The linked site has organic products in a range of prices. Haven't ordered from them yet, so can't attest to anything.

Re: flame retardants-back when I was little they didn't add flame retardants. My concern when my son was a wee one was having him get too close to the stove or something. Never really a danger of that, but pjs can ignite amazingly fast. For couches, the concern, I believe, was the gases a burning couch could release-highly toxic, so even if you weren't in danger from the flames, the gases could kill you. Of course, only a concern when there is a fire and more of a concern when smoking was more prevalent than it is today, but still...Burns are not something to be taken lightly, nor is fire in a house. It is a balancing act, I think. I try to buy organic whenever I can. I also try to avoid products from China (who knows what chemicals have been used) and better yet, buy US made products when I can.

Here is a link that might be useful: organic mattresses+other stuff

Brooks Brothers and Garnet Hill both sell pajamas w/o flame retardant, and Garnet Hill sells organic sheets. Personally, I think it's hype, but YMMV.

Lots of things de-gas, even when made from actual wood.

I have to agree with ideefixe and say that IMHO I also see the hype in all this organic stuff, especially at the grocery store. Companies are feeding into peoples fears and know people will pay more if they believe its safer or better for the environment....but is it REALLY?
I have a friend who bought an all organic bed and she said it the MOST UNCOMFORTABLE bed she has ever slept on but wantS to help save the environment by buying this bed. I am not sure you are saving your back by sleeping on a bad bed, which should be your most important concern. good luck though in your quest.

Here is a link that might be useful: this is a review site for beds

I'm not sure how possible this is, but if you have access to Europe, specifically Ireland, online or otherwise, you may find more items without fire retardants, etc.

My mom's family lives in Ireland, and they always send gifts to my children, many of which are clothing items. Everything from there has a label saying it's not fire proof, so the chemicals that are in the vast majority of our clothing here is not in the clothing from Ireland (and I would imagine other EU countries follow suit, but don't know for sure). So if you can find things online, that may work. Sorry I don't have much more to offer. HTH

I don't think it's hype; unfortunately I think there are alot more chemicals in our homes and foods than what are good for us. The glue used in carpet is actually a carcinogen... but when we tried to find non-toxic carpeting it was next to impossible without breaking the bank.

Prairiemoon I haven't looked for organic sheets etc, but for other items, Method sells several eco-friendly cleaners of all types. And several paint companies now offer low-VOC paint lines, so you can repaint a room without breathing in a load of nasty chemicals.

Hi....sorry to take so long to respond. That kind of a week. [g]

barb, fire retardants, I know. When did everything start having that applied? I just can't for the life of me figure out how they require that on all clothing and even on furniture. To me it's like poisoning everyone just in case they 'might' be in a fire. Even if you are in a fire, is fire retardant going to save you? It just doesn't make sense to me at all.

Yes, finding organic is only half the problem. The cost and what you want being available is still an obstacle.

Hi cyn427 :-) thanks for that link. I'll check it out. I guess I feel that they have gotten off balance in the way they approach this issue. How many people go their whole life without ever being in a fire and to try to protect the entire population by adding something to every product would be fine if they were not adding something that was potentially harmful. I also have to wonder about any statistics that can actually show that adding fire retardants have reduced deaths and injuries from fire.

Yes, I am actively avoiding products from China too. Good idea.

ideefixe, Great to have at least two names of companies who sell something without it.

oopsie913, guess I'm not following your line of thought, in asking whether something that is free of pesticides is actually better than something that has pesticides. Pesticides are poisons that kill insects and are poisonous to humans as well in large enough amounts. And even if they don't kill you, what does a constant stream of these in small amounts do in a human body? Seems pretty simple to me, no poisons, vs. poisons, which is better?

I think you could be right, some of the organic beds are just thick rubber with organic cotton around it. I don't think we could sleep on something like that either. Back problems in our family need firm mattresses. I hope there will be more available at some point. Thanks for that link, I'll check it out.

mpmg46, I didn't realize that about products from Ireland, that's great! I'm going to have to look into that.

chicagoans, I'm with you, I don't believe it's hype either. So many clothes now have this 'no wrinkle' finish and I was reading the other day that it is made from formaldehyde. Formaldehyde has been linked to illness and the EPA has identified it as a carcinogen and yet it continues to be allowed in so many products that who knows how much of an exposure you have to it. Even in amounts as small as 0.1 ppm, it produces symptoms. That is a tiny tiny amount. I try to find clothes without that finish. It's hard to find men's pants without it now.

Yes, I'm glad they now offer the VOC paint. I love that!

Thanks for the conversation and information. :-)