Eco-Friendly Bedding Guide: Choosing the Right Sheets

You don’t have to sacrifice comfort for eco-friendliness when it comes to bedding - there are more ways than ever to go green and sleep in style. A great place to start is with a quick update to your bedding. Before you begin your search for comfy, cozy new blankets and sheets, take a few moments to brush up on eco-conscious properties so you’ll find something you really love.

Organic vs. Conventional Cotton

Cotton is one of the most common and popular fibers for bedding. It’s crisp. It’s comfortable, and there’s no shortage of styles to choose from. If you’re on the market for sustainable bedding, look for products made with eco-friendly organic cotton. Just keep an eye out for sheets bedding made with Certified Organic cotton. This means that the cotton used was produced according to strict guidelines regarding the use of fertilizers and pesticides, with an eye towards sustainable farming methods.

If you want to take it a step further, look for products that are Oeko-Tex certified. This is a rigorous standard that tests for the presence of harmful substances like formaldehyde and cadmium. To boot, the certification requirements become stricter the more a product is designed to come into contact with skin, meaning bedding of all kinds – regardless of what it’s made from – must comply with some of the strictest standards in the industry.

Beyond Cotton

Cotton is probably the most common material you’ll come across when shopping for eco-friendly quilts, duvets and bedding. However, there are other natural fibers that have the potential to be just as environmentally friendly. You can easily opt for sheets made out of renewable resources like supersoft TENCEL and linen, which has long been prized for its durability. Bamboo viscose is another comfortable, eco-friendly option that’s smooth and keeps you cool at night.

Comfort above All

Of course, when it comes to bedding, comfort is king. After all, we spend almost a third of our lives in bed so any type of bedding, especially sheet sets, should be comfy-cozy for years to come. When it comes to thread count, higher doesn’t always mean better. Some of the highest thread-count sheets are so thick that they’d be too heavy for summer nights, whereas lower thread count sheets made with high-quality cotton will stay crisp and cool for years to come. It all boils down to what you’re most comfortable with.

Percale, Sateen, Jersey… A Primer

As you’re selecting different bedding, it helps to keep in mind some of these terms so you know what you’re looking at. A percale sheet is made of tightly woven threads for a cool, crisp feel against your skin, while a sateen sheet is woven with a specific pattern to achieve a soft, satiny feel. Jersey sheets are knit using the same method as your favorite T-shirt for an extra comfy feel. Flannel sheets have some of the richest weaves of all and are thick, fuzzy and soft – which is ideal for wintertime snuggle. Whatever you choose, just remember that the weave you select can be as important as the thread count, so consider what time of year it is as you purchase sheets for your bedroom.