18 Eco-Friendly Bedroom Ideas

To have an eco-friendly bedroom there are quite a few different things you can do or change. As we spend quite a few hours in our bedrooms we want them to be healthy environments as well. Avoiding synthetic materials and items with toxic chemicals helps to improve your surroundings. Other things to consider when trying to create an eco-friendly bedroom are energy efficiency, reducing waste and what the products you buy are made of.

How to Have an Eco-Friendly Bedroom

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1. Reduce Energy Use By Preventing Heat Loss

One of the easiest ways to reduce our energy use (and bills) is to ensure that heat is not being lost. The more heat that escapes the more you have to keep the heating on to keep the temperature up.

• Check windows for draughts and if necessary fill the cracks and gaps.
• Close your bedroom door at night and use a draught excluder.
• Use heavy curtains in winter to keep the heat in.
• Put foil behind your radiator to reflect the heat back into the room (rather than just warming up your bedrooms walls).
• Double glazing will prevent a lot of heat loss if you can afford to replace your windows.

2. Turn the Temperature Down

Another easy way to reduce your energy use is to turn the temperature down on your thermostat. Instead of using the central heating why not fill a hot water bottle to warm up your bed before you get in. Make sure your duvet is the correct thickness for the time of year, or use a blanket to make the bed really cosy. One thing I always do in winter is tuck myself into my bed by using a sheet underneath my duvet cover, it also makes me feel like I’m staying at a hotel.

3. Eco-Friendly Curtains

Avoiding synthetic materials is top of my priority list, but is it even possible to buy eco-friendly curtains? Firstly, instead of buying new curtains you could make them thicker (to prevent heat loss) by adding an extra layer of material to the back of them. For example, you might have some old sheets you don’t use anymore, use them to line the curtains. Using what you already have is always the most eco-friendly option.

I bought secondhand curtains, really good quality thick curtains, at an auction. It cost me £10 for 4 pairs of curtains. I highly recommend buying secondhand from charity shops or auction houses. Just check out what’s available.

If you really can’t find anything you like in second hand shops, and you do need to buy new curtains, look for natural materials such as bamboo linen, GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified organic cotton, hemp etc. You can also buy wool curtains but I’ve gone off wool recently.

4. Eco-Friendly Bedroom Furniture

I’m going to say it again, wherever possible buy secondhand furniture. Check facebook marketplace for some amazing bargains! Don’t be afraid to buy something that might look a bit tatty, because with a bit of sandpaper or some crafting skills you can ‘upcycle’ a bedside table or wardrobe really easily.

When buying new bedroom furniture go for natural materials. This of course will mainly mean wood. Always look for FSC certified wood to ensure its sustainably sourced. Bamboo furniture is an even better option because bamboo grows so quickly and as a crop it doesn’t need pesticides and harmful chemicals.

Instead of a standard wardrobe why not look into a clothes rail? Metal clothes rails can look really good and they’re generally a lot cheaper as well.

5. Eco-Friendly Mattress

An eco-friendly mattress should be made of natural and non-toxic materials. Materials such as natural latex, certified organic cotton, organic wool and organic bamboo and hemp. Flame retardants can also be toxic so check those out as well.

These eco-friendly mattresses are made entirely of natural sustainable materials.

Una Mattresses – Una mattresses are made from organic natural latex foam, which is encased in organic wool and with an organic cotton cover.

NaturalMat – They’re made from organic coconut coir, organic natural latex, organic wool and wrapped in organic cotton.

Demko – ‘Demko organic mattresses only contain organic latex, organic coir fibre, cotton and tencel – all renewable, biodegradable resources. Plus, a thin layer of natural graphite which acts as a natural fire barrier to avoid the use of toxic fire retardants.’

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CottonSafe – Eco-Friendly & certified Vegan! Being vegan this mattress does contain some synthetic fibres, however it’s very hard to find vegan mattresses so that’s why this one is included. It’s also made with bamboo and hemp.

