After missing the Jennifer Adams Bedding roadshow again when I was in LA last spring, I finally had a chance to get my hands on her coveted sheets when the roadshow came to the DC Area by way of the Leesburg, VA Costco in late May. My best friend has Jennifer Adams sheets and raves about them so I couldn't wait to experience them for myself.
The roadshow display at Costco had pillowcases and blankets hanging up in each color and quilt pattern so you could touch and feel the actual items you were buying instead of that tiny square swatch of fabric you find on most sheet displays. The sheets and blankets are all made of the same microfiber fabric and they really do feel silky smooth and buttery soft to the touch. The bedding collection includes sheet sets, pillow cases, duvet covers, pillow shams and blankets available in four solid colors (White, Ivory, Silver Grey and Whisper Blue) through Costco.
The pillow shams and blankets come in two different quilt designs (a rectangular pattern called Madison or a Diamond pattern called Hailey).
The Eternal Sheet Sets are available in the following sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King and California King. (Costco.com also has split-king sheet sets for adjustable beds.) All sets include one fitted sheet and one flat sheet. The Twin & Twin XL sets include one standard pillow case, the Full & Queen sets include two standard pillow cases and the King & California King sets each include two king size pillow cases. Extra pillow cases in standard and king sizes were also available for purchase (in sets of two) at the roadshow and online. The packaging stated that the fitted sheets fit mattresses from 12" deep to 18" deep.
One thing I noticed right away was that the sheets didn't list a thread count on the packaging which I thought was a bit odd, it just said extra fine weave & 100% combed 120gsm microfiber, but the sales rep told me the brushed microfiber is equivalent to 800 thread count Egyptian Cotton sheets. After taking in the display and feeling the sample sheets and blankets I jotted down a few of the Costco prices and jumped on my phone to JenniferAdamsHome.com to see how much I would really save buy purchasing a sheet set at Costco. I have to say I was literally speechless by what I found, a king size Eternal sheet set at Costco cost $99.99, but the same exact king size Eternal sheet set purchased from Jennifer Adams website cost $415. The Costco price was 75% LESS than the retail price! Seventy five percent less!! I was so thrilled with the amazing deal that in addition to the sheet set and shams I got for myself I also grabbed a set of sheets for my mom; (I bought Whisper Blue for myself and White for mom).
When I got home I headed straight to the laundry room and followed the care instructions on the packaging which stated to wash the sheets separately from other items and to use your regular (bleach free) detergent with med-hot water. While the sheets were washing I sat down and did the math for all of the products the Costco roadshow had and compared them to the retail price on the Jennifer Adams Home website. I was blown away by the results, each and every item came in at least 75% less than the retail price! I checked on Costco.com too and the prices for Jennifer Adams bedding online were the same as the roadshow prices in the warehouses and Jennifer Adams Bedding purchased on costco.com ships for free.
My sheets came out of the dryer without wrinkles and I put them on the bed immediately. The fitted sheet has a nice wide band of elastic that runs all the way around (not just elastic at the corners like some older sheets). Our mattress is 14" deep but with the plush mattress pad we have on it, its probably closer to 15" deep now; but the fitted sheet fit perfectly snug across our mattress (and it stayed snug all week long).
When I crawled into bed that night the first thing I noticed was how slick the sheets were, I literally felt like I glided into bed, it was so wonderful! They weren't slippery like satin or silk sheets though, they were just unbelievably smooth and soft and felt almost velvety at the same time, (I guess thats the brushed technique used in the manufacturing process). I was in heaven! That is until about half way through the night when I woke up hot and sweaty. I threw off the covers and flipped my pillow over and was able to eventually fall back to sleep. I slept through the rest of the night but when I woke up in the morning I still felt a little warmer than usual. However as I divulged in a previous post, I'm pretty hot natured so I didn't think much of it especially after the husband said he didn't notice feeling any different sleeping on the new sheets. But the same thing happened to me several times throughout the following week, yet I still shrugged it off thinking maybe I was just coming down with something. It wasn't until the weekend when I changed the bedding that it occurred to me that the new sheets might be why I was waking up hot and sweaty. While the Jennifer Adams sheets where in the wash I put regular cotton sheets on the bed for the week and when I crawled into bed that night the very first thing I noticed was how cold the cotton sheets felt to me compared to how the Jennifer Adams sheets felt. When I awoke the next morning without feeling hot or sweaty I really starting thinking it had to be the sheets so I jumped online and started doing some research.
