A luxury hotel version of a molton & fitted sheet for your own bedroom?

Do you know that feeling when you walk into a hotel room, it is nowhere near bedtime, and yet all you secretly want to do is lie down on the bed? So do we. That is the appeal of a beautifully made bed, with high-quality sheets that you want to lie on or under as soon as possible, sinking into a luxurious oasis of calm. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to simply spend a night in a hotel. And one night is so short. What if we told you that you can experience this feeling at home too? Always!

At DOUXE we do our utmost to match the hotel feeling, so that you can experience this oasis of calm and comfort just as well at home, at any time of the day. 

Should I choose a sateen or a percale cotton fitted sheet?

Food for thought

Our Egyptian cotton fitted sheets (100% certified), with a thread count of 400TC (the higher the thread count, the stronger and softer), are available in two different weaves: percale and sateen. First, it is good to know that both weaves are of exactly the same quality and that the difference lies purely in the way they are woven. Egyptian cotton stands out from other types of cotton because it has a longer fibre, which makes for a stronger thread. That makes Egyptian cotton very durable and of high quality. It is also naturally somewhat better at regulating moisture and heat than ordinary cotton. Now for the question: “do I go for percale or sateen?”

Percale cotton fitted sheets

If you want to bring the true hotel feeling into your home, go for a percale weave. The best choice if you love crisp cotton and tend to get warm at night. A percale weave provides good ventilation and a cooling effect. Perfect all year round, but a perfect delight in spring and summer.

Sateen cotton fitted sheets

If you tend to get cold at night, go for the sateen weave. This weave gives a silky-soft fabric that feels softer and smoother. The fabric is somewhat heavier and more finely woven, so it feels comfortably warm.

Which colour of fitted sheet should I choose?

As the icing on the cake, our fitted sheets are also available in several colours and can be combined with our matching DOUXE duvet cover sets. If you choose percale, you can choose from: white, beige or blush pink. If you choose sateen, you can choose from: white, misty blue and latte.

How do I choose the right size of fitted sheet?

To measure is to know

First, it is good to know that the DOUXE fitted sheet can be used for many types of mattresses and mattress combinations. Our fitted sheets have a corner height of 45 cm, so our fitted sheet fits all mattresses from 5 to 45 cm. Thanks to the strong elasticated edge, the fitted sheet is pulled tight under the mattress. This means it fits perfectly around thick mattresses or combinations of a mattress and a topper, but also around a topper alone. Our advice is always to add a protective layer to protect the mattress against dirt. This can be done with a fitted molton or a plateau. You then put the fitted sheet over it.

Second, it is not complicated to choose the size of fitted sheet you need. In principle it is simply the same size as your mattress. If you have a 180x200 mattress, you need a fitted sheet in that same size.

Fitted sheet for a mattress and a topper: which corner height do I need?

Our fitted sheets have a corner height of 45 cm and fit mattresses or mattress combinations of 5 to 45 cm. So even with a thick mattress, or a combination, the fitted sheet almost always fits.

Washing a fitted sheet or molton? A child could do it!

Nowadays you get your linen properly clean at 30 degrees, but linen can also be washed at 60 degrees. Before first use we recommend washing the fitted sheet once. Only the first time does the fitted sheet shrink a little, so that it fits the mattress exactly. When washing, use a mild detergent for whites for the white fitted sheets and wash with the same colours, and use a mild detergent for coloured laundry and wash with the same colours. After washing, it is important to dry the sheets properly. For a percale-weave sheet we advise not to tumble dry it, but to hang it up and let it air dry. Percale has the lovely quality of feeling cooling and crisp. As a result it does crease a little faster. After hanging it out you can make it up tightly around the mattress again. A very big advantage of percale is that it dries very quickly, often within an hour.

A small housekeeping tip from the hotel trade: spray a little mist over the made-up fitted sheet with a plant sprayer and smooth it down a few times with your hands. It then looks lovely and smooth again and you can once more jump onto a delightful, fresh, clean and tightly made bed! With a sateen weave you can in principle put the sheets in the dryer, because sateen creases less easily. Even so, we prefer to hang them out and let them air dry. Then they look lovely and taut again and ironing is not needed. The same housekeeping trick with the plant sprayer also helps with sateen.

An upholstered mattress and a topper: how do I make it up?

With this set-up you only make up the topper, with a molton plateau or fitted molton, and over it our fitted sheet with a 45 cm corner height.

Can flat sheets also be used as fitted sheets?

You can use the flat sheet as an extra layer under the duvet you sleep under, or simply instead of a fitted sheet with an elasticated edge. If you use it as a fitted sheet, the corners need to be tucked in tightly, just like an envelope.

How do you know which size of flat sheet you need? If you use it to lie under, you can go by the following when choosing the size:

• 240x270 – for beds 80 to 140 cm wide
• 270x300 – for beds 160 to 210 cm wide
• A molton for the ultimate protection and hygiene experience

What’s in a name? Molton?

Few people really know what a molton is. You have probably heard of it, you may even already sleep on one, but what exactly is it? A molton is truly an essential part of your bed linen. To protect the mattress and bedding against dirt, moisture and so on, you use a fitted molton. In this simple way you extend the life of your mattress and pillow. What do you mean, moisture? Well, as humans we lose an average of half a litre of moisture every night. A lot, isn’t it? And that soaks into your mattress every night, unless you protect it, or you are not human. And that is not a very pleasant thought. Your mattress will also last far less long, even though a mattress is generally a considerable investment. A molton is the perfect way to protect your mattress. The absorbent and moisture-regulating properties of a fitted molton mean that all the moisture and dirt released when you lie in bed are absorbed by the fitted molton rather than by your mattress. Washing a mattress or pillow is of course a big job, but washing a molton is done in no time. Also not unimportant: our moltons are made of 100% cotton, so lovely and soft and of good quality.

Which molton do I use when?

Molton plateau: a square molton sheet in the same size as the mattress, with elastics that go around the corners of the mattress. Perfect if you are not sure of the mattress’s corner height, because it fits any corner height: the elastic keeps it in place.

Fitted molton: a fitted molton has an elasticated edge that pulls the fitted molton tight under the mattress. Pay close attention to the corner height. At DOUXE we have a corner height of 30 cm and 40 cm.

Topper molton: there are special topper moltons with a low corner height and an elasticated edge. If you have an upholstered mattress and only want to make up the topper(s), this is a good option; otherwise you can always use a molton plateau.

Pillow molton: we also recommend using a molton around the pillow to protect it against unwanted dirt, moisture and odours. The molton goes around the pillow first, and then you put on the pillowcase.

Featherbed protector: we developed the Featherbed protector especially for the Featherbed. This is a cotton cover with a zip, which ensures that the Featherbed does not rub against the mattress, so the chance of feathers coming through remains very small. At the same time, the protector can serve as a protective layer under the fitted sheet. Don’t feel like taking the cover off the Featherbed every time? Then we advise adding a fitted molton or plateau.