Etiquette columnist Jennifer Grayson. “So it’s important to focus on making bedrooms as green and healthy as pos- sible.” She advocates paying special attention to sleepwear, bedding and furniture people sleep on.
4 Start with a good foundation. Box springs can be constructed of plywood or particleboard, which com- monly contain formaldehyde, classi- fied as a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a toxic air contami- nant by the state of California. Choose those that have been certified as formaldehyde-free or with low emis- sions. A platform bed made of Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood, sourced from sustainably managed forests, is a healthy alternative.
4 Don’t sleep on a cloud of chemi- cals. “If your face is pressed up against a conventional mattress for seven hours a night, then you’re going to be breath- ing in whatever chemicals are off-gas- sing from that mattress for seven hours a night,” warns Grayson.
Mattresses are commonly treated with fire-retardant chemicals to comply with U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission rules. To avoid toxic chemicals like the hydrocarbon tolu- ene, emitted from mattresses stuffed with polyurethane foam, instead look for untreated, wool-covered mattresses (wool is a natural fire retardant) filled with natural latex or containing a spring system wrapped with organic cotton batting.
Non-organic cotton production relies on lots of hazardous synthetic chemicals in its production. Organic cotton, linen and wool bedding are safer bets, especially when certified to meet strict environmental standards.
4 Block the afternoon sun. During the day, shut off air-conditioning vents inside bedrooms and block the after- noon sun with interior or exterior solar shades. By day’s end, even in warm climates, bedrooms should be cool
Find more big ideas in
Natural Awakenings’ article, “Spring Green Rehab,” at
Tinyurl.com/3nhan6s.
enough for sleeping with the addition of a slight breeze from an open window or a slow-running floor or ceiling fan.
4 Go wireless. It’s impossible to completely avoid electromagnetic radia- tion from today’s technologies, so lower exposure in the bedroom by removing electronic devices and placing electrical items at least five feet away from the bed.
4 Forget fabric softeners. Most fabric softeners contain highly toxic chemicals that latch onto sheets and can be inhaled or absorbed directly into the bloodstream through skin. Instead, add a quarter-cup of bak- ing soda to the wash cycle to soften sheets and other laundry.
4 Leave the lights off. Motion- detecting nightlights save energy while allowing safe passage in the wee hours.
Laundry Room
In a typical U.S. home, the washing machine accounts for 21 percent of home water use and combined, the washer and dryer comprise 5 to 8 per- cent of home energy demands. Diane MacEachern, founder of BigGreen-
Purse.com and author of Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World, ex- plains that a good way to conserve key resources is to use these appliances less—reducing the number of loads and drying items on outdoor clothes- lines or indoor racks.
MacEachern says, “You can probably wash things like sweatshirts and blue jeans less frequently without much consequence, and a clothesline requires no energy other than the sun.” Also, make sure that whatever goes into the washer or dryer with clothes is non- toxic, or else you’ll be wearing toxic
chemical residues next to your skin all day, cautions MacEachern.
4 Select cold water. On average, only 10 percent of the energy used by a clothes washer runs the machine; the other 90 percent goes to heat the water. The typical American household does about 400 loads of laundry each year, resulting in much energy squandered on hot water. With the exception of laundering greasy spots or stubborn stains, routinely wash in cold water, using a cold-water eco-detergent.
4 Install a clothesline. Running a dryer for just 40 minutes can use the en- ergy equivalent of a 15-watt, compact fluorescent bulb lit for a week. Stretch out a line and hang clothes outside to dry in the fresh air to save about $100 a year on electric bills. The sun imparts a disinfectant benefit as a bonus.
4 Replace an old machine. A washer or dryer that is older than 10 years has hidden costs.
EnergyStar.gov notes that an older machine uses more energy and can cost from 10 to 75 percent more to operate than a new, high-efficiency ap- pliance.
4 Choose eco-friendly laundry products. Conventional laundry soaps contain chemicals that can be problem- atic for us and wreak havoc on marine ecosystems. Look for cold-water brands that are fragrance- and phosphate-free.
4 Switch to concentrates. Concentrat- ed detergents translate to less energy used in shipping, less waste and more value.
4 Stop static cling without dryer sheets. Never over-dry clothes and al- ways dry natural fibers separately from synthetics to prevent static cling.
Bathroom
The smallest room in the house is a disproportionately large contributor to household environmental impacts. In an average non-conservation-minded American home, 38,000 gallons of water annually go down the drains and toilet. “Along with that water,” says
natural awakenings April 2012
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