More Suggestions for Creating a Restful Natural Organic Bedroom Retreat: Paint, Flooring, and Other Bedroom Essentials

A wonderful thing about being a grown-up is that your bedroom is your own, and you can design and organize it to suit you. What you might not have considered is that your bedroom can actually be good for you, as well as make you feel good and be inspiring. Whether you are designing a new natural organic bedroom or you are already settled in and ready for some creative, healthy changes, consider these suggestions for making your bedroom a safer place for you to snuggle into at night.

Natural and Organic Paints and Other Finishes Give Off Few or No VOCs
So, you’ve dressed your organic bed in silky organic bamboo and soft organic cotton linens… now what? Why not give your bedroom a paint job to match your new look? Except, instead of buying standard paint, ask your local hardware store if they carry natural or organic paints. Most paints and other finishes give off exceptional amounts of volatile organic compounds (also known as VOCs) into the environment – and your body pays the price, because VOCs can be absorbed into your lungs and through your skin. Natural and organic paints, by comparison, are made from natural ingredients (water, milk, plant oils and dyes, lime, natural minerals, beeswax, etc.), and are non-toxic and harmless (better for you and for the environment). If some of your existing bedroom furniture needs to be refinished, you can buy environmentally friendly stain, too.

Are Your Carpets and Hardwood Floors Adding Toxins to Your Sleep Environment?
Your bedroom carpet may be adding toxins to your body, too. Traditional synthetic carpet and its padding are filled with chemicals – more VOCs (which, by the way, are precursors to smog) and many other toxic ingredients, too, like chemicals to make it mothproof, stain proof, and flame retardant. An older carpet will have all of these, plus plenty of dirt and dust mites. Today’s hardwood flooring isn’t much better, thanks to glues, solvents, and sealers. Chemicals in your carpet or flooring are released continuously into the air around you – and you breathe them into your lungs. If you can put in new flooring or buy a new rug, choose natural, environmentally friendly materials – like cork, bamboo, or sustainable hardwood flooring, or a biodegradable, chemical-free, 100-percent wool carpet with hemp backing and a wool or recycled-denim pad. If your carpet or rug is here to stay, be sure that you clean it with a HEPA vacuum and steam clean it with a non-toxic cleaner regularly. You can strip and refinish an old hardwood floor with an organic stain or polyurethane. And be sure all shoes come off at the front door – no more tracking dirt and toxins into the home.

Your Health and Your Comfort are the Best Reasons to Create an All-Natural Organic Bedroom
By choosing to create an earth-friendly bedroom with natural paint finishes and flooring, organic bedding, and an eco-friendly bed, you are making decisions that respect and value our soil, water, and air and support companies that are working to protect our environment. Creating an organic bedroom retreat is important for your own health and comfort, as well: By surrounding yourself with non-toxic, strong, luxurious organic bedding, furniture, and other bedroom essentials, you are protecting yourself and your family from the dangers of household toxins and chemicals.