4 Types of Bedding Material You Should Avoid

4 Types of Bedding Material You Should Avoid

By: Marge Hynes

The materials you use in your bedroom are more important than you think. Your bedding could be to blame for your lack of sleep, your endless night sweating, your seemingly never-ending case of ‘bedhead,’ even your sensitive nose! 

There are four types of popular bedding materials on the market today that might be harming your sleep rather than helping it. Curious to know what they are? Keep reading!

What are the four materials I should be avoiding? 

Nylon

We put nylon under the “bad” category when it comes to bedding fabrics. Why?

  • Nylon is water-resistant: This might sound like a benefit, but it’s a feature that is highly unsuitable for your bedroom. Nylon won’t absorb moisture. So, for those night sweaters out there, you’re looking at sticky heat and sweat holding fast to your skin and the rest of your bedding, too, which can result in an irritant-friendly breeding ground.
  • Nylon is made from lots of chemicals: Nylon is not considered a ‘natural’ product. Nylon textiles are classified as thermoplastics, typically made from petrochemicals like petroleum, and are heavily treated with all sorts of elements, like bleaching agents or synthetic dyes.[2] So, all-in-all: Nylon is synthetic and can be super unkind to sensitive sinuses and skin.
  • Nylon has a high environmental impact: Nylon is not biodegradable. It is also produced from a non-renewable resource in a very energy-hungry process.[2] This manufacturing process emits nitrous oxide into the environment, a greenhouse gas roughly 300 times stronger than carbon dioxide.[1]

    • Cotton

    Cotton is not your pal when it comes to bedding materials. 

    • Cotton is not mindful: Annually, chemicals are sprayed onto cotton crops, leaching into the soil and harming wildlife.[3] For the cotton crop to grow, it requires a significant amount of water—about 20,000 litres to produce just 1 kilogram of cotton (that’s enough cotton to make a t-shirt and maybe some pants).[3] In terms of electric power, one Turkish study found that cotton production consumed a total of 49.73 GJha−1 (net energy gain)—in that total, 31.1% was diesel energy consumption, followed by fertiliser, and then machinery energy.[4] Ouch. 
    • Cotton is stuffy and hot: Cotton sheets lack gentle, hypoallergenic properties, so they love to trap and collect irritants that can drive your skin and your nose wild. Traditional cotton sheets trap your body’s heat, too, which means overheating and discomfort all night long.
    • Cotton isn’t friendly to hair or skin: Cotton loves to soak up excessive amounts of moisture, and during the night, your cotton sheets can absorb the moisture from your body, leading to a gross buildup of thousands of dead skin cells, bodily secretions, sweat, animal dander, and dust, among other bacteria.[7] Cotton fibres are also rough, causing unnecessary friction against your hair and skin. As you sleep, your hair can rub and pull against these rough cotton fibres, resulting in knots, tangles, and damage.

    Flannel

    Flannel might look cute with your fall wardrobe, but on your bed, it’s not such a looker. 

  • Flannel traps heat: Flannel is made with thicker, fuzzier fibres than most materials, trapping lots of air and creating a big pocket of warm insulation. When it comes to your sheets and blankets, this is less than ideal. That woven thread can be a nightmare for night sweaters and those prone to overheating during sleep.
  • Flannel is pricey: Higher pricing doesn’t always equal higher quality. Here’s the inside scoop: some manufacturers like to twist multiple thinner yarns together to inflate the weft just to achieve a higher thread count, raise the price, and dupe customers. Rather than making the fabric high quality, this little trick makes the fabric heavier, coarser, and much more prone to rips and snags. 
  • Flannel is irritating: Remember how we mentioned flannel fuzz? That same fuzz can be ultra irritating for sensitive skin. You know the kind—the types of fabrics that cling to your skin and feel super itchy. Ick. Not so comfy. 

    • Linen

    Linen bedding is typically considered ‘high-end.’ Yet, this type of material still just doesn’t cut it. 

  • Linen pills easily: Linen tends to ‘pill.’ What is pilling? Ever notice little balls of fuzz on your sheets? When fibres break down and get tangled, you have an unseemly pilled linen sheet as a result. 
  • Linen wrinkles easily: Because of the chemical make-up of the cellulose of the flax plant fibres from which linen is made, linen also tends to wrinkle more so than other bedding materials. Though wrinkle-free linen sheets are possible, it takes a lot more effort than simply ironing them. 
  • Linen requires extra maintenance: In short, linen bedding is fussy. As linen ages, it often softens and begins to shed. It prefers being hung to dry rather than tumble drying. Linen bedding even takes time to ‘soften’ up, as on initial purchase this type of fabric is usually coarse and rough to the touch. 

    • What kind of bedding material should I get instead?

