The Eco-nomical Bedroom

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Bedding

To counterbalance my not-quite-eco-friendliest mattress, I bought as much organic cotton bedding as I could afford. Conventional cotton accounts for up to 25 percent of the insecticides used worldwide, and the runoff from nitrogen- spiked synthetic fertilizers, as well as heavy metal dyes, kills aquatic life. Chlorine bleaching releases carcinogenic dioxins. Permanent-press and stainand water-repellant finishes can offgas formaldehyde, and their manufacture releases PFOA into the environment.

I purchased an Under The Canopy full-sized sheet set for $100 at my local Whole Foods ECO Home store, but nearly cried when I saw a similar set two weeks later on sale for $50 in the Spiegel catalog! A sale at ECO did, however, afford me a good deal on an organic-cotton thermal blanket from The Dutch Mill, $87 for a king size, which I'll double up on cold winter nights. I found a fairly traded quilt from Tilonia for $89.95. Though made of conventional cotton, it's unbleached and colored by hand with vegetable- based dyes, free of potentially carcinogenic azo.

I bought Greenfeet's recycled polyester-filled "Eco Basics" pillow for a mere $18.50/standard (for others, see "It's Not All Fluff," GG #115). Buckwheat-and millet- hull pillows conform to your head and reduce neck strain. Organic Rejuvenation Pillows from Serenity Pillows muffle the noise of shifting hulls with wool ($69.99).

Bedroom Furniture

Used wood furniture spares old-growth and endangered forests. My favorite find: a pristine quality solid maple dresser on sale for $320 at a vintage furniture store.

Upholstered PU foam furniture, along with mattresses, contained PBDEs until the phaseout. "If you're buying a new piece of furniture," says Carol Kraege, "it's unlikely to have penta[BDE] and octa[BDE], but it might have something that's just as bad, such as another brominated flame retardant," such as Tris, a possibly carcinogenic chemical. Kraege recommends that consumers ask for petroleum-free fills.

The Simply Affordable line includes an organic cotton-covered natural latex chair for $1,000, along with their locally sourced, unfinished oak nightstands for $275. You can match your Abundant Earth bamboo bed frame with a bamboo bedside table ($113.95) and cloth/bamboo dresser ($249.95).

Rugs

Conventional wall-to-wall carpeting will definitely not be covering my floor. It collects dust, allergens and toxins carried in from outdoors. Its finishes, adhesives and foam paddings can emit numerous VOCs, including formaldehyde and toluene. I prefer area rugs, which can be washed and kept in place with a natural rubber pad. I'm waffling between jute, hemp, or FLOR recyclable modular carpet tiles that contain recycled materials, and which look and feel great on the floor of The Green Guide's creative director, Julio. They don't use VOC-laden adhesives, either.

Rugmark-certified rugs are made in factories that don't employ child labor and have agreed to random inspections (see "Take Action" sidebar and www.rugmark.org).