Consumer Reports: Wamsutta tops in sheets

-- Home Textiles Today, 5/12/2010 8:20:00 AM

New York – Consumer Reports evaluated sheets in its May issue, ranking Wamsutta’s 1000-count sheet No. 1 and the Wamsutta Dreamzone sheet No. 2. Both are sold at Bed Bath & Beyond.

The 600-count Home brand sheet at Target was ranked No. 3, with L.L. Bean’s pima cotton percale at No. 4.

Otherwise, the consumer products testing magazine had harsh words for the category.

“Only 4 of 23 sets of queen-sized sheets performed well enough for us to recommend, and two of those were expensive enough that we suggest using coupons or waiting until they go on sale before buying,” the magazine reported.

Consumer Reports was particularly hard on Wal-Mart’s Canopy brand and sheets from the Vermont Country Store, citing poor construction on the fitted sheets for both and faulty color matching for Vermont Country Store’s organic sheets.

It also warned consumers away from sheets labeled bamboo.

“Once the plant fiber is processed, it’s rayon, not bamboo. Plus the processing uses toxic chemicals that emit hazardous air pollutants during manufacturing,” the article stated, noting the Federal Trade Commission recently instructed 78 retailers to stop labeling rayon textiles as bamboo.