What Is A Bed Linen? 6 Best Types To Choose From!

With lots of decorative pieces for beds, you might want to know the answer to “what is a bed linen?”

Bed linen is simply a piece of fabric used as pillowcases and sheets for our beds.

what is a bed linen

These pieces of fabric are essential as you buy a mattress because the quality of your bed linen will affect your quality of sleep.

Bed linens protect our pillows and beds while providing us comfort and a soft feeling.

If we lay on a mattress or pillow alone without the covering, it could be rough on our skin, and it’s unhygienic because they get dirty quickly.

I will not dwell here as we will discuss it further with its history and types.

So, read on!

 

Get To Bed Linens

Bed linen is commonly known as bedding, but it is called clothes or Manchester in some countries.

Whatever the name is, its sole purpose is to cover our pillows and bedsheets.

Beddings are removable so that you can wash them anytime.

In addition, it serves as the other layer of our bed and pillows to protect the surface from dirt and dust.

Bed linens also keep us warm and make our room stylish, thanks to its elegant effect.

They come in as a set with a fitted sheet, blanket, flat sheet, quilt, and sometimes with pillowcases of different colors, styles, and sizes.

The standard size for bed linen is rectangular mainly, but there are square-shape sizes, which measures 220 cm x 220cm.

Now that you know what bed linen is let us dig deeper and talk about its history.

 

When bed linen existed

Let us go far back time, around 3000 BC in Egypt when the royals would elevate their beds and fill them with decorations.

And of course, the cloth placed on top of it should be made of high-quality linen.

The Roman Empire fancies the high-quality fabric on their bed, which is now known as bed linen.

After which, beds are starting to look modern with their mattress that uses feathers as filling, bed linens, and extravagant.

That’s why they would place gold, silver, bronzes, and paintings during this period.

After years of improvement and innovations, bed linen has become what it is now, used by everyone in their homes.

Bed linens were only rectangular fabric with center stitch, but now, it comes with hems on the top and bottom parts of the linen.

Once a stiff fabric has turned to soft and plushy bedding that is comfortable.

Bed linen has been involved and now has two styles- fitted and flat.

The fitted sheet is made with elastics on each side to stay on the mattress no matter how much you move, but this style is typically used as the bottom sheet.

And the flat sheet is placed on top of the fitted one because its appearance is more appealing.

Now, let’s proceed to the different types of bed linen.

 

Different Types Of Bed Linen

You’ve already known what is a bed linen.

And now, here are the different types of bed linen:

 

Type #1. Flat sheets

As mentioned earlier, flat sheets are commonly used as the top sheet to cover the fitted one.

It has various options for style, design, color, and kind of material you want it to be.

In the UK, they use duvet cover as their flat sheet.

 

Type #2. Bedspread

Bedspread is usually used for decorative purposes.

It is made of thin and light material covering the entire mattress down to the floor.

It usually uses wool, polyester, or chenille as its material.

 

Type #3. Comforter

Comforters are perfect for a cold night.

It is composed of a bedspread that is rectangular or square, sewn together to provide warmth and, as said with its name, comfort.

This type of bed linen is commonly used in North America, and its purpose is to serve as the second “top sheet.”

 

Type #4. Duvet

Earlier in this article, I mentioned a duvet as a flat or top sheet in the UK.

And the Americans are also catching up with such a concept.

This bedding is also similar to a comforter, only that a duvet should have a duvet cover.

The duvet cover protects the surface of a duvet by enclosing it with zippers or buttons.

These type also comes with different designs and colors to suit your style.

 

Type #5. Blankets

We all are familiar with blankets.

Blankets are used depending on the person.

For example, some would use them instead of a duvet or a comforter.

But we can all agree that it never fails to provide us comfort on a rainy day.

It is also making our bed look cute and stylish with its color and design.

These beddings are typically made of micro plush, wool, cotton, or, at times, a blend of fabric blankets.

It depends on your preference.

 

Type #6. Coverlet

This bed linen is found mainly in hotel rooms or inns placed on the pillow or the foot of the bed.

Coverlet is typically woven and is used by the person to cover themselves at night, which explains the name given.

 

What sizes available for a bedding set?

You should know what size of bedding set is appropriate for your mattress so it will match and cover the bed just right.

And these are the sizes available: one and a half, double Euro, family, and there are adolescents and children options.

 

To End

And that is all you need to know out of the question, “What is a bed linen?” So I hope that I helped you out.

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Have a nice day!