We spend about one third of our lives in bed. It’s a time when our body regenerates itself. We release about 3 liters of water while we sleep, and our bodies go through cycles of cooling down and heating up. We also absorb substances through our skin and through our lungs. So keeping one’s bed toxin-free is optimal.

To create a non-toxic bed we must ensure that the mattress, pillows and sheets are free of toxins. Unfortunately, in the U.S. it is quite difficult to acquire a non-toxic bed without a lot of searching and expense (a recent article in the New York Times explains the tangled situation). So here’s a guide to finding a inexpensive, chemical-free bed:

Specifically, the aim here is to avoid:

• Fire-retardant chemicals (PBDE)
• Formaldehyde
• Boric acid
• Toxic dyes
• Bleaches
• Pesticides & herbicides

Most conventional bedding contains many of these contaminants. Unfortunately, some chemicals even put there deliberately, such as the fire-retardant chemical “Polybrominated Diphenal Ether” or PBDE. To buy a mattress in the U.S. that is free of the PDBE, you still need permission from a doctor. This is despite the fact that PBDE has been banned by Europe, Canada, California and Washington.

It’s also a good idea to avoid synthetic materials. Natural fibers allow for changes in body temperature, because they do not reflect heat and because they can absorb moisture.

The rationale for choosing chemical-free, organic bedding can be found in book Toxic Bedrooms: Your Guide To A Safe Night’s Sleep (this book is a great source of information). See also the activist website People For Clean Beds.

Here’s my recommended bedding materials:

• An Organic or Natural Latex Mattress
• Organic Pillows
• Organic Cotton, Linen or Hemp Sheets
• Organic Duvet/Comforters

Let’s break it down:

Organic Mattresses

The key here is to choose an organic material, free of toxins and able to absorb moisture. Organic mattresses are commonly made with organic cotton, organic wool or 100% natural latex.

I think natural latex is the optimal mattress material, in terms of price and durability. Latex has natural antimicrobial properties that resist dust mites and other allergens, and it’s mold and mildew resistant. Unfortunately, the word “latex” has also been used to describe synthetic latex,which is derived from petroleum.

Natural latex is the milky sap of the rubber tree. It is mostly harvested in South East Asia, where trees are tapped for latex by cutting a groove in the bark of the tree. It is a renewable process — each tree can produce latex for 20 years. Latex requires little energy to process and it’s 100% biodegradable.

Latex is a yielding but highly resilient material. Latex mattresses do not require flipping or turning, and last around 15 years.

The best prices I’ve seen for a natural latex mattress are the ErgoSoft natural latex mattress toppers. You can find a 4″ Latex Mattress Topper for about $510 for a Queen size and $630 for a King Size.

ErgoSoft mattress toppers are not certified organic. However, the manufacturer (a company in Sri Lanka) says the mattresses are “100% natural latex, free of glues, petrochemicals, and industrial additives”.

You can find organic latex mattress at The Latex Mattress Company (the best prices we’ve found) and LifeKind (this company’s entire operation is certified organic). You can also find good, inexpensive organic cotton mattresses at Soaring Heart — I purchased my first organic mattress from this company.

Organic Sheets

It’s particularly important to find non-toxic sheets since they are in direct contact with your skin while you sleep. Optimal materials here are: organic cotton, organic flannel or organic linen and hemp. To really minimize chemical exposure, you can opt for undyed sheets, because the “low-impact” dyes commonly used on organic sheets involve some kind of chemical processing.

The best prices I’ve found for organic sheets is at Gaiam, but only through their “Outlet Store“, their regular prices tend to be steep. You can reasonably priced organic sheets on Amazon.

Organic Pillows

Natural latex is also my recommended material for a pillow. Natural latex pillows are springy and soft — their texture is supple and skin-like. You can expect a natural latex pillow to hold its shape and retain it springiness for 15 years or more. The pillows don’t require cleaning or fluffing like feather pillows.

You can find natural latex pillows at Amazon.

Organic Comforters

In my opinion, organic wool is the best filling material for an organic comforter. Organic wool is more hypoallergenic and breathable than down. I also think organic wool has an edge over organic kapok, because it is better at regulating temperature.

Organic comforters are available on Amazon.

Another good source for organic wool comforters can be found at My Natural Bedding on eBay. You can get an organic queen-size comforter for about $130 — all other stores sell them for $300 and up.

I’ve been testing the Vers 2x iPod speaker system. This system is one of the most energy efficient and sustainable products I’ve come across. The casing is crafted out of wood (either cherry, bamboo or walnut). The wood comes only from plantation forests, and each speaker system is hand-finished. This is a refreshing change from the usual dull plastic that is used to house electronics.

The Vers 2x is also RoHS compliant, which indicates that the electronics are free from particually hazardous components (lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants).

The Vers 2x uses energy efficient components, such as a low-draw class D amplifier (see Class D Amplifiers Are Shrinking and Greening Your Electronics). I’ve tested it with a Kill-A-Watt electrical usage monitor, and the speakers draw 2-3 watts while playing music, while idle it draws virtually zero watts.

The Vers says the system uses 50% less than comparable products.

The sounds performance is good — the wood casing helps to produce bass tones, and the system can easily fill a room with music.

It also comes in 100% recycled packaging.

It’ss available from Amazon for $149 – 179.

PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl) is a toxic flame retardant used in many products, including computer cases, carpet pads and foam cushions in chairs and couches.

This recent article in the The Oregonian sums up the problems for humans:

Research has shown that the levels of PBDEs in American women are doubling every two to five years. Even low-level exposure, particularly for developing infants, poses some risks to brain development, hormone functioning, memory, learning and behavior.

It’s nearly impossible to create a PBDE-free environment if the chemicals remain in broad use. However, European nations that have banned forms of PBDEs have seen the chemicals decline in the environment and in women’s breast milk. California, Hawaii, New York, Michigan and Maine all have restricted these chemicals.

They article goes on to point out that PBDEs can be replaced fairly easily:

It’s also clear that the use of the chemicals is not essential to fire safety, or to manufacturers of electronics and furniture. Many electronics companies — including Intel, Hewlett-Packard and Epson — have stopped using PBDEs in the face of the European Union restrictions. With California restricting the chemicals, Washington moving to do so and companies adjusting to bans elsewhere…

The Environmental Working Group says:

PBDEs are now found in house dust, sewage sludge and the water and sediments of rivers, estuaries and oceans. They’ve been found in the tissues of whales, seals, birds and bird eggs, moose, reindeer, mussels, eels, and dozens of species of freshwater and marine fish. Like scores of other industrial chemicals, they have also been found in human breast milk, fat and blood.

…[I]n the last few years, it has become clear that PBDEs and other brominated flame retardants have joined PCBs, DDT and dioxin on the list of persistent, bioaccumulative chemicals contaminating people, animals and the environment everywhere on Earth.

Why do we even consider using chemicals like this in the first place?

Worldwide, only eight companies manufacture PBDEs. Two of the largest are in the U.S. — they are Great Lakes Chemical Corporation and Albemarle Corporation.

In 2002, Great Lakes reported total sales for all products of $1.4 billion, up 4 percent from the previous year. Albermarle reported sales of $980 million, up 7 percent.

More details: here is a FAQ on PDBEs by the Washington State Department of Ecology.