Category: Natural Home

Be Green: Start in Your Bedroom

Post author By Eric Hahn
Post date February 24, 2014
No Comments on Be Green: Start in Your Bedroom

If you are looking to live a “Greener’ lifestyle and save the world in the process, what better place is there to start than in your very own bedroom. Here are some Eco-Friendly tips that can help you keep your bedroom Green and save you money in the process. After all, we spend an average of 26 years of our lives sleeping, so make it comfortable.

-First of all, what better way to get in touch with your ‘Greener’ side than by sleeping on it. Change your bedding to organic materials that are natural and are not harmful for the environment. At the Organic Comfort Zone you can find a variety of comfortable bedding that is also natural and safe for Mother Earth. Some of our products include organic cotton sheets, la’noodle and kapok pillows, wool comforters, and latex mattress’.

-By turning off the air conditioner and turning the fan on at night you are not only saving yourself some money but you are also using much less energy. A fan can do the job of an air conditioner without making the air in the room feel uncomfortably cold. Also, if cold a night, use blankets to keep you warm and not heaters.

-In order to clean out your bedroom look to using a damp washcloth with some vinegar thrown into the mix to get the best results. This is an easy, green, and cheap solution to removing those dust balls from your shelf without exposing yourself and others (including the environment) to those harmful chemicals that are in some of the name brand products.

-Shopping at thrift stores for clothing and decorations can reduce landfill waste while also giving you a unique new article of clothing or decor. By the way, did I mention that thrift stores can save you a huge chunk of money, which is all the more reason to shop at them.

-When all that the day has brought has been said and done it might be a good idea to unplug and turn off all things electronic. Not only does this save a whole lot of energy, but it also keeps the user awake by emitting lights that tell the brain not to produce melatonin, and with their loud noises they are prone to make, and a multitude of other pesky things that might keep one awake at night. Just simply unplug or turn them all off and save energy, money, and time that might be spent on these devices.

-Use CFL’s vs regular light bulbs. These Compact Fluorescent bulbs can save you money because of their efficiency. Remember to turn off the lights when not in the room, though.

So go ahead and try out some of these tips, save the world and some cash in the process, and sleep tightly!

Tags bedroom, green, natural, organic, sleep

Green Living Healthy Lifestyles Miscellaneous Natural Bedroom Natural Home Organic Comfort Organic Mattress & Bedding Sleep Tips

Is Too Much Sleep A Bad Thing

Post author By Eric Hahn
Post date February 19, 2014
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Is too much sleep a bad thing? Could it be true? As for me, I’m going to take sleep where ever and whenever I can get it, because sleep is my soul mate, but for those struggling with depression and heart disease sleep can be a dangerous thing when abused.

For those with insomnia, getting sleep can be a burden, but for those with hypersomnia, staying awake can be a burden. Those diagnosed with the disorder can find themselves with high levels of anxiety and stress, while also struggling to stay awake throughout the course of the day. As a result, these people sleep for long periods of the night, most of the time naps can not help stimulating one’s senses. Sleep Apnea, a disorder which causes people’s heart to stop beating momentarily in the middle of the night, can result in oversleeping in the morning hours due to frequent wake-ups in the middle of the night.

Alcohol and other depressants can result in oversleeping, as well as depression, both of which can be harmful to one’s mental and physical health. However, if one just wants to spend the day in bed and sleep in past three in the afternoon, don’t wake them, because chances are they’ll wake in a rage and snap your head off ( or perhaps that is just me…)

These problems that come with oversleeping are in part due to previously diagnosed medical conditions, such as heart disease and depression. Sleeping too much can be just as bad as not getting enough sleep, if you are doing it on a daily basis. Remember, everything is good in MODERATION, and that the occasional Saturday or Sunday spent in bed is a good thing, just so long as that habit is not carried into the rest of the week. If you have so much time on your hands that you find yourself excessively sleeping, get a hobbie! If you find yourself sleeping too much for no reason but to sleep consult a physician and assure that you’re not experiencing any other sleep-related or non-sleep-related conditions.

