WEBVTT - Short Stuff: Thread Count

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<v Speaker 1>Hi, Welcome to the Short Stuff Podcast. I'm Josh, there's Charles,

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<v Speaker 1>there's Jerome, and this is again the short Stuff Podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>This one, in particular, is the short Stuff podcast where

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<v Speaker 1>we discussed thread counts in betting. Let's begin. Yeah, and

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<v Speaker 1>this this one reeks of typical stuff you should know,

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<v Speaker 1>and that occasionally we will we will bust a myth

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<v Speaker 1>or two and bust a move that probably Yeah, that

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<v Speaker 1>probably might disappoint some folks like Dr Seuss lovers. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>when we we pooped all over his early career. But

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<v Speaker 1>now we're gonna poop on thread count because thread count

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<v Speaker 1>has become one of these things starting in like the

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<v Speaker 1>early two thousand's when you would literally see thread counts

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<v Speaker 1>of a thousand. Uh, it became one of those numbers.

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<v Speaker 1>And uh, they pointed out in this house stuff works

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<v Speaker 1>articles like i Q or gas mileage or something where

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<v Speaker 1>no one thought about anything but that number was like, oh, well,

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<v Speaker 1>it's a thousand. It's got to be better than the

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<v Speaker 1>eight hundred, which is better than the six hundred, which

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<v Speaker 1>is better than the three hundred. And I mean, do

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<v Speaker 1>you know where that came from the whole thread count thing.

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<v Speaker 1>It's not like thread count hadn't been a factor before,

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<v Speaker 1>but it was like an industry thing, and somehow I

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<v Speaker 1>got brought out to the consumer I'm guessing by some

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<v Speaker 1>yuppie scum who boasted about their thread count somewhere, maybe

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<v Speaker 1>a movie or on a TV show, and then it

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<v Speaker 1>just kind of took off from there. Yeah. Here's the

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<v Speaker 1>disappointing revelation everyone. What I read is not in this article,

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<v Speaker 1>but I read in a different one that anything over

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<v Speaker 1>four hundred. Well, first of all, thread count is the

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<v Speaker 1>number of horizontal, horizontal or in vertical threads per square inch. Yep.

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<v Speaker 1>So if you cut a square inch out of your sheet,

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<v Speaker 1>get a microscope and count every single one of the threads,

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<v Speaker 1>not where they crossed or anything like that, but just

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<v Speaker 1>the individual threads. That's your thread count, and it's just added.

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<v Speaker 1>There's no weird formula. Horizontal uh plus vertical. Well, you

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<v Speaker 1>also do the square root of pie right in the

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<v Speaker 1>middle of it, right, just for fun. Uh. Here's the

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<v Speaker 1>dirty secret though, Apparently anything over four hundred is just

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<v Speaker 1>bogus because a square inch is a square inch. There's

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<v Speaker 1>only so much thread you can fit in it. And

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<v Speaker 1>what I read was that four d is that number

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<v Speaker 1>without getting manipulative. Okay, alright, so what I read is

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<v Speaker 1>that you can exceed that number without getting manipulative. But

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<v Speaker 1>you want to exceed that number, you have to use smaller,

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<v Speaker 1>thinner and thinner fibers. But that's manipulative. I guess it's manipulative.

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<v Speaker 1>But but you, yes it is, but um, but you

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<v Speaker 1>can like there's also outright manipulation where there's just not

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<v Speaker 1>that many fibers and there's threat. Okay, all right, but

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<v Speaker 1>you if you use thinner and thinner fibers to fit

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<v Speaker 1>more and more threads into that square inch, you're you're

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<v Speaker 1>giving the thread count that you're saying, but it's not

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<v Speaker 1>necessarily going to be a better sheet. Um. It might

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<v Speaker 1>feel pretty nice because what you're doing is creating like

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<v Speaker 1>one really solid piece of material, but because the thread

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<v Speaker 1>you're using is so thin, it might not be quite

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<v Speaker 1>as durable. Those threads might break more easily, leading to fraying. Pilling.

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<v Speaker 1>Pilling is the worst. UM. It might just catch fire spontaneously.

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<v Speaker 1>It might suck the life out of you while you're

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<v Speaker 1>while you're sleeping. There's a lot of things that can

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<v Speaker 1>go wrong if the threads of your sheets, UM snap

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<v Speaker 1>in the middle of the night. Yeah. So there's a

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<v Speaker 1>woman named Lexi Sachs who works at the Good Housekeeping Institute,

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<v Speaker 1>and she says in this article the sweet spot is

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<v Speaker 1>between three hundred and five hundred, or anywhere from three

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<v Speaker 1>hundred to five hundred because because higher than at then

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<v Speaker 1>it the cotton becomes thin. Because, like you said, that

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<v Speaker 1>probably means they're using thinner thread just to get that

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<v Speaker 1>number up. Um. But what you're looking for is a

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<v Speaker 1>It depends on who you are, But if you want

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<v Speaker 1>a soft and durable sheet, then you wanted to be

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<v Speaker 1>in that four range, right, which is great. I they

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<v Speaker 1>don't even like mention thread counts much anymore, do they.

