Categories
Green Living Natural Home

The making of a new and improved organic sofa day bed.

In between doing this and doing that – today I’ve been working on the redesign of our EcoTerra Sofa Day Bed. I love our EcoTerra and we use two of them in my family room. Comfortable, spacious, sturdy and attractive, but I also know some folks want a more “traditional” look of an upholstered sofa. It’s something I’ve been wanting to rework since we introduced the EcoTerra a few months ago. So today I made the commitment to spend a few hours working with padding, pillows, fabrics, tucking, tying, tossing and just nodding my head yes or no. After many different prototypes I’m pretty sure the way I want to go will not be an option but rather a choice between covered side and back panels with cushion inserts OR the wrap around arm cushions.

I hope to wrap this project up by end of this week or early next week.

The NEW configuration will include the wood frame and mattress-seat-cushion ONLY – then the customers will begin to “build and design” their own sofa using various pillows, cushions and fabric combinations. I’m excited about the EcoTerra since it’s one of the very few “authentic” organic sofas offered. No soy-based foams or springs or synthetic blended fabrics. This is the real deal from the sustainable wood to the natural rubber to the certified organic cotton. Just about all the pieces are modular and separately replaceable if necessary which is really great for long-term practicality.

As soon as we complete the final finishing touches of the new fabric panels, we’ll post photos and a video to show the different configurations. I’ll keep you posted on our progress!

-cheryl

Categories
Healthy Lifestyles Natural Bedroom Natural Home

Turning Off Technology Before Bedtime Helps Improve Sleep Habits

Having trouble sleeping? This comes as no surprise in the age of rapid-fire digital technology. If you are wired to the gills with pockets full of gadgets and phones, you may pride yourself on missing nothing…except, perhaps, for a good night’s sleep. A recent survey released during National Sleep Awareness Week reveals that usage of such devices close to bedtime affects sleep patterns for the worse. Lights from the phones and pads and PCs generates a distraction, but one can argue there’s much more to it than that.

In order to enjoy a good night’s rest, you must naturally sleep. The bare minimum of seven hours is recommended if you wish to feel refreshed and renewed in the morning. Taking those last minutes before retiring to check your e-mail, text messages, and social pages may ease your mind if you expect to see something important, but it doesn’t necessarily do well to calm you completely. Leaving phones and computer running as you sleep also stands to disrupt you, and can lead to problems down the road.

Consider why you have these devices close when you sleep. You don’t want to miss out on a message, but if you are not a doctor on call or work in a similar position to requires communication after midnight, is there really anything incoming that can’t wait until morning? If the kids are all home and you’re not expecting news from somebody traveling, take the initiative toward a better night’s sleep and go “off the grid” at the night. You are more apt to make better decisions about these messages when you have had some rest.

One disadvantage to technology so close to bedtime is that it can keep your mind racing. When you have problems to solve and ideas to parlay, you will find it challenging to calm yourself and drift away. This is why it’s suggested to read a book to unwind before bed, or pursue another low-key activity that doesn’t require serious thought. Get too involved in something, and you could burn away another thirty to sixty minutes that should have been spent in dream land.

The key to weaning yourself from technological dependency is to first keep the items that tempt you out of the bedroom. This means the PDA, the computer, and even your smart phone. If you want to argue that any of these items has an alarm, simply invest in an alarm clock that only serves that purpose. Out of sight, out of mind is the first step in taking control of your sleep, and when you have only to worry about your bed, reclaiming rest gets much easier.

Kathryn Lively is a freelance writer specializing in articles on organic pillows and latex mattresses.

Categories
Green Living Healthy Lifestyles Miscellaneous Natural Bedroom Natural Home

Is It Safe to Bring Bedding From Home to Hotels?

With hotel bedbug plagues making the news, people who travel often for business or pleasure have been forced to take extra caution when unpacking in rooms and at home. The notion that bedbugs only stay in bed is a myth, for it’s strongly recommended to take luggage directly to a safe place after your trip and make sure all clothes and the luggage are sanitized. That said, it’s not uncommon for people to bring their own bedding on trips. Is that safe to do?

Why bring your own pillow and blanket to a hotel? Certainly there is no shortage where you are staying, and major chains make no secret of how they work to bring guests quality sheets and pillows. For some of us, however, there are important reasons why it’s necessary:

  • There are health issues. If one suffers from orthopedic problems and has a pillow for better sleep support, it’s sometimes better just to bring that along.
  • Sometimes, a familiar pillow or blanket offers the comfort of home one doesn’t usually find in a hotel. Especially for small children who might have anxieties about leaving home, it is not unusual to take along a blanket or stuffed animal, or even a pillow with their favorite cartoon character on the case.

