We are just wrapping up the Sleep Challenge! You can find the video announcing the winners and an exclusive offer for VIPs of ThatOrganicMom.com at the bottom of this post.

In my article “Do you know what you're sleeping on?” I explain how some mattress companies apply flame retardants and other chemicals to the mattresses on which we sleep and why my family and I sleep on Bed Boss mattresses. I explain how we went about looking for nontoxic alternatives.  With nine people in our family, (and expecting grandchildren someday) we want the best for our family.

The goal is to reduce our toxic load, however, many of us cannot afford to replace everything in our home with organic alternatives. If you have a family you certainly have no shortage of items to spend money on. There's no way to avoid all exposure to chemicals but we can make strides to keep our home a health-friendly environment.

To reduce allergens in your bedroom consider adding an air purifier with a HEPA filter; we use the Germ Guardian in our bedrooms.

When painting your bedrooms make sure that you low VOC or Zero VOC paints so that you will not be breathing toxic fumes from the off-gassing of your walls.

New furniture will be off-gassing chemicals and solvents from the manufacturing process. This tip will actually save money as well used furniture has had sufficient time to release these chemicals and therefore makes them a safer option.

Carpeting is another source of unhealthy chemicals. When possible opt for wood, tile, bamboo or other options

Opening windows in the bedrooms can be a good way to keep airborne chemicals and off-gassing from accumulating. When I lived in Germany I noticed that windows were opened once per day to allow the home to air out. I think most people in our neighborhood never open their curtains or blinds let alone the actual windows! I open our windows daily, even in winter, if only for 5 – 10 minutes to let the air circulate.

I cover my mattress with organic sheets but I don't worry about thread count.

Avoiding toxins in an area where we spend a third of our life can go a long way towards reducing the toxic load in our homes. However, if it's not in the budget it's best not to stress about it because that can be just as toxic as the chemicals we seek to avoid. Do the best you can with what you have available!

The Bed Boss has affordable and comfy mattresses and has offered an exclusive discount for my readers. Here's what they have to say about their mattresses.

• Some of our earth-friendly mattress ingredients include: naturally renewable bamboo fibers; blended castor seed and plant oils; and rose, lavender, and green tea essential oil fusions. By cultivating the best of nature’s gifts, we build mattresses with renewable resources that are good for your health and the environment.
• We replace up to 20% of the fossil fuel-based oils in our polyurethane foams with blended castor seed and plant oils.
• Our mattresses are made with CertiPUR-US certified foam that is low VOCs and made without phthalates, heavy metals, formaldehyde, and other harmful toxins.

Congratulations to all the winners.

We are doing a Challenge every month during 2017 so make sure to keep coming back to participate in future challenges and giveaways! Check out the February Healthy Kitchen Challenge!