What is the bamboo fabric for clothing? Bamboo fabric comes from bamboo fiber. It’s a semi-synthetic fabric have roots in bamboo extracted natural cellulosic polymers. This is a man-made, rayon-like fabric used for different purposes, including manufacturing clothing in the fashion industry.
Bamboo fabric is not just soft; it’s comfortable and lightweight. Also, it’s as breathable as moisture absorbent. Another biggest benefit of this fabric is it’s available at a lower cost than many other fabrics.
Garments producers are using bamboo fabric in various fashion items. Mostly, they’re using it to produce cheap garments as the major fiber content or a larger part of the thread composition.
We’ll share some vital topics throughout this content. You’ll learn about bamboo fabrics, their advantages and disadvantages, the making process, uses, care, and many more.
What’s Bamboo Fabric For Clothing?
Bamboo fabric is a
rayon-like, semi-synthetic textile. It comes from bamboo fiber cellulose
through a regenerating process. Typically, bamboo textiles are cellulosic and
man-made. They’re neither fully natural nor completely synthetic.
The bamboo stem goes under a specific mechanical process to make bamboo fibers.
It’s not a commercially viable process, and most users will experience a tough
time while looking for this type of fabric.
A large number of bamboo fabrics currently available in the markets are either rayon or viscose. Although they’re polluting, man-made materials, they’re very flexible to use in different applications.
Why Should You Use Bamboo Fabrics?
The advantages of bamboo fabric are a lot that might be unknown. They’re softer than silk and very comfortable to wear. The eco-friendly properties of these fabrics made them sustainable.
The antimicrobial bamboo fabric prevents wrinkles, which is disappointing for most other fabrics. Let’s explore the benefits of bamboo fabrics:
Ultra-Soft
Bamboo fabrics are extremely soft. They’re so soft that you’ll feel them like something is floating on your body. The smoother, rounded structure of bamboo fiber gives you this feeling. Indeed, bamboo fabrics don’t have any rough or sharp elements to cause irritation.
Breathable
Bamboo fabrics have a nice exposure to air because of their microscopic holes. These holes give you a cool and fresh feeling for a long time. As a result, you’d not need to wash them very often. Eventually, if you wash your clothes less, they’ll last longer; that’s the key to your sustainable clothing essentials.
Suitable for Hot
Summer Days
Bamboo fabrics have thermoregulatory properties. So, you remain cool and fresh during the hot days in summer. They have moisture-wicking and breathable material that provides you crucial comfort on summertime. It means that bamboo shirts will help you stay cooler than cotton shirts.
Strong Insulation
Bamboo fabrics keep you warm in wintry weather for the same thermoregulatory properties. It makes bamboo fabrics suitable for all seasons.
As these fabrics have cross-sectional fibers, they keep you cool in hot and vice versa. As a result, bamboo fabrics are more suitable for all weather than cotton fabrics.
Moisture Wicking
Bamboo textiles keep your skin dry and comfortable as they have moisture-wicking features. By far, they absorb moisture faster from your skin, which helps you avoid the skin's dampness.
Because of this supportive characteristic, bamboo cotton jersey knit fabric is the right choice for sport clothing. Also, they’re handy as intimate clothing because of their higher breathability. Besides, bamboo fabrics dry twice as quick as cotton.
Anti-Bacterial
We have already learned that bamboo fabrics have anti-bacterial properties. The fiber keeps fighting against odors that give you a fresh top. So, you don’t need to wash your clothes frequently, which will make your wardrobe more eco-friendly.
UV Protection
One of the best advantages of picking pure bamboo fabric is its UV-protecting feature. They naturally protect your body from the harmful rays of the sun.
In fact, they’ll give you 97.5% of protection from UV radiation. So, you’ll remain safe from skin issues like rashes, allergies, and many more.
Friendly For Sensitive
Skin
Bamboos are typically hypoallergenic. So, bamboo fabrics are ideal for people with sensitive skin as they don’t cause an allergic reaction. If you have sensitive skin, you must choose a bamboo fabric like the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 label. It ensures sensitive skin-friendly materials in the fabric.
No More Wrinkles
It’s an amazing feature of bamboo fabric. As it doesn’t wrinkle faster, you’ll get wrinkle free fabric even after many washes. This is the perfect choice for people who are not keen on their iron. Also, it’s more sustainable, and you need less energy to maintain your bamboo clothes.
Best Bamboo Fabric That’s Worth Trying
Here is a list of the best bamboo fabrics. You can try them for the best results in terms of breathability, lightweight, sensitive skin friendliness, and wrinkle resistance.