Tags benifits, dangers, oversleeping, sleep

Healthy Lifestyles Miscellaneous Natural Bedroom Natural Home Organic Comfort Organic Mattress & Bedding Sleep Tips

Sleeping Outlets

Falling asleep is the constant struggle when you are too preoccupied with worrying thoughts. Staring at the clock only to find out that you still haven’t fallen asleep by one in the morning can be the twisting of the knife in your heart when you know that you will have a long and busy day when the morning comes. Falling asleep on a CozyPure mattress can surely help with falling asleep and comfort. But sometimes, when comfort isn’t enough and you have too many thoughts racing through your mind, try some other ways to relax and fall asleep.

Reading before bed can be very therapeutic because it can help get your mind off of the constant stress that plagues you. Reading, and focusing on the words on the page, and lying in bed or curled up on the couch, can easily make one sleep. With eyes concentrating on the tiny words in front of you it is sure to make your lids droopy and calm your mind – depending on what book you are reading.

Reading is a good way to set one’s mind up for a good dream. I know that when I read a good book before bed, such as Harry Potter or other books of the sort, my mind travels to a different world, a world where anything is possible. I like to visit these worlds before I enter sleep because I like to fall asleep with a positive outlook on things. Reading before bed is entertaining and soothing, its the best of both worlds.

I also like to write before I go to sleep. Sometimes I stay up late at night writing stories on my laptop of scrawling poems into my notebooks while my favorite music plays. It helps me drift into another universe, one where I am in control. Writing can be a good thing before bedtime, no matter what you write about. You can make journal entries or work on that novel you keep telling yourself that your going to write one day. It is a good way to explore your deeper consciousness. It can be used as a way to heal the things inside of you, just like the best break up songs can help to heal the pain of the worst heartbreaks.

Finding an outlet is important for a lot of people. For me those outlets are reading, writing, and going to the gym. These activities just also happen to be beneficial in helping me fall asleep easily. I’m probably a disappointment to teens all over the globe, seeing as I go to bed before ten-o-clock, but it’s a good thing that I do because sleeping is also a very important outlet for me. It helps my mind recover from stressful things that linger inside of it, and it keeps me from digging my fingers into the eyes of dozens of people who make me angry throughout the coarse of a day. Enjoying the comfort of my own CozyPure bed and other bedding materials, and the comfort of my own bedroom (which, by the way, I am always decorating differently as yet another stress reliever) is surely something that keeps me sane.

So try out your own outlets and see what they might do for you. Try reading or writing before bed and listening to soothing music in the warm glow of a small lamp or a candle. It can only be for the best, so give it a try.

Tags comfort, reading, sleep, writing

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Which Pillow Is Right For You?

Post author By Eric Hahn
Post date January 27, 2014
No Comments on Which Pillow Is Right For You?

Waking up with a stiff neck can be a pain; it can set your hole day up to be a struggle. It is very unpleasant to sit at a desk massaging your neck and shoulders to no avail. You wake up feeling worse than when you fell asleep all because your neck and shoulders have become stiff overnight. This can all be fixed with the right pillow, though.

While choosing the right pillow for you there are many factors that should go into your decision, and at the Organic Comfort Zone, there is a bundle of options for you to choose from.

First of all, you should consider the fill of your pillow. Here there are a few different fill choices for you to choose from. For someone with a neck that should be elevated during sleep (snoring or apnea problems), perhaps an extra fill would do you justice to help open the airways – keeping the head and neck elevated can help with one’s breathing. If you are a stomach sleeper, like myself, you might want to try using a pillow with a lite fill so that your body isn’t being stretched backwards. And for those who are ambivalent to either choice, perhaps you might enjoy the regular fill which suits most side and back sleepers. Choosing the wrong fill can be uncomfortable and, of course, it can make one’s neck very stiff by the time that the morning hours roll around.

Next you should consider the softness of a pillow. In a lot of downy-feather pillows the fluff begins to fade within a year or two and usually the feathers disperse every night so the pillow goes flat (we don’t offer down pillows).

