Australia is waking up to the benefits of bamboo bedding compared to cotton. This blog will help you understand the differences between bamboo and cotton sheets, so you can shop more sustainably and enjoy a better night’s sleep.
What’s the difference between bamboo and cotton sheets?
Cotton fibre, derived from the fluffy balls on cotton crops, has been used in textiles for thousands of years.
Bamboo rayon fabric, on the other hand, is only about 250 years old. Technological advancements enabled fibres extracted from fast-growing bamboo plants in Asia to become a soft, durable, antibacterial textile used in clothing, underwear, socks and bedding.
But that’s only the origin story. As bamboo becomes more popular, the benefits of bamboo fibre sheets really start to stack up.
Comparing bamboo vs cotton sheets
Sustainability
Cotton has long been criticised for its environmental impact. Cotton is a seasonal shrub, requiring a lot of land, water, pesticides and labour to grow. As well as claiming large swathes of space, cotton crops degrade soil that could have been used for food production.
Bamboo crops are renewable, growing naturally in tight clusters without degrading the soil like cotton. The fastest-growing plant on earth, a bamboo shoot can grow several inches in a single day while needing significantly less water than cotton.
Softness
High thread count cotton and Egyptian cotton sheets are prized for their softness. Silk is even softer, although you pay a high price for the exclusive fabric.
And then there’s bamboo. Widely regarded as one of the softest fabrics available today, bamboo is luxuriously comfortable and not slippery like silk. Finely woven bamboo rayon fabric is significantly softer than cotton and more breathable than silk, staying sumptuously soft and breathable even after years of regular washing.