Secrets of the Natural Bedroom

"Probably the most important place in our home is also the smallest, our bed," writes Peter H. Sierck, an Encinitas, California naturopath, in The San Diego Earth Times. "While asleep, the human body is many times more sensitive to environmental influences than when awake," he adds. As a writer covering architecture and the environment, I had often read about "sick building" syndrome, caused by poor ventilation and the "offgassing" of a variety of synthetic chemicals from household products. But the problem wasn't driven home for me until it came to rest, as it were, in my own bed. Although otherwise blessed with excellent health, I was suffering from sinus headaches, which, I now suspect, may have been caused by breathing in vapors from a new platform bed made of plywood, particleboard and foam.

When my husband and I bought this bed, we didn't know that the mattress was made of polyurethane foam, a petrochemical, or that plywood and particle board contain formaldehyde. These substances emit, or offgas, toxic and/or irritating volatile organic compounds (VOCs). "Polyurethane foam in furniture can cause bronchitis, coughs and skin problems," writes David Pearson in The Natural House Book (Fireside, 1989). Formaldehyde, a VOC and probable human carcinogen, rises into the surrounding air from pressed-wood products, furniture and carpet glues, urea-foam insulation and many fabric finishes. It has been documented as the cause of headaches like mine, as well as watery eyes, skin rashes, fatigue and respiratory problems. "It is estimated that 10 to 20 percent of the U.S. population, including asthmatics, may have hyperreactive airways which may make them more susceptible to formaldehyde's effects," reports the EPA booklet "Indoor Air Pollution."

In any case, my headaches stopped as soon as we switched to a natural pine-frame bed and an all-cotton mattress and box spring. I got off easily compared with many others who've been overexposed to toxic surfaces and gasses indoors, including Lynn Marie Bower of Bloomington, Indiana, who became chemically sensitized while remodeling her home with conventional synthetic materials. "I acquired MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity), which resulted in respiratory problems, joint and muscle pain, gastrointestinal problems, ringing in the ears..." Bower writes in The Healthy Household (The Healthy House Institute, 1995). Ultimately, Bower and her husband were forced to sell their home and build another one completely with non-toxic, non-irritating materials.

After my reaction to that highly synthetic and volatile bed, it was particularly soothing to awaken last summer at Finca Rosa Blanca Country Inn, in a bedroom encircled by windows and nestled in the arching branches of a fat, 200-year-old Higueron buttress tree, looking out onto an expanse of blue sky and lush green coffee fields in Costa Rica. Built on a tight budget by Sylvia Jampol, a divorcée from the Bronx whose dream was to sleep in the clouds, Finca Rosa Blanca ("white rose farm") provided my inspiration for a natural bedroom.

For those of us who care about our household's impact on the environment, natural, nontoxic materials are just the first step. A bedroom should make ecological sense, as well. Sylvia and her son, Glenn, were great foragers and recyclers. The bed in which I lay was made from rough-hewn coffee logs salvaged from nearby fields; cabinets and chairs were made of scrap wood. The Jampols also used the region's traditional building materials. Throughout the inn, walls were hand-slapped white stucco, well-suited to that hot, dry climate. Above my bed hung a ceiling fan, a great way to keep cool without air conditioning. Picture windows facing south, skylights and smaller windows of various shapes captured natural light, saving on electricity. The absence of curtains kept dust down, as did the lack of a large carpet; small rag rugs scattered here or there warmed up the native stone floors. Glenn has also installed metered heaters and energy-efficient compact fluorescent lightbulbs.

Since Sylvia's death, Glenn has found himself in the forefront of Costa Rica's "green hotel" movement. Though an American expatriot, he reflects a growing trend back home. "Homeowners are becoming increasingly interested in building homes that are healthy and environmentally sound," says Tracy Mumma of the Center for Resourceful Building Technology (CRBT) in Missoula, Montana. Professional Builder reports that 60 percent of home buyers want "healthy house" features and 25 percent look for "green construction" (more resource-efficient and more recycled materials). If you are adding on a bedroom, orienting it for best solar gain and prevailing winds can give you big energy savings; you can use a wide variety of resource-efficient materials for walls, flooring and insulation (see "Blueprint for a Green Home" in The Green Guide #26.)

Or, like most of us, you may have to work with what you've already got. Your bedroom may not be situated in some exotic mountain aerie looking down over endless fields of green. You may rent, not own, your home. And your budget might not leave you a lot of "green" to work with. Still, you can turn your boudoir -- where we sleep away one-third of our lives -- into a haven of healthy and ecological living by applying a few simple principles (see "What You Can Do" at right).

A Word On Wood

The gorgeous tropical hardwoods used throughout the Finca Rosa Blanca Inn would stand out like trophy heads anywhere else. But even though hardwood is locally abundant, most of Costa Rica has undergone rampant deforestation. Jampol bought large tree trunks of Cristobal hardwood from the government when the cross-country highway was built; since then, he has looked for alternatives to wood, such as salvaged steel rail for decks.

Strong, recyclable, biodegradable and highly attractive, wood is "the ultimate ecological building material, so long as it is managed properly," writes Edward Harland in Eco-Renovation: The Ecological Home Improvement Guide.

Unfortunately, few forests worldwide are being managed sustainably. The U.S. is the largest producer and consumer of timber and forest products, accounting for 17 percent of global timber consumption with only 5 percent of world population. For consumers in North America, the forest certification movement helps us find sustainable choices.

To be certified, timber companies must show that they have incorporated sound management practices, such as selective logging, allowing for forest regeneration and respect for biodiversity and wildlife habitats. Only then can they label their products with a registered "green" mark. The Smart Wood program of the Rainforest Alliance, based in New York City, has certified some 7.5 million acres of forest in the U.S., Central America and elsewhere. According to the Alliance's Todd Cater, "Certified wood has only started penetrating the market, so it helps if consumers let stores know about these programs."

As alternatives to hardwood, consider a host of other natural plant products. In Finca Rosa Blanca, artwork on the walls was framed in hemp rope, not wood; chairs were made of bamboo. Both hemp and bamboo are fast-growing and generally cultivated without heavy applications of pesticides.

Bedding

For the same reasons that organically grown, untreated cotton is preferable for sheets in the natural bedroom (see "Natural Fibers of the Future" in this issue), a mattress or futon made of organic cotton makes the best ecological sense -- though they cost a lot more. But because organic and/or finish-free cotton mattresses are not treated with fire retardants, you cannot buy them without a doctor's prescription (if you explain that fire retardant finishes irritate your airways, skin or eyes, your doctor will probably comply.) Wool, also available in mattresses, is naturally fire-retardant.

Perhaps most crucial: any mattress, whether organic, untreated or completely synthetic, can and will harbor dust mites, "the most common air pollutant in a bedroom," according to Ted Johnson, an information specialist with EPA's Indoor Air Quality division. High concentrations of these allergenic mites are found in bedding because they feed on moisture and flakes of skin. Wash bedding every two weeks in hot water, and invest in mite-impermeable mattress and pillow covers.

The main thing to look for in natural-fabric sheets and blankets is the absence of stain resistant and permanent press ("easy care," "no iron") finishes, which may contain formaldehyde, and mothproofing, which is a pesticide.

The final secret of the natural bedroom: indulge yourself. Begin with your own vision of beauty and serenity. A painting of a favorite place, or a hanging plant that reminds you of a rainforest canopy, can transform a room and make the rest of your retrofit more fun.

- Francesca Lyman is the "Your Environment" columnist for MSNBC.