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Good Housekeeping shares the best bedding to buy in 2021

GH Lab experts stand by these sheets, comforters and pillows.

Good Housekeeping shares the best bedding to buy in 2021

GH Lab experts stand by these sheets, comforters and pillows.

(upbeat music) - With winter coming to an end and daylight savings time kicking in this weekend, it's a great time to re-evaluate your sleep habits. One of the best ways to get a good night's sleep is to invest in good bedding. My job as a textiles director and a fiber scientist, is to test and report on all fabric-based products, including two of the most important parts of your bed, your sheets and your pillows. Today, I'm going to show you how to shop for your perfect bed, whether you're looking to save, or you're in the market to splurge. When we test sheets, we use lab equipment to see how well it holds up to shrinkage, wrinkles, peeling and more. Believe it or not, thread count is not that important when you shop for sheets. Instead, focus on the fiber content, as well as the construction which includes, sateen, percale, flannel and microfiber. Our splurge winner is the Brooklinen Luxe Core Sheet Set. It's 100% cotton sateen, which is one of the most popular sheet fabrics you can find. Sateen is a silkier weave that feels soft and smooth. These sheets performs well across the board in our tests. And as a bonus, the fitted sheet has long and short side labels on it, so bed making is much easier. If you're looking to save but still want all the bang for your buck, The Mellanni Microfiber Sheet Set is a total steal at just around $30. It's a polyester microfiber so it feels buttery smooth. And because it's a synthetic, it'll be more durable, shrink resistant and less prone to wrinkles than cotton sheets. It won't have that same natural luxe feeling you get from cotton sheets, but it was one of the highest softness ratings we had in our test. Now for pillows, our splurge pick is the Coop Home Goods Adjustable Pillow. It's unique because it's a blend of memory foam pieces with microfiber clusters on the inside. So you get the support without it feeling hard. It's also adjustable, so you can add or remove the stuffing to get your own perfect height. And we love that it's machine washable too. And now our best value option, is the Amazon Basics Down Alternative Pillow 2 Pack. It's entirely polyester, which helps keep the cost down, but that also helps it wash really well which is great for allergy sufferers. This one is soft, so it's great for stomach sleepers, as well as children who need a lower profile pillow. But it also comes in a firmer option which is great for back and side sleepers. To check out more of our top picks, to build your perfect bed, visit goodhousekeeping.com.
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Good Housekeeping shares the best bedding to buy in 2021

GH Lab experts stand by these sheets, comforters and pillows.

One of the most important things to getting the best night’s sleep is investing in a good bed. From the mattress to your blankets and everything in between, the right products can really make a huge difference.

My job, as textiles director and fiber scientist, is to test and report on all fabric-based products, including two of the most important aspects of the bed: sheets and pillows. Below is everything you'll need to make the perfect bed, whether you’re looking for budget options or are in the market to splurge.

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Danielle Daly
Best Overall Sheets

Luxe Core Sheet Set

brooklinen.com
$111.75

Not only were these sheets top performers in our bedding test, they also offer free shipping and free returns (even if you've used them and just don't love them!).  In our tests, the 100% cotton fabric was smooth, strong, and pill-resistant. Plus, the fitted sheets have tabs labeled "long side" and "short side" so making the bed is much easier. 

Also available as a .

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Danielle Daly
Best Value Sheets

Bed Sheet Set

amazon.com
$69.97
$35.97

This polyester microfiber set is a total steal and a best-seller on Amazon with close to 200,000 reviews. It also wowed our consumer testers with its soft, buttery feel. On top of that, the sheets were more wrinkle-resistant than most cotton fabrics and they barely shrunk when we washed them. Just keep in mind: Synthetic bedding fabric may not feel as breathable as cotton and some testers actually thought it was too soft. 

Also available as a .

Garnet Hill
Best Sateen Sheets

Wrinkle-Resistant Sateen Sheets

garnethill.com
$227.00

Your best bet for smooth fabric made of a natural fiber, this 100% cotton fabric has a luxurious sateen weave and a wrinkle-resistant finish. It earned high ratings for smoothness (both for feel and appearance), and also uses long-staple fibers and a combing technique to make it feel extra soft. The pieces are sold individually so you can mix and match your set.

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L.L.Bean
Best Percale Sheets

Pima Cotton Percale Sheet Set

llbean.com
$109.00
$149.00

If you prefer light and crisp sheets over silky smooth, this set uses premium pima cotton in a basic weave that feels breathable and cool-to-the-touch. It impressed our Lab experts with its durability, and our tester panel rated it higher than other percales. And while this type of weave is more prone to wrinkles, the fabric was less creased than others.

Also available as a .

