Bedroom Essentials Buying Guide – The New Knew

✅GOTS Certified,  ✅GOLS Certified, ✅GreenGuard Gold Certified, ✅eco-INSTITUT Certified,  ❌STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, ✅USA Made,  ✅B Corp, ✅Vegan

As a side sleeper with neck problems, I need a low loft, supportive pillow. (And you can put that on my tombstone!) Memory foam is ideal for me support-wise, but composition-wise, I’m not a fan of exposing myself to formaldehyde and flame retardants for 8-10 hours each night. 

After trying 12 better-for-you pillows, I found one that is not too high, not too bouncy, not too soft, made with good materials and basically just right. Meet Savvy Rest’s Soap-Shaped Pillow. Savvy Rest describes this pillow as a “latex foam” pillow and it wedges perfectly right in between that gap between my shoulder and head when I lay on my side. It’s low (3.5 inches, the brand’s lowest profile latex pillow) and supportive (firm, firmer than their Talalay pillow) and this formed, organic dunlop latex pillow comes in organic cotton casing.

Some words I would not use to describe this pillow are fluffy, soft and cozy. It’s more of the supportive, lightweight and structured kind of pillow. But not only is it perfectly shaped for me, it’s also made in a GOTS certified factory, is GreenGuard Gold Certified and has materials that are third-party tested (and results shared).  

Most of the time, I bring this on trips with me because it’s not worth the risk of neck pain for the next two days, because I suffered through a generic hotel pillow. If this sounds familiar to you, this pillow is worth a try! 

Save: Use code FAVE20 for 20% off all Savvy Rest products.

✅Climate Neutral Certified, ✅Ocean Positive Verified, ❌Certified Organic, ❌Organic

Living with three dudes (my two sons and my husband), I would say the one product I HANDS DOWN can not live without is a room spray. (OMG you guys 🤢. They even had me at the hardware store last week buying a drain snake for the toilet. IYKYK.) Anyway, if my room smells like funk, I’m not going to get a good night’s sleep. I’ve tried a ton of better-for-you options and I really love this pillow mist for the bedroom. (I also use it for the bathrooms too.) 

It’s designed to create a calming atmosphere and help relax you at bedtime. It smells like lime, rosemary and maybe a little like sandalwood, but don’t get me wrong, this IS NOT one of those crunchy-granola-smelling products. In fact, it’s quite the opposite: elevated, calming, refined, fresh and grounding—without being overpowering. The directions say to spray it on your pillow, but I just spray it around the room.  

For me, this is kind of a way to sage the bedroom at the end of the day (but without actually lighting anything on fire). It’s calming and relaxing and helps set the tone for a restful night’s sleep.

Save: Use NEWKNEW for 10% off at OSEA Malibu

✅GOTS Certified, ✅100% Fair Trade Certified, ✅Organic

Also required is a cozy pair of jammies. Now, it’s not hard to find jammies that meet the “cozy” mark but what makes this set a cut above the rest is their transitional-ness. Meaning I can roll out of bed, run some errands and then roll right back in and no one knows the difference. Maybe this is not important to everyone but since I have to be up at 6:30 am each morning to get my kids to school on time, it’s like, #1 on my list.

Also love that these are made with 100% GOTS Certified Organic Peruvian Pima Cotton jersey, easy to wash and super comfy.

Save: Code TNK20 will save you 20% at Leena & Lu

My Green Mattress: ✅STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, ✅Organic,  ✅GOTS Certified,  ✅GOLS Certified

INTELLIbed: ❌STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, ❌Organic, ❌ GOTS Certified, ❌GOLS Certified

Okay I’m not over here trying to say the most expensive mattress is a bedroom essential, but to be fully transparent, I’m going to share what I sleep on (luxe option) and what my kids sleep on (budget option). 

Jason and I have been sleeping on an INTELLIbed mattress since 2017 and I have to say, it’s a game changer. They use what they call a gel matrix system and somehow it’s both supportive and comfortable at the same time. I originally wanted to try this mattress because it’s designed specifically to support back and spinal alignment as well as pressure point relief—and we all know about my neck issues. I also like that because it doesn’t have a traditional coil system, it doesn’t end up sagging in the spots where you sleep or creating a grand canyon in the middle. In fact, they say this mattress can last up to 20 years—I’ll keep you posted, lol. 

My boys on the other hand have outgrown their bunk beds (twin mattresses) and now are both sleeping on full beds. And since my 11-year-old already has the same size shoe as me (men’s 9.5), something tells me these won’t be their last mattresses. With that in mind, my favorite budget mattress is My Green Mattress. It’s where comfort meets organic meets affordability and I recommend it to everyone I know. This mattress is also a standout because it’s one of the few that are made in a factory that is both GOLS and GOTS certified (see my tour of the factory and a full review here). 

✅STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, ✅Organic,  ✅GOTS Certified,  ✅GOLS Certified

I don’t need a topper with my INTELLIbed, but I do like a topper with the My Green Mattress beds and this one by My Green Mattress is fantastic. If you like that hug feel when you lay down in bed, this topper made of 2 inches of natural OKEO-TEX Certified Dunlop latex could be a game changer for you. More here.

✅100% organic cotton, ✅GOTS Certified, ✅Fair Trade Certified, ✅1% For the Planet, ✅Made Safe Certified, ❌STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®

I’ve been a huge fan of the quality of Coyuchi’s sheets since the first time I tried them. And I can say that with confidence because for some reason, brands love sending blogger sheets. When I first started blogging I must have tried at least 5 organic sheet sets that first year. They were all “fine,” but lacked in some way…either they were see-through or not big enough for a deep mattress or just not the right material blend for me. Then I bought a set of the Coyuchi organic sheets…and then I bought 5 more sets. I’ve even given them as gifts. 

I first tried their 300 Thread Count Organic Percale Sheets, which were great, but then I recently decided to live on the edge and try their Organic Crinkled Percale Sheets, which are even better. I love them so much that I bought two sets of white sheets just so I could have another set to put on in between washes. 

These are light, breathable, crisp, cool, soft, scratchy (like in a refreshing, non-silk type of way) and they hold that smell of the outside when you line dry them like they were made that way. 

Made from 100% organic cotton, GOTS certified, Fair Trade and MADE SAFE certified. Can’t say enough good things. If you like a percale blend sheet, this set is a must.