5 Ways to Create A Non-Toxic Bedroom

Ahhhh, bed. My happy place. In high school, I used to sit in class and dream of being back in my cozy bed at home. Even now, I love coming back home to my own bed after a long trip. There’s nothing like it. And since we spend such a big chunk of our time in bed, it’s worth it to take a look at how we can create a non-toxic bedroom!

Below, I have 5 areas to consider when creating a non-toxic bedroom. While some of these may be easier to tackle, some take more planning (and moolah), so my motto is baby steps. Even doing one or two of these will help make your space healthier. Then, if you can and want to do more, go for it!

Creating A Non-Toxic Bedroom

1. The Mattress

Let’s get to the star of the show. You spend hours with your face inches away from, or maybe even pressed right against, your mattress. This is an item we’ve prioritized for our kids and for us.

Traditional mattresses can contain flame retardants and other harmful chemicals and synthetic components that can both off gas and break down into toxic dust (more on that in a minute) over time. While many furniture items have the same issues, none get as much quality time with us as our mattresses do. 

There are quite a few organic mattress brands out there. Two that I have and can highly recommend are Naturepedic and My Green Mattress. My Green Mattress frequently has sales, especially on crib mattresses. In fact, there’s a sale right now.

New mattress not in the budget? My friend Laura from Laura’s Natural Life shared a really helpful hack in one of my podcast episodes. I don’t want to steal her thunder, but you can listen to this episode to hear her explain it. The mattress hack is right at the 45 minute mark.

2. Textiles

Similar to the mattress, it’s worth it to consider what bedding to choose. Your best best is always to go with natural fibers and use organic whenever possible. Synthetic materials can break down into microplastics, contain unhealthy substances, and tend to keep people hotter during sleep.

Materials to consider:

Wool (naturally flame and water resistant)

Linen

Hemp

Bamboo

Organic Cotton (due to heavy pesticide use on cotton, I recommend only organic cotton)

Some favorite brands of mine are Parachute, Coyuchi (currently having a sale), and Delilah Home (also having a sale). But you can find organic sheets at many mainstream stores now too. Even Target has some!

3. Paint

This may come as no surprise, but the best options are low or zero VOC paint in the bedroom. It’s very easy to find zero VOC paint at most hardware stores now. Contrary to what many believe, paint can continue to off gas harmful substances for months and sometimes longer. It goes far beyond the initial painting session.

While I could do a deep dive on this -all zero VOC paint is not created equally- I think it’s best not to get too lost in the weeds. Any low or zero VOC paint that you can afford is going to be better for you than regular paint. If you do want to dig a little deeper, check out this podcast episode with a healthy building materials expert.

My favorite paint that most people can find locally is Benjamin Moore Eco Spec

4. Dust

Here we are at *cue dramatic music* TOXIC DUST

Yeah, the name sounds intense but it was coined that for good reason. Researchers found that many harmful substances in our furniture and electronics degrade into dust over time. It then gets mixed into regular house dust and can circulate into the air. So now these chemicals that are known to be toxic are everywhere, even in the air.

All of that sounds unpleasant, but there are actually quite a few easy ways to make sure it’s not a big problem:

-Dust weekly with a method that traps dust so it doesn’t circulate back into the air (damp cloth, microfiber cloth, HEPA Vacuum)

-Damp mop floors or vacuum with a HEPA vacuum weekly

-Consider adding an air purifier to your bedroom. I highly recommend AirDoctor as it also removes VOCs (see my review here)

I also have a podcast episode with a building biologist that goes a bit deeper into this.

5. Rugs + Carpeting

Since this covers a lot of surface area of the bedroom, it’s worth considering. Like mattresses and other furnishings, carpets and rugs get treated with a lot of chemicals and tend to off gas that into your home. Going with natural fibers and/untreated rugs will help keep the space healthier. I have 2 blog posts covering this:

How To Find The Best Non-Toxic Rugs For Your Home

Earth Weave Carpet Review

If you’re in a situation where you have no control over this (renting, etc), your best bet is adding an air purifier and opening windows to exchange air on a regular basis.

There it is- 5 ways to create a non-toxic bedroom! Of all the spaces in your home, this is one to really make a sanctuary.

*Some affiliate links used. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

Pictures that include me are by emmaloo.co