We ♥︎ honesty! We may earn a commission through affiliate links on this page at no extra cost to you.
This post is Part 2 of the Detox Your Home Series. In Part 1, we discussed how to detox your bathroom.
Today, we’re going to talk about how to detox our bedrooms.
Sleep was designed as a way for our bodies to reset each day. It’s the time of day when muscle tissue is rebuilt, mental energy is revived, our liver does its vital work of detoxification and much more.
Knowing how important sleep is to our overall health, we should do everything we can to create a safe sleep environment.
With that said, let’s dig in to 6 easy ways you can detox your bedroom this week!
1. Detox the Air with Plants
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, low indoor air quality is one of the greatest environmental threats we face today. Notice they said “indoor air” specifically.
Why is that?
Because their studies have indicated that indoor air can be up to 5 times more toxic than outdoor air! To reverse this statistic in your bedroom, you need to do 2 things:
- Cancel out the the toxins
- Ventilate with outdoor air
The second part of that equation is pretty straightforward. On beautiful, sunshiny (not a real word?) days, open the windows in your bedroom for at least an hour.
As for the first part, it’s plants to the rescue!
They provide a 100% natural way to filter the air you breathe. One NASA study even showed that certain plants could not only create oxygen (of course) but could effectively filter toxins like:
- Fumes from adhesives
- Trichloroethylene (in paint & varnishes)
- Formaldehyde (in foam insulation, particle board furniture and carpet)
- And more
According to the NASA study, some of the best plants to detox the air in your bedroom include:
- Boston Fern
- English Ivy
- Flamingo Lily
- Florist’s Chrysanthemum
- Peace Lily
- Spider Plants
Play around with the placement, and use them as part of your decor – stylish and functional!
2. Fight Mold the Quick & Easy Way
Bedrooms can harbor mold because they usually don’t get aired out often.
As someone who has suffered from the effects of hidden mold, trust me, you want to do all you can to avoid it!
One super simply way to hinder mold growth is to open your curtains as soon as you wake up. Doing so lets sunshine flood the area, the heat from which naturally lowers moisture levels within the room.
Less moisture = less chance for mold!
Check out this article to figure out how to get rid of mold smell in your home.
3. Swap Your Mattress for a Non-Toxic One
Did you know most mattresses are made with toxic chemicals and materials like:
- Polyurethane foam (off-gases VOCs)
- Antimony (heavy metal & possible carcinogen)
- Boric acid (interrupts reproductive system)
- Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs – toxic flame retardant)
Some of these have been clinically proven to accumulate in the body and lead to neurological problems, liver toxicity, thyroid disruption and more.
What makes the situation worse is the fact that the VOCs and SVOCs (semi-volatile organic compounds) continue to seep from mattress on a daily basis, contaminating dust and the air you breathe.
The solution?
Make the switch to low-VOC mattresses or organic cotton varieties. These mattresses feature safer materials that are free from toxic materials like vinyl and flame retardants.
This organic cotton mattress is a great, affordable option compared to others on the market.
No products found.
We also prepared a more detailed non-toxic mattress review if you are curious about which one is the best and why.
4. Swap Your Bedding Materials
Along with a mattress, the materials you sleep on should be the first areas you address when detoxing your bedroom.
That’s because most of us spend 6-8 hours with our bodies in direct contact with these materials.
Most sheets on the market today are sourced from conventional cotton laced with toxic pesticides and known carcinogens. Regular cotton is also often bleached or colored with heavy metal dyes.
And don’t even get me started on those wrinkle-free sheets.
Guess what makes them resistant to wrinkles?
Formaldehyde!
If not cotton, your sheets are likely made of polyester – a synthetic material made from petroleum. Enough said, right?
One easy way to detox your bedroom is to buy non-toxic sheets made from organic cotton. These should be completely free from anti-wrinkling formaldehyde, synthetic dyes and other toxic agents.
Check out this set of non-toxic bed sheets that are GOTS certified (Global Organic Textile Standard).
Last update on 2025-01-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Note: Don’t forget to also pay attention to what you wash your bedding in! Go for laundry detergents that are free from synthetic fragrances, dyes, phosphates and more. I like Zum Clean Laundary Detergent the Frankincense & Patchouli scent!
- Coconut oil cleans and lifts stains, baking soda ditches odors, and essential oils deliver whiffable...
- No parabens, phosphates, petrochemicals, cocamidopropyl betaine or sulfates
Last update on 2025-01-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
5. Lower Your EMF Exposure While You Sleep
EMF exposure is only just now being studied extensively for its harmful health effects. One of the ways it harms us most is its ability to interfere with our natural sleep patterns.
In fact, research like this 2014 study published in the Public Library of Science has shown an undeniable link between EMF exposure and poor sleep quality.
It’s not just the unseen electromagnetic frequencies that are harmful though. The National Sleep Foundation has found that the light from our cell phones, computers and TVs make our brains think it’s time to wake up instead of sleep.
That’s because blue light interferes with the body’s natural production of melatonin – a hormone that dictates circadian rhythm.
To avoid sleep-disrupting blue light and EMF exposure, try to avoid screens for about an hour before bed.
I know it’s a stretch for some, but ultimately, the best way to create a healthy bedroom is to remove all electronic devices from the space. That could mean charging your cell phone in a different room or relocating your TV.
If you just can’t remove such devices from your sleep area, consider investing in EMF blockers. This way you can keep your cell phone and other devices in the room without sufferent the harmful effects of radiation.
I personally prefer the EMF Blockers from Defender Shield.
Last update on 2025-01-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
At the very least, turn off and unplug any and all electronic devices before bed.
6. Paint with Low VOC Paint
This tip isn’t as fast and easy as the others, but it’ll go a long way toward creating a healthier bedroom.
Most paints contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Unfortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency has warned us that these toxic compounds can result in nausea, headaches, nose and throat irritation as well as other more damaging effects like liver and central nervous system damage. [1]
Next time you’re in the mood for a little DIY project, repaint your bedroom with a low or no-VOC paint, which can be found at your local home improvement store.
Detox Your Bedroom and Create a Healthier Place to Sleep
Of course, there are other things you can do to create a healthy bedroom like replace all your particle board furniture with solid wood furnishings free from toxic binders. To start with, we share with you a few ideas for non-toxic furniture in our latest article.
But this list provides 6 easy steps to achieve a toxin-free bedroom as quickly as possible.
This post is part of the 7 Days to Detox Your Home Series. It can be overwhelming to realize how many toxins surround us everyday. It was for me, at least. But that doesn’t have to be the case for you!
Focusing on ONE area at a time is the key to creating a toxin free home you love and feel confident raising your family in. I created this series to help you do just that one simple change at a time.
PREVIOUS POST IN THE SERIES: Detox Your Bathroom
NEXT POST IN THE SERIES: Detox Your Living Room
Want even more ideas for detoxing? I have a digital library full of ebooks, meal plans, checklists & more to help you detox your food, body and home. All for free – check it out below!
[et_bloom_inline optin_id=”optin_14″]
Editor and researcher at Detox & Prosper. With years of experience creating a healthy home for my family, I now help others eliminate toxins from theirs! Read my story here.
Leave a Reply