Unless you’re a clueless college kid who thinks he knows everything, you need sheets for your bed. And, even if you don’t like to cover up your pillows, pillowcases are crucial if you hope to collect massive amounts of candy on Halloween. With these cold hard facts in mind, I went in pursuit of the best sheet set known to humans. My search led me to the Contact Us page on the California Design Den website.
We Got Our Sheets for Free
Before we get started, I must make it clear that California Design Den sent us these sheets for free because they wanted us to review them. We told them that we may not like them. We may maliciously badmouth them. Or, we might not even write a review. They apparently trusted the quality of their sheets enough to still send them to us. So, here we are. I unboxed the sheet set back in June.
What Makes the California Design Den Sheet Set So Special?
A big fuss is made about the thread count of sheets. The reasoning is that a higher thread count means softer sheets. The thread count refers to the number of vertical and horizontal threads in a square inch of fabric. As you may have guessed, simply going by thread count will not automatically give you the softest sheets. Good sheets range from 200 to 800 counted threads. All you need to know is that the 600 Thread Count 100% Cotton Sheet Set falls in this range.
More important factors are the type of cotton used and the weave. This set is made of long-staple cotton fiber, which is used in soft, top-quality sheets. Also, its made with a sateen weave, which is not as durable as tighter weaves but does feel incredibly soft and lustrous. If you are concerned about durability, California Design Den offers a “100% Satisfaction Guarantee” and “risk-free” buying, though I couldn’t find the specifics on these claims.
I should also note that the set comes with one flat sheet, one fully elasticized fitted sheet designed to fit mattresses between 9” and 18” thick, and two standard pillowcases. And, they have sizes Twin, Full, Queen, King, and California King as well as colors Ivory, Pure White, Taupe, Light Grey, Spa, True Blue, Sage, and Poop-Stain Brown for accident-riddled boys. Okay, so maybe I made up that last one. But, it’s still a good idea. Anyway, California Design Den sent us Pure White in Queen. There’s some non-PC joke in there somewhere.
Performance
Here is our video review of the California Design Den Sheet Set:
What We Liked about the Sheet Set
There are four main PROS we found with the California Design Den Sheet Set:
- The fabrics were comfy right out of the box.
- The fitted sheet fits our bed perfectly.
- Regular washing did not affect the sheets.
- There was a tag indicating where the foot of the fitted sheet goes
Many sheet manufacturers will put weird substances on their fabrics to protect them while they’re in storage. These substances aren’t harmful and typically go away completely after a few washings. However, they do make the sheets less comfortable initially. This was not the case with the California Design Den Sheet Set. They were immediately soft, and that did not change after several washings. California Design Den did tell me: “These are pure cotton sheets without any additional/chemical treatments. So they do require a long wash, preferably 2x, and quick dry. With a few washes, they turn into butter!”
I’m no laundry genius: I’d just throw the sheets in with my regular dirty clothes. I don’t even separate whites from colors. I’m very liberal. Anyway, regular washing was all that was needed to get stains and dirt out. Our cats even peed on the sheets early on, and we were able to remove the odor without any issues.
Our mattress is about 12” thick. And, the fitted sheet fits easily without much effort. There were never any times when I’d wake up from a night of tossing and turning to find the fitted sheet had escaped from the corners. With other sheets, I’d had this problem, and it made it harder for me to sleep. Is it that weird to want everything to be perfect before going to sleep?
Lastly, Americans waste hours of their lives trying to figure out how to put a fitted sheet on right. Do I have it sideways? Do I need to rotate it 90 degrees? That’s not a problem with this fitted sheet which clearly labels where the foot of the bed should align with the sheet.
What We Didn’t Like about the Sheet Set
There are two main CONS we found with the California Design Den Sheet Set:
- It costs more than I like to spend
- The pillowcases barely fit
If you look on Amazon, there are dozens of highly-rated sheet sets that cost half as much as this one. If I hadn’t gotten these for free, I would have a hard time justifying spending that much for a sheet set. Yet, now that I’ve slept on them for a month and a half, I can say that the price is worth it.
I did have a little issue with the pillowcases covering my queen-sized (16” by 28”) pillows all the way. They just barely fit, and over the course of the night, the pillow starts to escape from the pillowcase. I would have liked it if the set came with queen-sized pillowcases. It would have also been helpful if there was a little lip near the opening of the pillowcase that could catch the pillow and keep it from making its nightly getaway.
UPDATE 8/30/18: After this review was first published California Design Den contacted me to let me know: “We have updated our pillowcase sizes to fit both standard and queen size cases now and the updated product will start rolling in from next month.”
Should You Buy the California Design Den Sheet Set?
Overall, I’m a cheap, utilitarian person. And, I would never think to spend extra on a good set of sheets. But, as I was lying in luxurious comfort, it occurred to me that I literally spend a third of my life coming into contact with fitted sheets, flat sheets, and pillowcases. And, this set isn’t even that expensive. That said, if you value sleep and comfort, then I strongly recommend buying a set of these sheets, even if it’s just to throw into your regular rotation (you have more than one set of sheets, right?) And, if you hate sleeping and comfort, I recommend uppers.
See the Lowest Price for California Design Den’s 600 Thread Count 100% Cotton Sheet Set on Amazon