SilentNight – Eco Comfort Range. Each mattress is made from recycled plastic bottles and are free from foam and fire retardant chemicals. I would say these probably aren’t as eco-friendly as they want them to appear to be. Although they use the trademarked names ‘Eco Breathe Fibres’ and ‘Eco Comfort Fibres’, there’s no description of what these fibres are actually made of. Possibly a bit of greenwashing going on.

6. Mattress Covers / Protectors

I’m sure these must be available somewhere other than Amazon but I haven’t yet found a UK based company that sells eco-friendly mattress covers. They are readily available in the USA, and as soon as I find some good options here I’ll add them in. It is possible to get mattress toppers which is not quite the same thing but they will still protect your mattress and provide a bit of extra comfort.

7. Eco-Friendly Bed Sheets

One of the more easy to find items is eco-friendly bedding. As with everything on this list try to buy organic natural materials. I normally suggest buying secondhand for most things, but personally I don’t like the idea of secondhand bed sheets so this is one product I’d buy new. Here are some nice eco-friendly bed sheets that I’ve found (some are a bit pricy admittedly).

• Organic Cotton Fitted Sheets – Fair Trade and GOTS certified cotton
• Bamboo Viscose Fitted Sheets – Sustainable and Vegan
• Organic Cotton Flat Sheets – Some Organic Cotton, some Organic and Fair Trade

8. Eco-Friendly Duvets

I used to love my feather duvet, but I wouldn’t buy one now. In my naivety I used to think the feathers were just ones that fell off a bird. I just rolled my own eyes at that. My only options seemed to be synthetic fibres which I’m also not happy about but they were the better option at the time. These days with consumers becoming far more aware of the products they buy it’s possible to buy all natural duvets that are also vegan!

Bamboo Duvet – These are made from 50% bamboo fibre and 50% nano-microfibre with a 100% bamboo outer covering. I’ll be honest I don’t know what nano-microfibre is and google isn’t helping. However these duvets are plastic free so they appear to be made from natural materials.

9. Eco-Friendly Pillows

100% Organic Latex Pillow – If you’re looking for a natural pillow you can’t go far wrong with these. Not only are they height-adjustable and breathable you also get a 10 year guarantee and have 100 days to try it out for free.

Memory Foam Pillow – I’m not as happy with these pillows as they are made from 60% polyester and 40% bamboo. They are vegan though and they haven’t used any harmful chemicals or dyes so they are better than many other pillows on the market. If you’re looking for eco-friendly pillows though it seems that most have some polyester filling.

10. Natural Duvet Covers & Pillowcases

Like bedsheets, eco-friendly duvet covers and pillowcases are pretty easy to find. You’ll normally find organic cotton, linen, bamboo linen, and less often, hemp.

• 100% Bamboo Viscose Bedding Set – This set comes with a duvet cover, 2 pillowcases and a fitted sheet. It even arrives in a bamboo bag. There’s a variety of colours and sizes available.
• GOTS Organic Cotton ‘Shabby Chic’ Duvet Cover – Organic Cotton duvet cover with linen trim.
• Organic Cotton Double Duvet Cover & Matching Pillowcases – This duvet cover even comes with tagua nut buttons.
• Fair Trade & Organic Sateen Duvet Cover & Matching Pillowcases – GOTS, fair trade. 250 thread count organic cotton sateen.

11. Eco-Friendly Blankets & Throws

If you like that extra layer on your bed in winter it’s time to look for an eco-friendly blanket or throw. Why not buy a recycled 100% wool blanket. The wool used is all the excess wool and material that’s leftover after making other blankets. The blanket can also be used as a sofa throw or a picnic blanket. The recycled wool blankets are also cheaper than the ‘new’ ones from the same company.

• Recycled 100% Wool Blanket – Reasonably priced and can also be used as a sofa throw or picnic blanket.

12. Eco-Friendly Nightwear

What eco-friendly bedroom would be complete without some eco-friendly nightwear? Ok, so it’s not part of the bedroom as such, but what’s the point in having natural bedding if you go to sleep in synthetic materials? I’ll be honest, the main reason I’ve included nightwear is because I’m a bit of a cat lady and these pyjama’s have a seriously cute cat design on them!

