In this Panda 100% Bamboo Bedding review, let's discover how this set of duvet cover, a fitted sheet and pillowcases can make a significant difference to a sleep set-up.
Swapping from cotton to 100% bamboo feels like a big change and here's a brand that puts bamboo at the centre of sleep to on all fronts – just see T3's Panda Cloud Bamboo duvet review, the Panda Bamboo pillow review and the Panda mattress topper review for proof of that. But what about the final flourish – the bedding?
Panda's 100% bamboo bedding comprises a fitted sheet (£42.50-£67.50, depending on size, when sold individually), a duvet cover (£70-£110) and two pillowcases (£19.95), but you can save by buying its complete bedding set (£110-£180). I reviewed the set for a king-size bed.
Is going over to bamboo fibre as big a change in sleep set-up as it seems? Yes, it definitely is — but Panda's Bamboo bedding set easily earns the title of best bamboo bed sheets in T3's best sheets guide. Here's exactly what I thought of the Panda Bamboo bedding set.
PANDA 100% BAMBOO BEDDING SET REVIEW: MATERIALS
The duvet cover, fitted sheet and pillowcases in this package all use exactly the material, which is made from 100% bamboo fibre. Panda says that its 320 thread count is equivalent to a 1,200 thread count for cotton, which is high. That means it's soft, but also rather slippery – a bit like silk.
Eco-wise, bamboo is considered less harmful than cotton, though it's hard to know for sure. Panda says the cultivation of the bamboo it uses is sustainable since it's grown in managed forests and uses a third less water than cotton. It's also coloured using natural dyes. However, the processing of viscose bamboo fibre does use chemicals, so it's best thought of as simply less harmful than cotton.
PANDA 100% BAMBOO BEDDING SET REVIEW: DESIGN
When you buy the 100% Bamboo Bedding Set – first choosing between dark blue, white, light grey, dark grey and peach – it soon arrives in a soft, shiny drawstring bag neatly tied with a bow. It's a sign of things to come. The fitted sheet proved easy to put onto a mattress, with plenty of stretch in the fabric to place it over the corners without risking any broken fingers. It's also plenty deep enough for large mattresses. We tried it with both a standard king-size mattress and also with a mattress topper installed on top, which the fitted sheet easily housed without being overly stretched.
The duvet cover uses a simple, but clever design flourish. On first use, the duvet cover appeared to be slightly too large for the Panda Cloud duvet (£99.95-£159.95) we used it with. It slipped a bit and generally felt loose. Then we noticed that the two are designed to be tied together at the corners; the duvet cover has a corner tie while the duvet comes with small loops on each corner. Simple! Why aren't all duvets and duvet covers like this?
The pillowcases are of standard size, but when used with the Panda Hybrid Bamboo Pillow (£89.95) they fit snugly. That removes all creases. Since all three components arrive folded up neatly in the drawstring bag they do look really creased when first unfurled and used, with a straight-out-of-the-packet folds on display. However, the fold marks fell away after 24 hours.
PANDA 100% BAMBOO BEDDING SET REVIEW: COMFORT
Panda's bamboo bedding feels silky smooth, which I had not fully appreciated before. It's quite a change from cotton, so much so that they feel very slippery at first. However, it's much easier to move around in bed when sleeping on shiny bamboo sheets. If you toss and turn at night that's excellent news for any bedfellows, who won't be disturbed as much by your stirring. The sheet's silky smooth texture means less friction, which means the duvet glides across the fitted sheet.
I was initially concerned that it might slide off at night or at least move down the bed too easily, but in practice that didn't happen. Instead of the duvet coming with you when you roll over, you move beneath it. Bamboo also feels cool and fresh to climb into each night, which was a surprise, but it warms up quickly enough.
PANDA 100% BAMBOO BEDDING SET REVIEW: CLEANING
Naturally temperature regulating, I found that I sweated less when using these sheets, but when it did come to washing the process was easy. The entire set is machine washable and dries at about the same rate as cotton bedding.
A slight issue that came up during the review was pet damage. The slippery texture of the bamboo fabric also makes cats move about more than on cotton, possibly encouraging them to get their claws out. I noticed a few pulled threads after a few weeks.
PANDA 100% BAMBOO BEDDING SET REVIEW: VERDICT
With an instantly luxurious feel, Panda's 100% bamboo bedding allows easy movement and plenty of warmth. Although the sustainability of bamboo means it's typically compared to cotton, it's actually best seen as a great value, easy-care alternative to silk sheets. Slippage of duvet and duvet cover due to the slippery texture of the sheets is sidestepped through intelligent use of hooks and ties to keep a duvet and duvet cover as one. Despite a slight worry about how easily they can be damaged by pets, this all-in-one bedding set of fitted sheet, duvet cover and pillowcases proves a dreamy combination.
With the bamboo bedding set Panda offers free UK delivery and returns, together with a 30-night sleep trial if you purchase from its website, after which you can return it no questions asked.
PANDA 100% BAMBOO BEDDING SET REVIEW: ALTERNATIVES TO CONSIDER
If you'd rather go for the best linen bed sheets, consider Scooms double linen bedding, which uses soft fibres woven from high-quality French linen flax.