With a wool pillow the fluff is batting that provides a slight softness with support. The wool compresses and will become flatter with use so if you like that type of pillow, choose wool. However, if you prefer a pillow that sinks and forms to your head, you might enjoy the La’Noodle pillow, because while it conforms to your head and neck, its fluff factor does not fade for ten or more years. You can sleep on the pillow every night and it will bounce right back to natural plumpness once fluffed. It offers both contouring support that is soft and squishy. Other pillow options at the Organic Comfort Zone include organic pure Kapok, Cotton, and Buckwheat.

Tags cotton, Kapok, latex, organic, pillow, sleep, wool

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Sri Lanka

Known as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean” because of it’s natural beauty, and because of it’s friendly hosts, it is also referred to as the “Nation of Smiling People.” Sri Lanka has much to offer with a diverse range of religions and languages and ethnicities. The island is also a large importer of tea, cinnamon, coconuts, and rubber. If you could take a guess as to why the Organic Comfort Zone imports its latex from Sri Lanka it is because of the Sri Lankan rubber trees. From these trees a milk sap can be extracted in order to produce what is known as natural latex rubber.

Latex mattress’ are some of the most comfortable in the world. A large sum of the best latex comes from the island of Sri Lanka. Much of the process of creating natural latex contributes greatly to the employment of many locals whose job it is to tap the latex trees for their sap. Sri Lanka has many tree farms where the rubber trees are grown, and in no way is the extraction process harmful for the tree! The production of a latex mattress is environmentally friendly in every way. Even if the day comes, many years down the line, that you must get rid of your latex mattress, there is no need to worry because the latex is biodegradable.

Also, while the latex components are produced in Sri Lanka, every one of CozyPure’s products is created with the best of care in the USA. Everything from our Matelasse Organic Cotton blankets to our La’Noodle pillows and mattress toppers are manufactured in our very own warehouse, where we work hard to assure that our customers receive the best for their buck. Our products are comfortable and affordable, they will last a long time and will not wear and tear like the cheap products purchased from a discount department store, in which products are mostly outsourced to be made for a cent an hour.

Among other aspects of Sri Lanka, it is also one of the most beautiful islands in Asia, with an abundance of wildlife and wildflowers. Its natives are friendly and inclined toward sports and adventures including rafting and surfing. A beautiful thing about Sri Lanka is that, being a small country with a wide variety of religions, it has managed to remain peaceful throughout the years, celebrating and appreciating everyone’s own beliefs and mythologies. There are many festivals to attend, including Easter celebrations and the Electric Peacock Festival, which is a relatively new music gala.

Tags asia, better sleep, natural latex, organic bedding, rubber, rubber tree, sri lanka

Green Living Miscellaneous Natural Bedroom Natural Fibers Natural Home Organic Comfort Organic Mattress & Bedding

Throwback Thursday

Ok, so I was doing some digging and I found a very funny video (funny in my perspective, at least, because I’ve grown so much since) that I would like to share with fellow readers. If you have been in the showroom within the past four years (with the exclusion of 2013 perhaps) you might have seen my display in all of its glory; however, we had to take it down because so many pieces were falling off of the poster board! Anyways, this is my eighth grade science fair project and I remember being so proud of the final draft once finished.

To begin with, let me give you some background information: this project was based on my mother’s organic bedding business, which she runs from Ocean View in Norfolk, Virginia. Because of this business I decided to do my project on organic bedding materials and how fast all of them burn.

In the video you will see me burning four different kinds of fibers: Wool, Cotton, PLA Polyester, and PET Polyester. I enjoyed doing this project and learning about the way that these materials all deal with the fire that is emitted upon them. Lets move on now, if you want to see the cute eighth grade version of myself click the link below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rMUpQmuoL0

So, as you could see in the video I was a weird little thing back in the eighth grade, but hey that was four years ago! I’ve grown nearly a foot since then!

Still, as you can infer from the video, the safer bedding materials are going to be the organic ones (Wool and Cotton.) The two polyester samples burned so easily because of the petroleum that they were dipped in and sleeping with your body encompassed in a giant sack of petroleum doesn’t sound too nice, does it? Also, while many companies who use wool have passed the cigarette butt test, they will not pass the new open flame test because of the chemically treated wool in their bedding. However, as you witnessed yourself, this wool that we use here at the Organic Comfort Zone is not chemically treated and therefore WILL pass an open flame test, as seen in the video.

