Sierra Club Green Home

Businesses that are completely conscious of the earth, creator, and consumer are not as hard to find as many think. A host of Web sites and boutiques offer vegan, organic, and fair-trade products. Where you spend your money can speak about what you support. (Photo courtesy of 31 Bits.com)

Bed bugs have become a reality in such diverse places as luxury hotels, well-known department stores, and in many homes. There is a proven, natural remedy using cedar as a natural pest deterrent.

Online retailers generally are not known for great customer service. Instead, they build their reputation on offering quality products and prompt delivery, and many carry a variety of eco-friendly or sustainable products.

One online retailer has figured out how to put all this together. Bucking the norm, Greenfeet strives to offer online shopping that is easy, fun, and steeped in customer service. (Photo courtesy of Greenfeet)

Mattresses and many pillows cannot be washed, but can get soiled from perspiration, body fluids, and spills. (Doesn’t everyone eat and drink in bed?) The right kind of pad, which protects the top of the mattress, or cover, and the sides, will keep mattress clean and fresh and make it last longer.

The most common type of mattress, the inner-spring, is made with a host of synthetic materials in addition to its metal springs. The outer fabric is polyester or cotton/poly “ticking.” Then there is polyester batting (sheets of stuffing), and layers of foam, including polyurethane foam, latex, or visco-elastic foam…

Rest your head on natural comfort The pillow may have been the first human sleep aid ever invented. Sleeping on the hard earth back in prehistoric times, it would have been only natural to collect a pile of soft leaves on which to rest one’s head. Before the days of mass manufacturing, pillows were filled [...]

A good night’s sleep is one of those essentials of good health, like proper nutrition and exercise. It improves mood and increases your ability to think clearly and handle stress. Every cell is rejuvenated.

Snug as a bug
Cozy sheets are the first step in snoozing soundly through the night; many are available that are made from natural fibers such as cotton, bamboo, modal, linen, hemp, and even silk.
Only buy what you need. If you’re happy with your current sheets, keep using them. Overzealous consumerism is behind many of the environmental crises we’re facing.

There’s nothing better for drifting off to sleep than a nice, warm bed in a cool room. You may even want your window open for fresh air, which will require your bed to be even warmer during the winter months. There are three good ways to turn on that kind of heat: with blankets, comforters, and quilts.