The Buzz about
BAMBOO

wHY BAMBOO IS BETTER THAN COTTON

Why you should sleep on Bamboo Bed Sheets

“Mom, why do you get the best sheets in the house?” My son Alex may be more obsessed with our BedVoyage sheets than we are. While making the bed with the luxury bamboo sheets, he grabbed them and rolled himself in them . Even he notices the difference between bamboo and cotton sheets.

Alex11 yrs old

So, what’s all the buzz about bamboo fabrics? I was curious so I did my research and I learned why bamboo is better than cotton for many reasons.

The trend is eco-friendly and organic with most products these days. Just like organic, eco-friendly food is regarded as good for our health, natural, clothing, sheets, towels and blankets is safer than those made of synthetic fabrics that have been doused with chemicals.

 

Since our skin is the largest organ on our body, and it absorbs everything it’s exposed to—even harmful toxins. I have been getting rid of any products in our home that contains harmful ingredients. I would have done this sooner if I knew that many harmful chemicals don’t always need to be disclosed on product labels. 

I admit however, that I haven’t paid as much attention as I should to labels on textiles and fabrics. Since I am a very tactile I am drawn to soft cozy fabrics. 

 

When I first tried on a bamboo t-shirt I was over the moon. The texture of the bamboo fiber fabric was unbelievable! I was beginning to understand why so many people are loving bamboo fabrics.

 

Bamboo fibers are used to construct eco-friendly fabrics and textiles. It’s no wonder that the popularity of bamboo in the fashion industry has gained a lot of attention. 

Bamboo is not just used in fashion, it’s also in everyday textiles like sheets and towels. It makes perfect sense since bamboo is environmentally friendly, constructed without chemicals and is luxuriously soft! The more I learn about bamboo the more I am impressed with the durable fabric. 

Last month, I made our bed for the first time with bamboo sheets and yummy bamboo pillow cases. A few of my gal pals have been gushing about their bamboo bed sheets from BedVoyage, a local woman run company in Woodinville Washington so I thought I would give bamboo sheets a try.

My hubby is  very particular about his bedding. He is what many may call a “sheet snob” so I wasn’t sure if he would approve. I decided not to tell him until after I washed the sheets and made the bed. When he climbed into bed that night, he immediately commented on how soft the sheets were. Needless to say, we are both hooked. No more cotton sheets for us! 

Why bamboo Bedding?

DID YOU KNOW THAT….

Bamboo grows organically without the use of pesticides because it is naturally disease- and pest-resistant. 

This means that bamboo is a better natural alternative to cotton, as cotton is one of the most chemically sprayed crops in the world?!  YIKES I did not know this!

Bamboo fibers are made from the stalk of the bamboo plant, which is pulverized and then the pulp is spun through a Spinneret which spins out super fine, round and smooth fibers which makes for a silk-cashmere feel. 

7 Reasons to Use Bamboo Bed Sheets vs. Cotton

1. Chemical Free

Nothing grows faster than bamboo!   It holds the Guinness World Record as the fastest growing plant. You can literally watch it grow, and up to 3 feet per day! 

Get this… did you know that wrinkle free sheets are “finished” with a chemical process that contains formaldehyde. Yes, formaldehyde is toxic! YUCK! Formaldehyde is also used to make fabric stain resistant by either soaking the fabric in formaldehyde or exposing the fabric to formaldehyde gases — then baking the fabric at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. This process prevents the fibers in the fabric from wrinkling after being washed. Scary right? 

 

Unfortunately, the use of formaldehyde and other chemicals doesn’t have to be disclosed on the product label. The scary truth is that the government doesn’t regulate formaldehyde levels in bedding. There’s no requirement to unveil to the consumer when formaldehyde is used. 

Formaldehyde is known to have toxic effects on the immune system. Laboratory animals exposed to low doses of formaldehyde while they were pregnant resulted in low birth weight offspring whose lungs had limited ability to fight off inflammation.

 

I don’t know about you but I don’t want any of my family members sleeping on fabrics that off-gas toxins. When you sleep your pores open up so it’s critical that your sheets should be natural and toxic free. All new mothers and babies should be using organic bedding like the BedVoyage bamboo sheets, towels and blankets. BedVoyage has now created eco-friends comforting crib sheets and towels. 

BedVoyage Plush bamboo towels that are super absorbent help dry you quicker and alleviate skin conditions. 

BedVoyage Panda Baby Bamboo Bath Essentials Made of Rayon Viscose from Bamboo and Cotton

BedVoyage Bamboo Luxury Bamboo Sheets Plush bamboo towels that are super absorbent help dry you quicker and alleviate skin conditions. 

BedVoyage warm and snuggly throw blanket and travel size pillowcase, made from hypoallergenic bamboo. 

