Headboard mama drama

I want something like this!

I want a new bed frame and I love upholstered headboards. Several years back the hubs and I did this redo of our headboard when we needed a bedroom lift and it worked nicely!

But the colors (and location) of our bedroom have changed and I want a new headboard with a new frame.

The process to find one that isn't filled with harmful, carcinogenic petroleum products like polyurethane and brominated flame retardants is damn near impossible!

 We are a synthetic-happy country and companies like William-Sonoma try to get the word "green" into descriptions of their products but when you call to find out more, customer service is at a loss.

Here is how the convo went:

ME: Hi, I'm calling for more information about your Hampton Headboard. The description on the website says that its part of your Green Collection but there are no details in the description of the product. It doesn't state that the fabric used or the components are organic or all natural. I am really wondering what is the stuffing made of in the upholstered headboard? What kind of foam is it?

(FROM THE WS website: This item is part of our Green Collection. Our Green Collection creates truly great design with an eco-friendly point of view. These Green products are distinguished by any one of the following characteristics: Organic, Re-cycled, Re-claimed, Sustainable.)

WS: Please hold
ME: on hold for several minutes
WS: I don't have any information that tells me what that is (i.e. the foam/filling)
ME: This says its part of  the WS Green Collection. Where is that collection because when I search your site, nothing comes up. I also Googled it and didn't find a collection either.
WS: It's really not a collection. It's part of the manufacturing process but not a collection.
ME: Ok,  but you call it a collection and it's capitalized. You should probably change the description if there is no real Green Collection. So there isn't anything that is organic or sustainable or re-claimed in it?
WS: Well....I don't know

Job well done William-Sonoma customer service! You are rockin' it!

UPDATE: I received an email from WS and the stuffing in the headboard is made of polyester. So not really "green" or all-natural or whatever they want to call it.

The other day I also called Pottery Barn to inquire about the foam filling in another headboard and the young woman on the phone told me there was no filling in the upholstered/tufted headboard. I told her, no sweetie, look at the picture, it's there.
"Oh ok. Well I can ask someone in the furniture department and can email you the answer within 7 business days," she said.
I told her to never mind because if they are not putting it out there, then it's probably not something I want touching my head every night.

Crate and Barrel comes close with a soy-based foam but the description is not totally clear since some of them descriptions also say, 'other' materials.

So the search continues...we may end up making another one ourselves. When we made our first headboard we weren't thinking about what kind of foam we put in there so I will have to find another, better material!

If you want more info on nasty chemicals and your furniture, check out this piece from the Environmental Working Group.

Hormone disruptors....air fresheners and fake fragrances

If you like the smell of vanilla wafting through your house...you might want to consider what that lovely fragrance is made of. 

Not to throw a wet towel on anyone's burning scents but you might want to think twice about what is in your favorite candle or air freshener since synthetic-fragrance ingredients,  researchers say, can interfere with reproductive hormones. And we all know that messing with your reproductive hormones is a BAD, BAD idea.


Hormone disruptors, otherwise known as endocrine disruptors, interfere with your hormone system and can cause a host of health issues from tumors to development disorders. And to be specific, the critical time between the transition from a fertilized egg into a fully formed infant, can also be adversely effected by these endocrine disruptors.


Here are some of the most well-known offenders:

Bisphenol A is commonly found in plastic bottles (including many baby bottles), plastic food containers, dental materials, and the linings of metal food and infant formula cans. Another exposure comes from receipt paper commonly used at grocery stores and restaurants, because today the paper is commonly coated with a BPA containing clay for printing purposes

Phthalates are found in some soft toys, flooring, medical equipment, cosmetics and air fresheners. They are of potential health concern because they are known to disrupt the endocrine system of animals, and some research has implicated them in the rise of birth defects of the male reproductive system.

If you are into making your own candles/scents..check out this article from Rodale on 4 all-natural air fresheners. Or try using soy-based or beeswax candles with natural fragrances...just remember to read the labels! If you cannot pronounce it, then move on!