Sleep is something I have been thinking much about, mostly because I’m not getting any thanks to my sweet 6-week-old little girl.
But it also got me thinking about what we sleep on. Most mattresses are made of metal springs (usually steel); cushion in the forms of polyurethane foam, puffed-up polyester, cotton batting or maybe wool; and ticking and/or quilting made of polyester or cotton-polyester blend. All this is usually covered in flame retardants and sometimes stain- or wrinkle-resistant chemicals. Put that on top of a mattress foundation made of either metal with springs and plastic or a wooden box (I imagine from virgin wood) with polyester covering and you have yourself a chemical extravaganza. Conventionally made mattresses are a green nightmare considering there is formaldehyde, benzene, pesticides and various petroleum-based chemicals right where you smoosh your face in every night. Then you pile on some plush pillows filled with synthetic fibers, more flame retardants materials and put some dyed cotton. It’s now wonder indoor pollution is often worse than outdoor pollution!
So what is a sleepy environmentalist to do? Of course, I have a few suggestions.
Newbie
Cost: $20+
Time: a few minutes online or a trip to your local retailer
Energy to do this: minimal
Change the sheets and pillows to organic, natural ones.
Conventionally-grown cotton is notorious for the amount of pesticides rained on it. Or try organic linen for a luxurious feel, or even hemp or bamboo sheets for a divertion from the familiar. Not only are you voting for organic with your cash, but you are limiting the amount of unhealthy chemicals you bring into your home and bed. I mean, do you really want to be mixing pesticides with your sleepy drool? I didn’t think so.
But don’t forget to get a new organic cotton, wool or possibly natural latex pillow with those new sheets in order to sleep soundly.
Amateur Environmentalist & Certified Tree-Hugger
Cost: $1,400+
Time: an hour or so for research and purchase
Energy to do this: moderate
Next time you go out to get a new mattress (I’m due for this pretty soon myself), bring home an organic one. There are several options varying from organic cotton innerspring mattresses to the natural latex ones. In fact, JC Penny just released The Simmons Natural Care by Danny Seo, a natural latex foam mattress at one of the best prices I’ve seen yet. (You can read the details over at Danny Seo’s blog.)
Mind you, this is going to be a bit pricey - the best prices I’ve seen on organic mattresses hovered just above $1,400 for a queen. But one of the things I love about the latex mattresses is they do not need flipping and can last up to 20 years while conventional quality innerspring mattresses average about a decade, making latex a better bargain long term. Our cheapy innerspring mattress lasted only 4 years and we’re only living with it decently thanks to the 3 inch thick latex mattress pad on top of it!
Whatever you choose, you use your cash to vote for the kind of business and products you support so make sure you go with something that isn’t unkind to the Earth or your body because you only get one of each!
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Like the tips but have an even better one? Just want to brag that you’re getting sleep and I’m not? Leave it in a comment!
Sustainable mattresses? Why didn’t I think of it before! Great site.
Hey! Thanks for the great info about the different matresses. I am defiantely going to get an organic one next time!
I was browsing through a bunch of green websites and blogs and I came across yours and found it very interesting. There are a bunch of others I like too, like the daily green, ecorazzi and earthlab.com. I especially like EarthLab.com’s carbon calculator (http://www.earthlab.com/signupprofile/). I find it really easy to use (it doesn’t make me feel guilty after I take it).
Are there any others you would recommend? Can you drop me a link to your favorites (let me know if they are the same as mine).
I’m not getting any sleep either and my wee one is now 7 months old. Here’s hoping yours learns to sleep sooner than my did ( she still hasn’t!). It’s amazing how long you can function on half a brain though.PS I really enjoy your blog. Keep up the good work! And, congrats on the baby:)
Unfortunately my fiance and I bought our mattress before we were very eco aware and since it is a deep mattress we aren’t able to find organic cotton sheets that will fit it. We are going to switch our our duvet and duvet cover though for organic options in the near future.
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