Go Green Bedding

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a National summit on Bed Bugs April 14-15 in New York City. Bed bugs, as you have most likely heard on the news, are on the rise. They have been reported in almost every type of institution designed for sleeping - from hotels to dormitories to homes. The EPA Summit resulted in well thought out recommendations and procedures that will be reviewed and, once approved put into motion.

I appreciate the EPA having a summit to address this problem. And I am sure that parents of high school seniors are glad as well. Being well informed is a must when you are sending your child to live in a dormitory. The thing is that the recommendations and procedures will not have a direct impact on you for some time. So what do you do in the mean time? Keep reading and I will tell you.

The first thing to do is research the dormitory where your college freshman will be staying: see if there are any reports of bed bugs in that or any other dorm on campus. Before moving any of your items into the room, survey the space carefully for any signs of bed bugs. You should thoroughly clean the room now, before luggage and clothes and such are filling the space. The college will have cleaned the space, but to be sure it is up to your standards, vacuum every corner, the mattress and box spring. The Clean 2 Cordless Hand VAC + UV-C Air Sanitizer is ideal for dorm rooms. It is convenient for cleaning up any spills and the base continuously sanitizes the air .

Next you should use a UV-C Sanitizer Wand over every surface. This wand uses ultraviolet light to kills 99% of germs and bacteria. Now uses a mattress encasement on both the box spring and mattress. This will form a barrier between whenever is left on or in the mattress and your child.

These simple steps will ensure that your child will start out with a dorm room that is clean and bed bug free.

I do not have a baby right now, but I know a lot of people who do so I always keep an eye out for studies and research that would affect them, especially in the areas of bedding and other linens. In going through recent news on 24-7 Press Releases, I came across a study that links Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) with the mattresses in their cribs.

In the article “Studies Link Crib Death to Toxic Mold in Mattresses and Bedding”, The research of Dr. Jim Sprott, scientist and chemist from New Zealand, is summarized and relieves that SIDS most certainly is caused by toxic gases that are produced by mold growth within a baby’s mattress, caused when liquids are spilled onto them. Even though mold is a health risk around infants by itself, it gets worse. Since the 1950’s, the US government has mandated that there be fire retardant chemicals added to the mattresses and when the mold begins to feed on wet mattress material, it releases toxic gases from the fire retardants through the sheets for the infant to inhale.

There are so many potential dangers that lay in store for a new born. Every parent should make sure that their baby bedding is safe. A Somina Organic Crib Mattress is ideal. The cover of the mattress contains fibers from the Kapok fruit that are naturally bitter. This characteristic actually repels spiders, bed bugs as well as fungus! Over this or any crib mattress, an AllerZip Mattress Encasement should be used. This encasement not only protects your child from dust mites and allergens, but also prevents the entry, exit and bites of bed bugs. This product enhances your child’s comfort while it waterproofs and stain-proofs the mattress. If a new mattress is not in the budget, get the encasement! For less than $100 you and your baby can sleep better and safer every night! These two products are both available from Go Green Bedding.

Dorm life can be a great experience! It is a time of tremendous growth and learning, both socially and intellectually. However if you are not careful, that experience will be put on hold by allergies. It is an easy enough problem to prevent with a few simple products and guidelines.

Dormitory air is generally circulated throughout the building. There are filters in place, but those will only go so far in preventing air-born bacteria and viruses for other students from entering your space. An air sanitizer is the best way to ensure that the air in your dorm room is clean. I recommend Germ Guardian products because they harnesses the power of naturally occurring UV-C light technology to kill over 99% of airborne bacteria. (UV-C light is the same technology hospitals use to sanitize.)

All of the surfaces in your dorm are potential breeding grounds for allergens. In the past aerosol disinfecting sprays were the way to go. But these also have an odor or leave the surface coated with a film or both. Aerosol are also bad for the environment. The most effective and eco-friendly way to kill up to 99% of bacteria and viruses is to use a UV-C Sanitizer Wand. You simply pass it over any surface and it goes to work. Not only does it kill bacteria and viruses, it also fights odors and allergens!