Much to my chagrin I discovered that microfiber is a synthetic fiber that is most often made from polyester, which you may or may not know is made of polypropylene which is a petroleum byproduct.
According to the internet microfiber is quite popular in upholstery due to its strength, wrinkle resistance and durability, and it's also very popular in athletic apparel for its moisture wicking properties. (Wait, so if microfiber wicks moisture away from the body then why was I waking up in the middle of the night all hot & sweaty!?) I also found out what 120 gsm means- GSM stands for grams per square meter and essentially measures the thickness of microfiber, the higher the GSM rating means the more fibers there are in the sheet and the thicker and more durable the sheet will be. But just as high thread counts in cotton sheets don't always mean higher quality, higher GSM ratings don't always mean higher quality for microfiber sheets. The manufacturing process (i.e. how the fibers are woven together) is a better indicator of a higher quality microfiber sheet. Further online searches also revealed testimonies from both people who loved their microfiber sheets and claimed they would never go back to cotton sheets, and people who despised microfiber sheets. Some posts claimed microfiber sheets kept them cooler at night than regular sheets, while other posts claimed just the opposite! One website I came across stated that as a synthetic fiber, microfiber does not have that "cool crispness" that cotton sheets have so if you like to flip your pillow over to the cooler side steer clear of microfiber bedding. Oy! Finally I turned to my trusty friend ConsumerReports.org but I was disappointed to find that they have not tested any microfiber sheets. CR's only comment about synthetic sheets was that polyester or polyester blend sheets are not as porous as cotton sheets therefore you may feel warmer while sleeping.
Since it was summer time on the East Coast (i.e. hot and humid) and because I'm already hot natured, instead of returning the sheets to Costco I folded them up and tucked them into the linen closet determined to give them another try once the weather cooled down.
It is now January 1st and I have been using my Jennifer Adams microfiber sheets regularly for the past two months and I am over joyed to report that I am completely in love with them! Since the weather cooled down and I brought them back into rotation I have not woken up hot and sweaty a single time! They have held up quite well to multiple washes and remained wrinkle free. To me they feel comfortably warmer like flannel sheets do when I crawl into bed every night, (a feeler a welcome in the cold winter months). In late November I did notice some odd stains/streaks on the sheets and after washing them a second time which still did not remove the spots I tweeted to Jennifer Adams asking if she had any advise on how to remove the stains. Not only did she reply back, but instead of offering up cleaning tips she gave me a customer service reps contact info stating they could replace the whole set for me. Wow, talk about awesome customer service! I ended up washing the sheets one more time but with a little baking soda applied to the stains after it occurred to me that the spots may be from the Egyptian Magic Cream I sometimes apply to my hands and feet before bed or from going to bed with wet hair that has Moroccan Argan Oil in it... (Oops!) I don't know if it was the baking soda or just the third washing that did it, but my sheets finally came out stain free and looking good as new.
Overall I have been very pleased with my Jennifer Adams Home Eternal Collection sheet set since I started using them again in the cooler months and I feel comfortable recommending them to anyone looking for new sheets. The price you pay for them at Costco is a practically a steal compared to the retail price so even if you are worried about them being hot I think they are worth trying and with Costcos amazing return policy you aren't stuck with them if you aren't fully satisfied. I'm so glad I gave them another shot because I really do love how these sheets feel.
Here is a quick pro/con list I put together to recap how I feel about the sheets:
Pros:
-they really do feel buttery soft
-they really are very wrinkle resistance
-they are quite durable
-there is a thick elastic band all the way around the fitted sheet for a secure, tight fit on most mattresses
Cons:
-they are made of microfiber which is a synthetic fabric that doesn't breathe quite like cotton and can feel hot to some people (especially in warmer climates or seasons)
The Jennifer Adams Bedding Collection is currently only available through Costco warehouses in the US, Canada and the UK. (Sorry Mexico & Australia!) The Collection is available any time on Costco.com, Costco.ca, Costco.co.uk. (Selection and variety may vary by country.)
To find her bedding products in your local US Costco warehouse though you'll have to wait for a roadshow to come your way. You can check out the Jennifer Adams upcoming Costco roadshow schedule by region here on Costco.com, or you can see a state by state schedule on her website here.
Oh and for tips from Jennifer Adams herself on how to properly launder your sheets, how to fold a fitted sheet, and a very efficient way to insert a duvet into a duvet cover, scroll to the bottom of this costco.com page and check out her short videos!
If you try them leave me comments and let me know what you think of them :)
Until next time,
the Costco Connoisseur
#GoingToAllTheCostcos
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