Avoid environmental headaches by transforming your bedroom into a dreamy eco sanctuary, writes Alex Brooks.

Since we spend around half our lives in the bedroom, why not make it green? Not as in the colour - restful though it may be - but the pure, environmental kind of green. Sure, the bedroom is the last place where we want to be nagged to reduce, re-use or recycle, but this space can easily be transformed into an eco-friendly sanctuary, free of volatile organic chemicals and nasty air pollutants.

Kirsty Mate, head of the Interior Architecture program at the University of New South Wales, says a well-ventilated bedroom, kitted out with pure materials and finishes, is more easily addressed than other rooms in the home where furnishing materials, finishes and adhesives may create polluted indoor air.

"It makes sense that the bedroom could be the most pure room in the house," says Matt. "It's harder in places such as the bathroom, where heat and humidity can make materials such as a PVC shower curtain even more toxic."

The bed is the largest bedroom item worth eco-transforming, and it's the mattress that's the key. Most mattresses are full of water and stain repellents, which can emit toxic formaldehyde.

The Natural Bedding Company offers mattresses made of latex (or a blend of latex, wool and coconut fibre), which many people with chemical sensitivities seek out. As an added benefit, a latex mattress can last two or three times as long as an inner-sprung design.

Greenpeace has given Ikea's affordable mattresses a 'green' rating in its Chemical Home survey. The homewares company was one of the first manufacturers to phase out hard-hitting chemical nasties such as chlorinated paraffins and brominated flame retardants.

When it comes to sheets, cotton cannot be forgotten but do try bamboo. Sheets woven from bamboo fibres have a slightly silky feel and, while admittedly expensive, are also lustrous and absorbent.

Other pollutants may be hanging about in the wardrobe. Many fabrics have a heavy chemical footprint after being treated with chemicals or repeatedly dry-cleaned.

Burning a candle makes the room smell nice but won't improve the air; in fact, ordinary paraffin candles may give off neurotoxins and carcinogens. So, use an organic soy or beeswax type instead.