Create an ADHD-friendly Bedroom that is Toxin-free!

“Minimizing forces us to confront our stuff, and our stuff forces us to confront ourselves.”
– Joshua Becker

How to Create an ADHD-friendly bedroom

The first thing to do when creating an ADHD-friendly bedroom is to reduce the amount of stuff in the room by at least 50%.

Divide the remaining items into two categories items that stay in the bedroom and items that move to a toy library.

The items remaining in the bedroom need to find a permanent home. The storage should not be see-through and it’s best to give your brain a break and keep things behind closed drawers or doors.
- Find old shoe boxes to divide up big drawers or buy appropriate boxes.
- Label where everything goes.

Consider calming colors or a monochrome decorating scheme to help reduce ADHD symptoms.

I have an in-depth guide to create an ADHD-friendly bedroom in my book Help! My Room Exploded. I also discuss scientific studies and funny personal experiences that will help you find the perfect decorating scheme for your ADHD-friendly room!

Toxin-free

Do we ever ask ourselves what the consequences of chemicals in textiles are? Do we care if lead products damage children and factory workers irreversibly? Our patterns of consumption may have large-scale negative effects. We have the power to affect ourselves and others negatively.

We’d like to believe we live safely in impervious bubbles, but it simply isn’t so. I’m asking you to stop and think before you buy products for your child’s room. You want your child to thrive in their room and not be negatively affected by chemicals.

Mix Toxin-Free Paint.

Mixing egg tempera paint is natural and organic. It’s not hard to mix. Once you’ve read the instructions and done it a few times, it’s quick and easy.

Since lead paint¹can contribute to ADHD symptoms and two of my children have ADHD, I feel much better knowing my kids can lick the walls without ingesting toxins².

In South Africa³, studies found that half the homes they tested still had lead paint on the walls. Unexpected people were sold lead paint just a few years ago, and furthermore, lead products could still be on the shelves of South African home decorating stores!

The extent of the lead problem was discovered when a little girl ate paint chips, and her health deteriorated. If you live in countries where rules for products containing lead³ aren’t strictly enforced, do yourself a favor, buy all-natural powdered paint pigments, and make your own paint⁴.

Check your child’s room for lead if you own an older home. Many countries banned lead in paint during the last century, but to be sure your home is safe, it’s essential to check local laws. For example, homes in the USA built before 1978 may be decorated with lead paint, but homes built before the 1930s are at risk in Sweden. Paint chips from lead paint become toxic dust inside the house or contaminated soil outside. When in doubt, test for lead.

You’ll find an illustrated guide for mixing egg tempera on my blog theadhdminimalist.com. Type EGG PAINT into the search bar.

Toxins in Textiles

Conventional cotton is known as the ‘’Dirtiest Cop On Earth’’ cotton farmers collectively spend 2 billion dollars on pesticides and consume 16% of insecticides used worldwide each year⁵. It’s been estimated that these contaminants are responsible for over a million animal deaths⁵ every year. Yet we turn a blind eye to the repercussions of these toxins for humans.

Conventional cotton farmers in developing countries are often overworked, underpaid, in debt, exposed to chemicals, likely to commit suicide, unable to meet their employer’s demands, and have high rates of cancer⁶. The chain of damage doesn’t stop there. Those who work in textile industries have high cancer rates, poisonings, miscarriages, congenital disabilities, and asthma⁵.

If you’re not convinced to go organic yet, consider the consequences for the earth. Organic cotton produces 46% less CO2e than conventional cotton⁵; it uses considerably less water, and the soil and air aren’t polluted with insecticides and pesticides. Organic farmers rely mainly on rainwater for their sustainable crops⁷.

Non-organic textiles contain toxins, excess dyes, and chemicals that may cause skin irritation and itchy rash. There’s a direct correlation between specific skin allergies and chemicals used by nonorganic farmers⁵. Many suffering from these skin conditions reported dramatic improvement after switching to organic textiles and clothing.

Take action

To avoid toxins go organic.
Wash new nonorganic textiles and clothes at least twice before letting your child use them. Often toxins and chemicals disappear after several rounds in the wash, but if you have a private well as your water source, the toxins may find their way into your water. In that case, wash them with city water at a laundromat or a friend’s house.
Use second-hand textiles. Organic products are more expensive. If they cost more than your budget allows, keep an eye out for used textiles at garage sales; Second-hand textiles are already washed and most likely toxin-free. Used items are good for your wallet, good for your kids, and good for the environment.

Lead

On August 14, 2008, The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) was signed into Law⁸. This law established lead limits for children’s products and required lead testing before products could be sold. The CPSIA lowered lead limits over three years and banned phthalates in children’s toys and equipment.

In February 2009 (In the USA), children’s products were allowed 600 parts per million (ppm). In August 2011, the lead content of toys and children’s products was lowered to 100 ppm. Products like bicycles and other items that couldn’t meet these standards were allowed exceptions if they didn’t pose health risks. Bicycles are permitted 300 ppm⁸.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention⁸ stated in 2012, ‘’There is no safe level of lead.’’ Children are at risk for lead poisoning with blood levels higher than five micrograms. It’s a relief that toys and children’s products are now tested before sale.

Parents should get rid of or do a lead test on these types of toys bought before 2011.

