Sleep Healthy

Goodbye, my friend.

Guest Blogger: Michael Earnheart, Wickford, Rhode Island Showroom Manager

"Consider this a 'Welcome to the neighborhood' present,” Arlene said to me. She walked up with her hands clasped lightly around a tissue-paper wrapped present. She handed it to me and smiled and said “I knew you were admiring it and you said you love whales and I had an extra one at home, I couldn't resist!”

That mug sits on my desk at work, I drink coffee out of it every day. I used to drink coffee with Arlene every day, and I can't imagine drinking it alone. Arlene has passed away, but I remember her saying “transition”, so I will use that phrase instead.

The news hit me like a freight train, Arlene was one of the most welcoming and positive people I've ever met. She had the wisdom of a sage, with the humbleness of a country farmer. She loved making people smile and effecting positive change in people's lives. At her store on Main Street in Wickford, RI, where we were neighbors, she would hold empowerment classes for women and go to different venues as a motivational speaker and to tend to battered women and to those who felt hopeless. She believed in good energy and making sure she gave it off to everyone she met.

Arlene's Place, Arlene's store was just as unique and wonderful as she was. From her affirmation artwork, to her oil paintings and scented candles and her knitting...it was just everything she loved and she made us love it too. She believed strongly in the healing power of her affirmations and I bought an affirmation for my girlfriend, Jennifer, who was feeling a little down and it said: “We may not have it all together, but together we have it all”. Suffice it to say, Jennifer loved the affirmation. Arlene told me that each affirmation is written for someone, but it takes time to find the right owner.

The last day I saw Arlene, she left early and said she wasn't feeling well. I wished her well and gave her a hug. She asked me to water her flowers. I nodded and told her I would. She turned to me said “Goodnight, Michael. I'll see you for our morning coffee on Tuesday?” I nodded and smiled.

Goodbye Arlene, you will not be soon forgotten. I will water the flowers and I will see you for coffee, every time I lift my mug to my lips.

Small House, Big Impact: Living Responsibly

Guest Blogger: Michael Earnheart, Wickford, RI Showroom Manager

At The Clean Bedroom we always enjoy coming across stories about green innovation and ways to change our lives to live more responsibly, with less of an harmful impact on our world. Coming across someone like Jay Shafer is truly extraordinary.

Jay lives in an 89-square foot house. That's right, 8' x 12'! Jay build his house himself and named it Tumbleweed. He was inspired to downsize his life after he essentially got tired of "working for cash" and wanted to spend more time enjoying his life, not worrying about his bills! His home is less than one-tenth the size of the average American home and uses only about $100.00 in utilities a year.

As a child, Jay grew up in a home of 4,000 sq. ft., he said it was "more stuff and more burden than he wanted", and decided to reinvent himself and live simply. Not long after the construction of his new tiny house, did the a business develop. People became interested in his home and he decided to start designing and building "small places."

Trathen Heckman, who has worked in sustainability education for over a decade says that Jay "teaches us a lot about small living because he does it himself and he does it an graceful, elegant and inspiring way and really shifts people's perceptions on the quality of life that can be associated with living with less." 

Jay never thought himself to be an entrepreneur of anything, but it his new found passion to design small houses and says, "There is a lot of excess going on, a lot of extra waste and I'm happy to propose the opposite."                                                                                           

Finally, Jay tells us he could never go back to living big, "Living small has changed my life dramatically and I couldn't ask for anything better!"

For information about the Tumbleweed homes and other tiny and small designs by Jay Schafer, check out Tumbleweed Houses. 

 

Organic? Naturally!

Guest Blogger: Michael Earnheart, RI Showroom MGR.

Several weeks ago, a new friend visited me in Wickford, Jonathan Laplante. Jonathan works for our manufacturer up in Canada that develops our fantastic line of Naturally Organic Mattresses. He came down because, like Chris and Ted, he was just as excited about The Clean Bedroom's newest showroom!

Naturally Organic is TCB's private premium label and Jonathan came down not only to visit the newest store, but to also give me some interesting information about the creation process on the mattress he makes for us and how they greened development and manufacturing processes.

The mattress that we offer is European tufted, the bolt stitching going through the other side of the mattress, holding everything in place better to prevent the "dreaded dip" that forms over time. The mattresses extra-strong border also aid in preventing shifts in the mattress and create continuous, medium-firm support for the body. 

The organic cotton is hand-picked in Peru and not treated with any chemicals. A layer of wool is placed within the mattress to act as a dust-mite repellent and to pull moisture away from the body, while you sleep. Also, wool is a natural flame retardant, so their is no need for any industrial chemicals!

