You’ll have seen it following you around Instagram during the recent spell of hot weather: The bamboo bedding that feels like 1,000 thread count and keeps you cooler than cotton.
And did you catch that it’s more sustainable too?
It reads on paper like the miracle cure for sleepless nights.
And after all, dreams of Sferra sateen cotton fizzled out rapidly when mortgages tripled and the cost of a bottle of olive oil reached a tenner.
But bamboo bedding, if the claims are to be believed, can give you that luxury feel for a fraction of the price of high-end cotton.
So, how does it fare in reality?
We put bamboo bedding to the test on one of the hottest July nights in the UK all year, following a day that had tipped the thermometer at just under 32c. The night had not cooled and it was stifling in our south-facing bedroom.
The bedding was a set from Pretty You, consisting of a sheet, duvet cover and two pillowcases in Silver Grey, with a 300-thread count that the company say feels like 1,000 thread count cotton.
The scene was set, as usual, for a less-than peaceful night: A four-year-old who thrashes her legs around in her sleep and heats up like a three-bar radiator. A restless man who tosses and turns like a spawning salmon, yanking the duvet over to his side at every turn and waking the rest of us up (who knew duvets could be so noisy until you have babies?). And me, who lies awake for hours, attempting to swivel like a corkscrew when I roll over so as not to disturb the duvet for anyone else.
The first surprise was removing the bedding from the packaging. I’d been told that the fibres of bamboo are rounder and smoother than cotton, giving threads a seriously silky feel that feels softer and silkier cotton. But that hadn’t prepared me for just how luxurious this bedding would feel. It was cool, light and very smooth to the touch – much more like silk than cotton. It flowed like water between my fingers. I’d thought of bamboo as more of a functional material – my bamboo T-shirts and socks are more akin to regular cotton. This was nothing like it. Think more of a luxe silk robe and you’ll be on the right lines.
I’d feared the Silver Grey might have a too blueish tone, but I was wrong: the silky, dove grey fabric had a soft, lustrous, warm glow in the (searing) evening sun.
On the bed, the fabric draped well and made a very neat bed (pre-washing, of course, they had the factory-finish that made them wrinkle free. Post washing they retained a smooth look, though a light iron restores them to silky perfection).
It was a luxurious, hotel-like feel; the boudoir of dreams, in a sweaty SE24 semi.
The proof though, was in the sleeping. And here, I was pretty blown away.
I love luxury cotton sheets – and that won’t change. I’m always to be found lifting the corners of hotel beds, trying to work out where a particularly luxurious sheet might have been made – and usually finding it has a £500+ price tag.
But the Pretty You bamboo set – at £130 for the Super King – was a game changer. And not only due to the price. Feather light, for this summer’s night, I could have the comfort of a duvet or sheet – I prefer to sleep with the weight of something over me – without feeling the heat.
The fabric of the sheet ( which I must mention was deep enough to fit easily on my mattress) is so soft, it invites you to run your feet over the ripples. It feels lke being sheathed in silk.
Unlike my previously ‘loud’ duvet cover – with rustling so loud it would cause the other to wake up – when one turns over under silky bamboo, it is silent.
And instead of the duvet being yanked over to the other person’s side when they turn, one person can turn over under this fabric and simply slide under it – the silky bamboo fabric glides over the body rather than becoming tangled up. No more twisted sheets, found in creased heaps at the end of the bed in the morning.
We tested the bedding with a light bamboo summer duvet (from £90) for the full breathable effect. The bamboo duvet is noticeably lighter and far cooler than the synthetic one I’d had on the bed or my usual down duvet – and (I realise I may sound fixated) completely silent, unlike some feather duvets, which create a rustling noise. It comes with corner ties to ensure the duvet stays put within the cover.
The first night I used the bedding was the best night I’d had in months. Not only did it feel indulgent to slip in between the sheets, but we all slept noticeably better – including the four-year-old who stretched out on the silvery sheets, hair fanned out on her new silky pillow, like a princess, if princesses sleep in the starfish position.
Bamboo has better heat and moisture-wicking properties than cotton, and this set certainly felt cool and dry all night.
The combination of the ultra-luxury look and feel, the cool, silky feel on the skin and the silent, sweat-free night it offered meant I am a complete convert.
Even those among us who don’t seem to care about the intricacies of bedding (what a blissfully ignorant life some lead) couldn’t help but notice the difference. It really is that good.
The summer duvet no doubt contributed to the cooler night, helping with the lightness of feel and the airflow. With dust sensitivities in the family, the fact it is hypoallergenic is a plus. I’ll be investing in their middle weight duvet to add to this summer one for the winter months.
The only downside was having to take it off to wash it and replace it with my now rather lacklustre-seeming (and admittedly not 1,000 thread count) duvet set. Hotel effect: gone.
After this test, there is no doubt I will be buying sets for all the beds in the house – but first, I’ll be buying myself a back-up set.
Bamboo Vs Cotton
Bamboo has anti-bacterial and anti-mould and fungal properties and is said to be more resistant to bed bugs – none of which I hope are colonising in my bedding, but it’s certainly a comfort to know they may now stay away.
Unlike cotton, it is inherently hypoallergenic, which makes it good for those with allergies or sensitive skin.
On to the sustainability part: bamboo sheets do indeed leave a smaller ecological footprint than cotton. It is less intensively farmed and is a very fast-growing crop, so plants are restored rapidly.
Chemicals are usually used during the processing of the bamboo pulp, in order to make the threads, which some
Pretty You say that the bamboo they use is sourced from FSC-certified forests and they ensure the production of the fabric does not have any harmful impact on the communities surrounding the forest.
They say: ‘Our bamboo bedding has the Oeko Tex certification on the care label on the product, and is certified via our manufacturer. The bedding is manufactured without the use of azodyes and is therefore not using harmful chemical its processing. It is against environmental ethics to use these harmful chemicals now.’
Buy Bamboo bedding set here from £110.
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