My Soon to be Healthier Home

My family and I are moving to a new home very soon! And with every new home, comes decorating and all that jazz. New hopes, new excitements, newly renewed goals and what have you.

As I go room by room, preparing for a larger home, there is a lot of items I NEED to get. And as we are hitting that stage in our lives, I am trying to make healthier investments in our home.

I have a few rooms that need work and thus have a long shopping list.

Of course, I sit on my stool here at the store, crunching the numbers associated with many of our products here at P’lovers.

Would you like a gander at my shopping list for inspiration for your own home?

The amount of research I have done is borderline ridiculous.

So lets take a look at the bathroom and baby’s bedroom and after months of research the choices I have made.

Bathroom

Hemp Shower Curtain:

I have been shocked to discover that along with matresses, our shower curtains are one of the WORST offenders of emitting toxins into our home. And not those ‘theoritical’ toxins. BIG TIME. The Canadian government is ACTUALLY exploring a ban on PVC vinyl shower curtains. Ikea phased them out 11 years ago and Japan well on the way in their process to ban ready use of PVC.

This has frugal me shaking in my boots. I can’t rationalize myself to keep within my extremely meager budget on this one. Its honestly frightening. I have spent many a minute now recalling all the times I opened a new vinyl shower curtain with its funky pattern and the ensuing dizziness, headache and annoying smell. HELLLOOOOOOOO…earth to self: THAT WAS IT POISONING ME!!! SERIOUSLY! Again, the price tag on the BEAUTIFUL hemp curtain  we have on inventory is certainly looking sweeter and sweeter the more I plug along looking for a different options. To me, its looking like the only option I am willing to select, considering the accessible market choices.

Bath Mat

One of the first things I purchased once we committed to the new home! Mmmm….an OhsoSoft Bamboo bathmat in Straw. LOVELY. Easy to wash and maintain and insanely soft.

Noting beyond my small bathroom shopping list, P’lovers carries a WHOLE selection of bathroom textiles, soaps etc.

Childs Bedroom

Yikes. Don’t get me started. This is a terrible terribly difficult shopping list for me. I have spent countless hours on this one alone, prior to the baby being born all the way to him now approaching two years old.

Mattress Options

Sigh. Besides our shower curtains, our mattresses are the most toxic offenders to our health. Honestly,  we spend SO much time in our beds, and here they are quite literally poisoning us..this upsets me tremendously. Especially now that we are transitioning our son from being a baby to being a kid and moving him into his own room.

Looking at the healthy mattress choices on the market…unfortunately, as much as I want to give myself over, I can’t feasibly find a mattress within our budget within the current market selection available to us in the Region.

So I am left improvising and creating the healthiest bed for my son.

We decided a barrier is what we needed. A good quality barrier between his skin, airways and the toxic chemicals added to standard mattress fibres. (notably the fire retardant material)

I have put on special order, a twin sized wool pile Snugsleep mattress overlay.

It is carded wool that has been shorn from the sheep and rewoven into a mesh. Its machine washable and provides wicking, a soft surface and a natural fibre barrier. Wool is also a natural flame retardant and acceptable within Canadian product laws as an alternative to the terrible chemicals proven to poison us.

I do believe the child will have to wrestle ME out of HIS bed. I can hardly wait till it arrives.

Bedding

Next I have eyed the Snugsleep Wool Duvet. Available in all sizes including a twin, I believe this will be our ethical and safe choice for a blanket for him. Not too hot for warmer months and just warm enough for cold days. Although….we have just begun carrying bamboo filled duvets which has me wrestling with my choices.

Paired with a Bamboo Duvet cover, he’ll have a nice cozy healthy within budget that will allow me to sleep without nightmares.

Neglecting of course to mention all of the adult bedroom options including kapok and buckwheat pillows.

So thankfully, two rooms in which a lot of time is spent; two rooms which could be the most toxic in our home are safely under control and within my budget.

Note: for more in depth exploration of a Healthy Home, please be sure to take a look at the P’lovers extensive collection of books that cover all aspects of this topic.

-Colleen