The Pros and Cons of Bamboo Viscose Bed Sheets | Cozy Earth

Comfort  – When you’re looking for new bedding, your #1 concern is likely how comfortable it is. Viscose from bamboo bedding has a phenomenal advantage over other types of bedding when it comes to comfort. Bedding made of viscose from bamboo is extremely soft and silky, much more so than traditional cotton. It is also more breathable, which means it won't trap excess heat under the covers with you; you’ll stay cool and comfortable no matter the season.

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Healthy  – Bamboo viscose fabric can reduce allergies because it reduces the amount of moisture in your bed, which discourages one of the primary triggers of allergies, dust mites, from breeding in your bed. These advantages are fantastic if you have children since they can be more sensitive to allergies and bacteria than adults. Cozy Earth now carries crib sheets and twin-size sheets for kids!

Durable – Bamboo viscose as a fabric is more durable than traditional cotton. Cozy Earth’s bamboo bed sheets are made of viscose from bamboo that is stretched across the entire length of the sheet rather than short fibers being interwoven together, making viscose from bamboo bed sheets less likely to tear and pill than traditional cotton sheets.

There are generally two camps when it comes to sheets: People who fixate on things like texture, breathability, and weave, and those who’ve owned the same set of sheets for the last 10 years but couldn’t name them if they tried.

For those of us who fall somewhere between the two extremes, what makes a sheet set “best” comes down to a few basic questions: Are they comfortable? Do they look nice? How much are they? Will they hold up?

To come up with our list of top picks, our testing team personally evaluated dozens of sheets sets based on factors like cooling, durability, and overall feel. We tested the sheets in our Seattle-based Test Lab and in our homes, and we also solicited real-world feedback from customers who love (and loathe) their sheets.

Read on for our top picks, then keep going to learn about exactly what it is that you’re buying. Is a 2,400 thread count sheet going to outsleep a 200 thread count sheet? Is Egyptian cotton grown in Egypt? Are those bamboo and eucalyptus sheets actually made from plants? Scroll past our product picks to find out.

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How We Test: Rigor, Data, and Sleeper Feedback

We know every sleeper has different preferences when it comes to finding the right sheet set. This is the basis for our objective rating system, which allows us to take a thorough look at each sleep product we test and pinpoint its pros and cons.

Sheets play a major role in your overall sleep quality, so everyone should choose bedding that meets their personal criteria for comfort and coziness. Our team evaluates sheet sets in our Seattle-based Test Lab using a four-step process. This system is detailed below.

So What’s in a Sheet?

There’s lots to unravel when it comes to deciphering sheet fact versus fiction, so we’re going to start at the source to help you discern the marketing babble from the sheet certitude. 

Living in a Material World

Let’s talk fabrics. 

Sheets are made from fabric. Fabrics can be made from a number of different plant, animal, and synthetic fibers. Those fibers are processed in a number of different ways to turn them into thread. Those threads are either knit (one continuously interloping thread) or woven (multiple threads crossing over/under one another). Knits tend to be stretchier and not wrinkle as much (think leggings, T-shirts, fleece) as weaves, which are more durable and prone to wrinkling (corduroy, flannel, denim).

To further complicate matters, there are not only myriad species of the same plant (Egyptian or pima cotton, anyone?) but also multiple weaves and knits of said fibers. Cotton can have a percale, sateen, or twill weave, to name a few, but it can also be knit into jersey. And don’t get me started on staple lengths!

Ok, twist my arm. 

Cotton and other natural fiber lengths are measured in staples. Generally speaking, the longer the staple, the softer and stronger the weave. Think about it like braiding hair. If you have a lot of layers, the hair will stick out everywhere versus if you have really really long hair it’s like a really strong rope. These sheets are generally pricier (looking at you again, Egyptian Cotton grown in Egypt) but they’ll typically have a longer shelf life given their higher quality.

While cotton and cotton blends are still the most popular choice in the U.S., representing about 80% of sheets on the market today, consumer choice often changes with the wind. Inflation, sustainability, and “performance” can all impact preferences and purchase decisions. 

Outside of cotton, sheets are often made from linen (flax), silk, polyester (petroleum), and microfiber (polyester, nylon, acrylic), as well as lyocell, rayon, and viscose (tree pulp, including bamboo). Each has their pros and cons, benefits and drawbacks. And all of those all come down to what feels right to you: breathability, warmth, texture, lifespan, hue – linen will always be John’s gold standard, but Jane couldn’t imagine a world without flannel. 

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“From my experience, linen is the most breathable, but it’s also on the coarse side,” says Jeremy Klein, Senior Product Testing Manager. “On first touch, it’s not the most comfortable, but it gets softer the more you use it. For me, it’s a worthy sacrifice for its breathability. And I love its natural look. It doesn’t take dye well, so it only comes in more neutral tones.”

