I sleep on sheets for a living, and bamboo sheets have become the fabric I can't stop recommending to everyone. They're incredibly soft, cool to the touch, and a great pick for just about every kind of sleeper.
If you're wondering how a bamboo plant turns into a bedsheet, whether or not bamboo is actually cooling, or which sets are worth buying, this is the guide for you. After a year and a half of testing more than 20 different sets of bamboo and bamboo-adjacent bedding, there are a few sets that stand out against the pack. My current favorite is Bearaby's Second Skin Sheets ($247), which manages to be silky-soft and still cozy at the same time, and even boasts antibacterial benefits. If you're looking for cooling sheets, nothing's cooler than Ettitude's Signature Bamboo Sheet Set ($355), nor does anything else come with as many ethical and eco-conscious certifications. Looking to spend a little less but still want Oeko-Tex certified bamboo that comes with ethical sourcing? Try Aeptom's Bamboo Sateen Sheet Set ($152).
Read on to learn everything you ever wanted to know about bamboo sheets, plus more about our picks and everything we've slept on to write this guide. While you're here, check out our guides to the Best Mattresses, Best Mattresses for Back Pain, Best Sheets, Best Cooling Sheets, Best Bed Frames, and Best Down Comforters. You can also catch our advice on how to clean everything on your bed, how to arrange your bedroom for better sleep, and whether thread count matters.
How Does Bamboo Become Bedding?
Bamboo, obviously, isn't a fiber naturally the way cotton and linen are. Bamboo has to go through an intensive chemical process to break it down and form it into a fiber that then becomes bedding. There are multiple processes you can use, and each one creates a slightly different type of bamboo bedding. Checking what kind of bamboo is listed as the material (e.g., does it say bamboo rayon or bamboo viscose?) will tell you about the process used.
What Types of Bamboo Fibers Are There?
There are a few different terms you might see when describing the bamboo fibers that make up a set of bamboo sheets. Each name lets you know what kind of chemical process was used and what kind of chemicals (and chemical off-put) were involved.
Bamboo rayon and bamboo viscose are sometimes used interchangeably, though they shouldn't be, since they aren't exactly the same. Rayon is likely a term you've seen before, since it's a general term used for fabric made from regenerated cellulose. Bamboo rayon usually suggests that it's semi-synthetic and might not be 100 percent bamboo. Meanwhile, bamboo viscose also uses bamboo cellulose as its base, though it has a slightly different process. Viscose is another type that isn't limited to bamboo. Just about every sheet I've tested claims to be 100 percent bamboo viscose.
Bamboo lyocell is the best of the three, because lyocell has a closed-loop process, which means that almost all of the chemicals used to make more lyocell get reused rather than dumped. Lyocell is a quality fabric that makes for a great cooling sheet, so it's a term to look for if you want to stay cool while you sleep.
Is Bamboo Bedding Really Cooling?
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