Mythbusting Organic Cotton Sheets: Part II

March 23, 2018

Our mission to bust myths about organic cotton sheets continues in the latest installment of our series.

Myth 3: Organic Means no Pesticides or Fertilizers.

Eh, not quite. Organic cotton is grown using natural pesticides and fertilizers. Don’t be fooled by the word natural! It's really just a buzzword. Organic chemicals can be just as harmful, if not more harmful, than synthetic ones. Read on to find out more - you'll be as surprised as we were:

Organic pesticides and fertilizers can be more toxic than synthetics, according to research quoted by Scientific American.
Farmers use 3-4 times as much organic pesticides to get the same results because organic versions are not as effective as synthetic alternatives.
Not long ago, half of the pesticides approved for use by organic farmers failed to pass the EU's safety evaluation required by law.

Ok. Whoa. In an effort to be more conscious about what we put against our skin, we discovered some of the natural alternatives for conventional pesticides and fertilizers can be worse for us, are used in larger quantities and possibly not safe for us at all! Very frustrating! This is some pretty heavy stuff.

Myth 4: Over Time the Added Chemicals Will be Removed.

Hakuna Matata! After a few washes, my organic sheets will be free of chemicals. Surprise! That is not true. Manufacturers use some chemicals that can't be washed out. Here are just a few:

Wrinkle-free (no-iron / permanent press / easy care) sheets are usually made using a version of formaldehyde, which the New York Times confirms is a toxic chemical designed not to wash out.
Colorfast dyes used in prints and solid-color sheets are chemically bound to react with individual fiber molecules so they don't wash out.
Softeners (such as silicones, polyurethanes and ammonium compounds) and stiffeners (such as starch resins and polyvinyls) improve the “hand feel” of the sheets.
Anti-static, anti-pilling, anti-bacterial finishes, etc modify the cotton fiber using a diverse range of chemicals for these functional enhancements.

Are you frustrated yet? We've busted four HUGE myths about organic cotton sheets. So you're probably wondering where to go from here. Check out the first organic offering from Perfectlinens.com: Moreganic™ Sateen