Bamboo bedding - beautiful and beneficial

You have probably noticed sheets and bedding made of bamboo rayon popping up in major retail stores in the last couple of years. While there has been some controversy over "eco-friendly" claims made by certain bamboo clothing manufacturers, there is no doubt that bamboo rayon possesses remarkable qualities that make it an exceptionally good choice for sheets and bedding.

The most visible benefit of bamboo rayon is its beautiful drape and sheen, making it an elegant choice for many types of bedding like coverlets, spreads and duvet covers. Naturally more wrinkle-resistant than cotton, shrinking during washing and drying of bamboo bedding is minimal.

The incredibly soft feel of bamboo is another of its most appealing qualities. Bamboo sheets and bedding are amazingly silky soft to the touch but unlike high-count cotton sheets, the bamboo fabric breathes preventing that "sticky" feeling that so often occurs with temperature changes at night.

Bamboo's thermal regulating ability is an added plus for bedding – particularly sheets. Inspecting a cross section of a bamboo rayon fiber reveals that it is filled with micro holes and gaps which allow for excellent ventilation and moisture absorption. Consequently sheets made from bamboo rayon wick moisture away from the skin far faster than cotton. This helps keep you and your bed cooler and drier and less attractive to dust mites which need a humid environment in which to thrive and produce allergens.

Bamboo, of course, is natural, but bamboo fabric is actually a man-made rayon product, so claims to be "100% bamboo" can be deceiving. In October of 2009, the FTC issued a statement clarifying terminology that should be used in marketing bamboo fabrics. Rayon fiber is created from the cellulose found in trees and plants like bamboo (which is actually a grass) and bamboo fabrics made from rayon are required to be labeled as such. Bamboo fabric manufacturers claim that bamboo is also anti-bacterial and hypoallergenic, although the FTC has disputed claims that it is anti-microbial.

Finally, bamboo is undeniably one of the world's most sustainable resources, growing as fast as 3 feet a day without the use of harmful chemicals such as those used in traditional natural fiber production, e.g., non-organic cotton. According to the Organic Trade Association, non-organic cotton is considered the world's 'dirtiest' crop due to its heavy dependence on insecticides. All together, bamboo is considered to be an environmentally friendly alternative to cotton.