Some Of The Best
Bamboo Fabrics
Product Name |
Features |
Imported
bamboo fabric Machine
wash Comfortable
Breathable |
|
Made
in Magnetic
closure Perfect
tunic dress Easy
to wash |
|
Biodegradable Super
soft Stretchy
& lightweight Comfortable |
|
Seamless
shaper Durable Breathable Moisture
Wicking |
|
Comfortable
& smooth Moisture
wicking Seamless
Design Breathable
& anti-static |
|
Perfect
for layering Seamless
sides Soft
& comfortable Sustainable
materials |
|
Ultra-smooth Super
breathable Ingenious
design Versatile
usages |
|
Silky
soft Super
breathable Comfortable
& stretchy Super
breathable |
|
Bamboo Cay
Men's Embroidered Peekaboo Santa Button Down Christmas Shirt |
Relaxed
fit Classic
edition Beautiful
design Perfect
for holidays/Christmas |
Comfortable
sleepwear High-quality
bamboo fabric Breathable
design Easy
to wash & durable |
|
|
What’s Challenging For The Bamboo Fabric?
Bamboo
fabric sounds great. But, they’re not beyond cons. Bamboo clothes are not just
expensive; they need more care while washing. Here are some disadvantages
of bamboo fabric:
- Some of the bamboo fabric products are
not sustainable enough like other fabrics.
- Bamboo fabric is more likely to shrinkage than cotton and other
fabrics.
- Clothes made of bamboo are more expensive than many other
fabrics.
- Bamboo fabric is prone to pill as it’s a viscose staple fiber.
Bamboo Fiber Vs Cotton – Which One Is Better?
After reading the above paragraphs, you might think: are bamboo sheets better than cotton? Bamboo fabric has a less environmental impact (55.61) than conventional cotton (101.90) as per the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI).
Also, conventional cotton takes around 2000-litter water to fabricate 1 kilogram of cotton, equal to a T-shirt and jeans. However, the bamboo fabric takes just about half amount of water as cotton. The natural bamboo fabric comes from bamboo plants that are considered extremely eco-friendly.
When it comes to the fabrication process, cotton is easier to process than bamboo. But, bamboo is a highly sustainable plant that grows faster without pesticides, fertilizers, labor, and additional water. So, considering the scenery, bamboo fabric is better than conventional cotton.
What’s Bamboo Fabric Used For?
What
Is Bamboo Lycra Fabric Used For?
The fashion industry uses bamboo fabric to make inexpensive clothing, bags,
shoes, jewelry, and accessories. They also use it to craft upholstery,
furniture, bedding, home décor, and household textiles.
Bamboo
fabric is rising with its growing popularity. Clothing designers and fashion
brands are using it to promote them as eco-friendly. Also, they meet the need
of users’ demands for sustainable, affordable, and stylish clothing.
Bamboo
rayon is cheaper than other fabrics and has been used worldwide in the apparel and textile industries. It’s one of the most sustainable semi-synthetic
fabrics as the main fiber content.
Apart from industrial use, rayon fabric is used to create knitwear, suits, sportswear, hats, coats, undergarments, formal shirts, etc. On the other hand, bamboo fabric manufacturers blend it with polyester, cotton, nylon, silk, and wool to lower the raw material costs.
How Do You Care For Bamboo Fabric?
You can
wash them in your washing machine with a set of Cool Wash at a lower
temperature – 40-degree C or 104-degree F. The tumbling speed of the washing
machine should not be more than 600-round per minute. All these will save you
energy and water and help you avoid melting the fabrics.
It
means that taking care of your bamboo
textiles is not tough. If you wash them properly and carefully, it’ll help
you give them a longer life. Never forget bamboo fabrics won’t survive at
tumbling speeds and high temperatures.
Another good thing to remember is reading and following the care or washing instructions. Thus, you can identify if your bamboo fabric is washable or not because there are different washing instructions depending on the bamboo blend fabric.
When
drying your bamboo textiles, you must avoid drying them in a tumble drier
because they have a lower thermal resistance. They’ll melt if you put them
under higher temperatures. So, it’s best to dry them in the fresh air that
preserves their quality and prevents carbon emissions.
Bamboo
fabric doesn’t wrinkle very often. But, if you want to iron them, choose the
lowest possible temperature to avoid any unexpected damage. Preferably, iron
them through a damp cloth as they can’t undergo higher temperatures.
Iron the fabric through a damp cloth if possible. Bamboo fibers can easily melt, and too much ironing will eventually damage the fabric. And never use organic solvents or acetone to remove stains as they’ll damage the fabric by dissolving.
