…is your bedroom green enough?
Bedrooms generally use the least amount of electricity (alarm clock, ceiling light, a couple of lamps), yet they are the rooms we spend the most time using. “Greening” up your sleep space is easy enough, whether you’re just getting started or you’re updating an old look.
Let’s begin with flooring. The most eco-friendly option is wood or tile with a rug. Carpet ranks a very sloppy third on the list since it’s a major dust mite collector and more difficult to keep clean. But most bedrooms are carpeted, and if you’re pulling up old carpets you can replace them with new made from recycled materials. And if you’re committed to carpet, you have to keep it clean–with regular vacuuming and annual cleaning by a professional.*
Window treatments provide similar challenges–most people enjoy valances and curtains on a bedroom window. Again–dust mite city! The better choice is to keep the windows clean, and easy to clean, with wood blinds, light-blocking shades or insulating waffle blinds. Enviro-Girl loves her wood blinds–they’re made from a renewable resource, have a timeless look, keep the sunlight at bay, provide ample privacy, and clean up with a vacuum attachment or slightly damp cloth.
Furniture is the next major element when designing a bedroom–beginning with a bed. Crate & Barrel have a Bento line made from bamboo, ModernLink offers a contemporary line made from bamboo, and Wiggers Furniture specializes in art-deco style with eco-friendly materials. Of course, if you’re on a budget like most folks these days, there are amazing bargains to be had on used and antique dressers and bed frames. The benefits of buying antique furniture include reusing furniture already constructed in an eco-friendly fashion, and furniture built to last with superior craftsmanship than you’ll find for sale in most pieces today. Enviro-Girl scored herself a solid cherry dresser and matching desk for $350.00 in Door County many years ago. The only tricky part of the entire transaction was hauling her find back home.
Folks have argued the merits of organic mattresses, so if you’re in the business of replacing the mattress in your bedroom, here’s a list of retailers to get you started on your quest for a good night’s sleep: Green Sleep, Lifekind, Natura, Royal-Pedic, and Vivetique. Enviro-Girl’s got a mattress, it’s not organic, but she feels it’s “greener” to hold on to it until it’s fully lived out its lifespan than to clog up landfill space with it. Greener does not mean replacing what you have with eco-friendly just for the heck of it.
If you’re going for a Greener Bedroom, bedding is the most dramatic and easiest way to get started. Anna Sova’s collection includes organic bedding and towels, Bed Bath & Beyond has moved into bamboo offerings, Hammacher Schlemmer has a line of 100% bamboo bedding, robes and pajamas; LOOP Organic features bedding and towels, and Gaiam has organic cotton sheets in super-soft jersey knit, sateen, percale and flannel. Again, Enviro-Girl urges you not to replace for the sake of replacing, but if you’re in the market to buy new bedding, think 325 thread count organic sheets. (Besides, who has honestly slept well on synthetic fibers? Yeah, we didn’t think so.) Your skin will thank you!
Flesh out your bedroom decor with some soy candles and a lavender-infused handmade sleep mask from ETSY and you’re ready to welcome Sandman into your organic boudoir. Sweet Dreams!
*For more on flooring, Eco Women has a post on Flor and will continue to expand on eco-friendly building materials in future posts.