    You need bedding that is soft, breathable, lightweight, comfortable, affordable and balances your body temperature. Bedding that is mindfully sourced and carefully crafted doesn’t hurt either. You need bedding that can do it all! 

    It might seem too good to be true, but we’ve got just the thing. 

    Bamboo Viscose Blend

    What on earth is a bamboo viscose blend? 

    Viscose is a textile compound derived from Bamboo plants. Viscose is harvested by crushing the Bamboo plant into a mushy paste. Fibres from this paste can then be combed out and spun into yarn. This unique yarn is then turned into a weave and blended with microfiber polyester to create a fabric textile—Bamboo Viscose Blended material—used for everyday luxury bedding.

    What’s so great about the Bamboo plant, though? Well, for starters, Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing renewable sources on the planet. Bamboo is an incredibly flexible plant and can grow back rapidly when harvested. Not to mention Bamboo plants can make 35% more oxygen than a hardwood forest.[6] Bamboo plants even have extensive root systems. Research shows plant roots can not only rejuvenate the soil but be utilised for the control of soil erosion, too.[6,8] What’s not to love?

    Okay, so the Bamboo plant is awesome. But, what does that have to do with bamboo viscose being the best choice for your bedding material? 

    • Bamboo viscose is ultra-soft and super smooth: Breathable, lightweight, and oh-so-soft, bamboo viscose bedding is much softer than cotton and other rough bedding materials. Unlike other rough fibres, bamboo viscose blends have smooth, rounded fibres, creating a silky smooth surface perfect for snoozing on.
    • Bamboo viscose is hypoallergenic: Fabrics made from bamboo viscose can naturally ward off common household non-living allergens. That means no more icky, gross build-up of irritants that can compromise your health, plus fewer trips to the washing machine.
    • Bamboo viscose is durable and cooling: Bamboo viscose fabric’s temperature-regulating and moisture-wicking properties help circulate airflow, wicking away excess body heat for a cooler sleep every time. Compared to traditional Egyptian or Pima cotton sheets that boast a high thread count at an even higher price, premium bamboo viscose blends are much stronger. This strength translates to a durable, cooling material that won’t leave you tossing and turning from night sweats.  

    Not sure where to start? We suggest investing in our Luxury Bamboo Bed Sheets first. Our unique fabric (ahem—bamboo viscose) is one of the most breathable and lightweight fabrics on the market. It stays cooler and carries thermal-regulating properties that balance your body’s temperature as you sleep. You’ll wake up feeling refreshed and clean in sheets that also resist wrinkling, stains, and pilling!

    Click here to check out more luxe bedding options to up your sleep oasis game. 

    Let us know in the comments below which Cosy House bedding essential is your favourite. The Cosy community always loves hearing from you! 

    We've gone ahead & enclosed a 10% off coupon below for you to use if you'd like to take the plunge and try out our sheets for yourself! To shop our collection & get 10% OFF Use the code 'BLOG10' at checkout.

    Resources:

    1. Center for Science Education. Some Greenhouse Gases Are Stronger than Others | Center for Science Education. (2022). Retrieved from https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/how-climate-works/some-greenhouse-gases-are-stronger-others 
    2. David Wallace Jacobson. (2017). An industrial process for the production of nylon 6 6 through the step-growth reaction of adipic acid and hexamethylenediamine. Scholar Works. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/ 
    3. Linsey Griffin, Kate Brauman, Jennifer Schmitt, & Megan Voorhees. (2017). From Seed to Product: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Linking the Agriculture and Industrial Stages of Cotton through Water Research. IA State Digital Press. Retrieved from https://www.iastatedigitalpress.com/itaa/article/1834/galley/1707/view/ 
    4. Yilmaz, I., Akcaoz, H., & Ozkan, B. (2004, August 3). An analysis of energy use and input costs for cotton production in Turkey. Renewable Energy. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960148104002393  
    5. Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, October 31). Bamboo. Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo 
    6. Ayesha Syeda, Barvaliya Shrujal Jayesh Kumar. (2014, December). A Case Study on Bamboo as Green Building Material. International GBC. Retrieved from https://internationalgbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/0165_10.1.1.678.7429.pdf 
    7. Chowdhury, D., Tahir, S., Legge, M., Hu, H., Aljohani, K., Prvan, T., & Vickery, K. (2017, November 1). Transmission of dry surface biofilm (DSB) by and through Cotton Bed Sheets. Infection, Disease & Health. Retrieved from https://www.idhjournal.com.au/article/S2468-0451(17)30205-5/fulltext 
    8. A. Ola, I. C. Dodd, and J. N. Quinton. (2015). Can we manipulate root system architecture to control soil erosion? Soil Copernicus. Retrieved from https://soil.copernicus.org/preprints/2/265/2015/soild-2-265-2015.pdf
    Marge Hynes

    Written by Marge Hynes