What to Look For

You spend a third of your life in bed, so it stands to reason that you want to be sleeping on the purest, most chemical-free bedding you can find.

Materials:

Organic cotton is grown without synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or genetically engineered crops.

Sheets made of bamboo fiber are another good alternative. It takes much fewer resources to raise bamboo than cotton—even organic cotton. Bamboo is naturally pest-resistant and, when grown properly, requires few pesticides.

Both hemp and linen are derived from plants that, like bamboo, grow quickly and need few pesticides or insecticides. Hemp and linen sheets are known for their durability, and they're rare treasures if you can find them at estate sales or antique shops.

Chemical-Free Dyes: Look for either heavy-metal-free or vegetable-based dyes. A product that uses "SKAL-certified" dyes means that they are free of heavy metals. Also, check out FoxFiber™ "color-grown" cotton, which is bred (not genetically-modified) to grow in different colors, though usually only browns, beiges and greens. Color-grown cotton is also less likely to fade in the wash than dyed cotton.

Chlorine-Free Bleaching: Conventional cotton, and some organic cotton, is bleached with chlorine after harvesting in a process that releases cancer-causing dioxin into the atmosphere.  Opt for unbleached or chlorine-free bleached cotton sheets.

Shopping Tips

• Avoid textiles labeled permanent press, no-iron, crease-resistant, shrink-proof, stretch-proof, water repellent, or water-proofed. Some finishes, such as those to prevent stains and wrinkles, can release formaldehyde into the air.

• Thread Count refers to the number of threads per square inch of fabric in both directions of the weave. A higher thread count usually means a softer feel. However, threads get thinner as thread count increases, which means high-thread-count sheets might wear out faster than those with a lower count.

• Egyptian cotton sheets are the softest and most durable, made of 100 percent cotton with extra long fibers and thread counts of 200 to 400. Pima cotton is similar to Egyptian, but grown in the U.S. rather than Egypt. Thread counts range from 200 to 300. Percalesheets may be either 100% cotton or a cotton/polyester blend in thread counts ranging from 180 to 200.