Phoenix, you love math, what is:  fine-gauge jersey with generous 4.9 oz. of cotton per square yard for a substantial weight.  Any math lover please jump in.

Weight of the fabric, pretty heavy compared to a single ply percale or sateen cotton fabric.  Lighter than say a very high quality flannel (6oz per square yard or more).  For something like a jersey sheet or flannel sheet you want higher weight typically.  for normal sheets lighter weight cottons are usually an indicator of stronger threads and better quality overall fabric.  Lightest percale fabrics will be around 1oz per square yard.

I'm so glad budgy stepped in :)

One ... because what I know about different fabrics is rudimentary at best.

Two ... because I'm not sure how to apply math to their different "constructions".

Three ... if you got me going I could very well go way deeper than I wanted to ... mattresses are enough thank you (laughing).

So one, two, three, is the math part of this.

Phoenix

Thanks Budgie.  Phoenix, thanks for the math lesson, LOL.  So 4.9 oz. cotton per sq yd compared to 155 grams cotton per square meter (Sears) would that be about the same?  I don't get grams and square meters anymore than oz. per square yards, LOL.

The Sears jersey sheets were really soft and did fit a thicker mattress good, not junk like all other jersey sheets.  But the bad news was they pilled after a few months.  Budgie, how do you avoid getting pilled sheets?  Do my cotton jersey sheets pill because I run a hot dryer, or will this happen even if I run the dryer at regular instead of high?

 

Leo3 wrote:

pretty comparable on the weight, 4.9oz = 166 grams per square metre.  I have to convert these all the time.  

unfortunately with cotton sheets, especially thick ones like jersey and flannel all short staple cotton sheets will pill...its really just a matter of time.  If your washing machine has a delicate setting or hand wash setting i would use that with cold water, try not to use powdered detergents.  and tumble dry on low heat.  the first time you wash a thicker jersey or flannel sheet there will be lots of lint.  it is actually best to dry these one piece at a time and keep the lint trap empty, sometimes people may think a sheet is pilling when what may be happening is lint is getting caught on the fabrics and forming little balls, this is not technically pilling although it looks exactly the same.  

budgy wrote:

Thanks Budgy.  You are the math wizard!

The problem is when I use delicate on the washing machine it doesn't spin the water out good, and then the dryer takes longer to dry and I end up changing it from regular to high heat.  Even though I know I should dry on delicate, but then it takes 2 hours!  This happened with my Dormeir and a wool blanket, and I know I shouldn't dry on high but geeze after 1 1/2 hours it should be done.  Thanks for explaining about the pills.  I wonder if using the washing on regular to get all the water out is gentler than dryer on high heat on the dryer?  I don't think the newer washers and dryers are really any more gentle on clothes from reading online reviews.  I was shopping for a new washer (ours if over 20 years old) but after reading reviews I am better off with my old Maytag.  They don't build them like that anymore.
 

does your washing machine have a spin cycle on it?  maybe do that after a gentle wash before drying. 

I agree with you about some of these newer machines not being the greatest sometimes.  The biggest problem with them is that they are all water saving machines (which I like when I am washing things I don't particularly need to be careful with) but more water is better for fabrics you want to protect. 

budgy wrote:

Yeah, I think it does have a regular spin, and gentle wash.  Think I did that last time.  Then I always do 2 rinses, since I read at St. Dormeir that 2 rinses are best to get all of the soap out.  As soap does damage fabrics if not rinsed out well.  I was convince when the washer got unbalanced after the rinse cycle and I saw soap residue bubbles!  SO I wear fabrics out more probably rinsing twice.

Also, have front loading machines always been low water machines?  I think that is not a good quality for my uses.  I just hope when I do have to replace my machine not all top loading machines will be low water use.  I am afraid it will be like the XXXX low water toilets, mandatory now.

Budgy, or anyone else, do you think they are going to do away with washing machines that use full water loads and replace with the water conserving washers just like the toilets?  The toilets now are mandated by the government(?) to only sell the water conserving toilets that take 5 flushes to make work.  I have read reviews on the washers that conserve water and they don't clean as well.

I really haven't done enough looking into the matter to answer.  I wonder if there are specs from the manufacturers that tell people exactly how many litres of water are used for different wash settings and things like that.  There has to be a way to find out, I saw for Christmas my step dad just got my mom a $3800 maytag washer dryer....they are huge and I would assume they use more water than my small front load.