Welcome to Episode 7 of the Conscious Choice Podcast - Pillows and Soft Goods!

To say that life would be hard without pillows is putting it mildly. Where else would we hide a tooth for the Tooth Fairy? What else would we use for the pillow fights during our childhood sleepovers? Beyond their practical functions a headrest when we are sleeping and a way to soften hard furniture when we sit, pillows can be a dramatic decorating accent and are among the easiest projects.

As long as humans have laid down to sleep, we’ve used pillows. Nobody has found a caveman pillow, because soft items don’t last for thousands of years. But we do have pillows that have survived from ancient times, from both China and Egypt.

But when it comes to sustainability, you may be thinking, “It’s what’s on the inside that counts.” So...what is your pillow stuffed with?

Is your bed full of toxins?

Do you wake up throughout the night, tossing and turning because you can’t get comfortable? Or maybe you fall asleep easily but wake up with neck and back pain?

Up until a few months ago, I was a mixture of both. I’d fall asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow, but would wake up more times then I could count, and by the morning my neck and back would be sore. I began researching mattresses but didn’t get far before realizing how our pillows can affect the way we sleep.

We've come up with our 3 options for making an educated choice with sustainability - and health - in mind:

1. Chose bed pillows made with certified natural/organic filler and fibers.
2. Lessen your toxic load by switching out synthetics with natural in your home.
3. Test your poly-filled furniture/pillows with Duke University for flame retardant chemicals.

We invite you to listen the full episode to learn what we found out, and it's full of interesting and surprising information.

Tell you friends. Leave us a comment...and a 5-star rating.

With Heart and Hugs, let's begin...