Cotton vs Polyester vs Silk Mosquito Nets — An Australian Buyer's Guide

By Frank Taylor, Mosquito Net Specialist. Last reviewed: July 2026.

If you're buying a mosquito net for your bed and trying to decide between cotton, polyester and silk, the honest answer is that all three can protect against mosquitoes — the differences are in feel, look, longevity and what suits your climate. This guide walks you through those differences from the perspective of someone who has been designing and making mosquito nets from Australia for thirty years.

I'll cover what each fabric actually is, how the weave affects protection and airflow, how to care for each one, and — at the end — a plain decision framework for choosing between them based on where you live and what you want the net to do.

Quick note on scope: this guide is about mosquito nets and bed canopies for beds — the kind you sleep under. It's not about screening for windows, doorways or camping shelters, which are different products with different fabric requirements.

The three fabrics at a glance

Before we go deep on each fabric, here's the comparison in one table:

* Prices vary by size and style. See the linked category pages for current pricing.

Cotton mosquito nets — the natural choice

What the fabric actually is

Our cotton mosquito nets start life as raw cotton thread. We weave the netting and the hem fabric, then sew the two together into finished canopies. The netting itself is natural cotton with an exclusive run-proof weave that stops the fabric laddering or unravelling if it's ever snagged — the same reason it displays with a slightly chequered pattern. 256 holes per square inch is the standard density, which is fine enough to stop mosquitoes but coarse enough to breathe well.

See our cotton mosquito net range for the full lineup — box, round, temple and four-poster styles in every standard Australian bed size.

What cotton looks like over a bed

Cotton has real presence. It's slightly opaque rather than sheer, so the canopy is a genuine bedroom feature — more "bed canopy" than "mosquito net." The chequered weave catches light softly, and the natural fibre has weight and drape that synthetic fabrics can't quite match. Cotton also softens with washing over time in the way natural fibres do.

Protection and airflow

Used properly — correctly sized for the bed, fully hung, drapes reaching the floor, openings closed — a cotton net provides complete protection from mosquitoes. That's what it's designed to do, and the 256 holes-per-square-inch density stops all species of mosquito found in Australia.

The interesting cotton-specific note: many of our customers in the tropics and along coastal regions tell us they notice a real difference with midges and sandflies when they use cotton nets. Our working theory — based on thirty years of customer feedback rather than laboratory testing — is that the fibrous hairs on natural cotton thread create a barrier that the smaller biting insects find harder to negotiate than the smooth surface of synthetic mesh. It's not a scientifically established claim, and I want to be careful not to overstate it, but it comes up often enough that it's worth mentioning if midges are part of what you're trying to keep out.

Airflow through cotton is good — not quite as free as polyester, but comfortably breathable in warm weather. In Queensland and the tropical north where we have a lot of customers, cotton is the fabric that gets recommended most often for exactly this balance: natural feel, real presence, sandfly consideration, and enough airflow for hot humid nights.

Care and longevity

Cotton nets are machine washable on a cold delicate cycle with a mild detergent, or hand wash in cold water. Dry in shade. The one hard rule: never tumble dry cotton. The heat shrinks natural cotton fibre permanently, and there's no un-doing it. This is the single most common way we see cotton canopies get damaged, and it's completely avoidable — just pull the netting into shape while damp and then hang to dry.

Look after a cotton net that way and it will last a decade. Our resort clients are the proof of concept: they use their canopies daily, in humid coastal climates, with regular washing, year after year. When people ask us whether cotton is worth the price premium over polyester, this is the answer — you're buying once, not every three or four summers.

Who cotton suits

Anyone who wants the canopy to be a genuine bedroom feature rather than just a functional overlay. Anyone in Queensland, the Northern Territory, tropical North Queensland or coastal areas where midges and sandflies are part of the picture. Anyone who prefers natural fibres over synthetics — for touch, breathability, or environmental reasons. And anyone thinking of the purchase as a ten-year decision rather than a one-summer one.

Polyester mosquito nets — the practical choice

What the fabric actually is

Polyester mosquito netting is a fine synthetic mesh — around 360 holes per square inch, denser than cotton but woven from thinner thread. Our polyester nets are made from a soft, drapeable polyester with fully hemmed edges finished in microfibre fabric that gives the drapes body and weight so they hang properly rather than fluttering flat against the bed. See the full polyester mosquito net range — box, round, temple, freestanding pop-up and travel styles.