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<v Speaker 1>I haven't bought sheets in a while, but I bet

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<v Speaker 1>it's still a thing. Okay, But I think one of

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<v Speaker 1>the reasons it used to be, like whether you were

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<v Speaker 1>in the market for sheets or not, you were you

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<v Speaker 1>were bombarded with thread counts on TV, radio, people in

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<v Speaker 1>their car. Yeah. So, um, And it definitely has subsided.

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<v Speaker 1>And one of the reasons it's subsided is because we'll

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<v Speaker 1>be right back after this message, alright, Chuck. One of

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<v Speaker 1>the reasons it's subsided is because again, some people were

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<v Speaker 1>just straight up perpetrating outright fraud, purpen fraud. Yeah, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>it's uh, it is weird. I don't hear as much

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<v Speaker 1>about anymore like you're talking about And maybe this fraud

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<v Speaker 1>being exposed has something to do with that. I think

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<v Speaker 1>it definitely is so Like for a period of time

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<v Speaker 1>in the United States at least, we were duped into it.

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<v Speaker 1>Like I remember thinking like, oh my god, I don't

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<v Speaker 1>know what my threadcount is, Like I need to find it.

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<v Speaker 1>That became the pickup line. It It replaced what's your sign,

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<v Speaker 1>I've got eight hundred threadcounts. She's so we were all

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<v Speaker 1>duped for a while. Um, But it really kind of

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<v Speaker 1>depends if you're shopping on what you're after in a sheet,

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<v Speaker 1>like some people those flannel sheets. I think I had

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<v Speaker 1>flannel for a little while in college. It's too hot,

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<v Speaker 1>uh for me for sure. Sometimes people cotton to those

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<v Speaker 1>all cotton they call them jersey or T shirt sheets.

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<v Speaker 1>It's just weird. I went down that road for a

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<v Speaker 1>little while. Boy, you've tried them all, haven't you. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>I've never gone silk or satin. Ah. Yeah, no, what

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<v Speaker 1>about setine? No, what is settin? It's a synthetic satin

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<v Speaker 1>or yeah, I think it's even like more satiny than satin. Okay, Well,

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<v Speaker 1>supposedly a setine we've will float the yarn over a

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<v Speaker 1>few rows at a time, which makes it smoother apparently.

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<v Speaker 1>So what about per kale, I'm not I don't even

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<v Speaker 1>know what that is. So per kale is kind of

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<v Speaker 1>like a crisp, sturdy cotton weave. It's kind of like

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<v Speaker 1>a basket we've um. But it's funny how like you

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<v Speaker 1>can use if you use certain types of fibers and

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<v Speaker 1>certain types of weaves, gonna get totally different fields. And

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<v Speaker 1>it is it's it's totally personal preference. I'm sure when

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<v Speaker 1>I said Jersey just feels weird, somewhere out there is

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<v Speaker 1>like your your nuts, Clark. I love Jersey. Who doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>want to sleep on a T shirt? It's all just

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<v Speaker 1>personal preference. And luckily the the textile industry has has

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<v Speaker 1>heard this that there are many different preferences and they're

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<v Speaker 1>giving us many different different things to work with. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>and some of those like jersey sheets and the cotton

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<v Speaker 1>sheets like that. Well, then this something I've just learned

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<v Speaker 1>by having a young daughter. It will tangle your hair.

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<v Speaker 1>A lot if you have long, straight hair or curly hair,

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<v Speaker 1>God forbid, because that cotton, when you move around, it

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<v Speaker 1>just it grabs hold. So what they recommend is like

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<v Speaker 1>a satin pillow case for kids, for toddlers, because you're

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<v Speaker 1>and it just makes sense your hair will slip around

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<v Speaker 1>on that and not get as tangle. So it's it's

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<v Speaker 1>in the mail. It's coming. I'll report back on success rates.

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<v Speaker 1>But that is supposedly a big anti tangler is satin sheet. Yeah, um,

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<v Speaker 1>you mean has gotten a um silk just pillow cases,

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<v Speaker 1>not the sheets, just the pillow cases. Yeah, it's yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>it's great. I had no idea why. Now I understand why.

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<v Speaker 1>I just thought she was showing off or something. But um,

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<v Speaker 1>you're thinking of France, right, we've got we've got silk

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<v Speaker 1>pillow cases now. Um, but they, I mean they are

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<v Speaker 1>very nice to sleep and I have to admit, Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>it's a small indulgence. I like it, but it's the yeah, right,

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<v Speaker 1>it's just a fraction of an indulgence. You get the

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<v Speaker 1>whole sheet set or whatever, then you are showing off.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't think I would like it. I I just

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<v Speaker 1>like it's fine for a pillow case. I'd be afraid

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<v Speaker 1>I'd slip off the bed or something exactly because I'd

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<v Speaker 1>wear my silk pajamas. Silk on silk. You know what

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<v Speaker 1>that means. Well, yeah, your toast, you're just gonna keep

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<v Speaker 1>sliding indefinitely until a car like stops you. So everyone's

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<v Speaker 1>getting duped. It's in the two thousand's. Uh, they start

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<v Speaker 1>coming out with these crazy numbers, like I said, up

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<v Speaker 1>to a thousand, and they were able to do this

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<v Speaker 1>because there's no FTC mandate on how to determine thread count,

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<v Speaker 1>so you can kind of just say whatever you want

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<v Speaker 1>and you can't be like tagged for false advertising. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>what they were doing also was they were saying, oh, well,

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<v Speaker 1>we're using two ply cotton threads, which is two thin

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<v Speaker 1>strands of cotton wound together to make a thicker strand

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<v Speaker 1>of cotton. So we have three hundred of those in

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<v Speaker 1>a square inch, but they're two plies, so we're gonna

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<v Speaker 1>call these six hundred thread count. Some people, apparently India,

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<v Speaker 1>Pakistan and China were putting out a substantial amount of

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<v Speaker 1>sheets that just it didn't matter what what you did,

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<v Speaker 1>you weren't going to come up with the thread counts.

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<v Speaker 1>That they were being advertised at and so the the

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<v Speaker 1>International Trade Commission heard some complaints and they actually authorized

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<v Speaker 1>customs agents around the world to see sheets sheets shipments again,

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<v Speaker 1>to see sheets shipments bam man, that's a tough one. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>and um test them. I don't know if they tested

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<v Speaker 1>them on the spot or what, but I'm sure there's

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<v Speaker 1>some nervous boat captains like standing there like, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>is it gonna is it gonna come back with man?

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<v Speaker 1>And um they found like a lot of sheets that

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<v Speaker 1>were coming out again India, Pakistan and China that weren't

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<v Speaker 1>up to the thread counts. And I think that was

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<v Speaker 1>kind of like the the um the crest of that

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<v Speaker 1>that wave and the fact that the International Trade Commission

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<v Speaker 1>actually took action on it, it just kind of beat

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<v Speaker 1>back that that little subset of fraud. And so that's

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<v Speaker 1>where thread counts went. And apparently one of the other

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<v Speaker 1>things that was fraudulent was Egyptian cotton. Yeah. Egyptian cotton

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<v Speaker 1>is a real thing, and it is great because it's

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<v Speaker 1>a longer fiber, longer staple is what they call it, Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>which means it's softer for sure, and more durable. So

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<v Speaker 1>it's not like, if you see Egyptian cotton, it's not

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<v Speaker 1>some big scam unless it's not Egyptian cotton. And again,

0:10:58.160 --> 0:11:01.120
<v Speaker 1>all kinds of brands are advertising a Gyptian cotton that

0:11:01.240 --> 0:11:04.360
<v Speaker 1>we're not Egyptian cotton. So if you go into a

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<v Speaker 1>store today and you see a one thousand thread count

0:11:08.320 --> 0:11:13.120
<v Speaker 1>Egyptian cotton sheet, be very wary. I would say, yeah,

0:11:13.240 --> 0:11:16.880
<v Speaker 1>runaway screaming. Well, unless it's it costs you a pretty

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<v Speaker 1>penny and it's from a brand that you know and trust. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know. I think the rules. Well that's true.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, yeah, it's true in this day and age.

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<v Speaker 1>But at a time I think if you bought sheets

0:11:28.280 --> 0:11:31.000
<v Speaker 1>from a brand, a very trustworthy brand, and they were

0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:33.839
<v Speaker 1>expensive sheets, you would think you're probably getting what you're

0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:37.439
<v Speaker 1>paying for. This. This article from House to works Um says,

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<v Speaker 1>if you see Egyptian cotton and it's inexpensive, you're probably

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<v Speaker 1>not getting Egyptian cotton. I'm surprised there's not an an

0:11:46.280 --> 0:11:50.520
<v Speaker 1>app delivery service called sheety Oh. I'll bet there's going

0:11:50.559 --> 0:11:53.880
<v Speaker 1>to be in about two weeks now. All right, just

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<v Speaker 1>give us a small cut, that's all I ask. Did

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<v Speaker 1>they ever though, Chuck whenever you come up with these

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<v Speaker 1>ideas that they did shark name, do ever give you

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<v Speaker 1>any I got no Sharknado money. You got no sugar

0:12:03.440 --> 0:12:07.520
<v Speaker 1>from Sharknado? Nope? Did you seize the sheets from Sharknado sugar?

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<v Speaker 1>I don't even know what that means. It doesn't mean anything.

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<v Speaker 1>I got nothing else. I haven't had anything else for

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<v Speaker 1>about thirty seconds. So let's end this, okay. If you

0:12:17.960 --> 0:12:20.120
<v Speaker 1>want to know more about this, go to how stuff

0:12:20.120 --> 0:12:22.319
<v Speaker 1>works dot com and check out this article, and also

0:12:22.360 --> 0:12:25.199
<v Speaker 1>send us an email to Stuff Podcast at how stuff

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<v Speaker 1>works dot com