Most of us understand that "thread count" indicates the quality of linen. The higher the thread count, the softer, smoother, and more luxurious the sheets. But the class action lawsuit against Bed Bath & Beyond has revealed a dirty little secret manufacturers do to inflate the thread count of their product.

Thread count is calculated by mulitplying the number of vertical yarns by horizontal yarns. However, some manufacturers have been using multi-ply yarn (one yarn created by twisting two or more strands of fiber together) and counting them into the final thread count. For example, a bed sheet made of 200 two-ply yarns can be labeled as having a 400 thread count. This is what happened at BB&B.

On or about February 10, 2003, at a Bed Bath & Beyond in Birmingham, Alabama, White purchased one queen flat sheet, one queen fitted sheet, and two pillowcases: white, pre-shrunk, extra deep, one hundred per cent chemical-free, “woven with durable two-ply yarns,” the packaging said, for a grand total of eight hundred threads...She said, “They just didn’t feel like I expected luxurious sheets to feel.” A lawyer friend encouraged her to have the bedding tested, so White sent them off to a lab that specializes in textile forensics. The verdict: her new “800 Natural” sheets were, in fact, mere 408s.

- The New Yorker

The next time you go shopping for bed sheets, make sure to read the fine print--only buy single-ply.

If you want in on the BB&B class action suit, you still have time to get your claim in. The deadline is May 13, 2008 (postmarked by date) and it applies to anyone who "purchased multi-ply sheet sets, pillowcases, down comforters, bedskirts, shams, duvets or down pillows that were labeled as “plied,” “two-ply” or “2-ply” from Bed Bath & Beyond between August 1, 2000 and November 9, 2007."

Here is their list of covered products .

Here is their claim form .

Here is the settlement FAQ .