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Wondering If You Should Jump On the Organic Cotton Train?

The surprising reasons why it might not be the best bang for your buck when it comes to buying organics

If you've made the move to try and purchase organic products for the betterment of your health and the environment, you've probably heard of a slew of things that you can purchase that are organic - kale, apples, cereal, even cotton. We recommend a simple way to prioritize your organic produce purchases, but how does cotton fit into this? Is it worth the extra dollars? Clothes, sheets, towels, baby blankets, and all the other things around the house that are made from cotton can add up quickly. You might be thinking about organic, but aren't so sure. Well, we've weighed the pros and cons for you below to make an informed decision.

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label education

What All Those Certifications on Mattresses Actually Mean

Label Education: Decoding what GOTS, GOLS, Greenguard, Organic, and more mean

Choosing the right mattress is so important for sound sleep and health, yet with so many options the shopping can be confusing and stressful! Obviously you want to take comfort and pricing into consideration, but there are some chemical ingredients you might want to consider too. Standard synthetic foam mattresses can contain various harmful chemicals we don't want to be sleeping on. And these chemicals can evaporate into the air, or collect in house dust, which is yucky and no good for your family's health.

The great news is that there are a bunch of healthier alternatives, and these labels below can help you find them. We also have a roundup of 12 non-toxic mattress brands if you just want a quick guide to organic mattresses and natural mattresses you can buy.

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Roundups
mattress

12 Non-Toxic Mattresses

options for every budget that are free of any harsh chemicals and petroleum-based foam, including organic mattresses

Step 1: Start researching organic mattresses or natural mattresses. Step 2: Get confused! Step 3: Look at our roundup where we did all the research on safe, well reviewed, comfy mattresses for you. Step 4: Order a healthy, non-toxic, organic mattress Step 5: Sleep more peacefully. We found options for every budget, so what are you waiting for?

All of the mattress brands we found use natural materials like 100% natural latex, organic cotton, and wool, and do not use petroleum-based foams or no chemical flame retardants. For our budget picks ($), a base model queen retailed for less than $1000. For the quality picks ($), a queen ran between $1000 and $2000. And the splurge picks ($) retailed for above $2000. Some brands use inner coils and some are made of just latex layers. We hope this list of natural mattress brands is a good starting place for a better night's sleep.

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Family
newborn

The One Thing You Should Splurge on When Setting up Your Nursery

Why a non-toxic crib mattress is really worth it

Setting up your nursery is one of the most fun (and adorable!) parts of nesting. It means you have the opportunity to design a whole room of tiny baby items that will be full of baby's firsts. While that's exciting, we also know filling a nursery with everything a baby needs can be tough on the budget. And on top of that, if you're trying to go non-toxic and eco-friendly, it isn't always easy on your wallet. So, if you are going to prioritize one thing to spend a little extra on that will dramatically reduce the amount of chemicals around your newborn, make it the crib mattress. We looked at the research and found that getting a non-toxic, crib mattress is definitely worth it.

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Life
label education

Introducing the Label Education Series

We wandered stores looking for labels and certifications and tell you what they really mean

Have you ever seen labels, certification, and statements on everything from your eggs and coffee to your mattress and clothing and wondered, what does that mean? Things that say organic might feel pretty common, but what about things saying they are grass fed, or GOTS certified What about packaging saying it's biobased? Should that be something you care about, or maybe not? It can all be overwhelming and a little confusing. Don't worry, we've got you covered.

We spent hours shopping at stores like Safeway, Target, Trader Joe's, Walmart, Whole Foods, and a Co-op store to look for what labels are out there. We looked around quite a bit. We turned boxes upside down, looked under cushions, and checked products you might not think to examine like carpet cleaner, canned tuna, baby products, and even toilet paper. Seriously, we've got you covered.

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label education

Label Education: Furniture

Laying out what certifications to look for

Home isn't home without comfortable furniture. When it's time to find something new, we usually focus on what feels and looks good, and of course the price. But did you know that furniture can contain, and leak, various chemicals like flame retardants that aren't so good for us into your home? The good news is that there are more and more healthy options! You can read our article on choosing a healthy new couch.

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Life
label education

Label Education: Textiles

What do all those labels on my clothing, sheets, and pillows mean?

You've heard about how it's better to choose organic food and to think twice when buying things like cleaning products so you don't add more chemicals to your home or your body. But what about clothing?

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