously expensive?

I have a dogleg staircase so the 'block divan' won't get round the corner. But my woodframe bed is really tricky for that reason and hearing that you can just get under your mattress with no lifting underlines to me how if I found a magic divan that would make a big difference!
Click to expand...
Just to clarify in case it got missed - i can only get about an inch underneath without lifting the mattress - so fine for a fitted sheet, but not for a flat one.

In terms of my divan, it was bought a lot of yrs ago. Divans are usually the cheapest option when buying new, but you do have to take care if going from a slatted wooden frame, or a sprung base, to a flat top divan as its just a solid wooden board so it can make your mattress have slightly less 'give' to it.

In terms of size/stairs access, all doubles and some single divan bases come in 2 pieces. I have 'U' shaped stairs that are a bit of a nightmare, but a double divan in 2 pieces went up ok, the single though (as its longer, also had to be a 2-piece base). A U shape is likely easier than a dog leg though.

If you buy from a local firm who do their own deliveries, instead of a big national chain, you may pay slightly more, but if you asked i would imagine they might let you buy it & if it wouldnt go up the stairs would take it back & frefund you. That happened to me recently with the single bed - i'd assumed it would go up but it didnt & the firm just took it back & swapped it for a 2 piece one. They might also be willing to send their delivery men round prior to purchase to assess your stairs.
I've found local firms to be very amenable, in general, to helping however they can because competiton is fierce & they have their reputation to consider.

You could wait till they have a sale on.

Alternatively i wonder if you could get a handyman/joiner to modify your bed - put a large board across it to turn it into a divan style that the mattress sits on top of? Might be cheaper & easier?
 
JemPD said:
Just to clarify in case it got missed - i can only get about an inch underneath without lifting the mattress - so fine for a fitted sheet, but not for a flat one.

In terms of my divan, it was bought a lot of yrs ago. Divans are usually the cheapest option when buying new, but you do have to take care if going from a slatted wooden frame, or a sprung base, to a flat top divan as its just a solid wooden board so it can make your mattress have slightly less 'give' to it.

In terms of size/stairs access, all doubles and some single divan bases come in 2 pieces. I have 'U' shaped stairs that are a bit of a nightmare, but a double divan in 2 pieces went up ok, the single though (as its longer, also had to be a 2-piece base). A U shape is likely easier than a dog leg though.

If you buy from a local firm who do their own deliveries, instead of a big national chain, you may pay slightly more, but if you asked i would imagine they might let you buy it & if it wouldnt go up the stairs would take it back & frefund you. That happened to me recently with the single bed - i'd assumed it would go up but it didnt & the firm just took it back & swapped it for a 2 piece one. They might also be willing to send their delivery men round prior to purchase to assess your stairs.
I've found local firms to be very amenable, in general, to helping however they can because competiton is fierce & they have their reputation to consider.

You could wait till they have a sale on.

Alternatively i wonder if you could get a handyman/joiner to modify your bed - put a large board across it to turn it into a divan style that the mattress sits on top of? Might be cheaper & easier?
Click to expand...


Ahh it's an ikea one so a good few inches around the side of the mattress over the slatted-bottom. I didn't realise that divans had no give either - as getting a new mattress that compromise back issue when sleeping on front (ie can't be too soft) with all the other issues which would ideally have better softens means I probably would be risking things if I messed with a harder base. I tried a different slatted bed when I got the mattress and had to send it back as it made the bed rock hard - partly because the mattress fit 'too tightly' as if it was slightly wonky on the frame at one corner (the company insisted it had to be delivery men making it and taking it down so I was stuck with it for a week).

I guess it is another one of those that unless (and maybe even if) you have money to go really really expensive then it's a compromise that fits closest. I will never stop hunting (well by asking people on the off-chance) though just in case there is a wonder-base out there for me!
 
Trish said:
One option is to put a thin mattress or thick mattress topper on top of your big heavy mattress and just tuck your fitted or flat sheet around that. If you don't like the look of having the sides of your big mattress exposed, you can put a sheet around that too, and leave it there much longer as you won't be lying on it, so it won't need washing.
Click to expand...


the straps of the topper go round the corners of the mattress from on top of the mattress so no easy 'pinning' way. The toppers aren't sturdy enough that it would all stay put I don't think either (I move every 20mins as I sleep stretching out etc so they'd need to be pretty secure).

I appreciate the ideas massively though. Just need ikea to start doing beds with the exact same slats but less side bits on them... you never know one day they might!
 
I bought just one fitted sheet yesterday, just to see if it did what I wanted it to do. I measured the mattress carefully. I found only one sheet in my price range of the right size and bought it. I washed it when I got home. It was dry today and so OH and I changed the bedding. I don't know if the sheet shrunk - it probably did (and someone mentioned shrinking earlier in the thread) - but despite my careful measuring and me thinking the sheet would be too big, it is actually really tight. It's usable - just - but using a sheet under tension will shorten its life, I'm sure.

So it turns out that the next size up would have been a better fit and I would also have had far more choice in that size. :(
 
We go for extra-deep fitted sheets in 100% cotton, and M&S are the most reliable source we've found. Mistakenly bought regular and deep a few times over the years and they're just not deep enough. We wash at 60 degrees 'cos of allergies, and they last. The fitted sheets always outlast the set of sheets we buy them for, so we end up using them as dust sheets. Liked the sound of Trish's idea too.
 
I've used fitted cotton sheets for decades, bought everywhere from John Lewis to Dunelm to eBay, and I can't honestly say I've had a major problem with any of them. The only slightly annoying one I've had was too deep and so had a rather looser fit on top, but I still used it for ages. I find the cheaper ones are often easier to get on, as they're thinner cotton and don't have elastic all the way around either (it's just in the corners).

My comfiest current sheet and pillowcase set came from Linens Ltd via eBay, I think. It's a nice crisp cotton sateen stripe and the sheet is dead easy to put on. I also have a really heavy grade cotton set that came from Next years ago. The quality is beautiful, but I can only get them on when my arthritic hands aren't too sore; the elastic goes all the way around the edge of the sheet and is much stronger. They stay absolutely smooth on the bed, though, and are lovely to sleep on, specially in the summer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom