I need a new mattress but Dr. K has talked a lot about mold in mattresses and how toxic new conventional mattresses are (flame retardants, chemical sprays, etc.)
Does anyone have any (affordable) suggestions on where to get a safe twin mattress?
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
I just got a piece of foam at the fabric store. It's really comfortable. You can buy them at a variety of densities. Mine was about $150. There's a great old style fabric store in Paramus, NJ that sells a variety of foam products. You can order it over the internet, too.
They also sell cotton futons on-line that are made from organic materials but they can be expensive. The foam was fine for me. You can also add a mattress pad or memory foam on top if you aren't too sensitive to the outgassing.
I don't know what Dr. K said but I think it may be that the metal coils are not good in regards to EMFs, too.
Posted by AlternativePath (Member # 31929) on :
Isn't foam full of chemicals though? I have detoxification issues (as most of us do) and MCS. I'm looking for things that will be less toxic than the mattress itself. Is the foam organic?
Thank you for the reminder about the metal coils! Eek, so much to consider in terms of a mattress.
Posted by James1979 (Member # 31926) on :
Warning about the foam: Polyurethane foam is one of the most toxic substances. They are heavily treated with PBDEs (flame retardants), which are very toxic. The foam inside the mattresses is probably the most toxic part of it, so it doesn't make sense to me to sleep on a sheet of foam.
If you are single, you could just train yourself to sleep on the floor. It's fun! Or you could get a ThermaRest air mattress. If you read the reviews of the Thermarests on Amazon, you'll see that people end up preferring those to their old mattresses.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
I have a latex mattress. It's 100% natural and organic. This is where I got mine. LOVE IT!!!
Also, Dr. Mercola wrote something recently and recommends wool.
Posted by hopingandpraying (Member # 9256) on :
Here are several suggestions (I am not affiliated with any of these companies or products, just looking for healthier alternatives):
Lifekind.com GoodnightNaturals.com/Bedding thenaturalsleepstore.com naturalbedding.com
Posted by sk8ter (Member # 8671) on :
Lifekind is the most MCS bed made today. First thefactory is here in Calif nd all employees have to wear surgical suits and no perfumes or scents are allowed in the factory. Second, the natural rubber foam is made from Talala trees oganically grown. You can choose different softness...it has three layers of softness/hardness and then those 3 layers are stacked in a zippered organic cotton cover that can be opened and then the layers can be switched if need be. The owner's sonhad MCS so he created this company. I love my bed and was worth it. You can call them to ask where you can go and try the different thickness in the store. They also have sister company on the web made in the same faactory.
Posted by MichaelTampa (Member # 24868) on :
An idea I've had for a while, just haven't got to it yet, is to buy spanish moss and make a mattress out of it, using organic cotton mattress cover as the thing to put it in.
Posted by mojo (Member # 9309) on :
I'd say no to the foam.
I bought a "hypo allergenic" mattress years ago and it was ony guaranteed if you bought their $100 mattress cover. Nothing gets past that mattress cover! It has a pillow top that can be laundered, too.
I use a hypo-allergenic washable non feather bed topper and I LOVE IT. It's washable, too.
Posted by AlternativePath (Member # 31929) on :
The foam seems dangerous to me too!
Thank you all for your input. It's very, very helpful.
Sk8ter, LifeKind sounds great. I hadn't considered it before because it made me nervous that you have to call in for a price quote. Do you know how much a twin might go for from them? I'm looking to buy a twin that's between $500-$1000. I have a feeling LifeKind might be far more expensive, but I'll call today and inquire.
Does anyone know anything about these brands? I'm particularly concerned about off-gassing because I don't have anywhere to offgas the mattress when I get it. It will go directly to my bedroom.
This is really hard!
Posted by James1979 (Member # 31926) on :
Michael - don't you think the spanish moss might eventually flatten out and lose all of it's resiliency? That's what I would be afraid of.
Posted by searching4truth (Member # 28481) on :
A friend of mine works for a company called Holy Lamb Organics in Olympia, Wa. They have mattresses on their website, but also make and sell wool mattress covers. I have been wanting to get the mattress topper for a long time. I spent the night at her house once and she gave me her bed to sleep in. It was the best night sleep I have ever had! I have never lay my body on something so heavenly.
Searching4truth, that is awesome! I noticed that their wool mattresses are shipped from Northern California. I wonder if they are available to just be picked up wherever they are shipped from instead?
Posted by Tammy N. (Member # 26835) on :
I'm also looking for a new mattress. I've begun a little research also. Sad to know it's the second most toxic thing in our homes, next to carpeting.
I don't live very far from White Lotus. I'm planning to hopefully make a trip out to them soon. When I do, I will report back.
From what I understand, one of the best features to have is where the top layer is wool because it is naturally fire resistant, dust mites don't colonize in it, and it naturally wicks moisture away if you sweat while sleeping.
I've heard great things about natural rubber latex being very good. But it's important to first check if you are allergic. Years ago an allergist told me I was allergic, but I never knew it. I'm going to double check though, because I've never gotten a reaction when I've been touched by rubber gloves or rubber bands, so I want to be sure it wasn't some sort of false positive.
I think a good healthy mattes is super important for people like us.
Tammy
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
I never had any problems with the foam mattress. I had one with magnets in it for years & it was great. It weighed a ton. I guess it depends on how sensitive you are. The foam I had outgassed for about a day or so but I don't smell it anymore now.
Spanish moss may harbor insects & may get moldly or rot eventually. It used to grow on the tress where I lived down south. Pine needles may be a better choice... There are tons of them in the south. When you see the spanish moss growing - you really know you are in the south. I noticed it seems to grow near streams or rivers.
Posted by James1979 (Member # 31926) on :
You can't smell or detect the PBDEs in foams, and they continue to outgas for the entire life of the foam. They make up about 30% of the weight of the foam. In fact, the older the foam is, the more PBDEs it might be releasing into the environment.
Remember - the firmer the foam, the more PBDE it contains.
The one solution, if you're stuck using polyurethane foam, is to cover the foam or the mattress in a thick wrapping, like cotton with a 400 thread count.
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
Yes, interesting about the foam. I guess it didn't seem to bother me so I didn't look into it too much. They do sell various casings, etc.
I bought mine from an upolstery store so it may not have the flame retardants - at least. It's not a matterss per se as under the regulations.
I guess one could go with an organic cotton futton... It's so hard to get away from all the toxins. I'm starting to look into making a quasi faraday cage to sleep in now. There's always so much to deal with to escape the toxins.
When I was in the south - it was the mosquitoes... Mosquito net is pretty cheap compared to anti EMF silver netting. I think the EMFs are much worse here than in the south, though.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
** thread edited, heavily, to remove rude comments and reactions to them, if you disagree, be respectful and your comments won't be deleted **
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Spanish moss?? Yikes. Seems like it would grow mold eventually. Very familiar with it.
Posted by MichaelTampa (Member # 24868) on :
It's been a few months since I researched the spanish moss, planned to do it then, but got sidetracked with so many other things that came up. But, my memory was it was being processed in some way to kill the bugs and also avoid mold. I want to guess they were boiling it and then drying it, but I really don't remember. They said no chemicals.
Regarding whether it would flatten over time, perhaps it would. I wouldn't be surprised if that happened. Ideally the case would have a zipper or some way like that to add more, or change it out, if needed.
Definitely one of those ideas that would feel like an experiment. Spanish moss is something that was used commonly many many years ago, before our modern-day mattresses.