• Cat Print Pyjama Trousers & Cat Print Camisole Top – GOTS certified organic cotton, fair trade and vegan!

13. Natural Flooring

If you’re lucky enough to have wood floors, keep them that way and get yourself a nice rug made of natural materials (more details below) for a bit of warmth. If you want a floor covering, to be really eco-friendly go for jute, seagrass or sisal which are all 100% biodegradable and sustainably farmed. It is possible to get 100% wool carpets but they are very expensive. Make sure you look into what the backing or underlay is made of, as that’s where most of the toxins are (and what the strong new carpet smell comes from).

14. Rugs

If you have natural wood flooring it’s nice to have a rug to step onto from the bed before you find your slippers. Rugs can be seriously expensive but there always seem to be some available at auction houses. Alternatively you might find some good quality secondhand rugs at charity shops. Places like Oxfam also sell new rugs that are fair trade. Have a look through these eco-friendly rugs. Some are made from recycled materials, some are made from jute and others are wool.

15. Non-Toxic Paint

Most paint is pretty toxic but it is possible to buy eco-friendly paints for decorating. Check out https://frenchicpaint.co.uk/, https://earthbornpaints.co.uk and https://www.lakelandpaints.co.uk/. I’ve gone into more detail about eco-friendly decorating here, so have a read through that for everything you need to take into consideration when decorating any room in your house.

16. Use LED Lighting

In terms of eco-friendly lighting you can choose from halogen incandescent, LED (Light Emitting Diodes) and CFL (Compact Flourescent Lamp). There are pros and cons to each type. Halogen incandescent lights use less energy than traditional incandescent lights, but they’re not as energy efficient as LED and CFL, they also only last around the same length of time as traditional lightbulbs. CFL can last up to 10 years while LED can last up to 25 years of use. LED are the most expensive to buy initially, but as you don’t need to replace them very often they probably end up working out a lot cheaper in terms of initial price and energy use over time.

“Eco-friendly LED light bulbs are good for the environment simply because they use much less energy to run. The increased efficiency ranges between 25% and 80% in comparison to incandescent lights. On average, it is estimated that switching to eco-friendly light bulbs can save you up to £70 a year.” – How To Choose The Best Eco-Friendly Lightbulb.

17. Unplug and Switch Off Electronics

To reduce your energy use making sure everything is switched off when not in use is always a good idea. Many of us now have several electrical items with standby lights on in our bedrooms every night. Switch them off and you’ll have a better nights sleep, because standby lights can be extremely powerful and make it harder to sleep well.

18. Use House Plants as Room Decorations

To complete your eco-friendly bedroom add some house plants. Not only do they look nice and are a lovely natural room decoration, they will help to purify the air in the room as well. Do make sure you regularly open the windows in your house to let fresh air in though. Some of the best house plants to add (and easiest to keep alive!) are:

Aloe Vera – Aloe Vera helps to clear benzene and formaldehyde from the air. It’s also good to use the gel in the leaves for sunburn! Benzene is a common ingredient in plastics and paint.

Snake Plant – Another plant that helps to rid the air of formaldehyde (which can be emitted from common household cleaning products and even toilet roll.)

Bamboo Palm – This is a great plant for shady areas. It thrives in humid rooms, so is perfect for bathrooms as well. They help to rid the room of trichloroethylene and benzene from indoor air.

Spider Plant – Probably the easiest plant in the world to grow, and once you own one, you can soon have a spider plant in every room. They help to remove formaldehyde and xylene.

Dracaena – There are several varieties of dracaena and all help to remove some toxins from the air. Just find one you really love. Keep them out of reach of pets though as they can be toxic if eaten.

Some companies now sell so-called eco-friendly artificial house plants.

Whenever we talk about becoming more eco-friendly, the same principles will always apply; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot. These ‘rules’ apply when you want an eco-friendly bedroom as well. Reduce your waste, reuse what you can, if it can’t be reused recycle it and if they can’t be reused or recycled, buy things that will rot (ie biodegrade).

How eco-friendly is your bedroom?

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