Natural Beds: How to Shop for a Greener Mattress

Natural Beds: How to Shop for a Greener Mattress

From organic wool and cotton, to latex, foam, horsehair, coco fiber and even seaweed, wading through all of the natural mattress choices in the marketplace nowadays is sufficient to bring on a rest. Streamline the process of shopping for a natural bed by reading up on all of the basics right here: exactly what all of those labels and evaluation systems mean, which materials would be best for your health (and the environment), and just how much it costs.

Discover a few of the best (and most unusual) green beds being made today, and decide which is the ideal bed for you.

Great to know:
There are 3 standard types of mattresses: innerspring (what most people are utilized to, with metal coils indoors), foam or latex, and stuffed (such as a futon). Among these types there’s a lot of variation, but knowing generally which kind you prefer can help narrow your choices.
Many synthetic fibers are highly flammable, which is why the U.S. requires chemical fire retardants be added to certain products. All-natural mattresses rely on naturally flame-resistant materials (such as wool), so they do not require any chemical additives. The harmful fire retardants, called PBDEs, are being phased out of production in several areas, but it might be worth checking to be sure the mattress you purchase does not contain PBDEs.
The only way to be really certain of what you’re buying is in case the merchandise has third-party certification from a company such as Oregon Tilth, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Greenguard, or similar.

HUISSTYLING

Coco Fiber and Seaweed

Coco-mat creates mattresses layered with an interesting array of organic materials such as coco fiber, organic rubber, seaweed, and Oeko-Tex certified organic wool and cotton. These mattresses are a variation on the “packed” type, without a innersprings. The company also makes furniture, (such as the bed and nightstand displayed here).

Product pick: Atlas mattress, $2,980 (queen size)

Mattresses

Organic Cotton and Wool

If you’re seeking a standard innerspring design, sans compounds, try out any of the OrganicPedic beds out of OMI. These innerspring mattresses are third-party certified organic by Oregon Tilth and the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).

Product pick: OMI Revive Mattress, $3,395 (queen)

Fawn&forest

Naturepedic Organic Cotton Quilted Deluxe Queen Mattress – $1,599

Certified Organic

Innerspring design Naturepedic mattresses are Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified natural and fulfill Greenguard standards for low VOC emissions. Naturepedic mattresses stand out to be widely accessible and less expensive than some of the other natural brands.

Product pick: Naturepedic Organic Cotton Deluxe, $1,599 (queen)

www.surroundewe.com

All-Wool

To get a more luxurious spin on the futon style bed, try one of the American made all-wool mattresses in Your Wool Bed Company. Wool is springy, breathable, naturally flame resistant and a good insulator. Additionally, wool beds may be re-stuffed after decades of use, so that they won’t wind up in the trash heap.

Product pick: Ranked Ewe Signature, $2,249 (queen)

Chicago Luxury Beds

Chicago Luxury Beds – Hastens

All-Natural

Hästens is a Swedish company that’s been making beds virtually the same manner for 150 years — by hand, with a blend of horsehair, cotton, silk and wool. These are not inexpensive by any standard, with their low-end beds beginning around $3,000, and top-of-the-line beds costing around $90,000. (Yes, you read that right!) Hastens beds are certified by the Swedish Swan Ecolabel.

Product pick: Hästens Marquis, $3,130 – $7,260

Fawn&forest

Naturepedic Organic Cotton Quilted Deluxe 252 Crib Mattress – $359

Organic Crib Mattresses

Parents may want to think about springing for a organic crib mattress, even if you’re sticking with a conventional mattress on your own bed — considering how long infants spend sleeping, then it appears worth it! Naturepedic mattresses are Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified natural, fulfill Greenguard standards for low VOC emissions, and are widely available (even in Target).

Product pick: Naturepedic Organic Cotton Crib Mattress, $359

Modern Beds – $1,799

Natural Latex

Organic latex comes in trees, and once it’s been processed and shaped into a mattress, has a similar feel to memory foam. Start looking for a natural latex mattress that includes no formaldehyde without a chemical fire retardants (they may comprise wool rather). Just be aware that some folks are allergic to latex if you’re not sure whether you have an allergy, then try a latex mattress at a store before making a purchase.

Product pick: Botanical Bliss Latex Mattress, $1,799 (queen)

www.ikea.com

Natural/Synthetic Latex Blend

As an alternative to an all-natural latex mattress, natural/synthetic blend mattresses are accessible, and they tend to cost less. This one from Ikea contains 85 percent organic and 15 percent synthetic latex, and wool because fire retardant.

Product pick: Ikea Sultan Edsele Natural Latex Mattress, $979 (queen)

Blu Dot

Tea Leaf Classic – $1,274.70

Low-VOC Foam

Foam mattresses (such as memory foam) and artificial latex are made from nonrenewable petrochemicals — less than ideal, environmentally speaking. Keetsa mattresses are made with high-density foam, however they have a leg up on standard foam mattresses: They’re certified low-VOC and free of flame retardants, lead, mercury and formaldehyde from CertiPUR-US and certified OE 100 organic cotton from the Textile Exchange.

Product pick: Tea Leaf Classic, $1,019.76 (queen)

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