We bought two different types of sheets at a Ross Dress For Less (not nationwide) in the fall; before 2 weeks had passed they were pilled. (Two beds). One is microfiber, made in China of 55% cotton/45% polyester. Its label says DIVATEX Home Fashions, which didn't someone mention on this thread in a positive way? (I can't look back now, while writing this.) I certainly do not agree with that. The other is 100% cotton, made in China. It is textured, so to speak, made of little squares, matte and not matte, each a little less than 1/4" square. You can't feel the squares, of course. We had discarded the packaging and with the holidays upon us, we did not return them. We only use the fitted sheet and the pillow cases. They are pilled anywhere any part of the body has touched them. Ross is next to BB&B at a local shopping center and I spoke to the sheet department manager at BB&B. I told him what had happened. His responses were: 1. He had never heard of the issue of multiple ply yarns being used to deceive customers as to thread count. He did not 'understand' what I was saying. 2. He recommended high thread counts, and long-fiber cotton. Not Egyptian cotton, which is short-fiber. Pima or supima were his choices, also their bamboo and another odd material made by the Beech Company. 3. He would not comment on my mentioning my closet full of perfectly good cotton percale sheets, some decades old, which never pilled or stretched out, but were simply too shallow for our present mattresses. Muslin was 180, perhaps? Percale started at around 200? Or was it 120 and 180+. I found muslin itchy, but I find many things itchy other people do not. I threw away the fitted Ross sheet and am wondering what my chances of success would be marching in there with the remaining sheets and demanding, well, who knows what. We have had no pilling with two fitted sheets purchased last year, made by Home (and then a square with a circle in it). Also made in China, 100% cotton, RN17730, VN1124037. I am checking The Company Store, whose service I have always been pleased with. Anyone have any pilling experience with their basic Weekender sheets? Thank you.

Thanks, Terriks. I had a RL sheet set and I really liked it. But it wore down after a couple of years and started to rip in the middle. At least they were on sale! This was the set that had pink flamikngos on them. Bumble, we put our a/c on 72 at night. That way I can cuddle under the covers or else I'd burn up. We also keep a fan going at night. In the winter we put the thermostat around 65 at night. This is funny. In our office we each have our own computers. DH's is under the ceiling vent. One winter I was cleaning house and got real hot so I lowered the thermostat. When I came back here my dh was wearing a stocking hat and his heavy robe! lol. He knows I get hot so he was being thoughtful. :)

Pilling happens when loose fibers in the fabric become entangled, forming knots and remaining attached to the yarns of the fabric until the fibers holding them in place are broken. Pilling is impossible to completely avoid, but can be minimized by selecting a fabric with little or no "lint" such as a satin. When sheets are being purchsed you can use masking tape to test for lint. Peel the piece off from the fabric after firmly applying it. If the tape comes away with little to no lint, you shouldn't have to worry about pilling on that fabric. The more lint you get on the tape, the more readily the fabric will pill. Flannel is a fabric that has a lot of loose fibers and will always have some amount of pilling. Satins have a very tight weave, and won't pill until it becomes very worn and the yarns begin to fray. Other recommendations in avoiding pilling: 1 Washing on gentle cycles in cold water and line or tumble dry. This will reduce fabric wear and prevent the fibers from fraying. 2 Avoid fabric softeners, which leave perfumes and other residues on the fabric. These residues will cause fibers to clump more easily and are a big factor in causing pilling. 3 Avoid applying cosmetic or therapeutic creams, salves, ointments, lotions, etc to your skin right before bed. 4 People with particularly oily skin will find that the sheets pill much worse on their side of the bed, as any kind of oily substance will contribute to pilling. Anything they can do to reduce the amount of natural skin oils on the sheets (showering before bed, wearing pajamas, laundering sheets more frequently, etc) will certainly extend the life of their sheets. 5 Avoid leaving sheets in the dryer once it has stopped. Letting the fibers cool at room temperature, rather than bake in a hot dryer, will reduce pilling considerably.

Friction from your body causes the tiny fibers to pill and you really can't "fix" that. I'd take them back to the store for a refund.