The co-founder of Sunday Bedding on picking the right bedsheets for the best sleep possible

With cotton and polyester making up 90 per cent of the world’s production of textiles, Sunday Bedding believes that textiles diversity is the key to a more sustainable textiles economy. They focus on sourcing materials such as bamboo and linen, which strike a balance between functionality and sustainability. Both materials are also well suited for the local climate.

If you’re dithering over which bed linen to get, think about your personal lifestyle and preferences. If you tend to sleep without air-conditioning or get hot while you snooze, consider bamboo, which is cooling and moisture-wicking. It’s also soft, silky and drapes beautifully.

In terms of durability, French linen is a winner. Linen is a highly versatile breathable fabric that regulates temperature. French linen also has a slightly coarse hand feel that softens with each wash to become soft and cocooning. Clara shares, “It has a natural, textural feel and is a perfect addition if you are going for a cosy, rumpled look in your bedroom. Both bamboo and linen fabrics also trap less dust versus cotton, making them suited for those with sensitive skin.”

“For those that wash their sheets frequently or have pets or kids, go with cotton as it withstands multiple washes, and is highly breathable,” she recommends.

Both bamboo and Tencel are similar in their hand feel as they are made from a similar chemical manufacturing process. Tencel fibres are produced from the pulp of eucalyptus wood while bamboo fibres are, as the name suggests, produced from bamboo pulp.

“We chose to offer bamboo instead of Tencel as the technicians at our facilities managed to have better results for colour fastness on bamboo fabrics,” Clara says. “As we focus on offering print designs and a wide variety of colours, we decided to offer Bamboo as an alternative instead.”

She continues, “Bamboo sateen feels and looks ultra-luxe, because of its slight sheen, and smooth and silky feel against the skin. It’s particularly comfortable for those who run warm in their sleep. Bamboo is easy to maintain as well. Our bamboo sheets only require a simple machine wash or air drying. They are even wrinkle-free so you can skip the ironing and go straight to bed!”

Can bed sheets help with revenge bedtime procrastination?

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Guilty of revenge bedtime procrastination? Many of us have been there — whether we postpone our sleeping time to spend hours scrolling through our phones, have Netflix on autoplay or start on a bit of late-night online shopping.

Clara is no stranger to it, too. “For sure! I am guilty of scrolling through social media right before bedtime and can get carried away with it at times.”

Her tip? Have a fixed bedtime routine, which can send signals that it’s time to sleep, reduce bedtime procrastination and help you fall asleep faster. This routine can also incorporate your bedsheets. “For instance, when I’m still lounging before bedtime, I try to be on top of my covers. Once I am ready to sleep, I put on my eye mask and go under my duvet cover,” she says.

The brand has recently launched a new Little Joys collection of crib sheets, crafted with its bestselling bamboo sateen material, and featuring hand-drawn checkered prints and nature-themed colours.

According to Clara, the fabric is good for young ‘uns not only because it’s soft and cooling, and great for lulling little ones away for a good night’s rest. It’s also hypoallergenic, quick-to-dry, easily absorbs sweat, and stands up to any liquid-related baby accidents.

Here are Sunday Bedding’s best tips to keep your bedsheets in tip-top condition:

Wash your sheets at 30 or 40 degree Celsius.
In the event of stains, separate stained fabrics as they may carry more bacteria.
Know how to treat different stains, as they call for different settings.
For protein stains like spit, milk spills, poop, and most food stains, use cold water as warm water can cause stains to set. Rinse off any residue by holding your sheets under running water. For older stains, let it sit with a stain remover for a few hours or overnight before washing. Line dry in the sun where possible. The sun will naturally bleach stains and help to disinfect the fabric.
For baby sheets, opt for a gentle, baby-friendly laundry liquid.

Juggling family and the business

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Delegating and prioritising is key for Clara, what with having to juggle the business and her family, especially with a baby at home. “Personally, I have really learnt to delegate and prioritise. Both work and family are important to me so I have to be intentional with my time and what I can focus on.”

“I’m really lucky to have help with Emma, and I wouldn’t be able to do what I do with Sunday Bedding without my helper.”

Self-care and winding down

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“Exercise has been a really important part of self-care for me,” Clara tells us. “I need to carve out time for the gym or a session of pilates. Exercise helps me to decompress and take some time out for myself.”

And for busy mums who can hardly catch a wink, here are her tips for quality shut-eye.

“My advice is to invest in a good mattress. Of course, good bed sheets help as well! As a mom to an infant, I don’t have the luxury of having many hours of undisturbed sleep at night.”

“Hence, I try to go into a deep sleep as quickly as possible by having a fixed schedule and I rely on sleep aids such as using a high-quality eye mask, sleeping in a cool room (24 degrees Celsius) and black-out curtains. On rough nights, I still wake up at the same time but I squeeze in a 20-minute nap if my schedule permits. I keep it strictly to 20 minutes and not more as research has shown that this map length provides the restorative benefits of sleep without affecting your sleep at night.”

As for what’s in the pipeline for Sunday Bedding, customers can expect an expansion of its product categories, such as pillow inserts and weighted blankets. While it’s made its mark in bedding, the brand has also expanded into other home and lifestyle products over the years, and intends to continue doing so.

“We also welcome collaboration with partner brands. For example, we worked with local fashion label Esse to launch sustainable loungewear, and stock many partner brands at our flagship store in Raffles City. We’re looking at introducing decorative cushions and eye masks next, in partnership with UK brand Liberty London. At our lifestyle space at Raffles City, we will be hosting workshops and pop ups with various brands leading up to the festive season.”

This article was originally published in Singapore Women's Weekly.