One of the biggest improvements over your standard mattress is in the way our mattress is supported. We use a kiln-dried spruce wood slat foundation, rather than a box spring. This a sturdier support and complement to our mattress. This wood is harvested in Quebec, Canada and done so in a sustainable way. No glues or chemicals are applied to the foundation, to keep away odors and eliminate off-gassing, much like the mattress itself.

At the end of the conversation, Jonathan made me as proud to offer this Naturally Organic mattress here at The Clean Bedroom as he was to offer it to us. It is as he told me, "A luxurious, high-end mattress that is environmentally responsible, will keep you healthy and will last for many years." 

I tend to agree with him, merely by laying on it myself and watching people close their eyes and relax.

The only question left is...do you agree with him? You can only answer that by trying it out yourself! 

A Need to Relax

Let's face it. We all need to relax, too often are we driving around in our cars, drinking our premium coffees and accelerating through life at a hurried pace. A very amusing analysis of the concept of time was told me by Ted Duquette, co-founder of The Clean Bedroom, he said “A nanosecond is the space of time between the light turning green and the person behind you to blow their horn.” Sure, it makes you laugh, but it's very true.

We need to take time in our lives to close our laptops, switch off our Blackberries, unplug our iPods, and just completely relax. Easier said than done? Well, not really. In our showroom down in Wickford, RI we have a beautiful piece of furniture, our hand-crafted Narragansett Daybed. I mean, this thing is just stunning! We have a Naturally Organic: Organic Cotton and Natural Rubber Futon set on ours in the showroom. When people come in, they immediately are gravitated to it, sitting down and looking out to the sea, with a smile growing across their face. They close their eyes, lean back onto our big, 26” x 26” Amenity pillows and I can actually see them relaxing. It's wonderful and I certainly feel proud to be able to offer people a chance to let tensions melt away, even if they don't buy anything! Being able to provide that is really a wonderful thing and it makes my day great! So, take a look for yourself and come relax down in Wickford!

It's all in the DEETails

Guest blogger: Michael Earnheart, RI Showroom Mgr., 06/25/10

 

Longer, sunlit days, lemonade, children laughing and playing out of doors all add up to the brilliance of summer. However, if there is one thing we can collectively do without during this sun-soaked season is the mosquito bite.

 

I don't know about you, but I use enough insect repellent during the summer that I should be considered for some kind of tax write-off, this rivals my use of sunblock. Yet, I am fine with paying for it in order to prevent bites. Mosquitoes can carry a variety of nasty things with them, including West Nile Virus, malaria, and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEC).

 

As bad as this sounds, what is even more disconcerting is the active ingredient in most insect repellents. It is called DEET, a chemical compound developed by the United States Military following its experience with jungle warfare. It came on the market for civilian use in 1957, but was originally used as a pesticide on farms fields.1

 

While DEET remains the gold standard for insect repellent in the most wide-arch of circumstances, it is important to understand that it can cause reactions in high dosages with people that skin sensitivity. Rashes, swelling, blisters and tenderness are reported. It has also been reported, but not conclusively linked to seizures.2

 

“So, what are my alternatives?” you ask. There are a lot of insect repellent brands on the market, a heavy hitter competitively is the active ingredient Picaridin, it is structurally based on the chemicals in pepper. It has been available in the US since 2005. It appears to interfere with the ability of the mosquito to smell its prey, but is not as effective on non-scent reliant varieties of mosquitoes. Fortunately, the A. aegypti, one of the prominent disease-carrying mosquitoes is repelled by this solution. Picaridin is also significantly less irritating to the skin, so for those with skin sensitivity may find this a great alternative. Oil of lemon eucalyptus and soy oil perform on par with DEET products, lasting up to seven hours. As with any product, it is necessary to follow precautions and read the directions thoroughly before applying to children, especially infants.

 

As with most bad things, prevention is the best solution to a problem. Keep yourself well-covered while out of doors, check your mosquito forecast and remove still water from your property, as this is where mosquitoes breed!

 

All of us at The Clean Bedroom wish you all a scratch-free, sun-filled summer!

 

He Sells Sheet Sets by the Seashore

Guest Blogger: Michael Earnheart, RI Showroom Manager, 06/16/10

Despite the wash of gray that remained present for the majority of time the Rachel, the Kittery, ME Showroom Manager was down in Rhode Island, we made the sun shine indoors.

