I can't believe I'm a mother! Ever since I was a little girl I've wanted a baby. So after a lot of world travel and a few great careers, I'm now on maternity leave for a year fulfilling all my house wife fantasies. What I'd under estimated though was the profound effect it would have on how I look and interact with the world now. My focuses have changed, heart has swelled, fears erupted, muscles ached and inner strength been challenged. This blog is me detailing some of the interesting topics I have encountered or wished I already knew before motherhood while attempting to retain my sanity along the way. If there is something you think I'd be interested in please let me know!

April 16, 2010

Is Bamboo better?


It seems that Bamboo is the new and exciting eco-fibre, especially in terms of baby clothes and cloth nappies. It's promoted to be somehow 'better' however is it really or is it just a new inventive marketing tool?

Bamboo for me seems a mixed blessing. The following are points on Bamboo that has helped me develop that opinion.

BENEFITS
-Very soft.
-Very absorbent in fact approximately x6 than cotton.
-Anti fungal and antibacterial.
-A renewable resource.
-Hypoallergenic, less irritation than wool or hemp.
-Naturally smooth without chemical rounding.
-Insulation properties, warmer in winter/ cooler in summer.
-Naturally wicks moisture away for evaporation.
-Does not require the use of pesticides/fungicides/fertilisers as it grows quickly, thus more often organic.

DISADVANTAGES
-White bamboo fibre has been extensively bleached
-The process of turning the bamboo into yarn require a lot of chemicals transforming the fibres into a semi-natural/semi-synthecitc material. As thus bamboo can be mislabelled as natural and biodegradable. This process is less eco-impacting than conventional cotton processing however organic cotton has a far less caustic manufacturing process.
-A more eco-friendly manufacturing process with the use of pressing instead of chemicals does exist however is more labour intensive and used less often because of this.
-Prone to stretching and fading.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks Helena for this information. I have been wondering about Bamboo (as you do) recently! x

    ReplyDelete