Creating A Healthy Bedroom For A Good Night’s Sleep [Week 33]

Posted On December 3, 2021

Here are some tips on creating a healthy bedroom by choosing eco-friendly materials that are healthier for you and the planet.

Amanda Drews

A clean and healthy environment is so important when it comes to your overall health and well-being. If you’re not sleeping enough or not getting the right type of sleep, it can really affect your whole day. We are (supposed to) spend around 8 hours a night asleep in our beds. That’s a large chunk of our lives in close contact with a specific set of materials. There’s some things you’ll want to look for in a bed not only to look and feel comfy but to be good for your health.

a dog rests on a brentwood home eco-friendly mattress

Healthy Bedroom Basics

Some standards and certifications for healthy and organic textiles and bedding that you’ll want to look for include:

GOTS-Global Organic Textile Standard– This third-party certified standard ensures organic fibers, and both ecological and social transparency throughout all stages of production. You can read more about the GOTS philosophy here.
GOLS-Global Organic Latex Standard– These products have to contain certified natural latex and if they have other materials added, they must be approved according to Control Union Certifications. There are also environmental and social regulations for the manufacturers of GOLS products.
Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX– This certification examines raw materials and all stages of processing for a product. There are different product classes for if a textile will be coming into close contact with skin or babies. Basically, you can count on certified products being a healthy choice to tuck yourself into at night. Read more about OEKO-TEX standards here.
Greenguard Gold– This standard puts limits on the amount of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) a product can emit. You know that new car smell? Well, those are chemicals coming off of a new product and they aren’t so healthy for you. My Chemical Free House gives a great overview of what it means for a product to be Greenguard Gold certified.
CertiPUR-US– If you’re choosing a product with polyurethane foam, look for one that’s CertiPUR-US certified in order to get a foam that is free from the nastiest chemicals typically found in foam. Check out their site here.
Ethically sourced down– Historically, down (the tiny soft fluffy feathers from birds that have super insulating powers) is plucked from live birds. Sounds like the makings of a nightmare to me. There are a few labels that you should look out for according to Audubon.org. There’s the Global Traceable Down Standard, The Responsible Down Standard, Down Pass, and International Down Standard. Look for these labels when shopping for a new pillow or comforter. Or look for alternatives to down.

Now that you know what to look for, apply that knowledge to all of the pieces of your bedding set!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I may earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link or picture and finalize a purchase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I will always tell you my true opinion of the products I’ve used. Thanks for supporting the site.

Mattress

A mattress is the most important, and often the most expensive, part of your entire bedroom. With the right mattress, you can create that perfect, cozy, comfortable sleeping spot that will help you feel confident about getting a good night’s sleep.

Mattresses are a big investment and The Sleep Foundation recommends getting a new mattress every 6-8 years. If you don’t invest in a quality mattress, sleeping can end up being more of a challenge and you could end up feeling sore for a very long time.

How hard or soft your mattress is and your preference can be a tricky one to nail down. Choosing one can be a big challenge for couples if they sleep in the same bed but have different mattress preferences. The thought of ordering one and not liking it can be daunting as well. You’ll want to find one with a good guarantee and trial period.

While I typically like to promote reuse of items, a used mattress is not something I would recommend. But also if a new mattress isn’t in the budget right now, it may be something you don’t have much of a choice on.

What to do with an old mattress?

If you have an old mattress that you can’t find a home for, use sites like Facebook Marketplace and local Buy Nothing groups. Don’t expect to get money back for an old mattress. They are basically doing you a favor by helping you get rid of it. Check out your local recycling guides and resources. Some cities even have junk pick-up days if your mattress is no longer usable.

What happens to mattresses that are returned?

If you try out a mattress and find that it’s not the right one for you, check with the company you bought it from to make sure you are still within your trial. Oftentimes if you bought a mattress online, you’ll be able to return it for free within your trial period. Depending on the company, it will either be sanitized and resold, donated to charity or end up in the dump. Check with the company before you purchase a mattress to make sure yours won’t be just another addition to a landfill if you don’t like it.

Here are some options for a more sustainable mattress:

Brentwood Home

minnesota state outline with "Local Feature"

We were pretty set in our minds when we went to go look for a mattress that we wanted an Avocado mattress based on reviews and certifications. Luckily, there are places like Sleep Well MN showroom in Edina, Minnesota where you can try out some of the online mattresses before you buy. The Avocado just wasn’t for us but but we both loved the Brentwood Home Oceano Luxury mattress. We loved the Brentwood Home mattress so much that when we moved and got a king sized bed, we bought another one even after trying out more mattresses all over again! Turns out Avocado and Brentwood Home also recently merged. I’m so happy there was a place like Sleep Well MN so that we didn’t buy a mattress and then have to return it.

