Bedding

Similar to furniture, beds and bedding have been made with flame retardants to slow the spread of a fire that may reach them. In return for safety against fires, people are exposed to harmful toxins. Think about all the hours you spend in your bed and you’ll instantly want to switch to organic bedding. Made Safe even notes that studies have shown flame retardants are not very effective. For bedding, organic sheets are the best option, so you can avoid coming in contact with the pesticides in non-organic cotton. For mattresses, check what regulations are in place in your state. California’s ban on flame retardants for furniture includes mattresses but I’d still suggest choosing all natural mattresses and bedding.

DIY

By making your own bedding you have control over the size and the fabric that is used. You can make duvet covers, sheets, blankets, and pillow cases but you will need a sewing machine. For your DIY bedding you can reuse fabric you have, use surplus fabric, or buy new cotton fabric. Once you get the hang of it, you can make a pillow case in minutes. If you really want to get creative, knit your own blanket! Youtube has great tutorials for knitting and weaving blankets.

Second-hand

It may sound weird to buy your bedding at a place like Goodwill but hear me out! In many cases second-hand stores receive donations of unopened, new products (usually returns) from stores like Target and Pottery Barn. I once even found special edition pottery barn sheets at a Goodwill. Regardless of the condition just make sure you wash them. It’s really no different than sleeping on sheets at a hotel. As long as you wash them, they are good to use.

Buy New

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Buying non-toxic bedding is one of the most important choices you can make considering how much time you spend sleeping in your bed! You are in contact with your sheets, pillows, and mattresses for hours upon hours which is why you want to be avoid exposing yourself to pesticides in non-organic cotton. When you have organic, non toxic bedding, you can wrap your self up at night and sleep easy knowing you made a good switch for yourself and the planet. Great bedding companies have fabrics that meet the Global Organic Textile Standard and the Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX that ensures they have been tested for harmful chemicals.

My Picks

Avocado Green Mattress

Natural, organic bedding, pillows, and mattresses that is handcrafted in Los Angeles. Avocado Green Mattress uses zero toxic chemicals and because of their dedication to the environment, is on its way to being zero waste. Every material comes from plants!

Materials grown on the companies farm and needly tufted by hand in their LA factory

no flame retardants, polyurethane foams, off-gassing adhesives

GOTS certified, GOLS organic certified latex, Made Safe, Greenguard Gold, Climate Neutral Certified, B Corp

Naturepedic

Mattresses and bedding made from organic cotton and latex. Naturepedic’s process supports the expansion of sustainable forests and reduces waste by using recycled materials. Their lengthy sustainability report shows how serious their impact on the environment. You can read it here.

Springs made from recycled steel and polyethylene
free of pesticides, flame retardants, formaldehyde, glues/adhesive, etc.
GOTS, GOLS, OCS100, Made Safe, Greenguard Gold, USDA, Vegan, PETA

Coyuchi

High quality bedding made from organic cotton and linens. Soft and breathable to give you a great night of sleep. Coyuchi practices traditional regenerative agriculture they learned from White Buffalo Land Trust. Some impacts of this is the reduction of soil erosion, protection water and air quality, and leaving natural in its natural state.

GOTS, GOLS, Made Safe

SOL Organics

Organic cotton and linen bedding. Luxury bedding from a company that values the quality of its product, its impact on the environment, and the well-being of its workers.

Fair Trade, $7.50 of your purchase goes to a charity
Free of chemicals, pesticides, and dyes

Bearaby

Fully compostable, weighted blankets. Bearaby’s knitted blankets are so soft, comfortable, and eco-friendly, they are definitely worth the price.

Three different blankets: 1 from renewable Eucalyptus wood pulp, 1 from organic cotton, and 1 from recycled plastic bottles
GOTS, Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX, GRS Certified, FSC Certification

Avoid

Non-organic

Flame retardants
Chemicals like formaldehyde
Polyfoam
If allergic, avoid latex
Wrinkle free: chemical process that uses formaldehyde

Let’s Compare

Because of the quality of the material and the dedication to being environmentally friendly, sustainable bedding companies tend to be more expensive. These two hybrid mattresses, both queen size, are similar prices, showing how attainable non-toxic, organic mattresses are. This comparison also shows that with regulations in place a majority of mattress companies are making safer mattresses. They use CertiPUR-US foams, ensuring there are no ozone depleting chemicals. This makes them a better option than regular mattresses but still not as eco-friendly or organic as a mattress from Avocado Green Mattress is.