How to Make Your Bedroom More Eco-Friendly
In this article, we will be exploring quite a few tips and tricks to making the bedroom more eco-friendly. It is by no means exhaustive (you might need a nap afterward though) so please comment below with your inquiries and suggestions! Let’s jump right in.
The Bed That Makes the Room
Clean your mattress at least two times a year, and you can even pair this with any time you clean sheets or duvets/comforters. You only need to spray a light disinfectant on all surfaces and then use a wet rag (not damp, ring it out) and apply it to all sprayed surfaces. You need not apply pressure, only wipe all the surfaces. This is important to keep your mattress clean from allergens and stains. You need only replace your mattress every 6–8 years as well. If you move a lot, it’s best to get foam mattress pads instead of a mattress that would be too bulky to move. You can even create a queen/king-sized bed by buying a mattress attacher like this one. I currently do this and find it to work for my lifestyle since I move every year and just want a comfy bed without all the bells and whistles. I bought these mattress pads a year ago and they are still going strong.
For more info on how often you should replace your mattress. I don’t agree with their encouragement of tossing a mattress away if it doesn’t work for you. I would recommend picking the right mattress in the first place. This site also gives advice on how to pick the right mattress to fit your budget and body.
Clean pillows three times a year to align with when you clean your duvet/comforter. These will last longer, stay fresh/clean, stay fluffed, and save money/waste. Generally, you will need to buy new pillows every 1–2 years, but to reduce waste, only buy new pillows when they lose shape and are past the point of salvaging.
Blankets, comforters, and duvet covers need only be cleaned three times a year (or with the changing of seasons). Be sure to clean these depending on their material (cotton: Normal setting; all others: Permanent Press). Some sites will advise to clean comforters on Delicate, so if you know that your washing machine doesn’t use too much water for that setting, then feel free, otherwise, Normal/Permanent Press will get the job done and save water. Additionally, wash them in warm or cool water, and dry them with low heat and a few tennis/wool balls (for fluffing and static reduction).
Bed sheets should be cleaned weekly. This is due to them being in close contact with body oils, skin, and clothing that may carry dirt with it (e.g., PJs worn while sitting on a surface that can collect dirt — even if it appears clean). Bi-weekly is fine too, as long as you wash them when you start your clothing load. Be sure to clean these in the hottest water setting possible and on the highest dryer setting (warm or hot) to properly disinfect.
Energy-Saving Tips
The bedroom can be a place that you either spend a lot of your time in or spend very little time in. So how do you save energy in this room without compromising your comfort? I have a few suggestions. Some of these aren’t perfect as it depends on your situation but feel free to adjust accordingly.
*The following calculated costs are based on the national average of 12.8 cents per kwh (as of 2018).
Ceiling Fan vs Floor Fan vs Window Unit vs Programmable Thermostat
Winner? Ceiling Fan or Floor Fan
The following calculations are hypotheticals. For actual scenarios applicable to your home, use this site’s convenient calculator.
Ceiling Fan: Draws about 75 watts for 24 hours a day at a rate of $0.128/hr, this would amount to $85.41/yr and $0.234/day.
Floor Fan: Avg. is 70 watts, and for 24 hours a day at a rate of $.128, this would amount to $79.716/yr and $0.2184/day — making this the obvious choice or at least alternating between the floor and ceiling fans.
But what if your floor fan stops working or is inefficient at circulating air around the room? The ceiling fan is better in terms of airflow efficiency and less maintenance, but isn’t portable and can be expensive to maintain. With a floor fan, if it stops working, you can repair this yourself or have some help before tossing away. It is likely to save the fan and not have to buy a whole new one (which means new packaging and another fan that eventually gets tossed).
Window Unit: Avg. of 720 watts for 24 hours a day at a rate of $.128, this would amount to $819.936/yr and $2.25/day.
Central AC/Heat: About 3500 watts for 24 hours a day at a rate of $.128, this would amount to $10.92/day and $3,985.8/yr. This is an exaggeration as most AC units run on cycles, but each time, they’re drawing a ton of energy each time. If you don’t pay attention to your thermostat and leave it on for long periods of time or don’t know how to properly set it, it will also not only run out your AC unit quicker, but it will also leave you with a costly energy bill.