We loved the Brentwood Home mattress so much that when we moved and got a king sized bed, we bought another one even after trying out more mattresses all over again!

Brentwood Home’s Oceano Luxury hybrid mattress is their #1 rated mattress according to their website. Some features include:

CentiPUR-US certified foam
A climate neutral company
Made in a GOLS certified factory in California
Greenguard certification
Fair trade cotton

Shop Brentwood Home.

Happsy Organic Mattress

Naturepedic Serenade Organic Mattress

Nod by Tuft and Needle

Naturepedic

USA made Naturepedic offers mattresses from baby to adult sizes that are certified as:

GOTS
GOLS
Rainforest Alliance
Made Safe
1% for the planet
Greenguard
FSC
90 day money back guarantee
20 year limited warranty

Organic Healthy Sleep for the Whole Family!

Eco Terra Mattress

Another USA made mattress is Eco Terra Mattress. These are 100% natural latex, organic wool and organic cotton as well as:

GOTS certified
Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified
90 night sleep trial
15 year limited warranty

The Eco Terra Mattress is handcrafted with 100% natural latex, individually wrapped, pocketed coils, and an organic cotton cover. It is OEKO-TEX Standard 100 and GOTS Certified. A natural latex mattress at a price everyone can enjoy. Free shipping and returns. Free 90 night trial. 15 year warranty. 0% APR financing for 12 months.

Mattress Protector

So you’ve invested in a mattress, make sure to protect your purchase with a mattress protector. Here are two Fair-Trade certified mattress protectors for your new bed. You’ll thank me when you spill that red wine or your two year old crawls in bed with you and has an accident!

Whisper Organics Mattress 100% Waterproof Mattress Protector

This is the mattress protector we purchased for our new bed.

New York based family owned and operated buisiness
FairTrade Certified
GOTS Certified
100% Organic Cotton from India and Turkey

Bed frame

As far as an eco-friendly bed frame goes, you’ll want to look at the materials it’s made of, where it’s from and the company that produces it. You can absolutely find a great used bed frame and I encourage you to look at local groups online first before buying a new bed frame or head board. We got both our kids used Ikea loft beds on Facebook marketplace for a fraction of the cost of a new one and they’ve already outdone any damage that they came to us with. Read more on reuse HERE.

Bed frames are also a big ticket, expensive item. It’s much easier to change your mind with a set of sheets you don’t like than an whole bed-frame that cost a bunch and is a pain to move. When we picked a bed frame and headboard, I had very specific things I was looking for as far as size, storage capacity and style. My limited options led me to choose a bed frame that I would not consider eco-friendly.

Pillow

When looking at pillows, consider both the covering and the fill material. Your pillow also has to be what’s comfortable for you. I’m a really active sleeper and sleep in every possible position! I sleep on my back, on my stomach, on my side curled up like a baby… I’m still looking for my perfect match for bedtime but I really like the Savvy Rest Talalay Natural Latex Pillow for when I take a nap on the couch or for in the car for traveling. It has a bouncy yet firm feel that is good for an awkwardly shaped, non-flat surface.

Comforter and Sheets

We have a very warm comforter for the winter but while looking for a new comforter for summertime, some of the things we sought were: a lightweight and cooling material, USA made, eco-friendly materials, Standard 100 Oeko-Tex Certified, fair trade certified and under $300. Well, I didn’t find anything that met all these but I ended up buying the West Elm TENCEL Lyocell Plush Comforter with 100% REPREVE recycled polyester.

West Elm TENCEL Lyocell comforter — West Elm TENCEL Lycocell Comforter

TENCEL is considered one of the more sustainable materials and is meant to be super soft and cooling which is why we chose it for a summer comforter. It does say on the tag that the product is made of all new materials but I contacted the company and they said it’s because the REPREVE is considered a new material. They are made in a Fair Trade Certified factory. I’ve got to say, it looks better in pictures online and doesn’t have the full body look like I expected but it is soft and the perfect weight for summertime.

As I looked for sheets when we upgraded to a king sized mattress in our new home, these were my top choices and what pros each one offered.