When my house was being remodeled last summer and the dust hadn’t settled, I splurged and spent a night at the Ivy Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. I can still recall slipping into the sheets and thinking “whoa!”

I lifted the corners to find the brand. When I discovered that it was Sferra, I was slightly disappointed because I have the same brand at home, and they don’t feel as soft and smooth. Then I realized why Ivy’s were better — they were ironed.

Talk about a letdown. Appreciating the luxury of ironed sheets is one thing, but getting out the Rowenta is another. That’s when I started noticing that retailers are selling sheets labeled “wrinkle-resistant.” These aren’t poly-cotton blends — they’re 100 percent cotton that claim to defy cotton’s worst flaw — wrinkles.

I had to know. Can “wrinkle-free” sheets feel as good as ironed ones?

I washed Target’s no-iron set and found that it definitely wrinkles less, although to call any of these sheets wrinkle-free would be an overstatement.

In May 2010 when Consumer Reports tested sheets, it included a couple of wrinkle-free models, but they didn’t fare well. The Canopy sheets from Walmart ($35 to $39 for queen and king sets) and the Eddie Bauer Lodge Collection (now discontinued) still wrinkled, according to the magazine.

But consumers who are hesitant about trying the wrinkle-free sheets can rest easy. First, most of the all-cotton sheets aren’t expensive. Paying less than $50 for a king set at most discounters is a good value, although some are more expensive.