We spend many hours on a mattress, making it one of the biggest investments in your health. A good quality premium mattress should hold up for 10 years then start to sag. This may contribute to poor sleep and sore backs. Make sure you rotate your mattress every two months, flipping it over if possible to help even out the wear.

How can a mattress be an organic mattress? There do no appear to be any organizations like the USDA certifying mattresses to be organic, yet the term is used all over the marketplace. A factory could be third party certified as meeting organic rules.

Clearly many mainstream mattresses are made of synthetic materials like polyurethane, have chemical treatments applied to them, and have poses a chemical VOC off gassing problem.

A green mattress or organic mattress can utilize 100% USDA certified organic cotton, natural rubber latex core, 100% pure organic wool, FSC Certified wood foundation. This all comes at a price of course.  Many are twice as expensive as the typical mattress and are only sold at few outlets.  Some green mattresses are certified by GreenGuard, like the ones from Lifekind, Naturepedic, and Organic Mattresses.

These are criteria to look for in a new green mattress, organic mattress, or crib:

• No chemicals, formaldehyde, PBDE’s, toxic glue, petroleum products, no off gassing
• Natural latex rubber – Hypoallergenic, durable
• Organic cotton and wool quilting – Pass fire standard law of July 30, 2007
• Cotton Fiber free – Prevents dust mites, mold

Green Memory Foam Mattresses have similar qualities. We will spend 1/3 of our life on these things, so it pays to think carefully about this purchase.

Serta Organic Mattress – Serta Organic Mattresses

I heard a commercial on the radio touting Serta’s Organic Mattress and decided to look into it.

Serta is one of the big 3 mattress suppliers.  They have several Serta Organic Mattresses; Vera Wang by Serta Vera Bloom Euro Top mattress and a Serta Perfect Balance Organic Crib and Toddler Bed Mattress.

Again the term organic is unregulated when referencing mattresses, so any mattress can be called organic. Serta use organic cotton layers, which is a plus. The mattress’s Vinyl cover is made without Phthalates, which is also good.  The Vera Wang one does not mention much except using organic cotton layers.

The other mattresses we looked at before seem much more green.

Replace your pillows

A recent study found that by the time your pillow is two years old, a third of it’s weight is dead skin cells, dust mites, bug droppings, and other undesirable items. This may contribute to allergy or respiratory problems. Replace your pillows regularly and wash them if possible.

Be sure to recycle your old mattress. Ask how your retailer would recycle your mattress. Some take only certain components.  Battered womens shelters and Salvation Army take old mattresses.

Memory foam has made its way into green mattresses.  New mattresses are using combination of high density memory foam and other supportive body-conforming foams that return to their original shape after each night, so there are no lumps or bumps.

Look for products with mostly natural Memory Foam and zero or little in the way of synthetic materials. Natural latex, essential oils, and plant extracts are best. Some vendors add a green tea extract to control odor.  Avoid mattresses with adhesives that may off gas VOCs.

Sheet Covers should be made from 100% unbleached organic cotton.

Mattresses must comply with Federal fire safety standards (16CFR1633) and be free of PBDEs.

Keetsa makes the Keetsa Cloud mattress.

Essentia makes Mattresses.

Saw an Eco friendly mattress the other day.  Investigated the area a little and found some things I need to keep in mind, for future purchases. This also applies to cribs.

1) No chemicals, formaldehyde, PBDE’s, toxic glue, petroleum products, no off gassing

2) Natural latex rubber – Hypoallergenic, durable

3) Organic cotton and wool quilting – Pass fire standard law of July 30, 2007

4) Cotton Fiber free – Prevents dust mites, mold

We will spend 1/3 of our life on these things, so it pays to think carefully about this purchase.

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