The following article is written by Thomas from Luxury Organic Mattress. Thomas is fascinated with creating green homes and writes about healthy options for mattresses and bedding. He compares organic wool, organic cotton, natural latex and natural memory foam mattresses.
The bedroom is often overlooked as a source of toxins in the home. There are harmful chemicals in your mattress, your bedding and even the everyday cleaning products you use.
Toxins can come from chemical residue still present in cotton and wool from the growing and manufacturing processes. They can come from any petrochemical derived substances you have in your bedroom such as memory foam. And they also come in the form of additives such as mattress glues and fire retardant sprays.
With a bit of focus and effort it is possible to green up the bedroom and reduce your exposure to chemicals, whether you go for the big step of getting an eco-friendly mattress or a series of small steps such as switching to a natural cleaning product and getting a houseplant.
Get A Houseplant
Having some greenery in the room brings a sense of calm and relaxation. It’s pleasant to look at. But a plant will also help with the carbon dioxide-oxygen cycle. It will purify the air in your room so you are breathing good quality O2.
Wear Organic PJs
There are organic cotton, organic wool or organic bamboo fabrics available at pretty reasonable prices. There is little point encasing yourself in fabrics that have been treated with chemicals when there are natural options available.
Do Your Laundry With Natural Products
Residue from your laundry detergent will be on your sheets and on your PJs. Make sure you do washing with a natural product to prevent any residual toxins.
Use Natural Cleaning Products
Don’t use a chemical spray to wipe down all the surfaces in your bedroom. Homemade products like vinegar, baking soda and lemon do an excellent job. They are anti-bacterial and don’t leave any toxic residue.
Use A Himalayan Salt Lamp
All our modern electronic equipment release positive ions into the atmosphere. This upsets the electromagnetic field and can make us feel grumpy and irritable. A Himalayan salt lamp is made from crystal rock that is millions of years old. It releases negative ions into the atmosphere to create balance.
Use Organic Bedding
Like organic PJs there is little point using fabrics that have been treated with chemicals when you can get organic ones for only a slightly higher cost. Organic bedding (sheets, pillows and comforters) are all readily available. There are a wide variety of styles, quality and prices so you should be able to find something that suits you.
Switch To An Organic Mattress
Few people are aware of just how toxic regular mattresses are. They are made from cotton that is grown and treated with heavy amounts of chemicals, fastened together with highly toxic glues and adhesives and then heavily sprayed with a toxic fire retardant. These chemicals are slowly released from the mattress in a process known as “off-gassing” and you then breathe them in or absorb them through your skin.
There are quite a variety of organic mattresses available, a fact that is not all that well known. It is however a reasonably expensive change to make as organic producers do not have the luxury of economies of scale the way regular producers do. But if you are in the market for a new mattress anyway then it’s something to consider.
The best option is always to start with the small little changes, like cleaning products and laundry detergent and form good habits. Then you can build up to those bigger changes that require more investment and commitment.
Photo by steveleenow
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