What polyester looks like over a bed

Sheer and see-through. Light, airy, almost weightless. Where cotton reads as a bedroom feature with visual presence, polyester reads as a proper mosquito net — you can see through it clearly, and it disappears against a well-lit bedroom rather than framing it. That's not a criticism; it's a different aesthetic, and for many people it's the one they want.

The finer mesh also means polyester is the sheerest of the three fabrics when you look through the canopy from inside — the view of the room is less obscured than through cotton, and dramatically less than through silk. If your bed sits in a room you want to look at, or you like to read in bed and want the lamp light through the netting to be clean, polyester is the one that gets out of the way.

Protection and airflow

Same core answer as cotton: complete protection from mosquitoes when properly sized and sealed. The 360 holes-per-square-inch mesh is finer than cotton's, and that finer mesh will also stop very small biting insects in a way that comes down to hole size rather than fibre character. It doesn't have cotton's fibrous edge for midges specifically, but on straightforward mosquito exclusion it's if anything slightly more secure by mesh density alone. This netting does not stop midges or sandflies.

Airflow through polyester is excellent — the best of the three fabrics. That makes it the easy pick for genuinely hot climates where the last thing you want overhead is a fabric that traps heat. Polyester breathes, and the airflow is one of the reasons it's the fabric of choice for travel nets and for hot dry inland climates.

Care and longevity

Machine washable on a cold delicate cycle with a mild detergent. Dry in shade. Life expectancy for a well-cared-for polyester net is several years — not the decade cotton delivers, but plenty long for a fabric at this price point.

Who polyester suits

Anyone whose main criterion is airflow — genuinely hot climates, poorly-ventilated bedrooms, or beds under low ceilings where every degree matters. Anyone who wants the net to be as invisible as possible in the room. Anyone shopping to a tighter budget who still wants a real mosquito net rather than a disposable one. Travellers — polyester is what our travel nets are made of because it packs small, weighs nothing and dries fast. And anyone looking for a freestanding pop-up net, which is a polyester-only style.

Silk bed canopies — the decorative showpiece

What the fabric actually is

Our silk canopies are pure mulberry silk — 8 momme silk georgette gauze for the drapes and 16 momme silk charmeuse for the hems and trims. Silk fabric weight is measured in momme (roughly analogous to thread count for cotton), so 8 momme is a fine, tight gauze weave that drapes and moves in the slightest breeze, while 16 momme is a heavier, denser silk with a satin finish for the hems and structural trims. See the silk bed canopy range for the full collection.

We have been making pure silk canopies for over thirty years, and they are unique to our company — nobody else, that we're aware of, makes silk mosquito bed canopies. Silk is our decorative showpiece, and it's priced accordingly.

What silk looks like over a bed

Luxurious in a way that photographs don't quite capture. The georgette drapes catch light and shimmer at the slightest movement of air, and the silk itself has a soft, almost liquid quality when you touch it. Where cotton gives you presence and polyester gives you airiness, silk gives you shimmer and drape.

It's also the fabric that most clearly makes a bed the focal point of a room. Silk canopies work particularly well on four poster beds where the drapes can hang and pool properly, catching the light. This is decorative-first furniture.

Protection — the practical picture

Silk is unusual among decorative bed canopies because it does protect against mosquitoes when the canopy is properly sized, hung and sealed. Most silk bed canopies on the market are made from a loose weave that will not exclude insects. Ours use 8 momme silk georgette — a fine gauze weave dense enough that mosquitoes cannot get through when the drapes are drawn closed. In that sense, silk is a dual-purpose product: primarily decorative, but functional as insect protection when sealed.

The practical caveat, and it's a real one: sealed silk canopies significantly reduce airflow. The gauze weave that keeps mosquitoes out also restricts the movement of air through the canopy, which most people find uncomfortable in warm weather. In practice, most of our silk customers use their canopies with the drapes tied open at the corners — which is how silk canopies are traditionally displayed, and how they look their most beautiful. Used decoratively with the drapes tied open, silk functions as a bedroom furnishing rather than as insect protection, the way you'd think of curtains or a valance.

So the honest answer is: buy silk primarily for the look, secondarily because it can be sealed for insect protection on the nights you need it. Not the other way around. If mosquitoes are your main problem and you want a net you can leave closed every night without thinking about airflow, cotton or polyester is the better fabric — silk asks you to make a choice each evening between airflow and protection.