So we have explored the why’s, now let’s think about the what if’s. What if your home bedding should become infested with bedbugs while you are away. There is the risk, even in highest quality hotels. As with any other infestation, you want to deal with the issues quickly so there is no chance of bringing the critters to bed with you once you’re back from vacation.

It is important to note that whatever you bring home from your stay – pillows, blankets, coats, and clothing – should not be taken directly to your room on your return. If you have a garage, clear some space and unload everything there. What can be washed, bag in plastic and take to your laundry room immediately. With pillows that cannot be washed, you may wish to consider placing them in plastic and leaving in a sunny location for a few days. Bedbugs are known not to survive in extreme temperatures. After a few days, clean as you normally would.

If you are concerned about bugs when you travel, you may want to consider leaving the comforts at home where they are safe. An investment in a travel support pillow can help, just make sure you observe the same cleaning practices when you come home. It never hurts to be cautious, especially with the risk of home infestation.

Kathryn Lively is a freelance writer specializing in articles on organic pillows and organic mattresses.

Categories
Green Living Healthy Lifestyles Natural Bedroom Natural Fibers Natural Home

The Difference in Organic Cotton On Bedding

As you shop for new bedding – be it a mattress or pillows, sheets and toppers – you’ll find an array of different materials used to help create your sleeping environment. Cotton is especially a popular material as it is easily grown and harvested, and because cotton is a prime resource in the United States people may be more inclined to buy products made of it. Check labels, and you’ll find some products made of organic cotton.

Some may suspect, though, that the organic label is slapped on just about everything to convince people to buy the products. Others will argue that such items are genuine are eco-friendly. You may not be able to directly see or feel any difference between organic and “regular” cotton, but look deeper and you will – even sense – unique qualities.

Firstly, how is it that not all cotton material is considered organic? It all grows from the soil, correct? Synthetic fabrics are usually given other names – if you believe it isn’t labeled all-natural only when it is blended with rayon or other materials, consider this: oftentimes when crops are planted and maintained, they are treated with pesticides to prevent bugs from eating everything. Chemical based fertilizers, too, my cause these crops to be disqualified from earning the organic label. How the plant is cultivated plays a large role.

Once the raw material is harvested, too, what happens to it will determine its final label. Cotton that is not treated with chemicals during the weaving process is identified as organic. These products are certified by agencies approved by the USDA.

So if you see “USDA Organic” on the sheets or mattress you wish to buy, you can rest assured – literally and figuratively. Consider organic cotton as you shop for bedding and sleep well knowing your purchase has helped the environment and your sleep health.

Kathryn Lively is a freelance writer specializing in articles on organic mattresses and organic pillows.

Categories
Green Living Healthy Lifestyles Natural Bedroom Natural Fibers Natural Home

Are You Really Allergic to Your Bedding?

It’s no secret people can be sensitive to certain types of fabric. There are those who suffer allergic reactions when exposed to latex, and some may complain of rashes and other skin irritation when they wear a certain type of clothing. When it comes to bedding, it’s important to make sure what you sleep on doesn’t cause you discomfort. If you plan to spend eight hours a night lying down, you definitely don’t want to wake up sneezing!

Many manufacturers of green bedding products will tell you that you are better off buying organic bedding – mattresses, sheets, and pillows – to combat allergies and health problems. What if, however, you believe you are allergic to cotton or wool? Is there any hope for a comfortable night’s sleep?

Consider this: with all the different chemicals and additives used to treat fabrics, there is a possibility you have associated an allergy to a fabric merely because you see it. You itch when you put on a shirt, and you automatically think it’s the shirt. You can see and touch the shirt, but not necessarily the dyes and soaps that have been used on it. Consider the possibility it is not so much a cotton or wool fabric that makes you sick, but these chemicals.

When in doubt, take the opportunity to have an allergy test. This will help you determine exactly what bothers you, and if you find cotton and wool are not the culprits, you can look for alternative bedding ideas. Contact stores and suppliers that deal in organic bedding and make sure what they offer does not contain the allergens that irritate your skin or sinuses.

You may find, as you learn more about your body and tolerance, some allergies may be misdiagnosed. For the sake of getting a proper night’s sleep, take a test to see if you are truly allergic to your bedding.

Kathryn Lively is a freelance writer specializing in articles on latex mattresses and latex pillows.

