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16 Comments

  1. Hello — serious question ….
    I have found that latex is very troublesome for me along with foam and any kind of petrochemical stuff … the best sleep I currently can get is either (1) lying on a very old (40 */- years), very firm commercial (Henry Miller?) sofa that has no latex or flame retardant material in it or (2) lying on a pile of homemade quilts which are on the floor.
    These days I am finding that ANY kind of purchased mattress causes me ultimately to thrash around and/or to feel itchy all over.
    30+ years ago Paul Harvey advertised Air Select mattresses which were basically just a large air bladder with a cotton covering. That worked for many years, and it was also wonderful because the covering was washable.
    Please could you give me some advise for finding a mattress that is (1) latex free, (2) foam free, and (3) free of any petrochemicals. I am getting older, and getting up and down from the floor is getting more difficult.
    Thank you for your help.

  2. Organic Cotton Dual-Sided Crib Mattress | 2-Stage Premium Memory Foam CertiPUR-US Hypoallergenic Baby Mattress, Firm Support for Infant, Cooling Gel for Toddler, Waterproof Thoughts on this mattress

  3. very informative as always!
    have you heard of eco-INSTITUT Certification (German)? I read that it certifies against VOC’s … wonder how reliable it is. Found some articles that say it’s very well respected.

    1. Hi, Natalia: The eco-INSTITUT program is not the highest standard. Please ask the company that carries Eco-INSTITUT mattresses you are considering, or just ask eco-INSTITUT for a copy of their standard, and see for yourself. There is nothing in the eco-INSTITUT standard that requires a material to be natural or organic. The eco-INSTITUT tests for a big list of chemicals, but the standard is not that difficult to achieve, and it has nothing to do with anything being natural or organic. ~Irina

  4. Hi Irina, thank you for this post. Will definitely look into an organic mattress when our current one needs replacing, unfortunately we bought it this year, and I do not thing the hubs will fall for buying another one just yet. Will the use of a mattress protector help in the meantime? And do you have any suggestions for safer pillows? Are feather and down pillows a good option? Would love to hear your take on this matter.

    1. Hi, Martie:

      I found that I personally need feathers/down in my pillow for it to give me enough support. Make sure that feathers/down comes from Canada or Europe – not from China though. Other safe materials for pillows are organic kapok, organic wool, and organic cotton. There are some pillows made with buckwheat – have not tried those yet. Have you checked with SOL if you can ship to you? They recently started making down pillows. Their down comes from Canada and is certified. Let me know what you think. ~Irina

  5. Hello
    Have you heard of ZenHaven bedding? We are considering buying a natural latex mattress from them. Also wondering if these mattresses hold up well.?
    Margaret

    1. Hi, Margaret! No, I have not heard of them. Normally, when natural latex is not certified by GOLS, it is hard to be sure that it is truly 100% natural without synthetic latex. Why did you decide to go for ZenHaven? ~Irina