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Girl meditating on her bed with her dog next to her

7 affordable ways to detox your bedroom for a healthier sleep

Sleep

Have you recently started reading more about the toxic chemicals in our beauty products, clothes and household items? I certainly have and it’s made me start thinking about the place where I rest my head every night.

Good sleep is so important for our mental and physical health and it obviously starts with our bedrooms. We spend a third of our lives in bed yet our sleep spaces often harbour hidden toxins that can affect our sleep and our health.

Luckily, there are many ways that you can detox your bedroom from non-toxic mattress toppers to air-purifying plants. And fortunately, these simple upgrades don’t have to be expensive.

I’m excited to bring you seven affordable ways to reduce toxins and sleep healthier. Mix and match the ideas you like best to transform your bedroom into the clean and restful oasis that it should be!

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1. Organic sheets & bedding

Girl in bed
Photo credit: depositphotos.com

Sheets and bedding can be a hidden hiding place for nasty chemicals. Conventional cotton is grown with a staggering amount of insecticides and pesticides (16% of the world’s insecticide use!) and genetically modified seeds. The effects on the planet are disastrous and they’re not much better for the people who grow them or for us either.

Aside from pesticides and insecticides, formaldehyde is used in the production of wrinkle free sheets and it’s nasty stuff to us humans. And then there is chlorine bleach for those crisp white linens and colour fasteners and dyes to watch out for.

What’s worse is that these chemicals are more likely to leech when our bodies heat up the mattress.

Luckily there are a range of natural materials to consider for adorning your bed including organic cotton, linen and even super sustainable eucalyptus!

Nectar Sleep

Nectar Sleep has a range of affordable linen and organic cotton sheets ranging from £17 for an organic cotton sateen pillowcase pair.

Rise & Fall

Meanwhile luxury B Corp certified brand Rise & Fall have crisp and cool 400 thread count organic cotton pillowcase pairs at £25 meaning that luxurious and healthy bedding doesn’t have to cost you the earth.

2. Plants & fresh air!

Photo credit: depositphotos.com

For a very inexpensive and truly lovely way to detox your bedroom, try purifying your air with a plant! House plants can act as a natural air filter and have been shown to absorb chemicals such as formaldehyde and benzene.  

Crocus has a range of “air purifying indoor plants” and you can even sort them by how much light your bedroom gets, to the direction it faces, to the colour of the plant! Spider plants, peace lilies and the bamboo palm are all known to lower indoor air pollution. Check out those grown in the UK to lower your carbon footprint further.

And to flush out more toxins from your bedroom, open your windows! It might seem obvious but many of us avoid opening our windows to keep the hot air in on colder days and cool air out. Just five to 15 minutes however can make all the difference, so consider letting that fresh air in and harmful toxins out.

3. Natural pillows & duvets

A person holding a pile of pillow and a duvet
Photo credit: depositphotos.com

I definitely never thought about the chemicals in my pillow before but what could be more important than the place you rest your head all night?

Like mattresses, traditional pillows made from synthetic materials can contain harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde, flame retardants and phthalates. These can off-gas over time, potentially affecting our health.

Non-toxic pillows can be made from natural alternatives such as organic cotton, wool or natural latex. And duvets can be crafted using cotton, wool and silk.

Woolroom

I love Woolroom for their gorgeous organic wool products and you can even trace which farm your wool came from through their Wool ID programme (clue: happy sheep and farmers). They also teamed up with Leeds University and Allergy UK to scientifically prove that you can sleep better on wool, and that wool is a natural air purifier!

And all of their products are OEKO-TEX certified.

I have their organic wool mattress protectors and pillows for both of my daughters and am planning to gradually buy more of their products for our bedrooms. Their exquisite range of pillows includes wool and natural latex pillows from £42 right the way up to £172 for their washable body pillow.

What makes their pillow range even better is that you can buy extra wool to stuff your pillows in case you’d like them a bit plumper, and if you don’t want a new pillow, you can buy a wool pillow cover for your existing pillows!

Woolroom also have a range of gorgeous wool duvets, including washable duvets, from lightweight right through to all seasons starting at £59.99. A sustainable brand to save to your favourites for years to come.

Soak & Sleep

As well as a range of natural mattresses and toppers, Soak & Sleep has a divine range of duck feather, goose down and New Zealand wool pillows. All of their feather and down suppliers are accredited to the Responsible Down Standard, DownPass or Downmark so you can be assured that there is no live plucking or force feeding and their wool is certified to guarantee that mulesing has not been used.

Their duck feather and down pillows start at £21 and they even have a range of recycled down pillows.

4. Non toxic mattresses

A bed in a lovely bedroom
Photo credit: Spacejoy on Unsplash

A good mattress is essential for a good night’s sleep. The right mattress can help to improve sleep quality and alleviate problems such as back pain.

But many conventional mattresses, such as those comprising polyurethane foam, are made with a cocktail of toxic chemicals including flame retardants, VOCs and phthalates (often used for waterproofing and common in mattresses and protectors for children).

What’s worse is that these chemicals are more likely to leech when our bodies heat up the mattress.

Mattresses made from natural fibres, such as wool, cotton, flax and bamboo are naturally flame retardant and are much less likely to be made using harmful chemicals like some synthetic mattresses. They are also more breathable and naturally hypoallergenic, especially where organic materials are used.

You may think that natural fibre mattresses are expensive, but a non-toxic mattress can be more affordable than you think.