Cotton, on the other hand, burns like a cinder because it is dry and wiry, but it does not burst into flames because it is an organic material. Again, no chemicals are added into CozyPure products. Think about lighting your skin on fire. Will you spontaneously burst into flames because of it? No, because that is not the way that science works. However, if you were dipped in a barrel of petroleum you’ll be light up like a torch and wont stop burning until there is none of you left. Or until someone puts you out, but keep in mind that that will be pretty hard and that you’ll still suffer from numerous scars, so don’t try anything of that sort at home.

Anyways, happy Throwback Thursday! Enjoy reminiscing on your favorite memories and those disastrous awkward years that some of us just never grow out of…

Eric is currently a student and part-time team member for Norfolk, VA based business Organic Comfort Zone, manufacturers of CozyPure organic bedding and mattress. For more information visit organiccomfortzone.com or cozypure.com or call 757.480.8500.

Tags bedding fibers, combustion, science fair, tbt, throwback thursday

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Latex is Green, not Mean

“But latex isn’t natural!” Is the first thing that comes from my friends lips whenever I tell them that I make natural latex mattress’ as a part of my work. I simply smile and say “Yes it is,” and being the simple-minded yet stupefyingly deep teenagers that we are, that is usually where the conversation ends. However, while talking to customers, I receive that response more often. It is a common misconception that latex is not a natural material and that it can only be a synthetic fiber. This is not true.

The natural latex that goes into our bedding is one hundred percent natural. We live up to our reputation as tree-huggers, literally, because our latex rubber is extracted from the rubber trees in Sri Lanka. The product is then put into a mold and baked until it has been hardened to our liking, no harmful additives or environmentally unfriendly chemicals added, thus proving that latex, or rubber, is not always an unnatural material only to be found on the tips of pencils and to be worn over somebody’s sweaty crotch. No, latex can serve as a natural haven for those who choose to lie on it and indulge in all of its benefits.

When you decide to take home one of our natural latex products you are doing more than purchasing a new item of bedding material. You are supporting the environment by not having to throw out a mattress or a pillow that is unsafe every three years, you are supporting your local economy and giving the people in Sri Lanka a trade, thus supporting the larger, international picture. Do you see it now? Taking one small step can effect many other small things that have a big impact.

We are taking our part in protecting the environment by producing organic products that are safe for one’s own household as well as Eco-friendly. We make sure that our customers get only the best from us and that they know what to expect every step of the way. You can rest assured that all of our products are natural, even the latex ones. We wonder here, at the Organic Comfort Zone, why people don’t take the necessary steps to improve our natural world and instead, many show habits of regression that will bring us farther back than we’ve already come in cleaning up our Mother Earth.

With all the opportunities and choices that lie in front of us, all of the ways that we can be ‘Green’ – whatever that truly means – in this day and age, it stumps us as to why people choose to not do their part in cleaning up our world. It breaks our tiny hearts to see such a beautiful and vast land that once held so many wonders turn into a wasteland, so of coarse our latex is natural, we wouldn’t have it any other way! Our electricity is self-produced – or, in fact, I guess the sun should take the credit for that one, seeing as it is solar panels that light us up down here in Ocean View. We do our part daily to make sure that our customers receive the best products, and that Mother Earth, being our biggest supporter, gets treated with the best respect that we could possibly fathom. So do your part, make your decisions, become educated and cultured in every way possible, be ‘Green’, be wild and free. Do your part, make smart choices! It is the best that we can do, and sometimes it is the only thing that can be done, but it has to be done, in order for our planet to function correctly.

