Friday July 4th, 2008
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Organic Cotton Products
Posted by Jamie Outlaw on July 20, 2007 - 11:33am.
I recently discovered that West Elm is selling organic cotton towels, sheets and other products. I ordered some new towels and sheets today, as it was time for me to get some new ones. Target and Wal-Mart also offer these types of products. Have any of y'all bought any yourself?
I bought Target's Organic sheets and my husband loves them! He crawled into bed and said "Wow, these new sheets feels really nice! I think these are the best sheets we've ever owned, what are they?" They are super soft! I believe they were about $60 for king-size.
If you can't afford "certified organic", I think it's still good to opt for the others, even if they are a blend. The higher the demand for organic, the more that might be produced and hopefully the prices will begin to come down even more. Many large manufacturers are feeling the pressure to go organic so they are blending organic cotton with conventional because they aren't ready to spend so much more to go all organic.
Holbunny
www.greenwrapz.com
I ended up ordering a set of sheets and some towels from West Elm. I received everything today and will be putting the sheets on my bed tonight after washing them. They are 230 thread count but 100% organic cotton. They feel somewhat soft, but I'll have a better idea once I am able to wash them. West Elm also has a sheet set that is about 70% bamboo thread and 30% cotton (or something along that range). I may order a set of those to see what they are like as well.
The sheets I ordered from West Elm were 250 thread count organic cotton. They were ok, but not as soft as I was hoping they would be. I've been using 400 thread count sheets for a long time, and of course, the 250 thread counts would not be as soft, but I was hoping I would like them anyway.
I bought another set from Target made from a blend of cotton and bamboo threads. These are a lot better and even though they are also 250 thread count, bamboo fibershave a softer feel than cotton so, overall these are pretty comparable to the 400 thread count sheets I was used to.
I would go for a higher thread count organic cotton or a blend of cotton and bamboo (with as high a percentage of bamboo as possible) for eco-friendly sheets :D
The orgnic towels I ordered from West Elm are fanntastic though- and very reasonably priced. I would not hesitate to buy more of these - and I will as I need new towels!
Is your package labeled "Certified Organic Cotton" and have the seal. If it is not there is a good likelyhood that the product is not certified. This means that while many of the fiber are organic they can be mixed in with non organic in the milling and thus making it really not organic at all. Also when a product is certified the mill must perform certain cleaning procedure on the equipment to seperate the high pesticide content fibers off the equipment prior to milling organics.
As for your comment on next time getting a set with a higher content of Bamboo for eco friendly sheets -- I would consider passing or researching this a bit more.
Bamboo is a wood fiber, unlike a plant fiber like cotton. There is an incredible amount of chemical processing that goes into preparing the fiber for milling. Processing that are NOT eco-friendly to the environment. While bamboo is a self sustainable plant material it is not being harvested in China in a manner that it is not being properly replenished to my understanding.
100% bamboo fabrics are naturally scratchy and not very comfy friendly. The 70% 30% with a tad of lycra for stretch is a wonderful blend and will give you a nice feel to the touch.
I have wholesaled these fabrics in for my business in addition to some wonderful products made with hemp/cotton fleece and velours.
Just some food for thought when your shopping for those sheets. If they are cheap there may be a good chance they are not 100% Organic. Some of my organic print cotton wovens go for approx $30.00 a yard.
Good luck
Nothing is perfect and the products I choose are better than many alternatives. Even if they are not entirely organic or certified, they are an improvement over traditional products.
Walmart and Organic just don't walk hand in hand in harmony.
There is much that goes into growing, harvesting, milling organics. They need to yeild a fair return in order to continue in the shadow of Box Businesses who really care and practice nothing for the organic community.
While living on my fixed budget buying organics sting, I will continue to support them at their fair trade pricing so as to continue making sure they are available outside of the box.