I was given a set of 100% Organic Cotton Sateen sheets from Homestead to review. When I first opened the box I was surprised—the whole shebang was wrapped up like an elegant gift, complete with ribbon, handwritten note, and packing doingles. The presentation was impressive, and clearly displayed the care, time, and effort put into Homestead and their products. The free tote was definitely a plus—you can never have too many reusable bags.
Homestead Sheets Construction
Now the sheets, at first they felt soft, but if I’m honest, I was slightly disappointed when I slept in them the first time. For the first few nights I really couldn’t see what was so great about them. They felt almost exactly like one of my other, cheaper bedding sets made of 60/40 Pima cotton/polyester that I got for $50 at an overstock store. I admit I was wrong. This is my first set of high quality sheets, so I didn’t know exactly what to look for.
Like many others, I was under the impression that a higher thread count meant higher quality sheets, but after reading up on the subject a bit, I found out that is not necessarily the case. The quality of the sheet comes from the materials used, rather than the thread count. In this case, Homestead uses organic, long staple cotton and special weave techniques to achieve their highest quality sheets (a cotton staple is the unit used to measure the length of the plant fibers). The longer the week went by and the more I slept in them, the more I was able to differentiate them from that kind of harsh, cold, feel of my old sheets. While Homestead’s 300 thread count cotton sheets felt softer than my 500 thread count polyester blend sheets, they somehow did not feel as soft as my 700 thread count 100% polyester sheets. I think that what held me back from fully appreciating Homestead’s sheets was how they didn’t quite match the delicate feel of those 700 sheets, but while softness is important, it is not everything.
My Homestead Findings
At the end of the day (or I guess week), I’ve slept quite well in them, and have even had better nights sleep than with my old sets. After a week of breaking them in, the sheets really came into their own and I started to feel that warm cotton feel that they tout. As someone who tends to run hot at night, when I read on their website that the sateen weave yields a soft and warm sheet, I was concerned I might get too hot—there’s nothing worse than a sweaty night’s sleep. I realized later that while they were definitely warm, they weren’t too warm, which was a relief. Homestead says that with every wash, their ultra-soft sateen sheets get softer, and seeing as I’ve only washed them once and they’re already quite soft, I’m curious where they can go from there.
After washing the sheets, they fit well and there was no shrinkage. The seams were 14.5 inches from corner to the inside of the elastic band; 15 inches to the outside edge. I followed the instructions on the tag to wash them in cold water and dry them on low heat, so I expect they might shrink in a warm wash and dry cycle, like most cotton fabrics.
Cost and Benefits
The sheets come in at around $200, but while you get a warm embrace to coerce you back into REM sleep, you also get a sound 8 hours knowing that your money went to an exceptional cause—something that not many bedding companies can say. While you can get 100% cotton sheets just about anywhere for much much less, you’re contributing to the fair trade industry by just investing a little bit more in sheets like these from Homestead.
Homestead prides themselves on promising high ethical and environmental standards every step of the way. No forced labor or discriminatory practices are used in their manufacturing process, and all production workers along their supply chain are paid a fair, living wage for their work, with benefits. The cotton behind Homestead’s line-up is 100% organic, which means no pesticides, insecticides, or fungicides are used in the the cultivation of their crops. Cutting out these sprays means also cutting out the greenhouse gases that would normally be emitted during their manufacturing operations.
My Homestead Recommendation
Trying Homestead’s 100% organic cotton sateen sheet set has opened my eyes to a new world of bedding, through an experience that isn’t accessible to everyone. When I was last shopping for bedding (and I bought the 700 thread count set), I was more focused on the thread count and price rather than the materials and footprint it might have. Of course while budget is not always flexible for some customers, thread count and material are definitely variable choices that can be made. Next time you go shopping for sheets, consider weighing material over thread count and you definitely will not regret it. When you buy Homestead’s products, you’re not only investing in your sleep, but you’re also investing in social and environmental good for a better humanity, and I think that is what really gives these basic cotton sheets their value.