Another place mold, dust mites, bedbugs, and other fungus live is in the mattress and box spring. Put a barrier between those things and your student with a full mattress encasement. Protect-A-Bed Encasements provide total protection from allergens, dust mites and bed bugs. Use one on both mattress and box spring for a completely healthy and allergy-free sleep environment.

College students generally had bad sleeping habits, if that is combined with allergies - your student is fighting an uphill battle. With these three products (all available at Go Green Bedding), you can help your student win the fight with allergies and reach their full potential!

Organic Dorm products are excellent purchases to prepare for dorm living. There are several layers to a dorm room and so I will walk you through them step by step.

Germ Guardian has products that harness the power of UV light. It will work do wonders for the floor, walls, windows, sinks, showers, and every other surface in the dorm room. Before you move any of your belongings in use the Clean 2 Hand Vac to pick up any dust and dirt that is laying about. Then use the UV-C Sanitizer Wand to kill the germs that are lingering on surfaces. Now plug in UV-C Pluggable Air Sanitizer to keep your room fresh. This takes care of layer one.

Layers two through five are for your bed. Please do not sit on your bed until both the mattress and box spring are encased in a protector. The mattress may look clean enough, but you have no way of knowing what bacteria, fungus, and even bed bugs are thriving under the surface. A Protect-A-Bed’s encasement ensures total protection from allergens, dust mites and bed bugs. We provide both mattress and box spring protection for a completely healthy and allergy-free sleep environment. Protect-A-Bed® allergy control bedding prevents bed bug bites and protects against allergens.

Now that the mattress (and box-spring) are encased, your next layer is a topper for the mattress. Somina Toppers add the comfort and support you will definitely need for the questionable mattress. The memory foam is made from soy-bean oil so it doesn’t pollute the air you spent time purifying. The cover is made from Lyocell and Kapok - both natural ingredients. Kapok is a bitter fruit and that property in the fabric repels spiders, mites, and fungus! Complete the sleep support system with a Somina Contour Pillow.

Quality extra long sheets are the next step. Athens and Perla are both delightful to sleep on and come in a wide range of colors and patterns. Athens sheets are ecologically friendly because they are created from beech wood chips and feel like silk. What is the point of creating a clean environment in your dorm room is you are not going to finish it off with eco-friendly sheets? Top off your bed with a comforter from Down, Inc. The white duck down is from birds born and bred in the USA. They obtain the raw materials which are washed and separated to exact specifications using our DOWNGUARD process, and leaving the fills clean and odor-free.

The final layer is bath items. Christy has two lines of organic towels. The original Organic line has the traditional terry cloth weave and are available in 10 colors. Their new line Waffle Organic has a waffle weave that is soft and absorbent! This line is available in three colors.

The dorm products and memory foam products available through Go Green Bedding are the best way to be green and prepared for dorm life.

Twin Extra Long Sheets do not cross your mind often. That is until you head to college, or you have a child who is headed off. Most dormitories come outfitted with an extra long twin sized bed. This is awesome for all of those students out there who are above average in height. (Which I am in this group.) This being the case, one would figure it would be a fairly easy task to find sheets. But you would be mistaken!

All of the major box stores sell twin extra long sheets in the months leading up to move-in. But what you will start to notice as you shop around is that these sheets that are available are 250 thread count or jersey knit. If you have never felt a 250 thread count sheet, count yourself lucky! I like to describe them as “crunchy”. That low of a thread count means that they are not designed for repeated washings and long term use. I have never been able to keep jersey knit sheets on the mattress. Every morning, I woke up to find at least one of the corners had come off. Not only that, but also they bunch up as you move in your sleep.

Quality extra long twin sheets are now available on Go Green Bedding! AND not just one, but two quality lines are for sale. The Athens line is a “green” product is natural environmentally friendly. The combination of 100% natural fiber made from beach wood chips has the soft feel of silk. The Athens Sheets are available in a solid, stripe, or floral pattern and are offered in sheeting and pillowcases. The Perla lineis made of ultra lightweight Egyptian cotton percale woven to a 500 thread count, cool and crisp. Available in sixteen colors as sheets and cases. Flat sheets and cases are over-sized and have hemstitch finish.

