When high-thread count sheets first gained popularity at high-end hotels about a dozen years ago, some laundries discovered that the 250 thread-count (or higher) sheets would lose their tensile strength after only a few washings. Then they’d tear apart as they went on the spreader/feeder before ironing. Initially, this triggered a wave of panic, followed by finger-pointing among laundries, hotels, chemical vendors and manufacturers.

Nonetheless, as demand for high-end products grew with end users, the manufacturers continued to tout the aesthetic appeal of luxury products. At that point, high thread-count hotel sheets were off and running! While the industry as ...