When I felt the call to switch from cotton sheets (a less sustainable and water-wasteful textile) to bamboo sheets, I was pleasantly surprised to find a bunch of great options, but not a lot of information to make an informed choice.
As I do: I took that as a challenge to test out a range of options in my search for the best bamboo sheets. I’ve narrowed down the choices to my five personal favorites, but first...
If you haven’t tried bamboo bed sheets yet, you really need to.
Bamboo bed sheets are a more environmentally friendly choice in a world with dwindling natural resources. Not only is bamboo bedding good for you, but it’s also good for the environment. Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing renewable plant resources. It produces more oxygen and absorbs more carbon dioxide than trees. Simply switching to bamboo bedding is a step in a more sustainable direction.
But they aren’t just soft on the planet - they’re also gentle to the skin.
Bamboo is thermoregulating, to keep cool on those hot nights, and warm on colder nights. It’s hypoallergenic, anti-bacterial, and the moisture-wicking properties of bamboo sheets mean they’re odor resistant.
And suppose you’re like me and freaked out at the thought of tens of thousands of dust mites making your bed their home. In that case, bamboo’s natural antimicrobial properties mean that it’s hostile territory for these microscopic critters.
Ettitude has gone one sustainable step further than just using bamboo. Their signature material, CleanBamboo™ is bamboo lyocell, which they claim to be the most eco-friendly bamboo fabric in the world. It’s manufactured in a non-toxic closed-loop system that saves 98 percent of the water that would usually be used in the production of bamboo fabric. The result is a chemical-free material, perfect for people like me with allergies and sensitive skin.
I love that they take sustainability seriously—the sheets ship in reusable drawstring bags made from 100% biodegradable scrap fabric.
Ettitude’s Bamboo Lyocell sheets are pre-washed, so there is no anxiety over whether the sheets will fit after the first wash bamboo shrink. And speaking of fitting, the deep pockets stretch to fit any mattress size, so no more fitted sheets popping off the mattress in the middle of the night.
The thoughtfulness continues with a top and bottom tag to orient you on when it comes to cleaning and drying on laundry day, as well as making your bed. They’ve really thought of everything!
As for the feel of these sheets, they are everything that you imagine the words “buttery soft” to feel like. With these sheets, climbing into bed felt like a reward in itself, a treat and an indulgence. Satin or silk are what usually comes to mind when you think about luxury textiles, but climbing into a bed made with these sheets made me add bamboo lyocell to this list.
The sateen weave finish is tasteful and sophisticated on the eye and a pleasure under the fingertips. They are available in Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King size.
One thing to note about these sheets - Lyocell has a slightly unpleasant slippery quality when it’s BRAND NEW, but fear not - this texture will disappear and become softer to the touch after a few washes.
These bamboo sheet sets come in a wide variety of sophisticated colors - 9 solid and two striped options. Feather White, Sand, Sage, Grey, Pepper, Blue Nights, Starlight Blue, Paradise Green, Cloud Pink, Starlight Blue Stripes, Grey Stripes
Cariloha Resort Bamboo Sheets feel a lot softer than their 400 thread count. Carihola claims that their sheets are even softer than Egyptian cotton sheets, with their eye-popping 1000 thread count. While I don’t have a threadcount-o-meter handy, I can tell you that they’re not exaggerating about the sheer softness of the fabric.
When you make your bed with these sheets, it feels like you’re spreading clouds over your mattress. They’re light as air and soft to the touch. It’s a luxury that invites you into bed. This is the kind of bedding that will compel you to hit the snooze button way more than you know you should.
The sateen finish is made from 100% viscose from bamboo. There is a box stitch finish at the seams, adding strength and durability to the fabric.
There is one slight downside to my experience of these sheets - after a few nights, I noticed that there was a little bit of pilling of the fabric. I also noticed that these sheets wrinkle a lot more quickly than most other bamboo sheets I’ve come across. For a quick and easy fix to this, check out my guide to washing and taking care of your bamboo sheets.
It’s a luxury sheet set, and this means it comes at a slightly higher price. This set includes one flat sheet, one fitted sheet and two pillowcases. The fitted sheet can fit mattresses that are up to 18 inches deep. They come in four sizes - Queen, King, California King and Split King, and seven colors. Choose from White, Stone, Onyx, Blue Lagoon, Coconut Milk, Harbor Gray, or Ocean Milk
Nest Bedding 100% Bamboo Luxury sheets have that “come hither” look of luxury, the glint in the eye that says “come to bed, darling.” Basically, these bamboo sheets look the part—the kind of sheets a set decorator would order for a fancy fashion shoot.
Lounging in bed with them, I must admit, I felt a bit like I was in a shoot myself. This is a 300 thread count rayon from bamboo, and the silkiness is a freakin’ experience in itself.
Before I bought the sheets, I read a review that said, “They make that fancy sheet sliding sound, and they keep me cool.” And it’s true! It’s an experience for all of your senses (and yes, I’m including your sense of good taste!).