Tags cozy, latex, natural, organic, rubber, synthetic

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Green is Good

I guess I’ve been on a health kick lately, but here is another food post. Eating organically will help boost the body’s immune system and other natural defenses, as well as keeping your complexion clear and your body trim. There are many ways to eat organically in this day and age and you should always be mindful of where your food is from, how fresh it is, whether or not pesticides and steroids were used in its production, and its nutrition level. Like many food posts I have compiled another list of things that can be bought with peace of mind whether or not they are from the farmers market or not:

-Avocado -Cauliflower -Watermelon

-Asparagus -Kiwi -Garlic

-Blackberries -Onions -Tomatoes

– Broccoli -Mangoes

-Cabbage -Pineapples

Now we can move on to a list of foods that are OK to buy non-organic, but still would be made better if bought fresh daily 🙂

-Bananas

-Green Onions

-Lemons

-Grapes

-Tangerines

OK. Now it is time to reveal the food that is safest to buy ORGANIC

-Almonds -Papaya -Celery -Cherries

-Apples -Carrots -Cucumbers -Kale

-Bell Peppers -Blueberries -Potatoes -Strawberries

-Peaches -Spinach -Raspberries

-Lettuce -Green Beans -Zucchini

-Pears -Plums -Corn

All our lives we will face tough choices about what we should be eating and why. We will be consumed with temptation when looking through the windows at Dairy Queen or maybe the bakery at your local supermarket. We can not let ourselves down, though. There are always healthier and safer options for everyone to enjoy no matter what your preference is. Just the other night I had a fresh, delicious, savory, spicy catfish sandwich from our local farmers market. The sandwich was rich with spices and subtle flavors and I enjoyed every bite of it. The dinner was healthy and it was also affordable.

Why should we stop where we eat though? We want to practice healthy choices in every aspect of our life, don’t we? We want to live to the fullest of our potential and we can only do that when we are thinking straight and clearly, but how can one think clearly after stuffing there body with greasy McDonald’s and wondering how long it might take for our body to digest the unnatural preservatives in our food. It is simple chemistry, the more organic the product, the easier it will be for your body to accept and also to make use of.

This is same for all the world around us, the more natural that the product is the safer it will be for the overall environment. So many landfills are just piles upon piles and stacks on stacks of waste that is not biodegradable. This is not safe for the ecosystem as these unnatural products release toxins and become and eyesore. Why not choose to be organic? In the end it won’t hurt a soul, but it can make millions of lives safer and thousands of places cleaner.

I remember taking a trip down to Puerto Rico over the summer and being struck in awe by the natural beauty that the country provided and then feeling like I had been slapped in the face when the juxtaposition of the filthy piles of waste that lined the shore appeared in my line of vision, and it was not only in one place, it was all over the place. If we all took simple, easy steps toward creating a healthier world we might not face the environmental issues that we are struggling with today.

Why not do your best to take part in cleaning up this world whenever possible. By buying Eco-friendly, organic products you are saving a whole crop from being poisoned by threatening chemicals. Even more, when you move from simply buying green foods to other green products than your role just became a whole lot more important. When buying organic bedding you are saving a landfill from having another filthy mattress being placed in it ten years down the road because natural bedding is just that good. Give it a try with your delicious new grocery list and then try to incorporate ‘green’ into other aspects of your life.

Tags Environment, green, healthy, natural, organic, pollution

Eco-Tips Environment Green Living Healthy Lifestyles Miscellaneous Natural Bedroom Natural Fibers Natural Home Organic Apparel & Textiles Organic Comfort Organic Mattress & Bedding Sleep Tips

Kapok: The Tree of the Gods

Post author By Eric Hahn
Post date December 4, 2013
No Comments on Kapok: The Tree of the Gods

Yesterday I wrote an article about wool, hoping to persuade those against it to join; however, I understand the integrity our customers hold and that some of them can not sacrifice their beliefs for a product, no matter how cozy it may be. This one goes out to all the vegans out there.

I understand that wool is an animal product and I am a firm advocate of animal rights, and while I still enjoy my wool comforter and indulge in feasting on a Thanksgiving turkey or a juicy burger whenever the time comes, for the most part I steer clear of products in which I know that animals are treated harshly. The food chain is real, and I wont sacrifice my appetite as long as the chicken that I am eating grew up happy and healthy. I also hold true to using wool products such as socks and bedding. Still, there are substitutes for wool all over, it just depends on where you are looking for them.

