Preparing Your Vacation Rental If you have air conditioning your guests will be in control of the temperature within the property, but many places do not have the benefit of AC and it’s therefore important to make sure they will be comfortable sleeping in the heat of the summer. Even with overhead and portable fans, on the hottest of summer nights people may have trouble getting a good sleep. Providing the coolest linens on the beds will at least give them some relief so make sure you’ve removed the flannel and heavy duvets and replaced them with lightweight materials and fabrics designed to ‘breathe’. The ability of summer linens to maintain a pleasant body temperature should guide your choices. In general natural fabrics will breathe better, while synthetic fabrics don’t breathe well at all, keeping your body heat trapped which can be unpleasant, unless they are specifically made to wick sweat away from the body. Cotton Cotton is a ‘breathable’ fabric and cotton sheets tend not to trap warm air around the body. When buying cotton, we have been brainwashed to look for the highest thread count however for summer bedding look for a lower count since the higher the thread count, the more tightly knit and less breathable the fabric. If you prefer cotton in a high thread count then make sure the linens you choose use a finer single ply yarn technique. Otherwise, it will create very heavy material, which is not good for summer. In simple terms, lower thread counts Silk and Satin Satin/sateen sheets are usually made of a blend of polyester, silk and nylon and are cool to the touch. Silk is very lightweight and luxurious but could be a little pricey for a vacation rental. Touch Bamboo This is an eco-friendly option since the fabric comes from a renewable resource. Bamboo sheets feel luxurious, have anti-bacterial qualities and the nature of the fabric helps to keep temperature regulated. Linen Although pure linen is a popular fabric for warm weather its breathability also makes it a good option for summer bedding. Comforters, blankets and coverlets Choose thin blankets in the same material as the sheets or in another light fabric. Then provide a thicker blanket or coverlet at the foot of the bed, or stored nearby for easy access when a surprise cool evening breeze sets in.
