Certified organic cotton fabric is woven from natural cotton grown without use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or other chemicals. The production process is verified by third party certification organizations. When shopping for natural home products like bedding, it’s important to look for standardized certifications like Oeko-Tex Standard and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). Don’t be taken in by uncertified claims of “eco” or “green” or “natural” products.  Ask to see evidence of the product’s organic certification.

            To insure you’re not being “green washed”, shop names like “Coyuchi” for mattress pads, sheets and comforters, “Organic Mattress, Inc.” (OMI) for mattresses, comforters and pillows and “The Purists” by SDH – all trusted names and leaders in the organic bedding industry. Also, trust your nose: if a store smells like a chemistry lab, be skeptical of its claims of being “eco”, “green” or “natural”.

Ginger Hill at work in her office

 By Ginger Hill, Guest Blogger

My name is Ginger Hill and I am Sales Manager at The Natural Home in Asheville, NC. My job is to work with customers every day – greeting them warmly and making them feel welcome in our store. If you spend much time on your feet at work, you can understand I am bone tired (pun intended) at the end of nearly every work day.

Exhausted as I was at the end of the day, I wasn’t really resting comfortably and I often woke with headaches, neck pain and a stuffy nose. I got hot at night and my poor arthritic joints? Don’t even get me started!

You know the old “Cobbler’s children need new shoes” story, right? Well finally I realized (with a little help from my people) that it wasn’t only all that time on my feet but the quality of my sleep that created the problems. I needed a new pillow! Did you know that both men and women (and uber-cute Pomeranians) can suffer from “hot head”, night sweats, sore necks and even lower back pain from sleeping on the wrong pillow? And the sweat soaks into the pillow making it a perfect haven for dust mites.

The best way to find the right pillow for your sleeping style is to actually try them out in a store with a knowledgeable staff.  As a side sleeper, and an allergy sufferer, I decided on an all-natural shredded latex and wool pillow which mimics the soft feel of down which I so love. The natural latex resists dust mites, is antimicrobial and provides the perfect support for my neck and spine. The insulating wool layer is also hypoallergenic and temperature regulating to keep me cool and comfortable for better sleeping. And just to be extra cautious, I added a dust mite barrier cover to protect my new “investment”.

Bye-bye neck pain, sore joints and night sweats! Are you sleeping on the wrong pillow? What’s more important than a good night’s sleep? Trust me and invest in good rest!

"Jardin" Hand-Knotted Wool Rug by Tibet Rug Company

Handcrafted wool rugs can be stunning accents to almost any room, but choosing one can be a daunting task. Understanding the attributes of wool rugs and the different methods of making them will help you make the best choice for your home and décor.

The superior natural qualities of wool rugs have made them popular for centuries. Wool is a luxuriously soft yet immensely durable fiber that resists water and stains and is relatively easy to maintain. It absorbs sound and reduces annoying indoor echo. Unlike synthetics and many other fibers, wool resists bacteria growth and repels dust mites, making it a great choice for people with allergies.

Various types of wool are used in rug making, each having a different fiber strength and feel reflecting the environment in which it was raised. Sheep raised at higher altitudes, such as in the Himalayas, must endure severe weather conditions and so produce a very strong and durable wool such as that used in most Tibetan rugs. New Zealand wool, on the other hand, is raised in milder conditions, yielding a softer texture that is a very popular choice for rug and carpet manufacturers.

The finest wool rugs are made by either hand-tufting or hand-knotting wool fibers. Hand-knotted rugs are far more labor-intensive; each is unique and prized by collectors. Hand-tufted rugs require less skilled labor and so are less expensive than hand-knotted rugs, but hand-tufted rugs can be crafted into very complex designs with great density. Both hand-knotted and hand-tufted rugs share the durability of wool.

Tibet Rug Company produces some of the most beautiful hand-knotted, heirloom quality rugs on the market today. To make these rugs, Tibetan wool is carded, washed and spun by hand, producing very strong yarn. In the ancient art of hand-knotting,yarn is wrapped and then knotted around each warp thread. When the knotting is complete, the rug is hand-clipped and carved, a difficult process of shearing areas of the rug pile to create a three-dimensional look, performed only by highly skilled artisans.

