Are Organic Sheets Worth It? Pros & Cons and What to Look for in Sustainable Bedding
Learn the benefits of organic sheets including the natural fabrics and third-party certifications to look for in sustainable bedding.

It pains me to say that something as basic as the bed sheets you go to sleep in every night, could be harmful to your health and the planet.
Sadly, this is true of many of the products we buy for our homes because regulations for manufacturing are not very stringent, and because most people are not aware of the potential health, environmental or ethical issues that can come from products like bedding and other household items.
In order to clear the air (or should I say the bed?), let’s take a look at the problems with conventional sheets and bedding, the types of natural and organic fabrics to look for and the third-party certifications that you can trust.

At Mindful Momma we only endorse products we’ve personally researched, tested, and honestly love. We may receive commissions from affiliate links in this article including Amazon Affiliates. Full Disclosure
Top Reasons to Switch to Organic Sheets
Here are the top three reasons why organic sheets are WORTH IT!
1.) Your Health
From a health perspective, your bed sheets may contain residues from harmful chemicals like pesticides, dyes, formaldehyde, phthalates and more. Some sheets are even infused with chemicals to make them wrinkle resistant or stain resistant. I bet you’d rather not have those things touching your skin!
2.) The Environment
From an environmental perspective, your bedding may be a huge resource hog and involve environmentally destructive processes. Conventional cotton uses up 30% of the world’s pesticides and the chemicals used to process and finish it adds to the problem. Polyester is a type of plastic that comes from petroleum, a non-renewable resource.
3.) Ethics
From a social good perspective, your sheets may have been produced using child labor or in a factory with unhealthy working conditions for its employees. Yeah, not something pleasant to think about, but it’s important to look for ethical bedding.
Natural and organic bedding is an important part of creating a healthy, non-toxic environment in your bedroom. Along with a non-toxic mattress and fresh, purified air in your bedroom, investing in non toxic bedding will set you up for a healthy night’s sleep.
RELATED: Best Organic Bedding Brands

Natural & Organic Fabrics for Sustainable Bedding
These are the most safe and sustainable fabrics to look for in non-toxic sheets and bedding:
- Organic cotton: Certified organic cotton is grown without pesticides and using sustainable farming practices.
- Bamboo: Bamboo grows without pesticides and is a renewable resource that grows extremely quickly (up to 4 feet per day!)
- Viscose is the type of fabric produced from bamboo. It does involve resources and chemicals to manufacture, but care is taken to produce it in a sustainable manner.
- Look for viscose from bamboo that has been produced in a closed-loop process (which reuses water and chemicals used to process the bamboo).
- Bamboo is grown naturally, without pesticides, but it can not be certified organic.
- Look for Oeko-Tex certification for bamboo sheets.
- Eucalyptus: Sustainable eucalyptus fiber is used to create Tencel lyocell fabric. Similar to bamboo, eucalyptus fabric can not be certified organic but is grown without pesticides.
- Hemp: Hemp is a quick-growing plant that has has antimicrobial and antibacterial properties as well as being hypoallergenic. And don’t worry, hemp sheets are SOFT!
- Linen: Natural linen fabric comes from flax plants and is lightweight, breathable and very durable.
- Organic wool: Certified organic wool is used in blankets and fillings for comforters
RELATED: How to Find a Chemical Free Mattress
Pros & Cons of Organic Bedding
To make an easy comparison, I’ve put together some of the pros and cons of sheets made with organic and non-toxic fabrics vs. bedding made with synthetic fabrics:
PROS | CONS | |
Organic Bedding | produced without pesticides or chemical coatings | can be more expensive |
typically higher quality | watch out for greenwashing (look for certifications) | |
longer lasting bedding | ||
fabric is softer; more breathable and comfortable | ||
Synthetic Bedding | can be less expensive | may contain chemical residues |
readily available in stores | fabric is not breathable | |
petroleum is a non-renewable resource | ||
often less durable |
Certifications for Sustainable Bedding
Since most sheets and bedding do not go through any special testing for safety or evaluations of environmental or social impact, it’s important to look for independent certifications to guide you to the best bedding choices. Here are some of the trusted third-party certifications to look for:
- Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) – Internationally recognized as the toughest organic textile standard because it goes beyond verifying the organic farming process to include every step of manufacturing. Products must contain at least 95% organic fiber, use non-toxic dyes and not be treated with bleach, formaldehyde or any other toxic substances. Strict social and environmental standards are also required.
- OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 – A comprehensive, third-party testing and certification system for textile products at all stages of production. All components of a product are required to be free from a variety of harmful substances including formaldehyde, banned colourants, pesticides, heavy metals and more.
- MADE SAFE – A certification that ensures products are non-toxic. Products are screened for a wide range of toxins including behavioral toxins, carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, heavy metals and more. In addition, MADE SAFE goes above and beyond by lab-testing products for safety.
- GreenGuard Gold – Provides assurance that products designed for use in indoor spaces meet strict chemical emissions limits. Gold certification considers safety factors to account for sensitive individuals, such as children and the elderly.
- Fair Trade Certified – A product certification that promotes equitable trade practices, working with farms and factories around the world to empower workers and improve wages, benefits and conditions.
Now that you understand the importance of sustainable bedding and why organic sheets are worth it, you can head over to our post about best non-toxic bedding brands and shop with confidence!

Could you please direct us to name brand organic sheets.
Yes, my recommended brands are in this post: https://mindfulmomma.com/natural-organic-bedding/