This sheet set has all the benefits that you’d expect from bamboo sheets - it has good moisture-wicking properties, it’s antimicrobial and thermoregulating.
The 15” pocket was a little bit shallow for my mattress, so if you also have a deep mattress, you may find that it pops off the bed a little too easily. I was also slightly disappointed with the lack of color options in the range - your color options are White and Slate. However, it’s available in a broad range of sizes, six to be exact - Twin, TwinXL, Full, Queen, King and California King.
If the thread count is important to you when you weigh up your options for bamboo sheets, then you’ve got to consider Bamboo Luxury’s Boza Rayon range of sheet sets. The secret to the super soft texture of these sheets is the 1800 thread count.
When you bear in mind that a bamboo thread count of 250 is more or less the softness equivalent of its 400 thread count cotton counterpart, then just imagine how soft this bed sheet set is against your skin. As a bonus, I noticed that these bed sheets were much more wrinkle-resistant than other bamboo bed sheet sets. Also, on close inspection, I noticed the cute subtle bamboo pattern on the sheets. The little details make a big difference to me.
The downside of my experience with this sheet set are few, but too important to overlook in a fair review. Fresh out the box, I noticed a few loose threads in the sheet. This is a bit shoddy at best, and at worst can result in the sheets wearing a lot faster, especially if not cared for properly. You also may be disappointed that your 1800 thread count sheet will not necessarily feel as soft as that at first. But be patient, because it will take a few washes for the softness to be worn into this sheet set.
This sheet set includes a fitted sheet, a flat sheet, and four pillowcases. It’s available in four sizes - Twin, Full, Queen and King, and it’s available in seven colors - Aqua, Gray, Ivory, Sage, Silver, White and Taupe.
The Canora Grey Pardo Rayon sheet set is the bamboo fitted sheet that holds firm to your mattress, no matter how deep it is. The secret to this is the deep 22 inch pockets on the fitted sheet that will grip and hold any size mattress. Backing up the deep pockets is a thick elastic that hugs every corner of the mattress.
The fabric is a 600 thread count rayon from bamboo. This is what makes it lush and soft. The feel of this sheet is slightly heavier than most bamboo sheets, but it still retains the sleeky softness that you’re looking for when you buy bamboo bed sheets. The smooth, rounded fibres are far less abrasive on my skin.
On the downside, this sheet set did tend to be a bit of a wrinkle magnet when I tried it out, but giving it a good shake after washing and before hanging did the trick of eliminating those annoying creases and spiderwebs.
You get one fitted sheet, one flat sheet and two pillowcases in this set. The colors in this range are not very inspiring if creativity is your thing. The four classic colors available are White, Gray, Ivory and Tan.
Bamboo sheets definitely have a thread count, but they are not comparable to the thread count of other fabrics, like cotton. Because bamboo is a lot softer, bamboo bedding with a 250 thread count will feel as soft as cotton sheets with a 400 thread count.
Yes, bamboo sheets get softer and softer with every wash. That’s part of the appeal of bamboo sheets. It’s like slipping into your most comfy pair of jeans or wearing in a pair of new shoes. Bamboo bedding is made of long strands of bamboo fibers anchored along the borders of the sheets. These long strands don’t loosen and abrade like the strands in conventional sheets, meaning that they get softer over time.
Properly cared for bamboo bedding should last approximately seven years. The better you take care of them, the longer they will last. It’s always good to have several bedding sets to make sure that you can frequently rotate them. This will lengthen the lifespan of each of your bed sheet sets.
This is a matter of your individual sleeping and living habits and is dependent on a number of factors. If you eat in bed or let your pets snuggle up next to you, you’re obviously going to have to wash your bamboo bedding more frequently. Other factors include how much you sweat or whether you have asthma or a dust allergy. Washing your bedding on average every 10 - 14 days should be sufficient.
For more details, I created a guide for how to look after bamboo sheets.
Bamboo is not good to sleep on. Bamboo is GREAT to sleep on! Besides being naturally hypoallergenic and resistant to dust mites, mould and mildew, it’s thermoregulating, so it keeps you cool in hot temperature and slightly warmer in cooler climes. Bamboo is also great for your skin and your hair.
I had a glorious time trying out all these bamboo bed sheets - one of the great lessons I learned from switching from conventional bedding to bamboo is that a switch to sustainability doesn’t have to compromise my comfort. Bamboo is softer, more luxurious and a more indulgent sleeping experience than cotton, or polyester.
You really can’t go wrong with any of the picks I made but for me, the Ettitude Bamboo Lyocell Sheet set stood head and shoulders above the rest. The fabric itself is eco-friendly, manufactured in a non-toxic, closed-loop system that saves natural water resources.
Sustainability is at the forefront of the thinking when it comes to every aspect of this product - even the reusable drawstring bags that this sheet set ships in is made from 100% biodegradable scrap fabric.
Enjoy your bamboo sheets - if you’re like me you’ll find the experience of bamboo bliss will lead to you replacing your entire bedding roster with bamboo bed sheets.