After shearing and carving, the hand-knotted rugs are laboriously washed and blocked. To put it in perspective, a 4’ x 6’ hand-knotted rug requires approximately 250 man-hours to produce. The quality of a hand-knotted rug is ultimately determined by the number of knots per square inch, and a higher density means better quality. Tibet Rug Company produces many stunning 60- to 100-count rugs.

"Kimono Gold" Hand-Knotted Wool Rug by Tibet Rug Company

Unlike a hand-knotted rug, a hand-tufted rug is created without tying knots. Making a hand-tufted rug takes a fraction of the time required for a hand-knotted rug of similar size, making hand-tufted rugs very affordable as area rugs.

Hand-tufted rugs are made with a tool called a “tufting gun.” Loops of wool are pushed through a backing that has been imprinted with a design. Because there are no knots, a latex and canvas backing must be applied after the tufting is complete. Once the backing is applied, the surface pile is sheered to produce the pile.

Hand-tufted rugs will not last as long as hand-knotted rugs in high-traffic areas. Expect a quality hand-tufted rug to last about 10 to 20 years, whereas, with proper care, a hand-knotted rug should last for generations.

Regardless of the type of hand-crafted rug you choose, a wool rug will be an enduring enhancement to the beauty of your home.

Are you experiencing any of these issues? If so, it may be time to replace your mattress. If you are sleeping on a conventional coil mattress, even a good one, the springs and cushioning material inside compress from use over time, losing comfort and support even if there are no outward signs of wear. Your sleep suffers as a result. There is no specific “comfort life” of a mattress, but it is generally recommended that a spring mattress in daily use be replaced every 8 to 10 years. The Better Sleep Council recommends that you evaluate your mattress for replacement after 5 to 7 years.

Mattresses aren’t the only things that age, of course. As we age, our heart function slows and we may develop circulation problems. When this occurs, a very firm mattress that felt great when we were younger can begin to cause pressure points (areas where pressure cuts off blood flow) that reduce circulation, induce tossing and turning that interferes with sleep and can cause soreness, muscle pain and even numbness. These same pressure points are actually what cause bedsores when people are confined to bed for long periods of time.

A new mattress, carefully chosen for comfort and quality, will give years of restful sleep.

Many laundry detergents contain surfactants, chemicals designed to help water penetrate fabrics to improve cleaning. Most surfactants are petroleum-based and can cause allergic reactions such as skin rashes for some people. Chemical surfactants are also considered environmental risks because they don’t completely biodegrade and thus leave harmful compounds in water or soil.

Laundry detergents also often contain synthetic optical brighteners which merely mask yellowing by making fabrics glow in ultraviolet light. These chemicals do nothing to actually clean fabrics more effectively, and are designed to remain in your linens, where they can rub off on skin and cause allergic reactions. Optical brighteners can survive wastewater treatment and end up in lakes, rivers, and streams where they are harmful to fish.

Fabric softeners are another source of concern when laundering linens. These chemicals change the feel of a fabric’s surface and are designed to remain in the fabric for a period of time, releasing chemicals into the air you breathe and being absorbed into your skin.  Exposure to fabric softening chemicals has been linked to central nervous system disorders and irritation to skin, mucus membranes and the respiratory tract.  Chemicals found in fabric softeners include odor agents alpha-terpineol, benzyl acetate and camphor and even chloroform.

So what are your alternatives? Look for all-natural laundry products or products labeled with the EPA’s DfE (Design for the Environment) symbol. Products with this label contain no carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxicants or chemicals that cause other harmful effects, including asthma. A comprehensive list of DfE products for all kinds of home and industrial purposes may be found on the EPA website.

For more information on chemicals in your bedding, also see Toxic Bedrooms by Walter Bader.

MicroCotton Towels by Home Source Int.

