When buying bedding sets for your home decor or commercial purposes, bedsheets can prove to be a subtle yet crucial component. While they are usually seen as non-extravagant and straightforward additions to your bed, they undergo heavy usage over time and add immense value to the coziness and comfort of your bedroom daily.
No other bedding item, be it duvet covers, comforters, or pillowcases, has as many staggering options as bed sheets. And when you’re spending at least eight hours a night snuggled up to them, it makes sense to get properly acquainted with your bed sheet choices and alternatives.
On that note, let’s tackle a raging debate on Flat sheets versus Fitted sheets and what separates one from the other.
What are Flat Sheets and Fitted Sheets?
In layman terms, a flat sheet is a rectangular sheet and is used on top, whereas a fitted sheet (used on the bottom) has its corners and sides fitted with elastic.
Flat sheets are flat, rectangular, and simple pieces of cloth that lie flat on the surface they are on (hence the name) and fold relatively easily. On the other hand, Fitted sheets often have elasticated corners that are meant to be pulled over a mattress so as to ensure a secure and tight fit. As a result, fitted sheets are notoriously tricky to fold and do not lie flat.
Individual Benefits
Flat Sheets
- Flat sheets act as a barrier for your skin and help protect it from harmful particles like mites, dust, bacteria/parasites, etc. A good linen flat sheet can be a life saver, especially if you’re prone to night sweats, sensitive skin, and other skin problems.
- Flat sheets also help regular body temperature effectively. When it’s warm outside, flat sheets help your body adjust the core temperature to a cooler state. Therefore, it is fairly common for people living in hotter regions to dispense the duvet altogether and lie beneath a thin flat sheet.
- Since flat sheets naturally rest underneath the duvet, it prevents the duvet and duvet cover from daily stains, dust, and dirt. It also offers protection to the fitted sheet, if you’re using one.
Fitted Sheets
- Given that you’re using the apt size, fitted bed sheets provide a secure and snug fit, with a wrinkle-free, smooth, neat, and flat sleeping surface.
- Since your mattress is the most valuable part of your bed, it needs to be protected enough to last over 10 years. Fitted sheets directly safeguard the mattress from wear and tear, stains and dust/dirt.
- In order to remove fitted bed sheets, all you have to do is loosen one of the corners and remove it. This makes periodic laundry an easier and more convenient process.
Applications
Also known as Bottom sheets, Fitted sheets are traditionally the ones used to cover and protect your mattress. Easily recognized by its four elasticated corners, it is used to hug the perimeter of your mattress and provide airtight protection. Usually woven out of Tencel or cotton, fitted sheets are the protective barriers your mattress desperately needs.
On the other hand, Flat Sheets are traditionally placed on top of the fitted sheet (if present) but beneath blankets and duvets. Not only do they protect the duvet covers and blankets from stains & dirt, but they also give an aesthetically appealing look to the bed. The prime purpose is to clean the flat sheet regularly without having to wash the fitted sheet as often.
Conclusion
If you’re going on a bedding shopping spree or just glancing through double bedsheets online, make sure to know what fits your purpose and comfort. If tucking in beneath a flat sheet is easier on you, there is no need to get a fitted sheet with elasticized corners.
However, it is essential to note that both require the same amount of care and maintenance. This is to ensure that sweat, bacteria, and skin cells do not build up on your sheets over time, and the grime from your day-worn body does not seep into the fibers of your mattress.