Care and longevity

Dry clean only. Silk doesn't tolerate machine washing, and georgette in particular is fine enough to snag if handled roughly. Treat silk canopies the way you'd treat any expensive silk garment — dry clean occasionally, hang carefully, keep away from direct sunlight which will colour natural silk over time.

Longevity is essentially the same question as any high-quality silk furnishing — cared for properly, our silk canopies last for years and often become heirloom pieces. Cared for badly, silk is less forgiving than cotton or polyester.

Who silk suits

Anyone whose priority is aesthetics and who wants a bedroom feature that reads as luxury. Anyone with a four poster bed frame that deserves a proper canopy display. Anyone who likes the option of sealing the canopy for insect protection on specific nights, without needing that to be the everyday use. And anyone shopping without a hard budget ceiling.

Silk is the fabric that gets bought as an anniversary present, a housewarming gift, a bedroom-redesign feature. It's a considered purchase, not an impulse one.

A decision framework — how to choose

If you've read this far and still can't decide, here are the questions worth working through — in this order:

• Is insect protection the primary reason for buying? If yes → cotton or polyester (both are designed to be used sealed every night without airflow trade-offs). If protection is a secondary consideration and aesthetics come first → silk is also in play.
• What's your climate? Hot dry inland → polyester (airflow). Hot humid tropical or coastal → cotton (breathability plus the midge/sandfly effect). Temperate → any of the three works.
• Do you have a four poster bed? If yes → silk becomes an easy pick for a decorative canopy, and cotton or polyester box nets attach beautifully to the frame. If no → the ceiling-hung options apply: box needs multiple hooks, round or temple needs one, freestanding pop-up needs none at all.
• Are you a renter, or planning to move within the next few years? If yes → freestanding pop-up polyester is the pragmatic answer. No ceiling hooks, packs down, comes with you.
• Is this a ten-year decision or a one-summer solution? If ten-year → cotton. If one-summer → polyester or pop-up.
• What's the budget? Tightest → polyester. Middle → cotton (you get a decade out of it, so cost per year is often lower than polyester). Highest → silk, or cotton in the largest sizes.

What we'd recommend to different customers

For a young family in Brisbane or Cairns

Cotton, box style, King or Queen size. The tropical climate makes airflow important but the natural fibre handles humidity well, and the midge deterrent is a real benefit near the coast. Ten-year lifespan makes it economic across two or three children.

For an older couple in Melbourne or Adelaide

Polyester, round or temple style. Mosquitoes are seasonal rather than year-round, so airflow through summer matters more than midge protection. Polyester's affordable price point makes it easy to justify for occasional use, and the sheer look works well in a formal bedroom.

For a traveller heading to South-East Asia or the Pacific

Polyester travel net. Packs small, weighs almost nothing, dries fast overnight if it gets damp, provides full protection wherever you set it up.

For someone furnishing a four poster bed as the room's centrepiece

Silk canopy for the deluxe look — used with drapes tied open in the corners for the everyday display, and drawn closed on the nights insect protection matters. Alternatively cotton for an easy-care statement piece, or sheer see-through polyester if you want everyday functional insect protection to be the primary priority.

For anyone in Darwin, the Kimberley, or the tropical north generally

Cotton. The combination of full protection, midge and sandfly consideration, and natural fibre performance in tropical humidity is what cotton was made for. This is the fabric that our resort clients across the tropics use for the same reason.

A note on quality — and why we don't sell cheap nets

If you've been shopping around, you'll have noticed that our nets aren't the cheapest on the market. That's deliberate. There are plenty of very cheap mosquito nets available — flat pieces of thin mesh, no proper hems, no thought given to how the net actually hangs over a bed — and they exist because they're built to a price point rather than to a use case.

The nets we make are built to the standard our resort clients demand: fabric chosen to last, hems that hold shape, sizing generous enough to actually seal around a bed, openings designed to overlap so they close properly. That costs more to make, so it costs more to buy. You're not paying more for the same product; you're buying something built to last a decade rather than a season.

If you have questions this guide didn't answer, our full FAQ page covers sizing, hanging, frames, colours and delivery in detail. Or contact us and we'll help you choose.

Frank Taylor, Mosquito Net Specialist