Sheets are against your skin 100% of the time you are sleeping. Make sure that you are sleeping on quality. This simple purchase will help your sleep me more relaxing. Make sure your college student is sleeping on sheets that feel silk smooth.

Have you every thought about using your bed as table? I’m sure most of you have enjoyed a snack while lounging on your bed. But we are taking it a step further. Go Green Bedding has partnered with The Home Spa of Austin, Texas to showcase the products we carry at Austin Settings.

Austin Settings is an annual event put on by the Austin Area Alumnae Association of Kappa Kappa Gamma that brings together exclusive designers and merchants to creating festive and elegant table settings for the enjoyment of its guests –all benefiting Austin area charities. This year’s charitable beneficiaries are: ArtHouse and Dell Children’s Hospital.

Each participating business creates a table according to a sort of theme that is often related to their business. Our table will be a Somina Organic Mattress on an Iron bed made by a local blacksmith, GW Sills. Christy Waffle Organic towels will serve as napkins. Several other products will serve as centerpieces and placesettings.

The 2009 Austin Settings event will be on Wednesday, April 22 (cocktail preview party) and Thursday, April 23 (luncheon), 2009 at the Austin Country Club. The cocktail preview party includes a live band, cocktails, and festive food for its of attendees. The luncheon features a special guest speaker, a raffle and a silent auction.

Austin Settings ticket package information:

• Preview Party - $60 each
  Wednesday April 22, 2009
• Luncheon - $80 each
  Thursday, April 23, 2009

Go Green Bedding and The Home Spa are excited to be partners for this event. If you are in the area, buy tickets. You will be able to touch and feel the products that we believe in so strongly. It is also a great opportunity to give back to the community in a practical way.

Organic Dorm Bedding should be on the minds of high school seniors, their parents, and college students of all ages. I know that dorm living is on your mind, but remember that dormitories are filled with allergents and such. You need help reduce those with your bedding.

Organic sheets, such as Athens, are allergent free and safe for the environment. They are made from reconstituted beech wood chips. Sleep is so vital for a healthy social and academic life in college. Made the time you spend sleeping more beneficial with quality sheets. You skin is in constant contact with your sheets will you sleep - this is all the more reason to find linens that are comfortable and eco-friendly.

Somina bed toppers and pillows are another great way to improve your sleep. They are memory foam made from soy bean oil instead of petroleum. They do not release any of the odors that most foam products on the market do. Each is covered in a cloth that is made from Lyocell and Kapok. Lyocell is produced from wood pulp cellulose. Lyocell shares many properties with other cellulosic fibers such as cotton and linen. Some main characteristics of lyocell fibers are that it is soft, absorbent, very strong when wet or dry, and resistant to wrinkles; and can be machine washed. Kapok is a bitter fruit that naturally repels spiders, mites, fungus and the like. These characteristics carry over into the fabric giving the cover these same traits. These products are all around green - from core to cover.

Mattress Protectors and Box Spring Encasements should be used on dormitory mattresses before you put your Somina topper on or dress the bed with Athens sheets. By using protecters, you are creating a barrier between what ever germs and fungus are in the mattress and box spring and yourself. There is no way to know how many people have slept on the mattress in your room before you. Why take the chance with your health?

Organic dorm bedding is essential for every college student. You will stay healthier by first encasing the mattress and box spring, then placing a topper on the bed, and finally making the bed with Athens sheets. Not only will you sleep better, but so will your parents knowing your have quality products.

A common misconception is that it’s too costly and too much trouble to go green at home. But that’s not exactly true: While there are definitely some complicated, time-consuming and expensive projects to make your home green, there are several simple, low-cost things you can do to go green at home. Though they’re small changes, they can make a big difference.

If you’d like to go green at home, take a look at these 8 simple ways to start making progress.