Rachel traveled down to Wickford, RI to train me! Rachel loves to laugh and I love to tell jokes. It was a perfectly copacetic relationship! In addition to a bright and cheery personality, Rachel brought with her an incredible amount of knowledge that was easily digestible to a novice purveyor of fine bedding.

We went over the mattresses we offer, my personal favorite being the Savvy Rest as firm as possible! The benefit of this mattress is the ability to have the three latex layers cut in half and as firm or as soft as desired. The assembly was pretty easy, when Chris and I put it together last week it reminded me of constructing a giant, three-layer pound cake. Now both people in the bed can be happy, sleeping just the way they want!

One of the most interesting things I have learned about is the European Dowel Foundation underneath our Green Sleep Vimala Natural Rubber Mattress. Incorporating two-independently operating sleep zones, the foundation offers appropriate support on areas of the body that need it most – to further this, the polymer anchors are adjustable, truly offering you a custom sleep experience, absolutely brilliant!

Coyuchi is a fun name to say and they offer some seriously stunning linens. Although recently redoing their colour pallet, I still found the Coyuchi Organic Cotton Percale Sheets in ivory to be really wonderful.

What sleep experience would be complete without a pillow? We have lots and lots of pillows; we have shredded latex pillows, millet pillows, solid latex pillows my favorite is our Suite Sleep All-Natural Kapok Pillow. While I am well aware that a pillow is a very, very personal choice, I like this particular pillow so much because it is adjustable! You can add or remove kapok to adjust the firmness and fullness based upon your sleeping preferences and so it pairs perfectly with those who want flexibility and I love flexibility. Also, a pretty neat fact: Kapok is the material inside of life belts! However, The Clean Bedroom does not recommend the use of this pillow as a flotation device!

This is just a small sampling of what I have learned through my reading and Rachel's dutiful instruction.

Now that I have had the chance to share with you what I like and what I know, why not come over to Wickford, RI and tell me what you like?

A Welcome Start

Guest blogger: Michael Earnheart, Showroom Manager

We went to war over the past weekend. We went to war with cardboard. Thankfully, our muscle, a deceptively roomy Audi Allroad Wagon and our friends at the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Center helped us come out on top. "I never want to see another piece of cardboard again," said Chris. We laughed. Ted, Chris and I spent the days working, but constantly smiling.

My name is Michael Earnheart and in an earlier blog post I was introduced to you as The Clean Bedroom’s new showroom manager in Wickford, RI. Being here this past week has allowed me to reflect on several things and discern some gratitudes.

I am very pleased with the shape Wickford, RI is taking. It is most satisfying to see something transform from an idea, into reality and I am confidant that this sentiment is shared universally. I am still learning a great deal about this industry and eager to take in as much as a I can. Ultimately, it is my commitment to learning about what we have to offer and why the alternative choice, should be the primary choice. I find myself grateful for the hospitality of the community, the overt friendliness of our neighbors and the "Normal Rockwell" charm of this village.

I have already been afforded the opportunity to meet two wonderful families, both whom happily purchased from us and were pleased with the level of knowledge, the opportunity to try the product and offerings of a vast array of options to suit their specific needs.

My commitment to the green movement stems from other aspects of my life. From how I do my laundry, to how I clean up, to the food I eat, I am expunging harmful chemicals and compounds from my life as much as possible and I am certainly not alone.

I am looking forward to breathing in the sea air each day and sharing my positivity with all that I meet.

Thank you everyone for such a kind welcome.

Rhode Island - New Showroom / New Manager

Guest blogger: Jennifer Thibodeau, Product Manager, 05/26/2010

The Clean Bedroom, despite this economy, has a loyal following and is growing. That's good.We're opening organic mattress showroom #2 next week in Rhode Island. Also good. We have to find a showroom manager that is as awesome as Rachel who runs our Kittery, ME showroom. Hold up. Not so good. Not so easy. Where to begin??

Well, we're a company that believes wholeheartedly that all things are as they are meant to be. Life plays itself out in a pre-determined way and when one door closes, another one opens. So, when Rhode Island native Michael Earnheart came knocking at the door recently, Chris and Ted, co-founders of the company, decided to open it and let the chips fall where they may. So far so good. Michael hasn't actually started working at the showroom (it officially opens next week on June 2nd) but has already impressed us all with his personality plus! As Chris tells it, "He's energized, gregarious, & knowledgeable."