2. Durability

Bamboo sheets and towels are more durable that cotton sheets Bamboo Bed Sheets like those from BedVoyage are made from premium bamboo and will not pill and wear out like your traditional bed sheets. It’s no secret that viscose from bamboo is one of the strongest and most affordable fabrics that keeps its durability and strength three times over cotton sheets. 

3. Bamboo Smells Good and Stays Cleaner

One of the most fascinating properties of bamboo itself is that it has antimicrobial properties referred to as “Bamboo Kun”.  I have always admired bamboo floors and one reason they are so popular in other countries is that bamboo floors contain natural antibacterial properties,

Why wouldn’t we want our sheets, blankets and towels to be antibacterial? Bamboo bed sheets seldom need to be washed frequently like the cotton sheets. Cotton sheets absorb perspiration but releases bad odor. Bamboo sheets remain clean and odorless for a long time.

 

Even a load of bamboo linens left in the washer all day will not create that sour smell that makes you feel you have to run the wash again.  If your teen tosses a wet towel on the floor or leaves one in their gym bag, there won’t be that heavy mildew scent. You can even hang your towel to dry, and reuse it for days before laundering again.

 

For further information on the antibacterial properties of bamboo, you can view the article in Research Gate here.

Truth be told, I even tested this with by boys bath towels. You know when your kids want to use the same towel over and over? The towels take on a nasty mildew smell. Well, the BedVoyage bamboo towels the boys have been using this past month, do not mildew. 

4. Softer

Softer than Cotton- Bamboo fibers are extremely soft and cozy to the touch. The new BedVoyage sheet we are using seriously feel like a cross between silk and cashmere. The bamboo towels are extraordinarily soft and absorbent. 

 

Some people say, Rayon from Bamboo has a drape against your skin that is indescribably comforting.  The first thing I noticed about my new bamboo sheets were that they were unusually soft but the sheets also draped in a way that is different than cotton sheets. My younger son wants to know why he can’t have sheets on his bed like we have on the king size bed! I guess we will get some for him soon. 

5. More Absorbent and Breathable than Cotton

Bamboo is 40% more absorbent than the finest organic cotton for wicking moisture away from the skin. Bamboo absorbs three times more water than its weight. Some of my friends use bamboo kitchen towels because they absorb water and don’t mildew. 

 

From now on I want to use fabrics with bamboo fibers which include sheets, towels, blankets and pillows etc. Clothes are next up. 

6. Regulates Body Temputure

Bamboo fabric fibers have micro-gaps, which helps with ventilation, meaning they trap cool air in the summer and warm air in the winter to regulate your body temperature, a key feature for bedding because you stay a few degrees cooler in the summer months, and a few degrees warmer in the winter months.

7. Eco Friendly

If you consider yourself ec-friendly then you will love this…. bamboo stalks are cut at harvest, not pulled out by the root, allowing stalks to   re-grow from the existing root. This makes bamboo an excellent tool for soil conservation. In additon, bamboo plays a critical role in the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide, by releasing 35% more oxygen and taking in 5 times the volume of greenhouse gasses as an equivalent stand of trees. Furthermore, bamboo ONLY requires 1/3 the amount of water that cotton does. 

 

Nothing grows faster than bamboo!   It holds the Guinness World Record as the fastest growing plant. You can literally watch it grow, and up to 3 feet per day, reaching heights up to 98 feet, all without the aid of fertilizers or pesticides.

 

Renewable resource – bamboo can be harvested in one to five years depending on the species. In comparison, hardwoods like oak trees take at least forty years before they can be harvested. Over one million acres of forests are lost each week due to deforestation. 

8. What Does Rayon and Viscose from Bamboo Mean Anyway?

When I was looking into bamboo sheets, I saw rayon and viscose popping up everywhere. This was confusing to me because I assumed rayon and viscose were fibers that are not natural maybe because viscose sounded like a chemical. Boy, I was wrong. 

What I learned is that is Viscose rayon is a fiber made from regenerated wood cellulose.” So when it pertains to bamboo plants, it comes from the cellulose of the plant. Rayon is one of the most popular uses of viscose and is used to make many items, notably: tablecloths, bed linens and slip-covers.

Wikipedia states that “Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber’ which means basically the same as the definition of viscose, which is why you will see both words used in the description of bamboo fiber products.

Rayon fibers are considered not natural or artificial. The term ‘regenerated’ refers to the fact that a chemical change does happen in the processing of bamboo. This information was very interesting to me.bb

Please note that not all bamboo fabric, linens are created equal. Do you research, I did.  Look for Oeko-Tex approved fibers, which are tested to be safe for babies, as well; our bamboo is grown organically and has the proof of certification from Eco-Cert, which is an organic certification organization based in Europe but conducts inspections in over 80 countries. 

 

I buy my bamboo towels and sheets from BedVoyage. Trust the products and the towels and sheets from BedVoyage has exceeded my expectations. I haven’t tried their blankets yet, soon! 

Please let me know if you have tried bamboo sheets and towels, I would love to hear what you think! 

Cheers, 

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