Fitted sheets only last 2 - 3 years...

[IrritatedB3dM4ker]

AIBU...

I bought 2 cotton fitted sheets from John Lewis just over 3 years ago. £44 each so imo quite expensive for a sheet.

1 of them is still in perfect condition, the other has thinned and now the fabric has split.

I emailed them and firstly they said I've had them too long and they don't know how I've looked after them. I went back and said I have two identical sheets that are used an identical amount of time ( I alternate them) so why is one disintegrating and the other fine. I then got a reply telling me 'and having this investigated, fitted sheets usually last from 2-3 years of use'

I have bedding that's over 10 years old and in great condition.

AIBU do we really only expect bedding to last 2-3 years now?

I have had the exact same issue with a sheet bought from Sainsbury's, I wonder if they are manufactured by the same factory who make them for JL?

2-3 years is crackers. Like you say, my bedding lasts years, and I remember my mum having sets for 10 plus years that still
looked lovely.

Completely agree tenderstem - I'm so annoyed and disappointed in JL - what crap customer service made worse by making this ridiculous 'fact' up!

I've got two sheets from Next, bought two years ago after exH moved out. This week, one came out of the washing machine with a huge rip through the middle. Definitely feels like they are cheaper made than previously.

I have a JL sheet from when I got married 20 years ago! OP, possibly they were different brands even from JL. I've had other sheets rip after 5 years and was a bit annoyed. 2 years is ridiculously wasteful.

At £44 each you’d expect them to be great quality and to last much longer! I’ve got fitted sheets 10+ years old that are still good and we’re only cheap to buy.

I've got M&S ones over a decade old. Just two that are alternated weekly.

I bought a pan from JL and within a few uses the handle had cracked. I took it back thinking I'd get a refund or a new pan because there was a 25 year guarantee. I was told the handles aren't included in the guarantee. I no longer shop there.

I'm convinced my fitted sheet shrinks every time I wash it.

So few things are made to last these days.

Can’t believe you complained after 3 years! How long they last depends on a number of factors. How many people in the bed, how much time they spend in bed, how they are washed and how frequently. Also if they are always put the same way up, the wear will always be in the same place. Sheets last longer if you have more of them you have and you use them interchangeably, while conversely, as most people have tumble dryers, the same sheet can be used over and over again. If they were identical on purchase, perhaps you used one of them more.

I'm convinced my fitted sheet shrinks every time I wash it.

Not every time they’re washed but 100% cotton sheets definitely shrink. I’ve king size sheets that now only fit a double.

I've had to move to non fitted sheets as the shrinkage was driving me nuts. Every brand I tried shrank & the king size ended up on double beds but then were a bit baggy! DS has a 4 foot bed & all of those have shrunk too, so the doubles now go on his bed (again, a bit baggy!).

@IrritatedB3dM4ker

thats not very long is it. Given your other one is fine, I'd assume fault in that one. JL are daft not to have given you a voucher, this is a lot of bad publicity for a few quid.

i buy 'cool' sheets from M&S Egyptian 400 count, they're still going strong after 10 years. Just about to get a couple more to replace other old sheets, they were various brand and have lasted many years

As I said - I alternate them. I complained because a quality fitted sheet absolutely should last a lot longer than 3 years imo - an opinion that seems to be shared by others and backed up by my experience and others experience.

And if we just accept shoddy quality and service - that's what we'll keep getting.

These are also Egyptian cotton 400 TC -yes I buy a lot of things from JL, I'm not a habitual complainer so expected a better response.

Sheets should definitely last longer than 2-3 years under normal circumstances but as CecilyP said it very much depends on how much use they get.

I've got duvet covers and sheets I've had for years as but I have 5 sets of them they get a great deal less use than yours so will obviously last far long than if I were alternating them every week.

I’ve one, a cheapy from Matalan, that’s now a perfect fit on a double!

YANBU at all, and that you have an identical one as comparison just brings home the crap quality of some things these days…saying that I had a duvet set from JL about 30 years ago which bobbled inside a year…I returned it and after testing they said that was acceptable! It was polycotton which I don’t think helped and since then I’ve only bought 100% cotton bedlinen

I would expect a sheet to last longer than that, but on the other hand I think it's unreasonable to expect JL to start replacing things that are three years old. It would just open the floodgates for CFs expecting refunds on everything, which in the long run the rest of us would pay for via higher prices.

Perhaps I was harsh and I would expect them to last more than 2 to 3 years, but, equally I wouldn’t complain after 3 years. The fact, as I understand it, that you only have 2 means they get More wear than if you had a cupboard full of sheets. The nature of fitted sheets is that they can go on the bed the same way, so the pressure is in the same place.

I abandoned John Lewis when they attempted to replace my daughter's 3 month old ipad with a "factory conditioned" (second hand) one. Horrible, unethical place.

Going slightly off topic:

I used to live in the USA and bought fabulous high thread count cotton sheet sets made by Fieldcrest (at Target).

The best thing about the fitted sheets were that each side had a label sewn in on all four of the edges: Top/Bottom and Side. It was so quick and easy to make the bed up.

Sadly, just last week one of the fitted sheets gave up the ghost after 15 years and came out of the washing machine with tears. I ended up going to HomeSense but sadly the sheets I purchased are not a match on the Fieldcrest brand.

I just wish that one could buy labelled sheets here in the UK….or indeed Fieldcrest for that matter!