A Healthier Way to Sleep Soundly

With organic sheets and a clear conscience, rest on your own bed of carbon footprint-reducing comfort.

What do you need to ensure you get a good night’s sleep? A comfortable mattress, maybe. Perhaps just the right number and weight of blankets. The perfect lighting, and not too much noise. But what about bedding made from sustainable organic cotton that’s free of allergens and pesticides?

According to the Organic Trade Association’s website (ota.org), the methods for growing organic cotton have a lower impact on the environment, replenish soil fertility and avoid toxic pesticides and fertilizers. It’s a green trend that’s obviously gaining steam. Carla Drysdale, owner of Nancy Rose (2716 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield, 417-889-1370), says that she’s seeing lots of upscale companies jump on the organic bedding bandwagon as the concept of green living grows. Her store currently sells organic sheets for customers who special order it, but this fall she is to have a display bed in her store with an entirely organic ensemble from the Purest line by SDH Enterprises. They are free of pesticides and dyes, made from all-natural fibers and are manufactured and finished without the use of chemicals. Drysdale says that besides people interested in green living, they are great for people with allergies. A king-size set, with sheets, coverlet, duvet, shams, decorative pillow, bedskirt—the works—is estimated at $3,200.

Sarah Fuller runs her company, Eden’s Lily, out of her home and makes mostly handmade organic sheets for baby beds, but she says she will work with customers to make custom organic sheets of any size. She says that sleeping on organic sheets is a lifestyle and health decision. Just as you might choose to purchase organic fruit as a healthier, non-toxic, pesticide-free way to eat that benefits the environment, you can choose organic bedding for similar qualities.

In a world where there are constantly new ways to reduce your carbon footprint on the earth, organic bedding is coming up in popularity. But there are still few places in 417-land where you can find a set of organic sheets. Nancy Rose sells top-of-the-line bedding, but you can also find organic sheets sets at Target and Bed Bath & Beyond for anywhere between $30 and $100. Beyond that, a lot can be found by hitting the ol’ World Wide Web. A simple Google search for “organic bedding” comes up with numerous online vendors selling environmentally friendly products for your home, and they vary greatly in price and style. See the sidebar for a short list of examples, and get started greenifying your bedroom.

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Bedding on the Web

Other than the local stores Nancy Rose, Bed Bath & Beyond or Target, there are numerous places online to purchase organic bedding, and you could spend all day just browsing. We’ve found a few places to get you started on your search.

• Thecleanbedroom.com has, like its name might suggest, many brands of bedding that are pristine and immaculate in the pictures. It also sells organic bedding for baby beds, mattresses and even clothes. The crib sets, in particular, are pretty adorable.

• Ahappyplanet.com has everything for the bed, from sheets to mattress pads and even pillows. It has variety, too, with sheets in sateen, percale and flannel.

• Gaiam.com sells organic bedding, as well as towels, shower curtains, clothing and other home necessities. There’s even a page for solar power, if you want to expand your green living outside the fabrics in your home.

• Nativeorganic.com offers thick robes, tea cozies and oven mitts on top of the usual suspects: bed sheets and bath towels.

• Sustainablecotton.org and ota.com/organic/mt/organic_cotton.html are great resources for learning about organic cotton and some of the benefits of using it.