Your body needs rest to detox internally so it’s important to have a safe, healthy environment that promotes a good night’s sleep. Now it’s time to deep clean your mattress and detoxes your bedroom. Here are some tips that’ll help you do it.
Detox your Bed
1. Clean your bedding
Even if you’re diligent about washing your sheets, you might be forgetting blankets and duvets. Wash all bedding, including your mattress cover, once a month.
Launder in hot water to kill dust mites. Better yet, treat yourself to a new set of 100% organic cotton sheets not treated with pesticides or formaldehyde.
2. Detox your mattress
A simple combination of baking soda and essential oils will deodorize, eliminate moisture and kill dust mites in your mattress.
This study recommends eucalyptus, peppermint, lavender, or wintergreen essential oils to safely and effectively remove dust mites.
To use, combine 1/2 cup baking soda with a dozen drops of essential oils. It’s another way to recycle my creamer bottles. (They make perfect snack holders too!)
Sprinkle the baking soda mixture onto the mattress and let it sit for at least an hour, but the longer the better! Then vacuum up the baking powder and replace the mattress cover. For the ultimate mattress detox, replace it with organic cotton or natural latex version.
3. Detox your pillows
Can’t remember the last time you washed your pillow? Chances are it’s been too long. Dead skin cells, dust mites, and all kinds of allergens collect on pillows.
The professionals recommend washing pillows twice a year. Check the label, but most pillows can be machine washed so to balance the load by washing two together and doing an extra rinse cycle.
Dry on low heat and apply a couple of drops of lavender, if desired. Using a pillowcase cover can help ease allergies as well.
Detox the air
4. Open windows and circulate the air
Won’t that just bring in more pollution? No, in fact, the EPA estimates that indoor pollution levels are 2 to 5 times – and occasionally more than 100 times – higher than outdoors. So your windows open is a great way to remove indoor toxins.
5. Grow houseplants
The natural air purifiers that get the NASA stamp of approval. Try a pothos plant, a palm, or an aloe plant for the bedroom.
Detox the environment
6. Remove phones and computers
Your laptop was emitting a noticeable (and annoying) glow at night. According to The Chalkboard, the Sleep Foundation now warns that the light given off by electronics can delay the release of melatonin. So break the habit of keeping phones and computers bedside.
7. Detox your room sprays and candles
Skip the plugins and make your own air freshener. It’s so easy and you can customize a blend to enhance sleep. Use natural candles – soy candles are a breeze to make – to improve air quality as well.
8. Detox your cleaners
The fewer toxins you bring into your bedroom the fewer you need to filter out. Start by eliminating the source with safe, effective cleaners. Wash windows with homemade glass cleaner, trade-in insecticides for nontoxic remedies, and clean carpets with natural stain removers.
