Frankly, I never really thought about my mattress. I never considered a Natural Mattress. That is, until a friend of mine was looking for a mattress for her baby and I started looking into mattresses. Wow! Was it ever an eye opener.

Like most of you, I try to avoid chemicals as much as possible, from my food to my vitamins to the cleaners I use around the house. It isn’t that easy but I try to pay attention — for my health and that of my family and pets.

So I was pretty astounded when I started researching mattresses and discovered that conventional mattresses are a toxic nightmare, from pesticides to formaldehyde to boric acid, the list goes on. The worst is the PBDEs that are used as a fire retardant (although they have been banned in California and Europe due to the health risk).

The amount of chemical fire retardants has increased due to new regulations for open flame fire code, which went tinto effect on July 1, 2007.

As I said, it was an eye opener. Then I discovered the Natural Mattress. There are several types but what they have in common is the use of latex rubber, wool, and cotton. Wool and cotton are naturally fire retardant, so there is no need for chemical retardants.

Looking around, I found that some of the best Natural Mattresses are made by Pure Rest. They have several models, from the Apollo Organic Interspring Mattress to the Pure Rest Harmony 100% Natural Rubber Mattress. They are chemical free and organic.

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But if you are ready to dump a conventional mattress, and Sean Leow of PSFK Shanghai says that 40 million mattresses do get trashed yearly, here is an inovative way to discard of that mattress. In his article, “Discarded Dreams: Used Mattress Competition,” Sean writes about a competition:

While re-use and recycling may focus on many of the daily items we use and consume, there are bigger ticket items that may get forgotten. Every year 40 million mattresses get thrown in the trash and their construction is by nature hard to dispose, causing landfills to pile up with tons of useless materials.

Architecture for Humanity and Rubicon National Social Innovations are invite entrants to create innovative ways of converting used mattresses into useful products. The competition aims to encourage entrants to form groups capable of creating a consumer product, instructions detailing how to make the product, and a plan for production on a larger scale. Entrants must create designs that take into account the volume of mattress waste generated each year. Groups are encouraged to utilize local resources, including existing manufacturing facilities and other waste products.

This is so cool! Just as we use recycled plastics to make new products (like turning soda bottles into park benches), taking the resources found in mattresses and repuposing the materials into new consumer products is a great idea.

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I’d love to get a natural mattress, but I really can’t afford one. Is there a good alternative.

Yes, absolutely. Take a look at a natural latex mattress topper. You can keep you current mattress and place a mattress topper on top, attached with elastic straps.

What I would suggest is getting a topper that is made of two inches of natural latex (rubber that is not synthetic). You want one that is wrapped in pure wool and coveredwith a quilted organic cotton cover.

You will get most of the benefits of a natural mattress at a lower cost.

There are two reasons you want to make sure to get one with a wool layer. First, it’s very breathable, which means that you will stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter; but more important, it is naturally fire-retardant and normally meets the stardards required by law for a mattress (be sure to ask). Natural Mattresses and toppers without the wool often require a doctor’s prescription.

On top of having a mattress topper that meets fire retardant standards, it is chemical free, which is one of the main reasons I would suggest buying a natural mattress. On top of that, the latex is repellent to dust mites, mildew, and mold.

Whether you want a natural mattress for the health benefits – being hypo-allergetic, non-chemical, and good for your back – the natural mattress topper is a good alternative.

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Duration : 0:9:49

If you’ve ever wondered about how natural latex mattresses are made, check out this video. It’s a really fascinating look at how latex is harvested and processed, and they even show the manufacture of mattresses and pillows.

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Some mattress manufacturers use toxic chemicals to retard fire, such as PBDEs, boron or antimony. This creates a different kind of hazard.

Natural mattresses, if truly made from organic materials, should be compliant and meet the fire code standards. Make sure you ask. Mattresses made with wool and cotton should meet this standard.

From the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:

New Federal Mattress Standard Expected to Save Hundreds of Lives, Prevent Thousands of Injuries

Mattresses manufactured on or after July 1, 2007 must meet the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) flammability standard. The mandatory standard is designed to reduce the severity of mattress fires ignited by open flame sources such as candles, matches and lighters.

Find more information here: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/560.pdf

Some Natural Mattresses are only available with a prescription from your doctor, so make sure to find out the laws.

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But since our primary goal in having a mattress is to provide a good night’s sleep, a Natural Mattress is vital. A good Natural Mattress is constructed with latex rubber, cotton, and wool. When you first think about it, it sounds like a strange combination, especially the wool (it’s summer and the thought of wool isn’t too appealing). But hear me out.

Let’s start with the latex. Organic latex (not the synthetic kind) comes from a rubber tree. It is not filled with chemicals. For most people it’s hypoallergenic. This is important if you suffer from allergies. Latex is also resistant to dust mites mold, and mildew—sources of allergic reactions in addition to chemicals.

Latex also offers superb support, molding to the contour of your body, supporting weight distribution, and helping to relieve the pressure points and providing better circulation. Thus, you get a much more restful sleep.

Cotton and wool are naturally fire-retardant and do not need the chemicals found in conventional mattresses. This makes for a much safer sleeping environment. I’ll get into the chemicals that are used in another article, but it’s truly worrisome that we are exposing ourselves on a daily basis to such toxins.

Natural mattresses often include a layer of wool, often as a mattress pad, also called a topper. I know it sounds strange, but wool is very breathable. It transports moisture and naturally regulates your body’s temperature, both in the winter when it’s cold and even in the summer when it’s roasting

Cotton is also breathable and fire-retardant. You really want certified organic cotton, though, as it’s untreated with dyes, bleaches or chemicals that can irritate your skin.

If you have allergies, back problems, or just hate the idea of sleeping on a bed of chemicals, a Natural Mattress is a must have.

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