How to Care for Bamboo Sheets

If you love your bamboo sheets, you won’t want to let them go. Keep reading to learn how you can best care for your bamboo sheets.

What Are Bamboo Sheets?

Essentially, bamboo sheets are often made from lyocell or modal fabrics which themselves are derived from bamboo fiber. This gives any kind of bamboo sheets a silky, durable, and breathable feel. While the best bamboo sheets for you depend on your comfort and feel preferences, we’ll be going over the best ways to care for bamboo sheets in general.

Washing Bamboo Sheets

If you’re used to common sheet fabrics like cotton or linen, then you may not be as familiar with bamboo sheets or how to care for them. Here are our washing tips.

Machine-Washing

Bamboo may be a durable fabric, but you’ll still want to wash your sheets gently. And, if you want to be as careful as possible, hand-washing may be the best way to go. But, there are plenty of ways to safely machine-wash your bamboo sheets.

First off, we recommend washing your bamboo sheets with cold water since lower temperatures help prevent damage and pilling in the sheets’ fibers. Additionally, avoiding harsh chemicals will also help your bamboo sheets last longer. This means avoiding fabric softeners, harsh detergents, and bleach. That said, mild detergents with low acidity are safe for cleaning your sheets.

Removing Stains

Aside from routine washing, you may find yourself needing to remove a spill or stain that’s soaked into your bamboo sheets. Like with machine-washing, we again advise against using harsh chemicals. So, to safely remove stains, it’s best to first let your bamboo sheets soak in cold water. Then, you can apply a few drops of water mixed with diluted hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, or dish soap to the stain.

Drying Bamboo Sheets

Machine-Drying

In addition to properly washing your bamboo sheets, it’s important to know the safest ways to dry them as well. Like with washing your sheets, avoiding high temperatures is essential in the drying process too. That means you’ll want to set your dryer to low heat and low tumble settings. 

However, to be extra careful, you can skip the machine-drying step entirely and air-dry your bamboo sheets. Our only warning here is to limit direct sunlight and heat on your sheets. Doing this over time will keep your bamboo sheets more silky, smooth, and less wrinkly.

Avoiding Wrinkles

All that said, even with the best care, sheets can still wrinkle sometimes. In this case, there’s nothing wrong with using an iron on your bamboo sheets. That said, less heat is generally better with bamboo, so we recommend putting your iron on the lowest heat setting and to avoid using a lot of steam if possible.

Storing Bamboo Sheets

Now that you’ve washed, dried, and unwrinkled your bamboo sheets, the final step is storing them for later (assuming they’re not already on your bed). Like most other kinds of sheets, you can simply store them in a regular closet or anywhere that’s out of direct sunlight, is well-ventilated, and is dry.

How to Care for Bamboo Sheets FAQ

How Often Should I Wash Bamboo Sheets?

The right amount of time between washes depends on how you sleep with bamboo sheets. The average person will want to wash their bamboo sheets once every 1–2 weeks. That said, if you sweat a lot or share your bed with a partner, once every 10 days is recommended.

Are Bamboo Sheets Durable?

Yes. Compared to other fabrics like cotton, bamboo sheets are more resistant to tearing and pilling. Plus, they last longer too. That said, it’s still important to wash, dry, and maintain your bamboo sheets with lots of care and to avoid harsh chemicals and heat.

Do Bamboo Sheets Wrinkle?

Yes. Like most fabrics, not folding your bamboo sheets, or leaving them in the dryer, can cause them to wrinkle. However, if your bamboo sheets do wrinkle, you can alway use an iron on a low heat and low steam setting to gently ease out the wrinkles.

TLDR: How to Care For Bamboo Sheets

Want the cheat sheet to care for your bamboo sheets? Here’s our short how-to guide on what to do (and what NOT to do) when washing, drying, and storing your bamboo sheets.

Do

• Wash and dry gently—Bamboo sheets are durable, but they’re best treated with care. When machine-washing or machine-drying your sheets, try to use low tumble settings to prevent any unnecessary wear and tear.
• Iron with low steam—Want to get rid of wrinkles in your bamboo sheets? There’s no problem with ironing them, but be sure to avoid using too much steam since excessive moisture and heat hurts the durability of your sheets.
• Store your sheets somewhere dry—For most people, your average dry, dark, and cool closet should be fine. The only main requirements for storing your bamboo sheets properly is that you avoid excessive moisture, heat, or direct sunlight.

Do NOT

• Always avoid harsh chemicals—Whether you’re machine-washing your bamboo sheets or removing a stain, using harsh detergents, acidic chemicals, or bleach can damage the fibers of your sheets.
• Always avoid hot temperatures—Be sure to use cool water while washing your bamboo sheets, be sure to use a low temperature setting while machine-drying, and avoid storing your sheets in a hot area with direct sunlight. Doing any of these things can cause pilling or stiffness and damage to your bamboo sheets.
• Always avoid too much air drying—While air drying is a safer choice for your sheets than machine-drying them on a high tumble setting, too much exposure to sunlight (and heat) can break down the fibers of your bamboo sheets.