Material

Rayon and Viscose from Bamboo

What it is

This is rayon. Bamboo is the plant the cellulose was taken from, and the fabric that results is a regenerated cellulose fiber, not bamboo in any structural sense. The FTC has been explicit that textiles made through the viscose process have to be labeled as rayon or as viscose, with bamboo mentioned only as the source of the raw material. Listings that say bamboo alone are not describing what is in the box.

How it is made

Bamboo is broken down chemically, dissolved into a viscous solution, and extruded through spinnerets into filaments that are then spun and knitted or woven. It is the same process that turns wood pulp into rayon, and the finished fiber is chemically similar regardless of which plant went in at the start. That is precisely why the source plant is not allowed to be the fiber name.

When it is wet

Rayon takes on a lot of water and loses strength while it is holding it. Wet rayon is the most fragile common bedding fiber there is, which is why so many of these sets carry a gentle cycle instruction and a warning about wringing. It also drapes heavily when damp and can grow slightly, then shrink back on drying.

When it is hot

The fabric is smooth, cool to first touch and highly absorbent, which is the combination people are buying it for. Whether it sleeps cooler than a good percale over a whole night is not something this site has tested, and no listing offers a measurement either. What is fair to say is that it takes moisture off the skin readily, which is a property of the fiber and not a marketing claim.

After fifty washes

This is where rayon shows its weakness. Repeated wet handling abrades a fiber that is already weak when wet, so the fabric thins and can develop small holes before it looks worn. Pilling is moderate. The silky hand fades gradually. A rayon sheet set treated gently lasts respectably; one washed hot and dried hot does not.