Parachute
Best Brushed Sheets

Brushed Cotton Sheet Set

parachutehome.com
$279.00
$149.00

This soft set also uses a basic percale weave, but the surface is brushed to give it a cozy feel. It's somewhat similar to flannel, but it's not as fuzzy and won't feel as warm, making it great for year-round use. Testers rated it softer than all other percales and it stood up to our pilling and laundering tests in the Lab. It's sold without the flat sheet, but you can choose to add one when you buy.

Also available as a  and .

Sheets & Giggles
Best Lyocell Sheets

Eucalyptus Lyocell Sheet Set

amazon.com
$189.95

Lyocell is a trendy fiber that's man-made, but uses tree pulp as the raw material. It has hit the mainstream in recent years thanks to its incredibly soft feel, and this one outperformed similar fabrications. The fabric proved to be durable in Lab tests and it had high softness ratings from our panel of consumer testers. It also has labels on each corner of the fitted sheet so you don't have to struggle making your bed.

Also available as a .

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Danielle Occhiogrosso DAly
Best Down Comforter

Permabaffle Box Goose Down Comforter

llbean.com
$389.00
$509.00

Down tends to shift inside comforters, but this one has a unique gate system to make sure the clusters stay in place. It also has a 600 fill power to keep you nice and cozy (yet not too warm). Plus, the duvet insert has loops in the corners so you can easily tie on your duvet cover. The down is ethically sourced and repeatedly cleaned during the production process to get rid of allergens.

Danielle Daly
Best Down Alternative Comforter

Cloud Comforter

buffy.co
$200.00
$159.00

It's hard to find down alternative comforters that stay fluffy, but this one has a special construction that makes it feel like you're sleeping in a cloud. It uses a web of fibers instead of individual clusters to prevent clumping and there's no box stitching so the layers are less compressed. On top of that, Buffy gives you a  so you can make sure you love it.

Best Value Down Comforter

Down Feather Blend Comforter

homedepot.com
$232.00

Down comforters are pricey, but this one  offers a low-cost alternative because it blends down with feathers. But don't let the price fool you, it still offers top-notch construction with its cotton outer fabric, responsibly sourced fill, machine washable care instructions, and corner loops to tie on a duvet cover. It also earned the , so it's backed by our two-year

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Best Value Down Alternative Comforter

All-Season Down Alternative Comforter

amazon.com
$29.99

This one is an incredible deal at a fraction of the cost of others, plus it's Amazon's Choice with over 75,000 reviews. It achieves its low cost through synthetic materials (polyester for the fill and outer cover), but users say it feels both lightweight and fluffy. You can also choose between eight sizes and 12 colors to match any bed.

Mike Garten
Best Overall Pillow

Original Pillow

amazon.com
$85.00

This top-tested pillow comes with extra stuffing that you can add or remove to create your own personalized level of support. The fill is a blend of memory foam pieces and microfiber clusters that our testers said was comfortable, supportive, and improved their overall sleep quality. We also love that it's machine washable, which usually isn't the case for foam.

AmazonBasics
Best Value Pillow

Down Alternative Bed Pillow 2-Pack

amazon.com
$21.99

This down alternative pillow is sold as a set of two for less than the price of one! Yet despite the low cost, these performed incredibly well and testers rated them to be comfortable. They're also machine washable, making them great for anyone suffering from allergies. With a lower profile, they're also ideal for people who need a flatter pillow with less support, like stomach sleepers or kids. 

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Parachute
Best Down Pillow

Down Pillow

parachutehome.com
$140.00

If you like down pillows, you'll love this one from Parachute. It comes in three different densities for  every sleep position and it was a top performer in our latest pillow test. Users raved about its softness and comfort, and we loved how well it stood up to laundering in the Lab. 

TUFT & NEEDLE
Best Down Alternative Pillow

Down Alternative Pillow Set

tuftandneedle.com
$120.00

This one's your best bet if you want the feel of down, but you're looking to save or prefer faux materials: Its poly fill is lightweight, yet it feels firmer and more supportive than other down alternatives. Designed for back and side sleepers, it was a top performer in Lab durability tests and users were blown away by its comfort and how well it kept its shape during use. 

tempur-pedic
Best Foam Pillow

TEMPUR-Neck PIllow

tempurpedic.com
$8.00
$89.00

This solid foam pillow has a contoured shape to fit your head, neck and shoulders, helping to keep side and back sleepers in proper alignment. It has firm support and comes in three sizes to match different body types. The pillow kept its shape well in our Lab tests, and users who prefer firm pillows told us it felt great to sleep on.

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layla
Best Foam Cluster Pillow

Kapok Memory Foam Pillow

amazon.com
$109.00

This tester favorite earned the highest score from our panel thanks to its unique stuffing that makes it soft yet supportive. It's filled with memory foam pieces and kapok, a natural silky fiber that comes from trees. It's not intended for a specific position and we've found that the shape is versatile for those who move around at night. The downside is that it's not machine washable.