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Bamboo Bed Sheets

July 7, 2006
by Kit Cassingham

100% bamboo-fiber bed sheets are a great way to treat your guests like royalty, and be kind to the environment. Because fertilizers, pesticides, and high quantities of water aren't needed to grow quality bamboo, these are a great answer for your bedding challenges. Bamboo sheets are silky soft, drape beautifully, and breathe comfortably. They are better, in my experience, than high quality Egyptian-cotton bed sheets. And the price is even better!

While attending the PAII conference, held in Phoenix during April, I visited Inn Style in the vendor section. Initially I only wanted to find out whether they were carrying any organic cotton sheets and towels. But I so quickly got side-tracked with other wonderful discoveries that I forgot to pursue my original question. What was so exciting as to get me off track? Bamboo sheets. 100% bamboo fiber sheets, not a bamboo/cotton blend.

I know that gives you the impression that the sheets are "stiff as a board", but that impression couldn't be further from the truth. These sheets have all the benefits of silk, satin, or 800 thread-count Egyptian cotton bed sheets, without many of the disadvantages of any of them. These sheets, be they knit or woven, are soft, supple, and silky to the touch.

Silk and bamboo sheets are more easily damaged by bleaching than other natural fiber or blend sheets, so using baking soda and white vinegar in your wash and rinse cycles, respectively, are a better way of keeping sheets clean and bright. If the sheets get a tough stain, StainSolver is a powerful oxygen bleach you can safely use on them. Bamboo sheets also fare better with a cold- water wash, rather than a warm- or hot-water wash. Think of the money you save with these laundry changes!

Bamboo fiber sheets seem to be a great alternative to organic cotton because bamboo grows readily without fertilizers or pesticides, and it requires much less water than cotton. By buying natural-colored, undyed sheets, you have completed the cycle of natural bedding. And they feel so good you are taking care of your guests' natural sleep.

I bought a pair of knit bamboo sheets from Inn Style to experiment with. These particular sheets came in four, softly-hued colors; I chose the natural color. I later found 250 thread-count woven, bamboo sheets at Sam's Club, available in white (they used to be available online, but not anymore, or at least right now). They are a much better quality than any discount bed sheet I've ever purchased or experienced. The fabric in both sets of sheets is incredibly soft and quite drapeable. They breathe well, making them the perfect insulator for a good night's sleep.

Personally I have been preferring jersey-knit sheets because I live in a cold climate and these sheets keep me the right temperature year-round. I was concerned that I was going to lose that temperature balance. Neither of the bamboo sheet sets is a problem, as far as keeping me the right temperature is concerned. I couldn't be happier.

I've only had the sheets a short time so they each have been laundered only twice, but the laundry results are favorable. When I removed the knit bamboo sheets from the dryer the first time, they'd been sitting there for a few hours. I was relieved to see how minimal the wrinkles were. I hear some people, innkeepers included, who don't like wrinkled sheets and don't iron, but that's not an issue for me. The sheets were soft when we first opened the package and are lovely after two washings. I'll report back after we've had them longer.

Organic bamboo sheets are a natural for the lodging industry. They are environmentally friendly in their growth patterns, and if you take care of them naturally, they also are good for your guests with allergies and chemical sensitivities. You can buy them at several places, but Inn Style and Sam's are where I started.

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