Is Bamboo Fabric Biodegradability?
Yes, it is. But, it may take weeks or years to be biodegraded depending on the environmental conditions and manufacturing process. Cellulosic fabrics are easy to recycle; they take time, though. However, the manufacturing process through different chemical substances reduces their biodegradability. Indeed, bamboo fabrics are not just man-made; they’re identical to semi-synthetic viscose rayon textile. Unlike viscose and rayon textiles, bamboo fabrics get biodegraded within some weeks. But, it takes more time to decompose in cold conditions completely. Recent research reported cellulose biodegrading faster within six weeks at 25 ºC of soil temperature.
Is Bamboo Fabric Organic?
Bamboo
fabrics are not 100% organic. But, they still come with anti-bacterial characteristics. As a result, it’s suitable for
people who suffer from allergic issues for their sensitive skin conditions.
Available bamboo clothing in the shops or online originated from bamboo
viscose. So, they’re not fully organic. Fabrics that come from the inner side
of the bamboo stalks would be 100% organic. Hopefully, we’ll get completely
organic bamboo fabrics very soon.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is Bamboo Good
Material For Clothes?
Bamboo material fabric is highly breathable and more flexible than cotton. As a
result, it’s perfect for textiles that remain closer to your skin, such as
socks and underwear. You’ll find different types of clothing made of bamboo
fabric, and all of them are appropriate for people with sensitive skin.
Is Bamboo Fiber
Good For Clothes?
By far,
bamboo fiber is good for clothes. Bamboo fabrics are not just very soft;
they’re lightweight and comfortable. Moreover, they’re breathable and moisture
absorbent. Most importantly, they come with anti-bacterial properties, which
are very suitable for people with allergic skin conditions.
Is Bamboo Fabric
Better Than Cotton?
Yes, it
is. Bamboo fabric has a less environmental impact and a lower carbon footprint
than cotton. Clothes are made of bamboo fiber and are very soft, lightweight,
comfortable, and breathable compared to cotton.
Is Bamboo Fabric
Better Than Polyester?
Bamboo
fabrics are better than polyester for casual wearing and lightweight
activities. But, polyester is better than bamboo for intense activities and
workouts. It means that both of the materials have their own set of leadership
over one another.
What Is Special
About Bamboo Clothing?
Long-lasting
freshness is the special and key thing about bamboo clothing. It has an
excellent ventilation system because of the tiny holes in the fiber. As a
result, you feel dry and fresh for a long time than cotton or polyester-made
clothing.
How Do I Wash Bamboo Clothes?
Bamboo
clothes maintain their specialties if you wash them in cold water or not warmer
than 40-degree Celsius with a bleach-free gentle detergent. As they’re prone to
burn, it’s always suggested to avoid using a washing machine to wash them.
Also, it would help if you dried them in a cooler place instead of a dryer.
Is Bamboo Clothing
Good For Hot Weather?
Yes, it
is. Bamboo fiber has thermal regulating properties, meaning it’s warm on cool
days and cool on hot days. As a result, you can wear bamboo clothes all year
round. Moreover, they’re more absorbent than cotton and disperse moisture as
faster as effectively.
Is Bamboo Fabric
Wrinkle-Resistant?
Yes,
the bamboo fabric resists wrinkles more than cotton and polyester. Even if it
gets creased, it’s easy to make it wrinkle-free by hanging up for some time.
It’s one of the key reasons to choose bamboo clothes for frequent
travelers.
Is Bamboo Fabric
More Expensive Than Cotton?
Yes, bamboo fabric is costlier than cotton. But, the best-quality cotton will price almost the same as the similar amount of bamboo fiber. Cotton plants require more water than bamboo, making the cost of bamboo fabric comparable. Also, bamboo clothes offer higher comfort, breathability, and thermal regulating properties than cotton.
Final Thoughts
If you
prefer something anti-bacterial and eco-friendly, bamboo fabric
for clothing should be your best choice. They’re ideal for people
who suffer from sensitive skin. Bamboo fabrics are also great for faster
moisture-wicking properties.
Although
all bamboo products are still not 100% organic, they’re improving. Many
manufacturers are stepping into producing completely organic bamboo items,
including T-shirts, men’s and women’s dresses, socks, and underwear.
In some
cases, you can find bamboo clothes hazardous for your body. As a result, you
must avoid them right away. You might have contraindication with using bamboo
fabric. But, it’s OK for most users to get advantages of bamboo textiles.