Disposable bed linen for college students

Laundry-Free Sheets are made from tencel — a biodegradable fiber — so they can be used for a couple of weeks and then thrown out to compost.

To the horror of their parents, many college students rarely take the time to wash their bedsheets, resulting in dirty, unhygienic sleeping arrangements. Now, Beantown Bedding are offering a solution in the form of their Laundry-Free Linens. The bedsheets, which are made from Tencel, are disposable, so they can be used for a couple of weeks and then thrown out and composted.

However, despite being made from recycled fabrics and being biodegradable, purchasing Laundry-Free Linens after every use ultimately uses more water than simply washing regular sheets. This is due to the amount of water required in the production of the Tencel sheets. Despite this, the fiber itself is environmentally preferable to cotton, and for industries — especially hospitality — where it is necessary to regularly replace sheets due to damage, loss or theft, or in the case of travelers, campers or Airbnb hosts, the sheets offer a greener alternative to buying a new cotton equivalent. It could also be a godsend for lazy college students, who may be in a habit of buying new sheets rather than facing the washing machine.

The company has already grown by 400 percent by selling to hotels, hospitals and disaster relief organizations. Prices start at USD 11.95 and rise to USD 37.95 for a king size set. Are there any other compostable materials that have a shorter lifespan, which could provide disposable alternatives for those averse to, or are unable to do laundry?