Olympic Queen Size Sheet Sets

Since the Olympic queen size mattress first hit the sleep market in 2001, thousands of consumers have come to appreciate the extra sleeping room. Even though the unique size of this mattress failed to gain long term consumer acceptance, the need for quality Olympic sheet sets still exists. Owners of Olympic queen size beds have found that sheet sets are not available at local department stores.

If you are one of the thousands of consumers who purchased an Olympic queen mattress set, you have come to appreciate the spacious comfort. Originally introduced by the Simmons Company, the Olympic queen mattress set was offered as an alternate size. A standard queen size mattress measures sixty inches in width. Next in size is a king mattress which measures seventy eight wide. The Simmons Company no doubt surmised that consumers would appreciate a mattress that was larger than a standard queen but smaller than a king size. At sixty six inches in width, the Olympic queen mattress set seemed like a logical solution.

Consumers are fickle and the market potential for the Olympic queen size bed did not reach the levels hoped for by Simmons. Despite that fact that the Simmons Company may have been overly optimistic about the prospects for the Olympic queen, thousands of sets were sold and many are still in service today. Consumers can still find new Olympic queen mattress sets through a small number of mattress retailers. Those sets that are available can still command a premium price. In spite of brisk early sales, several factors may have led to the market failure of the Olympic queen.

The intermediate size presented a problem for bed frame manufacturers. Many bed frames are designed to accommodate more than one size mattress set. For example, a metal king size frame could be adjusted to fit a standard queen size mattress set. Supporting the Olympic queen would mean that manufacturers would be forced to redraw existing frame designs. The design change would also require that, in order to manufacture the new frames, production facilities would have to be retooled. The expense involved in redesign and retooling no doubt caused many frame producers to rethink the idea of supporting the Olympic queen size mattress.

The introduction of a new mattress size also had an effect on producers of bed linens who faced the same issues as frame manufacturers. Producers of bed linen had one market advantage over frame makers. When purchasing a mattress set, a consumer need buy only one bed frame. On the other hand, bed linens were a recurring expense for the consumer, for as long as the mattress stayed in service. As a result, producers of bed lines found a reason to produce Olympic queen sheet sets.

Even though bed linen producers got on board the Olympic queen train, this left the problems connected with retail distribution. Many retailers do not keep Olympic queen sheet sets in stock which leaves owners to look for alternatives. The search a reliable source of quality sheet sets designed to fit an Olympic queen mattress has driven most folks to online retailers. Most of us are mot lucky enough to have a specialty bedding store around the corner and even than there may only be a limited selection of Olympia queen bed sheets. Even if you find Olympic queen size bedding and sheets at a retail store, the quality of sheets may be less than it should be.

Even though the Olympic queen mattress is a very unique size, the process of shopping for Olympic queen sheet sets is same as shopping for any other bed linen. As consumers, we all like to know that we getting a good value for our money. The more information we have about a product, the better. When it comes to bed linens like Olympic queen sheet sets, there are few things to look for before you buy.

For many years, cotton has been most popular fabric choice for bed sheets. There are several varieties of cotton, from Upland to Egyptian. Upland cotton is grown in many areas of the world and is by far the most common cotton fiber. Egyptian cotton is a far superior fiber known for its softness. Cotton is often blended with synthetic fabrics like polyester. Cotton polyester blends are soft, durable and easy to care for.

Regardless of whether you choose cotton, cotton polyester or other fabrics made from bamboo and hemp, the thread count of the fabric is very important. A fabric’s thread count is a measure of the number of thread per square inch of fabric. The higher the thread count, the heavier and softer the fabric will be.

While a set of Olympic queen sheet set with a thread count of 100 may be less expensive, it may not be a good value. Low thread count sheet sets will feel flimsy and may not hold up well over continued use. Now, an Olympic queen sheet set with a thread count of 200 will cost a little more, but the extra expensive will be worth it. 200 thread count sheets will feel softer and, with proper care, will last longer.

Always be sure to follow the fabric care label on your Olympic queen sheet set. The fabric care label is sewn on the sheets and the pillow cases. The label specifies the best way to care for the item. Most bed sheets can be machine washed and machine dried provided you carefully follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. Using the proper water temperature, washer cycle and detergent is key to helping your sheet set keep its shape and hold its color. The same is true about machine drying. Carefully following the fabric care label will help to ensure that you get the most out of your purchase.

Olympic Queen Sheet Set Sizes

Olympic Queen Size 66 inches wide by 80 inches long

Regular Queen Size 60 inches wide by 80 inches long

Regular King Size 78 inches wide by 80 long

Olympic queen size sheets fit the queen mattress, which actually overhangs the box spring by three inches on either side of the bed. This overhang gives the sleeper a bit more room but looks very strange to the eye. I would think that the three inch overhand would tend to sag a bit. Decorators were probably pulling their hair out when they tried to design a good looking olympic queen sheet set and comforter.