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Inhaling Fibers from Bedsheets

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Inhaling Fibers from Bedsheets

#1

Post by dwgetjg »

I have dark navy cotton bedsheets and over the past year I've noticed that the sheets "pill" or "shed" small fibers. These look like the typical tiny little microfibers that make up the dust everywhere indoors.

Recently I noticed that they leave residue on my hair. I've had a bit of a cough, and I noticed that - sorry for the graphic image - when I blow my nose I can see the tiny microfibers in the tissues if I look closely.

This is concerning because it means that these fibers are in my lungs. Also shows that dangers can be lurking where we least expect them. Has anyone experienced this, and can anyone recommend "safe" hypoallergenic bedsheets?

Re: Inhaling Fibers from Bedsheets

#2

Post by rossdavidh »

Yikes. While I'm sure all cloth sheds some non-zero amount of fibers, if you can see it that much it seems like either you have amazingly keen vision for small details, or those sheets are shedding more/bigger fibers than normal.

Re: Inhaling Fibers from Bedsheets

#4

Post by ping_pong »

If you wash and dry your sheets more than a few times, all of the loose fibers will come out.

After that, any dust you inhale is supposed to get caught in your mucus. That's the whole point. Cotton is absolutely innocuous, even if you did inhale it. It's not asbestos, stop worrying.

Re: Inhaling Fibers from Bedsheets

#5

Post by itronitron »

hindsightbias wrote: post #3

Wait until you hear about your couch and clothes: https://time.com/4462892/couch-cancer-flame-retardants/

Yeah, after seeing several pediatric specialists we switched our children's pajamas to untreated non-flame retardant organic cotton PJs and their mysterious nickel-sized skin rashes disappeared within a few days.
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