What are the Best Bed Sheets for an Airbnb?
Running an Airbnb is all about creating memorable guest experiences, and one of the biggest factors is something simple: the bed. High-quality sheets make your listing feel more professional, improve guest comfort, and ultimately lead to better reviews. But not all sheets are equal, and hosts need to balance comfort, durability, cost, and practicality.
Our sleep experts have created this detailed guide will help you choose the right sheets for your Airbnb, explain what the hospitality industry uses, and provide tips on quantities, colors, and care. These tips will also apply to home stays, bed and breakfasts, and other hospitality businesses you may have.
Plus, the end of the article will have a special coupon to help you save if you choose to stock your Airbnb with Hometrend sheets.
1. What are the top factors for bed sheet choice in an Airbnb?
These are the top deciding factors based on our experience and standards in the hospitality industry.
- Guest Satisfaction & Comfort: Guests want the “hotel feel” — crisp, breathable sheets. Ever wondered what sheets hotels like to use? Read on.
- Turnover Speed: Easy-to-wash sheets make same-day turnovers less stressful. Operational efficiency is key in running an Airbnb business, and bedding can be a chokepoint especially with high turnover for guests.
- Ratings & Reviews: Poor bedding is one of the fastest ways to lose stars.
- Cost Savings Over Time: Investing in long-lasting sheets reduces replacements. This takes off one item of maintenance for your Airbnb, and ensures you aren’t constantly scrambling to purchase replacements.
- Standardization: We cannot emphasize standardizing your bedding sheets across your Airbnbs enough! If you have different colours for different beds, or different sizing, then it becomes a time-consuming nightmare to sort through the bedding and prepare all the different beds. Guests will also appreciate the ease of replacing a uniform pillow case or fitted sheet from your linen closet in case of an accident.
Hotels have mastered this balance for bedding. They don’t buy the softest sheets. They don’t buy the cheapest sheets. They buy sheets that withstand hundreds of washes while feeling still feeling fresh.
2. What Bed Sheets do Hotels Use?
Hotels are the benchmark for Airbnb hosts. Most major chains use:
- Material: Long-staple cotton (sateen weave) — smooth, crisp, breathable, durable.
- Thread Count: Typically 250 to 1000, balancing comfort with washability.
- White as Standard: White sheets communicate cleanliness and are easy to bleach.
By mirroring these practices, you give guests a familiar, reliable experience.
3. What Factors to Consider When Choosing Airbnb Sheets
- Durability: Long-staple cotton fibers hold up better to frequent washing.
- Washability: Resist shrinking and wrinkling, withstand hot washes.
- Breathability: Cotton adapts to both warm and cool sleepers.
- Pilling Resistance: Keeps sheets looking new longer.
- Neutral Colors: White is preferred, grey, or beige for versatility and ease of care.
4. How Many Sheets to Buy Per Bed
Hospitality standards recommend three sets per bed. If your Airbnb turnover is expected to be lower, you can get away with using 2 sets, plus some extra spare fitted sheets and pillow cases in the event of an accident or stain.
- Set 1: In use by the current guest.
- Set 2: Fresh and ready for immediate turnover.
- Set 3: In the laundry cycle.
Add the following per bed (no need to buy another set)
- At least 1 extra fitted sheet
- At least 2 extra pillow cases
5. Choosing the Right Color and Style
- White sheets: Signal cleanliness and professionalism.
- Neutral tones: Grey, beige, or taupe hide stains better.
- Consistency: Use similar colors across rooms for efficient turnovers.
White sheets are our top recommendation for Airbnbs. For any stains that occur, white sheets will be able to be bleached, while coloured sheets will be damaged by bleach. There is a reason why this is the standard for the hotel industry. Our next recommendation are neutral tones like dark grey, ivory/cream, or taupe. These can help hide stains, but cannot be bleached. Hometrend also offer sheets in a variety of colors, like yellow, red, purple, or green. However, we only recommend using colored sheets if your Airbnb has a specific theme.
6. Laundry and Care Tips for Airbnb Sheets
Your sheets will be washed far more often than in a regular home. Tips to extend lifespan:
- Wash on warm or hot cycles for sanitation.
- Use gentle detergents to protect fibers.
- Avoid fabric softeners.
- Line dry or use medium dryer heat.
- Rotate sets regularly to even out wear.
7. Our Final Recommended Bed Sheets for Airbnb Hosts
We recommend long-staple cotton bed sheets and duvet cover sets for Airbnb use. The reasons are:
- Trusted by hotels for durability and comfort.
- Built for frequent washes while staying soft.
- Crisp, breathable comfort with a professional feel.
- Flexible stocking options: full sets or individual pieces.
