A Delicate Process: How to Wash and Care for Your Bamboo Bedding

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Originally Posted On: https://www.shoo-foo.com/blogs/words-from-the-wood/a-delicate-process-how-to-wash-and-care-for-your-bamboo-bedding

It’s been a long day. You snuggle into your warm sheets, ready for sleep’s warm embrace when you feel an unpleasant sensation near your feet. Your sheets are peeling again.

This is the second time in a month that this has happened to you. To put an end to this once and for all, you decide to go the extra mile this time by getting high-quality bamboo sheets. While bamboo sheets will last you a long time, they come with their own unique set of care instructions.

To keep your bedding around for a while to come, here is a quick guide on how to care for your bamboo bedding from washing out those problem stains, to storing them when they aren’t in use.

The very first time that you wash your sheets it’s perfectly okay for you to use warm water as the sheets are meant to shrink a little. If you don’t wash them in warm water during this first time then you may find that your sheets are too large for your bed. Every time after this you want to use cold water to wash them though.

Bamboo sheets are a little more delicate than normal ones. This means that in terms of cleaning products, less is always going to be more. Make sure you’re using a mild detergent and stay away from fabric softener.

And if you are like us and care not only for your linens but also for a clean Earth planet, you will like this new eco friendly Tru Earth laundry detergent.

When it comes to choosing a wash cycle, always use the delicate setting and wash them by themselves.

Unlike most other sheets you can’t use bleach to get problem stains out of the bamboo ones. The abrasive chemicals will completely ruin them. There are other methods that you can use though.

Two of the most common stains that you’ll have to deal with are those that come from bodily fluids like blood and sweat. Sweat turns a nasty yellow color after it’s been exposed to bacteria. You can avoid this by simply washing your sheets regularly.

If the sweat stains do get to the point where they are yellow you can get rid of this by using a gentle rub detergent. 

Blood will be a little harder to get out of your sheets then sweat. If you bleed on your sheets, the first thing you want to do is soak the area in cold water so the stain doesn’t get the chance to soak in.

Once the area has soaked for a bit, apply an enzyme cleaner. It’s very important that this cleaner contains no chlorine. Let the sheets sit in the cleaner and cold water for about 15 minutes and then check it.

If the stain is gone then you can toss it in the washing machine as you usually would to finish the process. Hydrogen peroxide works as an effective cleaner for bamboo sheets as well. Use 3% hydrogen peroxide and then rinse it with cold water. This method only really works for a fresh stain

Hydrogen peroxide is also a great base in another cleaner that you can DIY.

Combine a cup of it to 12 cups of water and 1/4 cup of lemon juice for a natural, effective solution for blood stains.

The best way to dry bamboo sheets is to hang them outside when the weather is nice. This may not be a realistic option for you depending on the climate that you live in. If this is the case then you will have to throw them into the dryer.

When putting them in the dryer be sure to use the low heat, delicate setting and don’t use dryer sheets at all. Trust us, this material won’t need them. Make sure that you remove the sheets as soon as the cycle ends or else you’ll have to deal with wrinkles.

It’s very easy for bamboo sheets to wrinkle due to the lightweight nature of the fabric. That’s why you need to retrieve them as soon as the dryer buzzer goes off. If you can’t get to the dryer when it goes off then no worries.

Most of the time the wrinkles won’t be that deep so they will work themselves out after you put them on your bed and sleep in them once or twice. If you’re really worried about it though, you can iron them on a low heat setting.

After a while, your sheets can become a little dingy especially if they’re white. This is the case for all sheets, not just bamboo ones. Don’t worry though, you can whiten them without having to use a single drop of bleach.

Citrus juice is great for whitening clothes. All you have to do is add a little bit of lemon juice to your wash cycle. White vinegar is another natural whitener that you can add to the wash cycle.

You can also create a detergent out of baking soda. Just mix up four liters of water with one cup of baking soda and let your sheets soak in it until they start looking a little less dingy.

After you wash your sheets there comes the time for you to store them. Most people either put them back on their bed or store them away for safe keeping. Storing them usually happens if you have more than one set of sheets and you regularly rotate them.

Two things that you want to avoid are plastic bags and cardboard. Plastic will yellow the sheets because it allows moisture to get in and cardboard lets harmful acids get to them. Where ever you do decide to store the sheets, make sure it’s dry and out of direct sunlight.

When it comes to sheets, bamboo is the best. It’s a soft material that won’t peel easily if you take proper care of it. Use these care tips for bamboo bedding to keep yours around for as long as possible.

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