apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

feng shui and sage room regularly. keeps the nightmares away! (:

I'll get my landlord to move the windows so I'll have a view from the bed!

Charteuse, I'm so glad I'm not the only one who saw that! It was kind of like "wait, what?"

I also have to comment on #4. Who washes their area rugs? I assume someone with bad allergies maybe but HOW would you do such a thing?

And the only electromagnetic field that might interfere with your sleep is the light from the clock. Give me a break, people.

So we should buy organic bed linens and then do what, exactly, with our non-organic ones?

Um... I thought these were decent tips. There is no need to be so mean.

Alarm clocks and other electric items can give off both light and noise and disrupt your sleep. And there are lots of things to do with the non-organic sheets. You can re-purpose them as cleaning cloths, for just one example off the top of my head. Also, I think the point is that we all need to buy new sheets from time to time, so try to buy organic ones when you do. It's better for you and for the environment. Your room is probably painted. It's not a suggestion to repaint immediately if it was painted with traditional paint. It's just a suggestion that if you do paint your room, use low-voc paint.

They're just trying to help.

I sleep with the windows open even if its 30 degrees out, I wash my sheets in non chemical cleaners, air out my duvet and pillows weekly, and clean my bedroom every four days.. My friend was here over the holidays and slept in my bed and said it was the best sleep she had for a long time. Nothing magical just chemical and dust free.

Come on, the electromagnetic field thing is wacky. Light and noise do not qualify as electromagnetic field, even though technically I suppose light is electromagnetic radiation. But they are putting forward this vague idea that somehow the radiation from the clock is going to get mixed up with circadian cycles. The field around an alarm clock must drop to almost zero wihtin a few inches. Just how far away is this clock supposed to be? This is just wacky new-agey science-appropriation truthiness.

I am not so sure plants in the bedroom are such a good idea. As far as I know they create fresh air during the day by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen but RELEASE CO2 during the night... a small plant probably wouldn't make a big difference but I definitely wouldn't put lots of them, especially if you close the door.

I agree with Anna,
it is funny how people don't think about how in the day time, yes, the plants may be cleaning the air and emitting fresh oxygen, but at night, those same plants are breathing IN your oxygen in the bedroom with you, not cleaning the air!
Some places in Asia won't even bring plants into their homes because of this reason.

Orchids, bromeliads and succulents release oxygen at night and CO2 during the day.

All plants take in carbon dixoide at much greater amounts during the day. The oxygen taken up at night is a small matter - so having plants in the bedroom *will* result in more oxygen and less CO2 overall. They don't take in enough O2 at night to compete with you. And they *are* cleaning pollutants the air no matter what they take in at which time of day.

I have a ton of plants in my bedroom and don't notice that they make a difference in the air one way or another, but they do create a restful atmosphere.

And yeah, how about placing the bed to allow a good view from the windows? Maybe I'm just lazy that way but it seems easier.

I think my room has enough oxygen to spare for a few plants. Thanks to drafty windows, it's not exactly air tight.

I've heard the electromagnetic thing before, but don't know how true it is.

So let's see, I have non-organic bedding, a clock by my head, regular-toxin-containing paint, no view out the window from bed, and no plants, and I still sleep like a rock.

That color is both soothing and yet envigorating at the same time. Perfect for a bedroom!

Another green thing you can do with your old bedding is give/sell it to a second-hand store (after washing it, of course.) Someone who needs cheap, good quality, green-ish sheets/blankets will really dig it.
Personally, my strategy is to pile on five or six quilts: sleep through immobilization.
I would hate white noise from an air purifier. What was this about electromagnetic radiation? Oy.
Also, I'm never going to understand this aversion to a few germs. A little germy-ness creates a healthy immune system - by avoiding "dust mites and germs" you ARE sabotaging your health.
I would just love to place the window not in front of my dresser. My neighbors sometimes get quite a view of my...forgetfulness.

for me the biggest thing about germs is getting a mattress and pillow protector. and cleaning without chemicals and regular airing out. also no light coming in through the windows at night.
and forget about electro-magnetic whatsits. my husband's snoring contributes more noise pollution than all the beepy-techno things combined in my house. i'd probably sleep better in a server room for a nuclear facility

Tiamat:

You should wash area rugs at least yearly. Some you can wash by hand with a brush and some Savon D'Marseille for wool and cotton rugs. You can do this on the bathroom floor for example, or outside on a deck or yard. Bigger/expensive rugs I'd leave for the pros.

Back in Finland I used to spend a summer's day in a nearby lake where the city had big big basins and drying racks for people's area rugs. (and now when I think about it, it's crazy how you'd leave your rugs out there to dry and no-one would steal 'em!)

See how it's done:
http://www.uukuniemi.info/juttukuvat/5ohj1bes1uk69m2l7vmmlp37a03ukn.jpg