These Durable Cotton Sheets Feel More Expensive Than They Are. They’ve Been Our Budget Pick Since 2015.
The feel is what really sets these sheets apart. The Threshold 400-count sheets are made from a sateen-weave cotton — a fabric that tends to be much softer to the touch than percale and typically comes out of the dryer looking considerably less wrinkled. “I have really sensitive skin and some sensory issues, so it’s always hard for me to find affordable sheets that I find comfortable that don’t irritate my skin,” said Elissa. “The Target Threshold sheets are basically the only sheets I own.”
The downside to sateen, compared with percale, is that it can pill or snag more easily, which has been my experience with these sheets; after about a year of regular use, some of my Threshold sheets begin to wear thin where I sleep, like a sad chalk body outline. And with the gray colors, I’ve experienced some discoloration after a few wash cycles.
These sheets don’t compete with high-end cotton sheets, nor are they intended to. But if the goal of luxury sheets is to keep their decadent comfort front of mind, the aim of cheap sheets is instead to go largely unnoticed, to be inoffensive enough that you don’t think about them again. Almost anyone who has spent a night in a cheap motel knows how difficult that is to achieve. And yet, Target’s Threshold sheets succeed spectacularly in that regard. In the past 10 years, I have never felt like I’m sleeping on cheap sheets. If anything, I am still always just a little pleasantly surprised by them.
This article was edited by Catherine Kast and Daniela Gorny.