Have you ever stayed at a fine hotel or spa that offered incredibly soft, luxurious and absorbent towels? Although Egyptian cotton towels have long been considered the finest choice for pampering, the towel you used may actually have been made of MicroCotton™, a trademarked brand for an extremely fine, low-twist cotton yarn that has gained wide popularity since its introduction to the home textile market about ten years ago.

“Twist” refers to the number of twists per inch of cotton yarn. The lower the number of twists in the yarn, the more plush the feel of the towel. Low-twist cotton towels offer a luxurious feel and other very attractive qualities for home use. MicroCotton™, the best known brand name of the low-twist cotton towels, was developed in India and most low-twist cotton towels are still manufactured in India.

The type of cotton fiber used to make the yarn strongly influences a towel’s final feel, absorbency and durability. Low-twist cotton fiber must be constructed of long stable cotton fibers. The low-twist manufacturing process produces finer, softer yarn, which in turn produces a softer, fluffier, more absorbent towel. (Think, for instance, of the relative absorbance of a ring of twisted cotton string, and a ball of cotton). Also, towels produced in this way won’t pill and are less likely to lint

Sometimes called “zero-twist”, low-twist cotton towels are very light in weight but also substantial or “bulky” and are fast drying. According to the manufacturer the high loop count and the microscopic space between the fibers allow the MicroCotton™ towels to absorb so well. And, because air can pass through the fibers easily, the towel dries quite quickly.

Very importantly, MicroCotton™, towels are also considered environmentally friendly because chemicals are not used to enhance the towels’ natural characteristics. They are made in a beautiful array of colors, dyed with azo-free reactive dyes. And, because they are so light weight, more towels can be washed and dried in one load, saving water and electricity.

MicroCotton™ towels are available at The Natural Home in a wide variety of colors, styles and sizes.

Bamboo Bedding by Home Source, Int.

You have probably noticed sheets and bedding made of bamboo rayon popping up in major retail stores in the last few years. While there has been some controversy over “eco-friendly” claims made by certain bamboo clothing manufacturers, there is no doubt that bamboo rayon possesses remarkable qualities that make it an exceptionally good choice for sheets and bedding.

The most visible benefit of bamboo rayon is its beautiful drape and sheen, making it an elegant choice for many types of bedding like coverlets, spreads and duvet covers. Naturally more wrinkle-resistant than cotton, shrinking during washing and drying of bamboo bedding is minimal.

The incredibly soft feel of bamboo is another of its most appealing qualities. Bamboo sheets and bedding are amazingly silky soft to the touch but unlike high-count cotton sheets, the bamboo fabric breathes preventing that “sticky” feeling that so often occurs with temperature changes at night.

Bamboo’s thermal regulating ability is an added plus for bedding – particularly sheets. Inspecting a cross section of a bamboo rayon fiber reveals that it is filled with micro holes and gaps which allow for excellent ventilation and moisture absorption. Consequently sheets made from bamboo rayon wick moisture away from the skin far faster than cotton. This helps keep you and your bed cooler and drier and less attractive to dust mites which need a humid environment in which to thrive and produce allergens.

Bamboo, of course, is natural, but bamboo fabric is actually a man-made rayon product, so claims to be “100% bamboo” can be deceiving. In October of 2009, the FTC issued a statement clarifying terminology that should be used in marketing bamboo fabrics. Rayon fiber is created from the cellulose found in trees and plants like bamboo (which is actually a grass) and bamboo fabrics made from rayon are required to be labeled as such. Bamboo fabric manufacturers claim that bamboo is also anti-bacterial and hypoallergenic, although the FTC has disputed claims that it is anti-microbial.

Finally, bamboo is undeniably one of the world’s most sustainable resources, growing as fast as 3 feet a day without the use of harmful chemicals such as those used in traditional natural fiber production, e.g., non-organic cotton. According to the Organic Trade Association, non-organic cotton is considered the world’s ‘dirtiest’ crop due to its heavy dependence on insecticides. All together, bamboo is considered to be an environmentally friendly alternative to cotton.

Bamboo bedding is available at www.naturalhomestore.com.