As the article in which you encase your body for hours every night, our criteria when it comes to sheets lies on the more stringent side. Textiles can carry some of the highest chemical load of any item in your home, due to myriad growing, processing, finishing and dyeing inputs - over 8,000 different chemicals are commonly used in textile manufacturing. Potential exposure routes are primarily dermal absorption and inhalation. To over-simplify, when it comes to textiles there are broadly three different types: natural textiles that are conventionally grown and processed, synthetic textiles which are most often plastic converted into fabric, and natural textiles that are organically grown and cleanly processed. Of course, there are natural textiles that are organically grown and then conventionally processed, finished and dyed - resulting in a textile with a high residual chemical load, and negating any positive impact from the exclusion of pesticides. And while there is an argument to be made that synthetic textiles can contain fewer residual chemicals compared to conventionally grown and processed natural textiles, there remains the outsize issue of microplastic shedding - which will occur with any plastic-based textile that is subject to abrasion. We are just beginning to understand the health impacts of our collective over-exposure to microplastics, but needless to say, it’s not looking good - current known effects range from endocrine disruption to infertility, and ongoing research is working to unearth the full spectrum of extremely concerning potential effects. Due in large part to this, as well as the chemical load needed to convert a plastic into a textile and the potential remaining residual chemical levels, we broadly do not recommend any synthetic textiles for items that will have extended direct skin contact.

What we’re looking to avoid when it comes to Non-Toxic sheet recommendations are the chemical inputs used in the various steps of conventional textile manufacturing. This includes phthalates, flame retardants, heavy metals, formaldehyde, VOCs, PFAS, and other such carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic chemicals of concern. Dyes are amongst the most problematic potential inputs. There are natural (plant-based) dyes, though generally there are challenges with colorfastness, and therefore are seldom commercially used. The vast majority of dyes used are synthetic/petrochemical-based (even GOTS approved dyes and their equivalents), and are a bit of a black box for what chemical compounds they even do contain. Amongst the worst are azo-based dyes (carcinogenic) and Heavy Metal dyes (bioaccumulative and toxic to humans and the environment). An additional significant area of concern are performance treatments applied to textiles - as these can often contain toxic substances like PFAS, phthalates, formaldehyde or others. While we hesitate to issue blanket statements, outside of the known toxic performance treatments many others have not been studied enough to determine potential health effects (we know of only one that seems to be Non-Toxic), and the possibility for regrettable substitution is high. As with food, the potential health tradeoff for convenience is significant, and we recommend avoiding performance treatments altogether for these reasons.

Prioritize Natural textiles that are cleanly processed. With sheets this is most often cotton and linen fabrics. More comprehensive advanced certifications include GOTS, bluesign, MADE SAFE, and ZDHC, and to a lesser extent, OEKO-Tex (see our certifications section). We do recommend undyed fabrics when it comes to sheets (with the exception of our first recommendation).

Avoid Synthetic textiles, including polyester, nylon, acrylic, and olefin. We also recommend avoiding semi-synthetic textiles like viscose, rayon, modal and lyocell, as the conversion process of turning wood/bamboo-based cellulose into a textile requires heavy chemical inputs. If necessary to select semi-synthetic, lyocell appears to be the best choice in terms of residual chemical levels and environmental impact. When it comes to textiles, bedding is an area where we see a fair amount of cleanwashing - companies claiming products to be healthier than they actually are, often supported/marketed with certifications like Organic and, to a lesser extent, OEKO-Tex (again, see our certifications section). We recommend avoiding natural textiles that are conventionally processed and dyed, even those that are grown Organically.