In household use, bamboo towels, bedspreads, tablecloths and bed linen made from the fibers of this plant are increasingly found. Bamboo textiles are gaining popularity year after year. High consumer qualities, environmental friendliness, and a reasonable price lead to the fact that it is gradually replacing the usual cotton and linen. In the USA, Great Britain, and Holland there are fast-growing companies that supply clothes only from bamboo fibers. The scope of application of this material is constantly expanding, but the leader is still bamboo home textiles, pillows and blankets.
History of appearance
Bamboo is native to the countries of the Pacific region. Furniture, dishes, and interior items were traditionally made from it. Since its cultivation has a low cost, and furniture production has a high level of waste, attempts to process bamboo into a new quality have been going on for a long time - since the beginning of the 20th century.
The impetus for research was given by the rapid scientific and technological growth of China, and at the beginning of 2000, Chinese scientists managed to transform the cellulose of this plant into a fiber close to viscose in composition. Since then, the material began its rapid spread. Chinese textile workers were the first to produce fabrics from bamboo fiber. Currently, this material has almost completely replaced cotton from the market in this country.
bamboo or cotton towels
For the Japanese, bamboo is a symbol of purity and happiness. For the Chinese, it is a symbol of laughter, joy, and eternal youth. In Feng Shui practice, bamboo symbolizes wisdom and health. Bamboo grows the fastest of all plants on Earth. In the subtropics, plantations grow three bamboo crops per year.
Bamboo is not afraid of temperature changes, heat, and moisture. As it grows, it can even pierce stone. Its strength, strength and antibacterial properties are widely known. Bamboo has always been used in different forms. Leaves, roots, and sap of bamboo were used in medicine. Its beautiful, decorative stems were used in the construction of various structures, shipbuilding, and decoration. Many fishing enthusiasts still use bamboo fishing rods today.
Bamboo fiber can be called the second birth of bamboo. It was created in Japan at the end of the twentieth century. It was based on ancient Chinese paper making technology. Modern scientists have adapted this technology to create textile fiber. Despite its youth, bamboo fiber quickly became famous and popular all over the world due to its high quality, safety, and hypoallergenic properties. No fertilizers are used when growing bamboo. This is simply not necessary. Due to its very rapid growth, bamboo does not even have time to accumulate harmful substances. This makes the material highly environmentally friendly. Bamboo fiber is used to make all kinds of textile products. These are denim products, knitwear, towels, blankets, pillows. Bamboo napkins are known for cleaning and washing dishes without the use of detergents. Bamboo fiber is much stronger than cotton and can withstand more washes without fraying or losing its appearance. During production, bamboo fibers do not undergo chemical treatment, since this plant has antibacterial properties by nature. Bamboo fabrics have powerful protection against ultraviolet radiation and an antistatic effect. Products made from many other fabrics are given such properties artificially.
Bamboo fibers contain amino acids that are beneficial for human skin health.
Blankets and pillows made of bamboo are very strong and durable, and do not lose their brightness for a long time. Caring for such products is simple: wash in cold water in a washing machine. No need to bleach or iron.
Compound
Bamboo towels, sheets and other home textiles can be made from 2 types of fiber:
- bamboo flax - produced by mechanical grinding of raw materials using enzymes, resulting in short, up to 15 cm, rough fibers. Fabrics made from it are the most environmentally friendly, but they are expensive;
- bamboo viscose. The raw materials are exposed to carbon disulfide and caustic soda. The output is a fluffy hygroscopic fiber. This is cheaper production. Most of the products on the market are made of this type.
Products are made from both types of yarn. Typically, models made from bamboo linen do not have additives - in English they are labeled “100% bamboo linen”. Quite expensive. Bamboo viscose products can contain anywhere from 30% to 60% cotton. It is added to reduce the weight of the fabric. The fact is that bamboo towels are quite heavy when wet. Buyers don't always like this.
Fiber structure
The source of raw material for the production of bamboo towels is natural bamboo. Stems and leaves are collected and processed using mechanical and chemical methods. Mechanically processed bamboo becomes the basis for expensive bamboo flax, and chemically processed bamboo is used to produce bamboo viscose.
Bamboo viscose is most often used to make towels. It is somewhat similar to polyester: it does not cause allergies, is hygroscopic, and resistant to static electricity. But this material is not perfect either: it wrinkles easily, is subject to shrinkage and deformation when washed. Adding elastane or cotton helps compensate for deficiencies. A canvas with a balanced structure is more durable and convenient to use.