• Only run your washing machine when you have a full load. This helps to make sure energy and water are put to good use.
• Related to the above, try to avoid using hot water when you’re doing laundry unless it’s absolutely necessary.
• Instead of using a dryer to dry clothes, hang them up outside to line-dry them.
• Replace light bulbs with efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.
• Get a programmable thermostat. This will allow you to set heating and cooling schedules for when you know you will and won’t be home.
• Unplug electronics when you’re not using them. Televisions, videogame systems and chargers can still use energy even when they’re not on!
• Make sure you don’t have any faucets that are dripping. Though a drip doesn’t seem like much water, think about how much it adds up over time.

Being a green bedding retailer, we just have to mention just one more simple way to go green at home: organic bedding! Soft, comfy and free of harmful chemicals and dyes, organic bedding is an environmentally-friendly choice you can make at home that will likely have a very noticeable, positive effect on your comfort, since you’ll be spending roughly 1/3 of each day using it. Organic bedding has countless benefits, one of which being that it won’t irritate the skin or aggravate allergies.

These are just a few of so, so many ways to go green at home. We hope you’ll take the time to make your home more green in any way you can, as it can have a tremendous effect on the planet.

Natural bath products are another essential to having a green home. An environmentally-friendly choice, natural bath products are made of materials that won’t harm the environment. And because they’re all-natural, they won’t irritate the skin or aggravate allergies.

Natural Bath Products: Organic Towels

Talk about comfort: Organic towels are made of natural materials, making them ultra soft and luxurious. After a nice, long bath, there’s nothing like wrapping yourself in an organic towel. It’s all about comfort.

Organic towels are made without toxic bleaches, harmful dyes or chemicals. They’re naturally hypoallergenic, made of organic cotton and other natural fibers. Plus, organic towels are absorbent, making them not only comfortable, but highly functional. If you suffer from allergies or skin problems, or if you’re just looking for an extremely soft and environmentally-friendly towel, organic towels are the way to go.

Natural Bath Products: Bath Robes

Bath robes are one of the best ways to relax around your home — and they’re a great complement to organic towels. Pamper yourself by wearing a bath robe. Organic bath robes at Go Green Bedding are made of natural materials, so they won’t irritate the skin, they’ll just feel super soft and comfortable. Find bath robes for men, women and kids at Go Green Bedding.

Natural Bath Products: Bath Mats

Elegant, soft and eco-friendly, organic bath mats are another essential when it comes to natural bath products. You’ll love stepping from the tub or shower onto something that’s naturally soft and luxurious. Don’t miss the Renaissance Bath Rug or the Embrace with Silk Tub Mat.

Find a fantastic selection of natural bath products at Go Green Bedding. We’re also proud to carry other organic products, like Somina mattresses, organic sheets and organic pillows.

Organic baby bedding for your little bundle of joy is not only an environmentally-friendly choice, but one that means your baby will be sleeping on all-natural materials. No harmful chemicals, no harmful dyes — organic baby bedding is so soft, gentle and healthy. When compared to conventional baby bedding, there’s just no question that organic baby bedding is the way to go.

Organic Baby Blanket

An organic baby blanket makes the perfect gift for a new baby. Soft and comfy, an organic baby blanket is also free of harmful chemicals and dyes. A typical baby blanket could be made with materials that aggravate allergies and cause skin irritation, but babies who sleep with an organic baby blanket won’t be susceptible to those harmful chemicals. Made of all natural materials, an organic baby blanket is a great way to help take care of your baby’s sensitive skin.

Organic Memory Foam Crib Mattress

An organic crib mattress is petroleum-free and made of all-natural materials so that babies can get the rest they need. The Somina organic crib mattress is the ultimate when it comes to organic crib mattresses. The Somina  organic memory foam crib mattress is made of Lyocell and Kapok fruit, two things that actually repel fungus, bugs and spiders and also draw away moisture.

Welcoming a new baby into the world with organic baby bedding is an eco-friendly choice that also provides the baby with healthy, chemical-free bedding. Find everything you need to make your baby’s nursery eco-friendly — an organic baby blanket, an organic crib mattress and more — at GoGreenBedding.com.