What's inside an organic mattress?

An organic mattress provides all the comfort and luxury of an ordinary mattress, along with numerous other health and environmental benefits. Organic mattresses represent a refreshing and new way of looking at your health and well-being, as opposed to ordinary mattresses. You may not be aware of just how many potentially harmful chemicals are actually in an everyday mattress. Avoiding these hazards, achieving a relaxing night’s sleep and helping the environment can all be achieved with an organic mattress.

Whether you’re young, old, tall or short, a comfortable and relaxing bed will energise and rejuvenate you. We spend approximately a third of our entire lifetime asleep. The quality of that sleep and what we inhale during that sleep, play a big part in determining how much energy we have to enjoy the other two thirds.

An organic mattress can do a lot for you when it comes to your health. From the spinal support of natural latex, to the temperature regulating qualities of organic wool, organic mattresses have some extremely beneficial properties. All of the chemicals sprayed onto non organic cotton crops can be avoided, as can the synthetic chemicals used in the production of petroleum based memory foam.

A natural latex mattress can give you comfort, luxury and support, without the use of any potentially harmful chemicals. A common misconception with organic mattresses is that the organic production process somehow produces a less durable mattress with a shorter life. Wrong. Natural organic mattresses usually carry a manufacturer’s warranty of 15-25 years – which is often longer than the warranty you’ll get with a conventional mattress.

Natural latex is simply the frothed up rubber from a rubber tree, baked into a mattress. This baked latex is moulded into the shape of the mattress and special holes are expertly drilled to alter the feel of the mattress. The fact the mattress is made of one main part makes it a much more solid investment in comparison to a memory foam mattress which might have multiple layers glued together (with synthetic, industrial glue).

An organic mattress refers to a mattress which has been made using no artificial chemicals and has components which all carry organic certifications (where possible). Latex, for example, doesn’t yet have an official organic certification, but it is not the same synthetic latex you would find in a lot of non-organic mattresses; it is a pure form of latex. When shopping for an organic mattress, be sure to look out for the ‘Soil Association Organic’ and ‘Global Organic Textile Standard’ marks. If a mattress doesn’t carry these marks, or similar certifications, then it’s likely that some non-organic components have been used.

There are multiple types of organic mattress, to suit all preferences and requirements. As well as natural latex, traditional pocket sprung mattress are also available in an organic reincarnation. Obviously there is no organic certification for springs, but the wool stuffing and cotton covering are all organically certified. Making an organic mattress is a more expensive process, creating an extremely high standard for organic mattresses. With the standards being generally very high, you can rest assured that the quality of the pocket springs will match the comfort of the organic components.

An extremely popular material for organic mattresses is a fibre called coir. Coir is made from organically certified coconut fibre. The unique make-up of the fibre can create a firm and supportive mattress, which can breathe and stay cool naturally. Coir fibre is commonly coupled with natural latex to create a mattress with a different firmness on each side. This can be especially useful for younger children as their requirements may change as they grow. The fibre, like a good natural latex, is naturally hardwearing and is given a long warranty, so no need to worry about how long it will last. Another fantastic example of how a natural material can have the resilience, performance and shelf life of any artificial equivalent.

Both organic mattresses and organic bedding share the same benefit: no chemical pesticides or fertilisers have been used, so none of these potentially harmful chemicals can be breathed in. That's just a benefit of organic cotton. In comparison to some memory foam mattresses, in which literally hundreds of chemical ingredients are present, an organic mattress seems the obvious choice in terms of health.

In recent years, we have become more and more accustomed to the short life which our possessions enjoy. We are more than happy to purchase replacement products as the old one becomes damaged, unwanted or out of fashion. A mattress doesn't have to be the same. The general thinking with mattresses, is that they have a certain life and then need replacing. Why can't a mattress be a long term purchase, which you don't need to worry about replacing? Organic mattresses will generally cost slightly more than the non-organic alternative, simply because of the cost of components and sourcing those components. A benefit of such high quality components, often sourced within Europe, is that they can last for many years (with 15-25 year warranties, depending on the mattress. An organic mattress is both a good investment and a fantastic way to avoid the modern 'throw away' culture.

4 Living are proud to be one of few British retailers to offer organic mattresses, natural latex mattresses and organic pocket sprung mattresses. Their standards are extremely high and every one of their mattresses has organic, natural components with all of the relevant certifications. Their commitment to organic mattresses and bedding is based upon their belief in a healthy and relaxing lifestyle. Their Sussex showroom has many different organic mattresses for you to try out, and their team of mattress experts will be more than happy to answer any queries you may have.