Bamboo vs Cotton Quilt: Here's What You Should Consider Before Choosing
If sheets and pillows are the base of the cake, then your quilt is the delicious icing that goes on top.
Capable of turning a good nights sleep into a great one, the wrong quilt can bring the whole bedding cake to its knees if it's not up to scratch.
Of course, what you classify as "up to scratch" will depend on a range of different metrics as well as personal preference and your desired sleeping patterns.
Today, it's time for battle of the quilts - bamboo vs cotton quilt to be exact!
Read on to learn all the key metrics you should consider before buying a new quilt.
Are bamboo quilts better than cotton?
If you've read any of our other "battles of " you probably know where this is going, but for those of you that haven't, let us explain how this works.
With two popular fabrics, each with their own characteristics it's not as simple as just blurting out "this one is better than that one", you need some context first!
So, in order to crown a winner we need to dissect each fabric in relation to several key metrics. Today's metrics will include:
- Level of comfort and breathability
- Durability and cost
- Health benefits and environmental impact
So, without further adieu, let's get into it!
Comfort & Breathability
Bamboo
What is it that makes bamboo quilts so good you ask?
Firstly, we've said it many times before and we're not about to stop - bamboo bedding (including quilts) is the softest, silkiest bedding on the market.
Incredibly lightweight and breathable, sleeping under a bamboo duvet feels like heaven.
Moreover, because bamboo fibers are a natural fibre they're great for temperature regulation, offering incredible thermoregulation capabilities that control your body temperature according to the season.
Meaning you stay warm during winter and cool during summer. This in part, is because bamboo linen has moisture-wicking capabilities that wick away body oils and sweat throughout the night, keeping you dry and cool (or warm during winter).
Cotton
Out of the box, cotton quilts are not as soft or as comfy as bamboo.
They promise to get softer over time, but when comparing against bamboo which holds it's soft, silky feel throughout the lifespan, there's no comparison.
When it comes to breathability, cotton material also has moisture-wicking properties that help with temperature regulation throughout the night but cotton will tend to retain more heat than bamboo, making a cotton quilt far from ideal during summer time in Australia.
And that goes for all types of cotton quilts, Egyptian cotton and pima cotton included.
Durability & Cost
Bamboo
A quilt is a long-term investment. Nobody wants to be purchasing a new quilt every few years.
Therefore, durability is incredibly important and you can't go wrong with a bamboo quilt!
Bamboo fabric is incredibly durable owing to it's naturally long fibers. Threads made from bamboo fiber are almost double the length of cotton threads, meaning it requires fewer threads to complete a quilt and they fit along the entire length of the quilt.
What does that mean exactly? Well, it essentially means a bamboo quilt will not pill or tear throughout it's lifetime, staying soft for up to 15 years! (If looked after correctly).
Cost-wise, a bamboo quilt will set you back a little more than one made from cotton, but when it lasts for so long, what's an extra 30 bucks or so, really?
Cotton
When it comes to the durability of a cotton quilt, much of it is dependent on the thread count.
The higher the thread count, the more durable the quilt.
With that in mind, quilts made from Egyptian cotton and pima cotton will last longer than one's made from regular cotton, but even then, they're unlikely to last as long as a quilt made from bamboo as all forms of cotton tend to wrinkle over time, as well as shrink when not maintained correctly.
Cost-wise, yes, cotton is generally cheaper than bamboo, but if you've got to purchase a new quilt every 3-4 years, are they really cheaper in the long run?
Health & Environment
Bamboo
Have you ever thought, is a bamboo quilt good for allergies?
Because if you have, you'd be pleasantly surprised to know that yes, yes it is!
Bamboo quilts hold innate antimicrobial properties thanks to their moisture-wicking properties.
That means no unnecessary moisture seeping into the quilt and staying there, which eliminates the build up of dust mites, mould, bacteria and other pathogens known to exacerbate allergies.
So if you're a long-suffering beholder of allergies, you'll sleep easy underneath a bamboo quilt, and wake up fresh as a daisy, free from the runny nose and heavy head.
Not only that, bamboo is great for people with sensitive skin for the exact same reason. Well, that and the fact they're incredibly soft which helps to limit scraping and scratching that exacerbates conditions like eczema and sunburn.
Not to be forgotten, bamboo is also a natural, sustainable source that is eco-friendly and farmed to suitable levels that don't diminish the overall prevalence and longevity of the plant.
Cotton
Cotton bedding of the Egyptian variety and other with high thread counts are known to be good for people with sensitive skin, just like bamboo.
But in terms of being hypoallergenic and antibacterial they can't compare to bamboo.
On the environmental front, although organic cotton is a natural source, the cultivation and production process requires exorbitant amounts of water as well as numerous pesticides and other chemicals to ward of various pests during the growth process.
In Summary
Before we declare the winner, do you have an idea of what it will be?
Dum, dum, dum, and without anymore furore, the winner of the battle of the quilts is clearly...bamboo!
A bamboo quilt is softer, more durable, a year-round option that is also healthier for both you and the planet, need we say more?!
At the end of the day, the fabric you choose to fill your quilt with is up to you, but opting to go for one made with bamboo will not disappoint, that we CAN guarantee.
Happy sleeping!
Sources
- https://findanyanswer.com/how-long-do-bamboo-sheets-last
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1665642317300391