I boil my cotton, for two reasons. I like the increased density after I boil then squeeze to remove water(helps when twisting up your own cotton rope for wicks)and I read a link to an article that talked about how many pesticides are used to grow things like cotton. The FDA bans pesticides at a rate that is easily outstripped by insects ability to adapt to them/industries need to create new ones. And "organic" farms can be next door and downwind from any nonorganic enterprise. Just sayin.