Antique toys
Painted toys
Varnished toys
Soft plastic toys
Extremely cheap toys
Toy jewelry
Metal toys
Recalled toys. The United States Product Safety Commission lists recalled items on its website. There are many toys, and children’s products recalled for lead⁹.
Teething products.

Older toys, teething products, and any toy kids regularly chew on can be dangerous if they contain lead. Touching products containing small amounts of lead usually won’t harm your child, but when your child puts items in their mouth or swallows them, they are at risk for lead poisoning.

Are you worried your child may have been exposed to lead? Buy a testing kit. If you find lead in your home environment, ask your doctor to test⁴⁶ your child for lead.

Toys sold before 2008. Lead levels were often higher in imported goods before 2008, and these levels were not always checked thus, it was possible to sell imported items with very high lead counts.

Lead in paint/varnish on children’s products and toys was limited, although not always enforced, and that level was set high at 600 ppm. There were no other limits on lead in children’s products in the USA before CPSIA. To further compound the problem, if companies refused to play by the rules, there were no systems to spot the discrepancies.

Toys sold before 2011. The safest toys are those sold after 2011 when accepted lead levels were lowered to 100 ppm. The mandatory testing of children’s products is still in place (in the USA), so buying toys is safer now than ever before. Get rid of old toys or save antique toys in display cases. These toys don’t need to be handled daily.

Lead can aggravate ADHD. Research suggests that Lead can be a contributing factor to some ADHD cases. In a study that looked at 18 previously published studies on lead, they found that in 16 of 18 studies, blood lead levels had a significant association with ADHD¹⁰.

This study suggests screening children, starting with infants as young as nine months, for raised blood lead levels. The hope is, that catching children exposed to lead early would save them from lead poisoning and prevent further exposure.

The only way to prevent Lead poisoning in children is to ensure that Lead never enters their bodies. Once children have elevated blood lead levels, it’s too late to avoid the detrimental effects on the developing brain¹¹.

According to EPA¹ (The United States Environmental Protection Agency), Low Lead Levels in a child’s blood can cause the following:

Behavior and learning problems
Lower IQ and Hyperactivity
Slowed growth
Hearing Problems
Anemia

A child’s ingestion of Lead can cause the following¹ in rare cases:

Seizures
Coma
Death

Environmental toxins

I’m attempting to limit this list to toxins that directly affect the bedroom. Still, this only scratches the surface on the subject of keeping children safe from harmful substances.

Where I grew up, crop dusting is common. As a child, no one told me (perhaps no one knew) that running out and watching planes dust crops around our house wasn’t safe.

I’m not an expert on crop dusting, and I hope their substances are better these days. Still, those from my generation will tell you there’s a correlation between being outside near crop dusting and getting sick directly afterward¹². The long-term effects of pesticides are much more devastating than being occasionally sick from direct exposure. If you live near fields, keep your child’s windows shut during crop dusting!

I wish countries across the globe would see the necessity of safe childhoods and unite in cleaning up pollution, ending childhood slavery, rethinking insecticides and pesticides, and giving children schools safe from gun violence. Maybe we’ll get there someday.

References

1, EPA ‘’Learn About Lead’’ United States Environmental Protection Agency,

https://www.epa.gov/lead/learn-about-lead

2, Daneshparvar, M., Mostafavi, S. A., Zare Jeddi, M., Yunesian, M., Mesdaghinia, A., Mahvi, A.

H., & Akhondzadeh, S. (2016). ‘’The Role of Lead Exposure on Attention-Deficit/

Hyperactivity Disorder ‎in Children: A Systematic Review.’’ Iranian journal of psychiatry,

11(1), 1–14. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4888135/

3, Kessler, Rebecca. (2014) ‘’Lead-Based Decorative Paints: Where Are They Still Sold—and

Why?’’ US National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health, 122(4) 96–103, doi:

4, Lidsky, Theodore l. Schneider, Jay S. (2003) ‘’Lead neurotoxicity in children: basic

mechanisms and clinical correlates,’’ Oxford Academic BRAIN, 126(1) 5-19,

https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awg014

https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/126/1/5/299373

5, Swedish Linens, (2017) ‘’The Harsh Truth: Organic vs. Conventional Cotton’’

https://www.swedishlinens.com/blogs/news/organic-vs-conventional-cotton

6, Singh, Z., & Chadha, P. (2016). Textile industry and occupational cancer. Journal of

occupational medicine and toxicology (London, England), 11, 39.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12995-016-0128-3,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4986180

7, https://textileexchange.org/quick-guide-to-organic-cotton/?gclid=CjwKCAjwvuGJBhB1EiwACU

1AiX-ibWZQrkwfYgvyHsBbTwZP4jW1hNIFYfSHQm-3Qb_8Sd4q4QgPPBoC2KwQAvD_

BwE

8, Consumer Federation of America, ‘’CPSIA and Lead Fact Sheet’’

https://consumerfed.org/pdfs/CPSIA-and-Lead-Fact-Sheet-8-5-13.pdf

9, The United States Consumer Products Safety Commission, ‘’Recall List,’’

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls?combine=lead&=Apply&field_rc_date%5Bdate%5D=&field

rc_date_1%5Bdate%5D=

10, Daneshparvar, M., Mostafavi, S. A., Zare Jeddi, M., Yunesian, M., Mesdaghinia, A., Mahvi, A.