Your bedroom climate can affect your bedding choices as well. “I slept on flannel sheets growing up in Minnesota,” says Jackson Lindeke, Executive Product Director. “They are a classic seasonal sheet type that you throw on from October to April. It’s a thicker material. There’s a reason a flannel shirt is this cozy experience, right? It’s the same with flannel sheets.”

Looming Over You: Weaves

The majority of sheets are woven. Some, like jersey, are knit. Our resident certified textiles expert, Lauren Fountain, breaks down the main weaves you’ll find in sheets. A sateen weave is going to have a minimum ratio of four threads to one, but it can go up to 11:1, she explains. A percale weave (or plain weave), is a 1:1 ratio. So you’re going to have a slightly higher thread count for a sateen over a percale simply because of weave structure. At the same time, percale is crisper, holds its shape better, and has more structure. Sateen is more flowy and will lay closer to your body.

“It’s what makes sateen sheets really soft right out of the package and gives them luster – there are more fibers. It also makes them just a little bit warmer than percale because air gets trapped in all those pockets,” Lauren says. 

When we talk about thread counts, we’re referring to the number of threads that are woven into a square inch of fabric – basically how tight a weave is. So yes, while 2,400 thread count sheets do exist, they’re generally comprised of thin (micro) fibers with multiple plies (threads wrapped around each other before they’re woven together) to fit all those threads in, making them sound extra fancy, while in reality, lowering their quality.

“Basically the whole idea with marketing is that a higher thread count means a better sheet, right?” says Senior Product Editor Danny Noyed. “That’s what’s been drilled into people’s heads, but that’s only true to a point. If you see anything above 600, it’s not going to launder itself, make you dinner, or do anything extra special for you. The quality just isn’t going to improve past that point,” he says.

Weaves aside, it really just comes down to how you sleep best. If breathability is your No. 1 priority, go with a lower thread count, being careful not to sacrifice durability. Are you going to need to machine-wash and dry your kids’ sheets? Care will make a big impact on how long they last, so if durability is your thing, don’t go with something that’s air-dry only like most silk sheets. 

So, to recap: The higher the thread count, the higher the density of fabric, which means a warmer and more durable sheet. But that’s not always the case, it also depends on the fabric, and your own sleep preferences are really all that matters.

Thread Count

Accountable Threads

Let’s wrap this party up with a few last considerations. We’ve touched on fibers and fabrics, weaves and thread counts. But what of aesthetics, fit, and sustainability? 

“For some people, knowing that their sheets are certified organic or processed mechanically rather than chemically is something they’re willing to pay more for – having that peace of mind,” says Lauren. “A lot of what might seem eco-friendly is just greenwashing. Yes, it’s true that bamboo can grow in a lot of places that cotton can’t and it can grow back really quickly, but it is also a very, very chemically intensive process that it goes through, and by the time it hits your bed, there’s zero bamboo left in the material,” says Lauren.

She’s referring to viscose, which is a type of fabric, but it’s also the name for the process of turning cellulose-based fibers into fabric. So yes, that sheet started as bamboo, beech, or eucalyptus, but it’s been so chemically processed that it’s now semisynthetic.

If you’re trying to make the most eco-friendly choice, it can be very confusing to wade through  the massive amount of greenwashing that takes place in the bedding industry. To separate the flashy marketing ploys from the credible claims, keep your eyes peeled for third party certifications. Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and OEKO-TEX are the two main ones to look for when shopping for bedding.

However, maybe it’s not the material cycle but fit and design that’s the dealbreaker for you. For example, if your fitted sheet pockets aren’t deep enough, they’re going to pop off, and that’s an annoyance that’s not additive to sleep. It helps to know what to look for, says Jackson. “I like to look at how the elastic is attached under the pockets of the fitted sheet, and whether there’s extra elastic or reinforcements around the corners. It’s also nice to have a visual cue for orientation, or which way is short and long,” he says.

And say you want both ends of your pillow to be covered by a pillowcase. You’re going to want to make sure yours have envelope enclosures on them. And if your bedroom is also your TikTok sleepfluencer studio, you should probably have accent colors or patterns that are on trend –  cottons and microfibers will be your best bets for aesthetic variety. 

I’d be going out on a loom limb to say that understanding what you’re buying when you pick out sheets is simple, but if you’ve made it this far, hopefully you now have an inside line on what many of us on the Test Lab team consider to be bedding’s best layers.

For more on specific sheet sets, check out the guides below. If you’re ready to cozy up to the world of pillows, this link is for you.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Purple Crib Sheet Set. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Your Complete Guide to Sheets