Good thing you are looking at CozyPure, though, because our natural Kapok has much of the same therapeutic effect as wool does, and its just as comfortable. Kapok is a soft, all natural product that comes from none other than the Kapok trees in South America. Kapok is a non-toxic, hypoallergenic fiber that has been used for centuries for things such as pillows and in other bedding products because of its durability and also because it is safe to grow, without comprising the environment around it. It has been used for a variety of things from stuffing life-preservers to cushions and saddles and woven into blankets, its wood has been used for carvings and coffins and canoes.

The Mayans believed the Kapok tree to symbolize the heavens and all of the glory than shines in the night time sky. This is where their Gods reigned, in comfort and peace, stowing away in the trees. Who could blame them? I would be propped up in one at this very moment if there were any nearby, what with all the comfort and beneficial properties that the tree holds. It is used as a medicine plant in the Mayan culture and in most wedding ceremonies, as well as other gatherings, it is made use of.

My affection for the tree is so high that I wrote a small poem dedicated to it. Enjoy:

The majestic Kapok tree, how we worship thee

you are oh so divine, your qualities benefit mine

and I am happy to use you: in my pillows,

in my blankets, and even between my toes!

Ok, so maybe I’m no poet, but at least I know it! (Bad joke?) Still, there is no denying the natural benefits of Kapok products and it is the perfect substitute for those who are allergic to cotton and wool, or are against the manufacturing of wool, or other animal products. Don’t waste your time, try it for yourself today. It can’t hurt, it can only help.

Tags healthy, Kapok, organic, wool

Environment Green Living Healthy Lifestyles Made in the USA Miscellaneous Natural Bedroom Natural Fibers Natural Home Organic Apparel & Textiles Organic Clothing Organic Comfort Organic Mattress & Bedding Sleep Tips

Why Wool Is Cool

A huge problem that people have with buying wool is that it is an animal product, and with the way that animals are treated in modern civilization people are skeptical on the matter. However, sheep are not killed when wool is attained, and while some people do bring harm to their sheep we make sure that where our products come from there is a safe environment for the animals. The wool is merely sheared off, so it is as if the animals are getting a haircut. No harm comes to these sheep, they enjoy their days long after the product has been taken, can you say the same about that burger that you ate last night?

Another concern with wool is the odor. So many people understand wool to retain a musty smell after being worn multiple times but this is true with all fibers, synthetic included! It is a fact that an article of clothing will get dirty and smelly if not washed for a prolonged period. All my wool sweaters and socks smell perfectly fine after being thrown into the washer, just as my spandex do. See, it can go either way in whatever you are wearing, no matter what your body will leave behind odors on your clothing and its up to you to make sure that it does not stay in such a smelly condition. Its either that or remove your sweat glands.

Wool is WARMER! Wool is capable of maintaining body heat, and while it dries slower than synthetic fibers it is still able to keep one’s body heat elevated without them burning up. Wool is a temperature regulator, meaning that in the cooler months it tends to retain body heat, while during the hot seasons it breathes with your body It is water resistant to a certain degree (lets not get too crazy here though, you can’t jump into a pool and stay dry) however, with smaller spills and messes there is a tendency for the liquid to drip down and simply spill off the fibers. Wool can also absorb up to 30% of its weight in water before beginning to feel wet.

Being the flame resistant fiber that it is wool will not melt into a persons skin when on fire. It is self-extinguishing, so when caught on fire it will typically only char (lets hope that fire gets contained though because you’d hate to ruin that polyester sweater of yours). Not only is it flame resistant but its super durable. Unlike other fibers that break and wear down over time, wool takes much longer to wear down.

Finally, wool is comfortable too! Every night I tuck myself away under my warm, cozy organic wool comforter and thank the stars that its available to me. In the morning I wake up just a little happier because of how cozy I am wrapped up underneath my blanket and my mood is destroyed when the realization that I actually have to see the world outside sinks in. Just another reason to sleep, I guess.

Tags green, natural, organic, wool