Forced Air: Avg. of 600 watts for 12 hours at a rate of $.128 would be $1.872/day and $683.28/yr.
Additional Heat Sources to Factor In:
Heating Pad: Avg. of 75 watts per side * both sides = 150 watts at $.128 cents per hour for 2 hours, you’re looking at $0.039/day and $14.235/yr.
Electric Blanket: Avg. of 300 watts at $.128 cents per hour for 12 hours, you’re looking at $0.936/day and $341.64/yr.
Space Heater: Avg. of 1500 Watts and at $.128 cents per hour for 24 hours comes out to $2.34/day and $854.1/yr.
Ceiling Light or Lamp?
This depends on the wattage of the light bulb.
An avg. of 13 watts for LED would be about $0.020/day and $7.40/yr.
An avg. of 53 watts for Halogen would be about $0.083/day at 12 hours and $30.18/yr.
CFL (fluorescent bulbs) with an average of 15 watts would be $0.023/day at 12 hrs and $8.54/yr.
The best ones to use are LED by far for energy saving (and cost savings) and they also typically last the longest. It doesn’t necessarily matter if you use a lamp or ceiling light, just use one or the other because the ceiling does still require electricity to power the bulb (and fan if included). The lamp is extra waste in the long run if you end up donating it or landfilling it, so do keep that in mind. For more information on how to recycle lightbulbs (if possible), see this article.
Additional Considerations:
TVs:
LCD: Avg. of 120 watts (this is the avg for a 42-inch) would be $0.1872/day and $68.328/yr, if left on for 12 hours daily.
Plasma: Avg. of 220 watts (42-inch) would be $0.3432/day and $125.268/yr, if left on for 12 hours daily.
LED: Avg. of 80 watts (42-inch) $0.1248/day and $45.552/yr.
LED and LCD being the clear winners here.
Power Strip for Computer/Monitor/Smart Home Device/Wifi: These only pull as much power as needed per device, but make sure you don’t exceed how much the power strip can support at any one time (be sure to check maximum wattage for the power strip). These can be helpful for instilling the habit of unplugging before bed especially when they have a switch like this one. However, it’s worth it to purchase an energy-saving one that will cut off power to devices in standby mode, but smart power strips can be costly so just be considerate with the power strip you have and switch it off nightly.
Some Final Recommendations:
- Instead of sending your mattress to the landfill, buy according to your lifestyle or repair your mattress when it starts to sag/deteriorate/lose quality. This article gives some helpful pointers on how to fix sagging mattresses.
- Don’t place a wastebasket in the bedroom unless your desk is there. It encourages cross-room waste and the habit of throwing things away without thinking about it. If you have a central trash (or two) points in your house, you’re more likely to separate landfill waste from recycling and composting AND produce less waste because of the inconvenience of more frequent trips. Additionally, it reduces the need for throwing away half-filled bags due to its contents.
- If you can use wall tacks/nails instead of wall stickies/putty, you will be saving more waste from ending up in the landfill. You can also consider placing wall decor on your bedroom furniture (e.g., dressers, cabinets, desks, shelving).
- Have plants in your room to encourage sleep, natural cooling, and air purification.
- Repurpose and reuse what you can. Just finished a candle? Use the candle holder for a plant or to make a new candle. Just finished a plug-in air freshener? Buy refill packs or consider a more permanent oil diffuser. Just finished an air freshener can? Recycle it (and then consider buying a plug-in air freshener or oil diffuser).
- Consider having a mini whiteboard or reminder app on your phone for when to unplug certain energy-draining devices. And you can even have a set calendar reminder for when to wash your blankets, duvets, comforters, and pillows.
- Only run AC/Heat and other bedroom warmers (e.g., electric blankets) when you’re in the room or just before you’re settling down in the room. Don’t run these all day/night.
- Consider your purchases based on energy cost, duration of enjoyment, and where the end of life will be (i.e., landfill, recycling plant, donation center, family/friend, houseless, etc.).
Saving money, energy, and Earth doesn’t need to be complicated. The smallest efforts can lead to more permanent change, depending on your intention. You can start by establishing new eco-friendly routines that fit with your schedule so you will learn what works for you along the way.
I would love to hear from you! Comment below with any tips you implemented to make your bedroom more eco-friendly.
You can also reach me at rerecyclechi@gmail.com.
Until next time…