Categories
Natural Home

The Comforter – “Mary’s” Story

I spoke with a young lady a few days ago that made me stop and think about my spending habits. She had visited Organic Comfort Zone about a year before and fallen in love with our Amaizing Wool Comforters. She explained that even though she loved our cuddly product and all of the wonderful virtues of the organic components used; she opted for a less expensive synthetic comforter from a department store.

It took less than a week of sleeping under her comforter before she realized her mistake. Every night when she looked at her comforter, she didn’t think about the pretty patterns and colors, she didn’t think about how much money she had saved; all she could think about was the lack of natural and organic elements; the lack of handcrafted tufting and old-world classic design. She told me her remorse was reinforced nightly when she overheated under her polyester covering as she remembered that one of the many benefits of a CozyPure® Amaizing Wool Comforter was that it was temperature regulating, which would help her rest more comfortably without constant “heat-flash” disruptions.

In essence, this charming lady, in an attempt for be frugal and thrifty, had wasted her money on a comforter that was designed for ornamental qualities rather than function. The comforter which she purchased was intended to be used a few seasons and then discarded, unlike the CozyPure® Amaizing Wool Comforter which is created to last generations.

Most of us can relate to what it was like sleeping under a synthetic comforter and how much of a difference it makes to snuggle up with a natural wool all-season comforter. We have all learned how much we can save by buying quality products rather than something that needs to be disposed of in a short period of time. Those of us with allergies have also realized the health benefits of sleeping with natural wool which is mold, mildew and dust mite resistant, rather than with chemically saturated allergen traps.

Her lesson in quality versus frugality should be applied to all aspects of life; quality and substance isn’t cheap, but compared to the amount of benefits – quality is always the best bargain! In fact, in this young lady’s case, the bargain was no bargain because she placed the synthetic comforter in the guest room, and ultimately purchased a CozyPure® wool comforter for her own bed.

– REX

Categories
Miscellaneous Natural Home

“Natural Habitat”

As a child, I remember a special trip taken with my parents to the famous San Diego Zoo. Wide-eyed and fascinated, I stared at the large array of animals – and they stared back at me. I stood in amazement and wonder but also contemplated their quality of life as they were confined to cages and concrete-condo unnatural environments. It was then that I became familiar with the term “natural habitat” and realized that no matter how hard we tried, a zoo would never be a “natural habitat” for wild creatures.

On the ride home from the zoo, my young brain was deep in thought, but not about things that most children would have been thinking about. Instead my mind raced with how different life must be for wild animals verses the captive ones that I had just seen.

When we arrived back home I looked around and thought how similar our house was to that of the artificial environments that the animals were housed in. What was our natural environment? Were we meant to live in a forest near a running stream? Certainly, prior to modern civilization there were not concrete, brick and vinyl structures. The air we breathed was not forced threw metal and plastic pipes. The water we drank was not filtered at some distant location before being piped to us. We didn’t sit, walk on nor sleep on petroleum based plastics. In essence, we live in an environment that is anything but the natural habitat of the human species.

Don’t misunderstand me. There is no way that I would trade my modern comforts for a life of foraging, hunting and sleeping on dirt. I enjoy hot showers and the protective structure that I live in, but I am attempting to get back to as natural of a life as I possibly can.

I am wearing mostly natural and organic fabrics. My home is decorated with used and reclaimed furnishings and I am in the process of upgrading my bedroom into an organic, natural sleep sanctuary. My head rests on a wonderful CozyPure® La’Noodle and I am snuggled under a CozyPure® Amaizing Wool Comforter and soon I will be sleeping on a new CozyPure® natural latex organic mattress. I am on my way to a complete organic lifestyle!

My environment may not be what the original “human habitat” was, but it is becoming as comfortably close to natural and healthy as can be expected in modern society – a warm, safe and healthy organic home and I think that is a perfect compromise.

– REX

Categories
Green Living Natural Home

Get Naked

It’s official. We’ve finally decided on a name for our soap and body care line: Naked Spa…. Ingredients so natural they may as well be naked. We use the bare essentials for the various items. Our bar soaps are USDA certified organic. Yippee! And the only preservative is natural rosemary. Our hemp clay mask and healing hemp foot cream continue to be favorites, and our new organic brown sugar body scrubs are getting rave reviews! Let’s get naked!

Categories
Miscellaneous Natural Home

Household cleaning

Enjoying a natural lifestyle doesn’t mean less choices. It means less hazardous substances that can be toxic and leave behind odorous fumes. It means choosing natural cleaning tools containing no harmful or dangerous chemicals. It also means having the confidence that the product not only does the job right, but it does the job safely. Making safer choices leads to a natural lifestyle that’s healthy and strong for you, your family and the environment.