It has long been a mission of mine to tell readers of dangers in products that we don’t typically consider potentially harmful. Mattresses happen to be one of those products.
The reason?
Beginning July 1, 2007, Federal Fire Retardant Regulations mandated mattress manufacturers to INCREASE their levels of toxic fire retardants, but DO NOT require them to list the chemical ingredients in the contents of the mattresses!
And what do these fire retardants contain?… boric acid, melamine, antimony and formaldehyde… all chemicals linked to cancer. Antimony alone causes heart muscle damage and (as much as I dislike testing on animals) a single dermal application has been fatal to laboratory animals. Additional tests on Memory Foam mattresses even detected 61 chemical emissions and off-gassing from a single mattress. Think about how many hours you spend sleeping on your mattress… every… single… night. All the while, you are inhaling these toxic off-gassing chemicals. I find it both frightening AND infuriating, especially where our children are concerned.
The ONLY answer is an organic mattress. They’re made of pure organic wool, 100% organic cotton covers and 100% natural latex cores, providing even BETTER fire retardancy than the chemicals… naturally! The reality is that mattresses do NOT need to be sprayed with chemicals to make them fire retardant; they need to meet standards for BEING fire retardant… and that’s exactly what you get with organic mattresses. They are chemical-free AND fire retardant!
When we purchased a new mattress for our son, we chose an organic mattress from Natural Bed Co. They’re the real deal… helpful, reliable and honest (unlike some other mattress companies our friends have had to deal with!).
If you’re in Northeast Ohio, you can visit their showroom but, luckily for everyone, they’ll ship nationwide! They have literally everything you could need for restful, peaceful sleep, WITHOUT harsh and harmful chemicals sprayed all over your mattress.
I truly suggest you bookmark this post for when you’re in the market for a new mattress and/or bedding. But I believe in Natural Bed Co. so much, there is also a clickable link in my sidebar that has taken permanent residence. Click and take a look… they have exactly what you need.
And by the way, you might be asking yourself if they’re affordable… well, I assure you, they are. And afterall, considering all of the hours you and your family spend sleeping on your mattresses, can you really afford anything except the safest (and healthiest) choice?
I really wish we could afford an organic mattress, but the reality for many people right now is that there is simply no choice. They have to live with what they have. At least our mattress was made before 2007 and it was off gassing for a year in someone’s house before it made it to ours – if that’s any consolation to me!
Most people cannot afford a non-toxic mattress. I believe there is a cover you can get for a crib mattress to trap the offgassing, but not sure if there are any for other mattress sizes. makes me sick to think of my kids sleeping on a toxic mattress, but there does not seem to be very many good options out there that are affordable. Any suggestions?
Anastasia – 🙂 I certainly understand, but there will come a day when they need to be replaced and my son sleeps on one of these beds and, believe me, it helps ME rest easier knowing he’s “safe” too!
amama – you would be surprised… these beds really are affordable. Sure, there are cheaper brands but those chemicals from traditional mattresses are so dangerous and completely toxic that it’s well worth the effort to save up for the safe organic, chemical-free option. I’m not trying to sell you the mattress and I get no kickbacks from the company, but I can honestly tell you that what you save from buying the other brands is not worth the effect of what you and your kids will inhale in the long run~! I agree… it’s absolutely frightening!
Thanks for this post! The I’ve heard that the harmful chemicals are even more scary for baby mattresses, since they’ve been linked to SIDS. See “Cot Death” by Jim Sprott (http://www.amazon.com/Cot-Death-Cover-up-Jim-Sprott/dp/0140261982). We’ve been looking for an affordable baby mattress for our little one, but so far everything I’ve found is above $300…. any suggestions?
Jennifer – I don’t know where you are located but Natural Beds Co. DOES have crib mattresses. They are a bit above $300 but that DOES include shipping! Contact them… see what they can do for you. And if you’re in Ohio, you may get it for less! I assure you, when you consider the chemicals that are on the other mattresses, this IS the way you want to go… it’s WELL worth it! I wouldn’t have considered anything other than this for the safety of my son either.