How We Test Bedding – The Homes & Gardens Way
Our testing process is lengthy and thorough – here's exactly what we're looking for, and why
Emilia Hitching
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When you're making an investment in your sleep space, you want to ensure your money will be well spent. After all, the pursuit of a perfect night's sleep can be pricey.
As the Sleep Editor here at Homes & Gardens, I know just how important making informed decisions can be when it comes to your bedding or comforter. In this guide, I've collated all the behind-the-scenes info you need to know on how we test the best bedding, the best duvet inserts and comforters, to bring you the recommendations we truly believe are worth the spend.
We assess each item against the same criteria: Initial impressions, thermoregulation, style, durability, practicality, and price. For an item to make it into our Homes & Gardens' sleep guides, it needs to score highly across the board – or excel so strongly in one category that it earns a pass elsewhere. In other words: Only the truly great (and gorgeously made) survive.
How We Test Bedding – Our Expert Guide
At Homes & Gardens, testing isn’t a one-and-done process.
To begin with, I browse all the top bedding brands, including Brooklinen, Woolroom, and Boll & Branch, to choose which items I want to test. Then, I match each item to a member of my expert testing team. Together, we represent a wide range of ages and sleep styles, and we live all across the country, in all sorts of climates. I'll send cooling comforters and sheets to hot sleepers, warming comforters to cold sleepers, and so on.
Once matched, we aim to sleep on and with every bedding item for eight hours a night, seven nights a week, for a minimum of 30 nights, tracking updates, both good and bad, before we publish our initial reviews.
This amounts to hundreds of hours of testing in real home environments to give you an accurate indication of long-term performance.
Initial Impressions
First impressions count.
Fresh out of the bag, how does the bedding feel against the skin? Of course, this can change after a few washes, but that first encounter matters. We start by assessing the surface feel: Does it feel rough or silky? Is it prone to wrinkling? How does the color shift under natural versus artificial light?
Linen sheets, for example, tend to feel slightly coarse at first touch, though they soften beautifully over time. Its natural wrinkles aren’t a flaw; they’re part of its charm, lending a relaxed, lived-in texture that actually looks better with wear. Bamboo and silk sheets, on the other hand, are smooth – almost slippery – but their breathability and moisture-wicking nature make them ideal for hot sleepers.
Then there are polyester and microfiber blends, which, like many synthetics, often feel scratchy or stiff, with a telltale artificial sheen that catches the light in all the wrong ways. A bargain set might sound tempting, but no one wants sheets that look or feel cheap.
When it comes to comforters and duvet inserts, the best retailers typically offer multiple warmth levels – usually some variation on Lightweight, All-Season, and Ultra-Warm. We want to gauge the weight of the comforter on our body, to assess whether it feels light and airy or warm and fluffy.
When feeling comforters, we're also feeling for snags from feather filaments, or clumps of fiberfill. We're also interested in the construction of the comforter, keeping a keen eye out for the smallest details, such as the quality of stitching at the seams.
Thermoregulation
Effective thermoregulation is vital for hot sleepers.
The overall sleep experience often comes down to one overlooked detail: Temperature. How hot or cool do we feel in these sheets, or under this comforter?
Even if a set isn’t our personal preference, there’s a lid for every pot – our job is to find out which kinds of sleepers each sheet best suits. For those prone to night sweats, hot flashes, or living in hot or humid locations, the best cooling sheets and lightweight comforters are essential, and pair perfectly with one of the best cooling mattress toppers and pads.
Conversely, if you live in a cold climate, you'll want to snuggle up in bedding that's a little more heavy-duty to help you sleep better.
Of course, we don’t take ‘cooling’ claims at face value. We turn off the A/C, sleep through heatwaves and cold snaps, and note every night we wake up in a sweat.
The best bed sheets should keep you comfortably cool, dry, and ideally, unaware of their existence altogether, while the thermoregulation of a comforter will come down to both the fill type and the fabric case.
