A lot of bedding companies try to sell you on products based on shady science and bearing absurd price tags, but don’t be fooled. I’ve been covering bedding and home goods at Wirecutter for almost five years, and in that time I’ve seen an explosion of new brands promising that their goods will make you a healthier, happier person—when most will simply make you a person with less money in the bank. Here are some misleading claims I’ve encountered, and what you should do or buy instead.
The claim: Copper- and silver-infused sheets kill germs and bacteria.
My take: There is no hack, no matter how expensive or science-sounding, that can save people from laundry. The silver or copper threads that brands like Silvon and 29 Linens (which hasn’t yet made it to stores after a successful 2018 Kickstarter) use in their sheets might kill some germs, but they’re no match for the power of soap, hot water, and agitation. I’ve interviewed several experts and consulted half a dozen cleaning books, and they all agree that sheets need cleaning once a week. People shed loads of skin cells, dirt, and who knows how many microscopic germs while they sleep, and adding a bit of metal to the fabric won’t help much. Even Silvon’s own representative says you shouldn’t go more than 10 days between washes with that company’s sheets. So, just wash your sheets every week. If you’re worried about the bacteria on your pillowcase contributing to facial acne, keep an extra set on hand so you can change it more often (every two or three days is ideal).
The claim: Temperature-regulating systems can make your bed exactly as warm or cool as you like.
My take: These contraptions—which include the BedJet, the chiliPAD, and the Ooler—are essentially fans with hoses pumping warm or cold air into your bed. They sell for anywhere between $300 and $500 for a single person or $1,000 and up for couples. We haven’t tested any of these devices yet (we’re considering it), but I’m skeptical of how worthy of their exorbitant prices these fancy gadgets can possibly be. They’re heavily marketed toward elite athletes, and they might be fantastic if you put your body through such extremes, but for everyday hot or cold sleepers, they’re unlikely to be a magic wand. The chiliPAD and Ooler even have disclaimers noting that “ambient temperature, individual body mass and humidity” affect peak performance. You have lots of ways to tweak the temperature of your bed, and most of them are cheap or free. Save yourself hundreds of dollars by trying some of those methods first: If you’re hot, buy a fan. If you’re cold, add a couple of layers to your bed or try an electric blanket.
The claim: Sheets made of bamboo and eucalyptus are better for the planet than those made of cotton.
My take: I’ve never found any scientific evidence to back this claim up. Bamboo and eucalyptus fabrics might sound natural, but they’re really just highly processed types of rayon (usually viscose or lyocell) with great publicists. Experts I’ve talked to, including Fran Kozen, associate director of the Cornell Institute of Fashion and Fiber Innovation, say that growing cotton does use more land and water than growing bamboo and eucalyptus but that rayon production has its own problems. Rayon is made from plant fibers that may or may not be grown sustainably—it’s hard to know. And carbon disulfide, a chemical central to rayon production, is a known health hazard to humans (the final products are considered safe, but workers might be at risk). It may also pollute air and water. I spoke to Walter Bridgham, a representative of Lenzing, one rayon manufacturer with a reputation for being eco-friendly. He said Lenzing uses a variety of fast-growing hardwoods and closely tracks what’s harvested and replanted. The company also uses a nontoxic chemical—amine oxide—instead of carbon disulfide to make its Tencel-brand lyocell and modal, and it recaptures and reuses 99 percent of the chemical. But sheet manufacturers need to include only 30 percent Tencel in each product to be allowed to label it with the Tencel name and claim that the item is eco-friendly—meaning it’s almost impossible for shoppers to know what they’re really getting. Until there’s more evidence and transparency to show how these “green” materials are created and used, and how they really compare, experts recommend sticking to cotton. And I agree.
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1. Walter Bridgham, senior business development manager for home and interiors at Lenzing, phone and email interview, January 28 and 29, 2019
2. Amanda Mull, Tech Is No Match for Human Grossness, The Atlantic, May 8, 2019
3. Jillian Lucas and Victoria Albert, The Risk (and Reward) of Silver-Infused Fabric in So-Called Odor-Resistant Clothing, The Daily Beast, November 16, 2018
4. Fran Kozen, associate director of the Cornell Institute of Fashion and Fiber Innovation, phone interview, March 30, 2018
5. James Hamblin, The Buried Story of Male Hysteria, The Atlantic, December 29, 2016
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