Spring King

Spring King have a range of pocket spring mattresses made from natural materials such as their luxurious Tuscany 2000 mattress crafted using silk, wool and cashmere. Available at Mattress Next Day, prices range from £269 for a single mattress to £569 for a super king with free delivery. And Mattress Next Day plants a tree for every order.

Origin Mattress

And then there is Origin Mattress. Their Hybrid mattress uses graphite, latex and bamboo-infused wool. It was designed by their German design team and a partnership of doctors including physiotherapists and chiropractors. It’s certified by CeriPUR-US and OEKO-TEX to be free of harmful substances and prices range from £529 to £839. They plant trees too!

5. Natural mattress topper

Photo credit: depositphotos.com

If your budget doesn’t extend to a new mattress we’ve got your back.  A good mattress topper can help give you a good night’s sleep by providing pressure relief and extending the life of your mattress at the same time.

Chemicals such as toluene diisocyanate and methylene chloride used in the conventional production of memory foam toppers can cause serious health problems to us and the people who make them. They’re toxic to the environment and our wildlife too, so choosing natural materials has many benefits.

Organic certified cotton, eucalyptus derived materials, ethical organic wool fibres, bamboo and natural latex are some of the materials to look out for.

Panda London

Panda London create their 5cm thick bamboo mattress topper that will cover any mattress and importantly, stay put. Their antibacterial and hypoallergenic topper comes with a 10-year guarantee and its bamboo cover is made from ethically grown organic bamboo. Prices range from £99-199.

And until 7 May, get 10% off sitewide with code RESTEASY and 12% off their hybrid bamboo mattress or pillows with code LOVEBAMBOO.

Ethical Bedding

For a thinner but super luxurious topper, Ethical Bedding’s mattress cover is made from extra sustainable eucalyptus silk and bamboo and will set you back £50-60 depending on your mattress size.

6. Unscented laundry detergent

Washing machine in laundry room
Photo credit: depositphotos.com

There are some things that are much simpler than replacing your bed or bedding. Have you ever thought of the plethora of chemicals lurking in your washing powder? While the artificial perfumes added may make your bedding smell “cotton fresh” or of a “floral meadow”, the truth is that the artificial perfumes added are nothing more than synthetic and potential harmful chemicals.

Studies have shown that there are toxic chemicals in our laundry detergents such as benzene and acetaldehyde, known carcinogens, and many other volatile organic compounds. Unfortunately detergent companies aren’t legally obliged in most parts of the world to reveal their full ingredients, so you may just see them listed as “fragrance oils” or “perfume oils”.

Stick to fragrance free, dye free and, where possible, biodegradable washing powders and liquids for your bedding and clothing; use less detergent (you need less than you think) and consider washing your clothes less, which is better for the environment too.

Some great names to look out for include: 

British made, vegan and zero waste Miniml

Certified B-Corp Faith in Nature

Big Green Smile who sell a range of non-toxic brands

7. A sustainable bed

Non toxic mattress
Photo credit: depositphotos.com

I’m certainly not advocating getting rid of your bed if you’re perfectly happy with it, but if you are planning on replacing it anyway, think about upgrading to a sustainable alternative.

Bed frames, particularly those made from particle board or MDF, the wood glue used to hold them together or the varnish they’re painted with can off gas harmful VOCs such as formaldehyde. 

It’s also worth thinking about whether the wood comes from a sustainably managed forest, such as those certified FSC.

Simba Sleep

B-Corp certified Simba Sleep has a range of stylish beds from FSC certified wooden bed frames to upholstered divan and ottoman styles. With a 200-night sleep trial, bed slats with suspension, mattress refurbishing and a free sleep app, they have every detail covered!

Bonus: sleep better

OK, so I said this was seven ways for a healthier sleep but I’d like to include another section for those of you who are struggling to get your shut eye. Call it a mental detox. Not being able to sleep is literally torture and has an effect on our physical health, emotional well-being and our day-to-day lives. I’ve been there.

Many people turn to tablets, but sleeping pills are one of the most harmful chemicals that we should purge from our bedrooms.

The solution might be simpler than you think. For me, my turning point was stumbling across the common-sense but truly ground-breaking book: The Effortless Sleep Method by Sasha Stephens (available here for US readers). Just reading her experiences made me feel instantly better. I consumed it in record speed and recovered even quicker.

This book gives you the confidence to know that you CAN sleep and the simple steps to make it happen. If you’re dealing with sleeplessness, I sincerely hope that it helps and you sleep better soon!

Another personal recommendation is the Sensate device which I bought recently.

Having tried to meditate a thousand times and never being quite able, I decided to invest in the revolutionary  “pebble” that claims to massage your vagus nerve to lower stress and calm anxiety, plus naturally aiding sleep. It gently vibrates on your chest while you listen to soothing sounds from their app.

So far I’m sufficiently impressed and so is my other half who’s been using it too. If you decide to buy one, they have offered my readers 10% off with the code GOODMAKERTALES. I hope that this little device can help you feel less stressed and blissful in your toxin free bedroom!

Detox your bedroom, save the planet and sleep healthier!

Harmful toxins are all around us and they’re almost certainly affecting our health and that of our planet. But the good news is that there are many things we can do to banish them from our lives.

Starting with our bedrooms, where we spend up to a third of our lives, we can make small changes to create a healthier sleep environment and get the quality sleep we deserve. From open windows to organic bedding, buying an air-purifying plant to a natural mattress, these simple solutions can help us turn our bedrooms into a blissful sleep sanctuary!

I’d love to hear how you get on, and any more ideas about how to detox your bedroom.

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