Down is designed to retain heat to keep birds warm, so it's no surprise that a down duvet insert gets a little stuffy in the summer. Down alternative is a catch-all term, encompassing everything from moisture-wicking wool to heat-trapping microfiber – how hot or cold your comforter feels will depend on the specific type of down alternative.
Style
You want your bedding to look the part.
While appearances aren't everything when it comes to choosing bedding, you don't want them clashing with your previously decided bedroom ideas, either. You probably look at your sheets more than you realize, which means they should be beautiful.
Besides the obvious design details, this largely comes down to the fabric, weave, and texture, all of which we assess throughout the testing period.
Durability
Bedding needs to hold up and perform well wash after wash.
First impressions only go so far. The real question is: How does it hold up?
To gauge durability, we strip the bed and wash the sheets, comforter, or duvet insert exactly as the laundry symbols on the care label direct – ignoring that tag, by the way, is one of the biggest bedding laundry mistakes you can make – so we test responsibly, and repeatedly.
Once dry, the same bedding or comforter goes right back on the bed. Does it feel any different? And if so, is it good different, or bad different? We look for changes in texture, tone, and saturation – whether the weave still feels intact, whether the finish has dulled, whether the softness has held up. With comforters and duvet inserts, we'll also assess whether the fill has moved or bunched in any areas.
Good bedding shouldn’t lose its luster after a few spins in the wash; if it does, it’s a red flag. Cheap bedding (even with high price tags) starts aging from cycle one.
If we're working with a duvet insert, rather than a duvet comforter, then we also want to know how easy it is to attach the duvet case. We experiment with corner loops and duvet tabs, documenting how long it takes to strip and remake the bed.
Practical Points
It isn't all about comfort and looks.
Eventually, it comes down to the less glamorous details.
Beneath the product listing, we're looking for badges from trusted third parties to certify the quality of materials and the manufacturer. That might be, for example, the Responsible Down Standard (RDS), which ensures humane treatment of animals and workers from farm to factory, or the Global Organic Textiles Standard (GOTS), which is essential if you're looking to shop the best organic bedding.
The first test for sheets is so obvious, it seems somewhat silly: Do they stay on the bed? You’d be surprised how often they don’t. I look for deep pockets and strong, all-around elastic.
We're also interested in the noise levels of a comforter. If you've ever slept with a cheap bedding set, you'll know how irritating that rustling sound of the duvet fill slipping around inside the insert is. The best comforters are silent when they move.
Next comes maintenance. Washing bedding will never be glamorous, but some brands make it easier than others. Is the item dry-clean only? Did they come out fine if marked as 'dryer-safe'?
And then, of course, price. We consider the performance of the bedding against its price to help you determine value for money. I always suggest setting a minimum and maximum budget before shopping.
For sheets, we've highlighted both our favorite budget finds and the best luxury bed sheets at the other end of the spectrum.
When it comes to comforters, personally, I wouldn't spend less than $100 on a Queen-sized comforter. Much lower, and you're likely working with cheap, synthetic materials that will trap heat and sweat. It's worth noting that thicker, winter-weight comforters are often more expensive than summer inserts, because they have a higher fill power.
Shop a Selection of Our Best Bedding – All Tested By Us
All prices were correct at the time of publication.
These bamboo bed sheets are rated the best of the best by us, and, with moisture-wicking, thermoregulating properties, they're perfect for hot sleepers. They also wash well and stay soft and silky.
There's no denying that this duvet insert is expensive, but on test, it's retained its status of reigning champion. With three different weights to choose from, this pick suits every sleeper.
With an average rating of 4.6/5 stars, over 9,500 shoppers agree that these sheets are worth the investment. They're smooth, buttery soft, breathable, and suitable for year-round use.
These 'BlendTek' sheets feel cool to the touch and ensure proper thermoregulation all night long. They're available in five different colors and six sizes, all for a relatively affordable price.
This antimicrobial, hypoallergenic pillow can be adjusted for side, back, and stomach sleepers. Fluff it daily to keep your pillow’s cooling infused foam filling distributed evenly.
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