Linen and Bedding

Humans have used a variety of materials for bedding since the days when cavemen put branches and leaves down to sleep on. Eventually covered with animal skins, these bedding materials blocked the cold of the cave floor and created a softer bed than the hard ground. The principles of materials that provide protection from the cold ground and comfort from its hardness have been universal in the development of human bedding. With the development of higher levels of culture, bedding materials were also made with elegance that gave warmth, romance, and esthetic pleasure.

Beds have traditionally been made from a wide range of organic and inorganic materials such as wood, metal, rock, rope that have differing ecological impacts. Modern beds can contribute to forest destruction when ...