Waterbed Sheets and the Environment

by: Michael O'Brien

It is possible to include waterbed sheets in your plans to go green. Like never before, consumers have a growing number of buying choices that can help to reduce the impact on the environment. Just consider what it takes to produce the average set of waterbed sheets and you can see the various ways your purchase can not only satisfy your needs but those of Mother Nature.

Cotton is still the fabric of choice when it comes to bedding. The cultivation of cotton can have some rather negative environmental impacts. In order to keep crop yields high, many cotton growers turn to using chemical pesticides and herbicides to control weeds and insect infestations.

The cultivation of cotton plants can be hard on the soil. The environmental movement has convinced a few producers to adopt growing practices that reduces the amount of chemicals needed to sustain high yields. One way to reduce the amount of pesticides is to rotate the crop from to year. This strategy makes it harder for cotton loving insects to gain a foothold, reducing the need for chemically insecticides.

There is a definite increase in the desire of people to go green in their buying decisions. The growing market demand for organically grown fruits, vegetables and other foods has spilled over into more and more products for the home. In everything from floor covering to fabrics, consumers are finding it easier to include more environmentally friendly products in their homes and lifestyles.

Unlike traditional cotton, bamboo and hemp are more environmentally friendly. In many parts of the world, cotton growing can involve the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides. Bamboo and hemp can be grown with good yields without the use of these types of chemicals Bamboo and hemp sheets are usually blended with cotton fiber and can last just as long, perhaps even longer than fabric produced from more traditional materials such as cotton or polyester.

More and more consumers are opting to go with one hundred percent organic fabric fibers. When looking at bed linens woven from organically grown materials, always ask for a certificate that guarantees the source of the fabric. Cotton, bamboo and hemp fabrics are all available from certified organic raw fibers.

Polyester fabric can be long wearing and when blended with fabrics such as cotton, make for a nice set of waterbed sheets. Environmentally speaking, polyester can be a less desirable choice for those folks who want to go green. Polyester, like most plastics, is made from oil. Even though a lot of plastic is recycled and used to make products like polyester, the recycling and remanufacturing processes can consume as much energy as might be used to produce virgin polyester.

Bamboo fibers make an excellent replacement for virgin or recycled polyester. Bamboo has natural antimicrobial property that will withstand the rigors of processing, weaving and countless washings in the family laundry.

Hemp has been used in various ways for thousands of years. This includes the weaving of hemp fibers into fabric for clothing and bedding. Even though hemp production is illegal in the United States, hemp fabric products can be purchased through many reputable online sources. Like bamboo, hemp can be grown without the use of chemicals and considered by many people to one of the most sustainable crops.

Having extolled the virtues of fabric sources like hemp and bamboo, cotton can still have a lot to offer. The methods used to cultivate the cotton plant can be changed in a way that makes cotton much more environmentally friendly. One problem that cotton farmers face is a yearly onslaught of various insects like the boll weevils, mites, aphids and a host of other pests.

The life cycles of these and other insects are often dependent on the presence of the same crop in the same field every year. Growers of organic cotton use the practice of crop rotation which involves planting a different crop the following season. The practice of crop rotation makes it harder for insects that prefer cotton plants to get established. Depending on the type of crop, a field may be allowed to go fallow, or unplanted for a season. This also allows the soil to stabilize.

If you like a little color in you living space, there are fabric choices that use natural color dyes. These compounds are derived mostly from plant sources and are an excellent way to avoid chemical dyes. From fabrics to color dyes, the ecology minded consumer has many choices when it comes to buying linen products that even Mother would approve of.

About the Author

Michael O'Brien is a writer for many popular websites.