When shopping for sheets, everyone recommends Egyptian cotton. Manufacturers love to be able to put this on the label. People will skip over regular cotton and choose those made from Egyptian cotton. This type of fabric has reigned as softest sheet material for a very long time. But now Egyptian cotton is facing some competition and it comes from an interesting source. The competition is from that little plant known as bamboo. I'm not kidding. I actually said bamboo.
Who would have considered that this funny plant would have been used this way? Unbelievably, that tough and fibrous plant generates some of the softest fabric that we've ever touched. If you put bamboo and Egyptian cotton sheets on a table next to each other, it would be difficult to choose the softer of the two. Some will select the Egyptian cotton. Others will say that the bamboo is the softest.
Along with softness, there are other pluses with bamboo that make it appealing. For example, Egyptian cotton is made from cotton, of course. Everyone knows what cotton is and probably wears cotton clothing all day long, or uses cotton in their home somewhere. Well, people have found that bamboo breathes much better than cotton. And because it breathes it is much more efficient at regulating body temperature while a person sleeps. When a sleeper starts to sweat the cotton will absorb the moisture and then put it right back on them. This makes the sleeper need to pull the covers up and then throw them off. As they get chilly they have to pull the covers on again. But bamboo excels at absorbing the moisture and pulling it away from the person sleeping. So anyone sleeping under bamboo sheets will not have to repeatedly pull up and push down the covers in an effort to regulate body temperature. The bamboo is doing that work for them.
Another big difference between bamboo and cotton is its "greenness." Most bamboo sheets are naturally hypoallergenic and all of them are quite bug resistant. Cotton is not either of these. For those people who struggle with sensitive skin or allergies this is a good thing for bamboo. Since bamboo is bug resistant by nature, this means pesticides are not essential during the growing season. Cotton is always being assaulted by different types of pests. This means that the growers must constantly use pesticides in order to keep those pests away. So choosing bamboo would be helpful for those with sensitive skin or who might have a reaction to any pesticide residue left over on cotton sheets. Naturally the manufacturers will wash that cotton as thoroughly as they can to eradicate as much pesticide residue as possible. But by using bamboo we eliminate that worry completely.
Ultimately, we know that many people these days are trying to be greener. So this puts bamboo in the win column for them again. Bamboo grows at an accelerated rate. Along with accelerated growth, it produces a bigger fiber crop per acre than cotton. This makes bamboo king as a highly renewable source over cotton. Even those who love cotton wish it was an easier crop to grow and that they could get more cotton per acre.
So who is the winner? Bamboo gets more points when we talk about things like production and greenness. But there will always be those that prefer the feel of cotton. But hold on! People may not have to take sides at all. Manufacturers nowadays are experimenting with fabric blended from bamboo and Egyptian cotton. Just think about how soft your sheets or comforter sets would be if they were made from both of these fantastic fabrics!
Who would have considered that this funny plant would have been used this way? Unbelievably, that tough and fibrous plant generates some of the softest fabric that we've ever touched. If you put bamboo and Egyptian cotton sheets on a table next to each other, it would be difficult to choose the softer of the two. Some will select the Egyptian cotton. Others will say that the bamboo is the softest.
Along with softness, there are other pluses with bamboo that make it appealing. For example, Egyptian cotton is made from cotton, of course. Everyone knows what cotton is and probably wears cotton clothing all day long, or uses cotton in their home somewhere. Well, people have found that bamboo breathes much better than cotton. And because it breathes it is much more efficient at regulating body temperature while a person sleeps. When a sleeper starts to sweat the cotton will absorb the moisture and then put it right back on them. This makes the sleeper need to pull the covers up and then throw them off. As they get chilly they have to pull the covers on again. But bamboo excels at absorbing the moisture and pulling it away from the person sleeping. So anyone sleeping under bamboo sheets will not have to repeatedly pull up and push down the covers in an effort to regulate body temperature. The bamboo is doing that work for them.
Another big difference between bamboo and cotton is its "greenness." Most bamboo sheets are naturally hypoallergenic and all of them are quite bug resistant. Cotton is not either of these. For those people who struggle with sensitive skin or allergies this is a good thing for bamboo. Since bamboo is bug resistant by nature, this means pesticides are not essential during the growing season. Cotton is always being assaulted by different types of pests. This means that the growers must constantly use pesticides in order to keep those pests away. So choosing bamboo would be helpful for those with sensitive skin or who might have a reaction to any pesticide residue left over on cotton sheets. Naturally the manufacturers will wash that cotton as thoroughly as they can to eradicate as much pesticide residue as possible. But by using bamboo we eliminate that worry completely.
Ultimately, we know that many people these days are trying to be greener. So this puts bamboo in the win column for them again. Bamboo grows at an accelerated rate. Along with accelerated growth, it produces a bigger fiber crop per acre than cotton. This makes bamboo king as a highly renewable source over cotton. Even those who love cotton wish it was an easier crop to grow and that they could get more cotton per acre.
So who is the winner? Bamboo gets more points when we talk about things like production and greenness. But there will always be those that prefer the feel of cotton. But hold on! People may not have to take sides at all. Manufacturers nowadays are experimenting with fabric blended from bamboo and Egyptian cotton. Just think about how soft your sheets or comforter sets would be if they were made from both of these fantastic fabrics!
About the Author:
Norita Sieffert travels the world looking for clever tips and helpful hints on many subjects. She has gleaned knowledge on many topics such as bamboo and Egyptian cotton. To read more interesting facts, visit her articles page. To browse her outstanding selection of bamboo sheet sets visit her online home dcor store.
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