- Designed for Canadian hosts with year-round versatility.
Below are the options for sheet sets and duvet cover sets we recommend. We recommend minimum 2 per bed, and more depending on expected turnover of guests.
400 Thread Count Long Staple Cotton Line
Athena 400 Thread Count Long Staple Sheet Set in a Sateen Weave
Athena 400 Thread Count Long Staple Duvet Cover Set in a Sateen Weave
The 400 thread count line is easy to maintain, comfortable, wrinkle resistant, and offers your guests breathable comfort. The sheets are durable across a long life-span of washes, resistant to pilling, and are the hotel standard for sheets.
1000 Thread Count Long Staple Cotton Line
Athena 1000 Thread Count Long Staple Sheet Set in a Sateen Weave
Athena 1000 Thread Count Long Staple Duvet Cover Set in a Sateen Weave
The 1000 Thread count line is wrinkle resistant, ultra luxurious, cozy, and elevates the experience for your guest if you want your Airbnb to have a more premium vibe. Most importantly the durability of these sheets makes for a great return on investment. These sheets will hold up against frequent wash cycles, and last for years to come. One caveat we have is that we recommend you run the 1000 thread count sheets in the wash and a dry cycle to soften them up prior to your first guest sleeping in them.
Extra Fitted Sheets and Pillow Cases
For each bed, add 1 fitted sheet and 2 pillow cases to keep as extra in case of an accident. Replace as needed (without rebuying an entire set).
Surprised some bedding choices didn’t make our recommendations? See our explanations below.
8. Should I get Bamboo Bed Sheets for my Airbnb?
For your personal bed will always recommend bamboo bed sheets. These sheets are hyped up for a reason. Bamboo bedding is known for being insanely soft, breathable, cooling, and hypoallergenic. When you sleep on bamboo sheets, it is like you are sleeping on a cloud. It’s cooling for the Canadian summers, but cozy during the Canadian winters due to its moisture wicking properties. For your own personal bed, we highly recommend you try out bamboo bed sheets for an amazing sleep.
However, we would sadly caution against bamboo bedding for an Airbnb. The reason for this is that bamboo bed sheets can wrinkle, especially if you wash bedding on high heat (which you would want to do for sanitary reasons in an Airbnb). In an Airbnb business, turnover is key, and you’ll want sheets that are wrinkle-resistant so you can quickly place them on without worrying about presentability of the bed. This is why for Airbnb specific businesses, we recommend long-staple cotton instead. Save the bamboo bed sheets for yourself!
9. Should I purchase blended fabric bed sheets for an Airbnb?
Blended fabrics as basically a mix between two different fabrics, like cotton and polyester, cotton and bamboo, silk and viscose, and more. These can be very cost effective, especially if you are purchasing large volumes of bedding for an Airbnb. They are also versatile in including different properties from multiple fabrics. While tempting, we highly recommend against using blended fabrics specifically for an Airbnb for a few reasons.
Firstly, blended fabrics can be prone to more pilling with heavy wash cycles, especially for cheaper sheets where more polyester is used. Pilled sheets can give your guest the impression that the sheets are overused or unhygienic. The goal of carefully selecting your bedding for an Airbnb is to not worry about replacing sheets or upset customers. Your Airbnb should ideally have sheets that you trust can be used for multiple life cycles, so you don’t waste time inspecting sheets. Secondly, blends tend to be less comfortable against the skin. If you buy cheaper blended fabrics, this could lead to uncomfortable guests, and poor reviews.
10. Should I purchase microfiber bed sheets for an Airbnb?
Microfiber is a synthetic fiber, commonly made from polyesters. Microfiber bed sheets are soft, stain resistant, and wrinkle resistant. Most importantly, they are low cost, which make them very attractive to Airbnb owners looking to quickly stock multiple beds. However, we do not recommend microfiber sheets in general for the following reasons. Firstly, microfiber sheets trap heat more than natural fibers, which can make for an uncomfortable sleep and not suitable for Airbnbs during the summer. Secondly, microfiber bed sheets tend to be prone to pilling, which means more frequent replacements, and possible unsatisfied customers.
11. Final Thoughts
The best sheets for an Airbnb aren’t just soft—they’re durable, practical, and easy to maintain. By following hotel standards and investing in long-staple cotton sheets, you’ll save money, simplify turnovers, and deliver a consistently great guest experience.
A small investment in quality bedding pays off in the form of better reviews, higher ratings, and repeat bookings.
Thank you for reading our guide. As a special reward for making it this far, use the discount code AIRBNB20 for 20% off your purchase if you choose to stock your Airbnb with over $800 CAD of sheets from Hometrend. This coupon will not be posted anywhere else in the site 😉