We thought we'd introduce you to the newest member of The Clean Bedroom family by posing a few questions to Michael. He'd love to meet you in person so be sure to go visit him at 7 Main Street - Unit C in North Kingstown, RI (Wickford Village). He's sure to put you at ease and treat you to a wonderful experience. And let us know if he doesn't! We'll get after him...

Tell us about 3 great qualities you possess
My greatest qualities are being able to talk to anyone about anything - I'm extremely approachable and have a very relaxed personality. I'm an organized and time-conscious person, I'm good at managing a tight schedule and bring a calm sense of efficiency from the restaurant world with me. Finally, I'm a de-escalator, I was told so at a leadership retreat I went on! I have a great conflict resolution personality and can disarm even the most hostile of personalities rather quickly.

If If you had six months with no obligations or financial constraints, what would you do with the time? I would read, write and travel. I carry a moleskin notebook most of the time, I would really enjoy backpacking through western Europe, South Africa, India, and New Zealand. Just talking to people, writing down what I see and reading all I can - taking all the goodness in.

If you could have dinner with any one individual from history, who would it be and why? It's so hard to pick just one, there are so many impressive people who have shaped the modern world! At this particular time, I am most interested in having dinner with the Dalai Lama. He seems to be the happiest and most peaceful man on the planet. I really feel meeting him and talking to him would somehow inspire me to be a more richly charactered person. I (of course!) would have a series of questions about what his life experiences detailed...

Who do you admire most and why? There are many people I admire and none of them are famous, except to me. My 86-year-old grandmother, Anna, is a 4'9" dynamo. She embodies kindness and taught me all the things I needed to know to become the person I am today. She has been a ceaseless giver her entire life and has taught me to do similarly. Her smile, her wit and her constant reminders of what I should do for others, rather than myself are my motivations to learn and grow as much as I can each day. I could never repay her for all that she has done for me and still does.

Our fans really know their stuff

Guest blogger: Jennifer Thibodeau, Product Manager, 03/05/10

We're rapidly closing in on 2,000 fans (1,847 as of this writing) on our Facebook page and are really enjoying the kind of interaction we've been able to experience with them via such a unique platform. Not only are we communicating with them, but they're interacting with each other - even better!

And our fans really know their stuff. When recently asked to post sleep tips in order to be eligible for one of our frequent product giveaways, we got some incredible responses:

R. Erikson: "Sleep tip: Sleep in allergen-free, 100% cotton pajamas. I always wear allergen-free cotton pajamas for my skin allergies, but even my husband slept better when we ordered him a pair!"

S. Core: "Sleep tip: Keep your bedroom cold. I think 60-68 is the temp reccommended to help induce sleepiness."

M. Hollick: "Sleep Tips: great bed, and no worries. If you're worried about something right it in a journal so you won't be kept up all night thinking about it."

Do they know what they're talking about or what? As well, when asked to post reviews for our very first giveaway, they responded in droves:

P. Day: "After waaayyy to much research I purchased a Savvy Rest natural latex mattress in 2008. We chose the Serenity model with dunlop top: soft, middle: med, and bottom: firm. It is heaven." 

P. B. Lane: "oh!...Where to begin??...the fantastic customer service, competitive prices, top-notch luxurious products...they are all SUPERCALIFRAGALISTICEXPIALADOCIOUS!!!"

Our fans are eco-minded. Our fans are knowledgeable. Our fans are amazing. Read more about what they have to say and stay up-to-date with us on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thecleanbedroom. And to read more reviews, visit our reviews tab.  

Even better, join our Facebook community and save 10% on most purchases!

And coming soon - you'll be able to shop the items our fans love - directly from our Facebook page! Stay tuned...

Cool living: Houses from Shipping Containers

Who knew shipping containers could be home to anything more than cargo? An article in the Jan/Feb issue of E the environmental magazine reveals how beautiful recycled cargo containers can be:

GREEN LIVING: HOUSE & HOME
Shipped & Delivered, Houses from Shipping Containers Hit the U.S. By Jennifer Santisi

Ubiqutous shipping containers are nearly indestructible, and provide a frame that is mold-, fire- and termite-proof. Structure is more stable than wood and building costs are about 70% of a traditional home.

Looking for a beach house or vacation home with minimum footprint and environmental impact? The Aegean 890 sf home from Logical Homes, LLC is breathtaking and efficient.

Quik Build has a fun time lapse video showing part of the set up process.

Affordable, durable, sustainable, energy efficient shipping container homes are a unique way to live clean and green. Read the full article and let us know what you think.

Interested in subcribing to E-magazine? Click here