Properties of bamboo towels
Bamboo terry towels have the following properties:
- antibacterial - it has been proven that within a day, 70% of bacteria that come into contact with this material die;
- hypoallergenic - does not cause any skin reactions upon contact, which is why baby bamboo towels and corners for babies are especially popular;
- breathability – the material “breathes”;
- resistance to odor adsorption – the natural properties of the fibers do not allow odors to be absorbed;
- strength and wear resistance;
- hygroscopicity - no other fabric can compare with bamboo in its ability to absorb moisture;
- comfort – the products are soft and gentle to the touch;
- resistance to shrinkage - practically do not shrink after washing;
- environmental friendliness - the fabric meets the highest requirements both in terms of the composition of the raw materials and production technology.
High hygroscopicity
Have you ever encountered an unpleasant situation where your skin remains damp when you wipe it with a towel? This phenomenon is caused by the low absorbency of the product and is typical for synthetic towels. Bamboo can absorb moisture almost instantly.
Advantages and disadvantages, differences from cotton models
The advantages of bamboo towels become obvious when comparing them with their cotton counterparts. Main parameters:
- environmental friendliness - cotton is grown and processed using a large amount of aggressive chemicals;
- hygroscopicity - both materials have this property and are suitable for the production of textiles for bathrooms, but the ability to absorb moisture in cotton is slightly lower;
- antibacterial - only bamboo has this quality, having received it “inherited” from the tree of the same name;
- shrinkage – after washing, a bamboo towel practically does not shrink or become deformed, unlike cotton.
Benefits of cotton towels
Reasonable: Cotton is one of the low-cost materials, which can offer high quality to customers in the meantime; due to which, it makes it popular and the most standard type of towels.
Easy to dye: Simply dyeing cotton with natural materials allows the towel to change shades without the need to chemically alter their composition.
Easy to Wash: These towels are extremely easy to clean. All you need is a washing machine!
Dries quickly: Cotton is one of the most common textures when it comes to breathability, allowing cotton towels to dry quickly.
Minuses:
Not very durable: Cotton towels are more prone to damage than their other counterparts.
Colors and Washing: If you're going to machine wash one of your cotton towels, you may want to hold off on washing it with your clothes. Sometimes colors come out of towels and can affect other textile items.
Size measurements: Cotton towels can sometimes shrink after drying - this problem is mostly associated with cotton sheets (very rare with cotton towels).
Types of towels on sale
All towels are divided into household and hotel. According to their intended purpose, terry products are:
- bathhouses - 70x40cm or enlarged (often beach) 100x150cm;
- showers – 50x100cm;
- hygienic (for face or hands) – 50x85cm or 50x90 cm;
- kitchen - 50x70cm;
- small (napkin) – 30x30cm or 30x50cm.
Often models are decorated with patterns, borders, and embroidery. According to the type of drawing, products are divided into:
- printed – embroidery and drawing around the edges;
- plain dyed - without embroidery, plain;
- jacquard - the relief pattern is applied by machine (hairs of different lengths are cut).
The standard density of models for home is from 400 g/m2 to 420 g/m2. For the entire family of terry products, the standard ranges from 300 g/m2 to 1200 g/m2.
The Russian market mainly offers bamboo towels from Turkey and China. The name “Turkish towels” has already become synonymous with the concept of “quality product”, so it is often recommended to choose products from this southern country.
Choosing a bamboo towel in a store
To summarize, we advise you to pay attention to the brand (well-known manufacturers use the best natural raw materials and the most advanced technologies), softness and drapability, border width, pile structure and density. The variety of colors makes it possible to buy towels of your favorite color in accordance with the design of the bathroom.
If you have any doubts, please contact sales consultants at the Royal Style home textile stores by calling +7 (4832) 75-79-42. They will explain the differences between products from different manufacturers, advise on the optimal size of terry products and help you get an exceptionally pleasant experience when purchasing and using bamboo towels.
Features of care and washing
High-quality products made from natural fibers are expensive and deserve careful care. Rules for caring for bamboo towels:
- wash on a gentle cycle at 40°C;
- do not use bleaches or aggressive media;
- medium spin mode;
- air drying in the unfolded state;
- Ironing is not necessary; if desired, you can use a warm iron.
Bamboo towels are superior to their competitors in all main quality indicators. Made from an innovative material called “21st century fiber”, they meet the most stringent standards, including EU quality directives.
Neat border
Many terry towels have borders: this is a prominent strip of variable width that can contain a pattern, text or a manufacturer's logo. It has both a decorative and functional function: in particular, it helps to determine the front and back sides.
A high quality bamboo towel is visually distinguished by a thin border, which is made of the same material as the product as a whole. A strip that is too wide reduces the usable area of the towels and can also cause discomfort due to increased rigidity.
