Written by Maia, President, and John, Home Health Director
UPDATED: March 2018
Finding a non-toxic mattress is super important but also super confusing to work through. If your head hurts just looking at the length of this page, please feel free to reach out to our Home Health Director, John, or his administrative assistant, Tracy, for individualized help. You can also call 717-869-6968 to speak with John.
And, here’s a video summarizing what’s in this new guide:
NOTE: After we shot this video we found one more company that makes a non-toxic mattress with top-level certifications. See below, under The Best Stuff tab.
Okay, so those are some shortcuts. For the rest of you, read on for what to look for in a non-toxic mattress, the confusing world of certifications, and of course, our lists of Best, Good, Okay, Bad, and Sneaky mattresses!
My Own Non-Toxic Mattress Choices
When I was pregnant for the first time, we decided to upgrade to a king-sized bed in anticipation of co-sleeping with our newborn.
Of course, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t agonize and research before making any purchase…and there was plenty to agonize over when it came to finding a non-toxic mattress!
At the time of writing this updated post, I have a 4-year-old and a 8-year-old, both of whom still spend a lot of time in our bed, and I’m so glad I feel comfortable with (and comfortable on!) the non-toxic mattresses we chose: a Savvy Rest for us in 2009, followed by White Lotus futons for the boys, and now we’ve just upgraded to a Soaring Heart Zoned for our bedroom.
Why did I swap out my Savvy Rest for a Soaring Heart? Well, thanks to my dad’s even more intensive research, the updated version of this Guide breaks mattresses into even more categories, and we really separate the Best Stuff from even the Very Good Stuff when it comes to finding a non-toxic mattress. (For the master bedroom of our nontoxic retreat space, we also chose a Soaring Heart Mattress.)
Our Top Pick for Mattresses
As you’ll see below, there are only three non-toxic mattress brands that qualify as the Best Stuff, thanks to their super legit certifications.We are both (Maia and John) now sleeping on Soaring Heart mattresses, which happen to also be the most comfortable, luxurious mattresses we’ve found.
Sick Beds: Why a Non-toxic Mattress Matters
I often tell my private consulting clients that their mattress is the very first thing they should upgrade when detoxing their homes. This is particularly true when it comes to a crib mattress.
The reason I feel so strongly about sleeping on a non-toxic mattress? Well, for one thing, babies and kids spend a lot of time sleeping, and even busy, night-owl grownups spend at least 25% of their lives in bed. Moreover, there is evidence that your immune system works hardest at night, so it seems reasonable to make your sleep environment as clean as possible. Unfortunately, mattresses are loaded with noxious chemicals, including:
- Various petrochemicals. Indeed, MOST of what makes up a conventional mattress are petroleum-based.
- Plastics or vinyls.
- Flame retardant chemicals (although there is good news on this front–more on that in a minute).
- Synthetic latex, which usually made from styrene, a human carcinogen.
This chemical cocktail releases VOCs (volatile organic compounds), which are linked to a host of health problems, from respiratory irritation to cancer.
A Myth About Off-Gassing
Many of my clients think that their mattresses are okay if they are old because they have “already off-gassed.” Unfortunately, this is not true in the case of foam mattresses. In fact, as the foam degrades, more PBDEs (hormone-disrupting flame retardants) may be released.
Crib mattresses are often covered in vinyl for waterproofing, which often contains phthalates. In 2009, Congress passed a law that forbids the use of three types of phthalates in products for young children, including mattresses. Of course, other plasticizers are likely used in place of phthalates, and they may be just as bad.
Fire “Safety”: The Most Dangerous Part of Your Mattress
Mattresses are required by the Consumer Product Safety Commission to meet flammability laws, which previously meant that they were almost always treated with bromated or chlorinated flame retardant chemicals, typically one of the first three on this list:
- Polybrominated diphenyl ethers. PBDEs are associated with hormone disruption, hyperactivity, and neurodevelopmental delays, including lowered IQ . The European Union has banned the use of PBDEs in electronic devices. Studies show that children in the United States have higher levels of PBDEs than adults do. Oh, and here’s the kicker: they don’t even work very well at stopping fires.
- Firemaster 550. This nasty chemical cocktail is made with bis(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate (TBPH). Yes, you saw that word in there: phthalate. TBPH is nearly idential to DEHP, the phthalate banned in children’s products (including mattresses!!) due to evidence of carcinogenicity and developmental toxicity.
- Chlorinated tris. This is the notorious chemical that was removed from children’s pajamas in the 1970s because it was shown to cause cancer.
- Halogen-free flame retardants. This newer class of chemicals (such as ammonium polyphosphate, aluminium diethyl phosphinate, and melamine polyphosphate) is believed to be much less likely to bioaccumulate than bromated flame retardants. I still prefer my mattresses to be free of even these.
Are Coils Bad Stuff?
There has been a lot of chatter on the net in recent years regarding metal coils in beds. We paid close attention to this and did some research and arrived at the conclusion that steel springs present no known danger.
The bottom line is that there is no reason for concern. It’s not that we think EMFs are benign, it’s that we can find no credible evidence showing that metal coils can act like an antenna and concentrate EMFs into our sleeping bodies.
Great Ingredients: What to Look for in a Non-Toxic Mattress
Now that you know what can make a mattress toxic, let me tell you about the materials and certifications that make up a non-toxic mattress. They include:
- Organic wool (untreated) is naturally flame and mildew/dust mite resistant.
- 100% natural latex (made from rubber trees) is safer than latex blends, which may contain petroleum-based polyurethane.
- Organic cotton (grown in untreated soil, without pesticides) can be used for batting or mattress wrapping. There is a robust debate about whether or not the herbicides and pesticides used on cotton crops will wash/bleach out as the cotton is processed. Most studies show that it does, but some folks believe that a residue remains. We believe that the risk of sleeping on a mattress or sheets made from conventionally grown cotton are tiny. Still, for the good of the planet, we should all choose organically grown cotton whenever possible. (Sadly, certified organic cotton is costly…about two times the cost of conventional.)
- Trusted certifications, from third-party certifying bodies, mean that some ingredients in the mattress have been vetted by organizations committed to improving air quality. This also means a safer sleeping surface for you. However, all certifications are not created equally! (See below.)
Non-Toxic Mattress Certifications
Sorting through mattress certifications is maddening. Here’s just some of why that is:
- First of all, not all certifications are created equal–some offer great assurance that your new mattress will be non-toxic, while otherwise are essentially meaningless.
- What’s more, just because a company shows a certification doesn’t mean all of the material in that mattress are certified, or even that all of THAT material is certified. One of our readers wrote to us about a mattress that contained Oeko-Tex 100 certified wool, but the company wouldn’t confirm that they solely purchases the wool from this source. Thus, in this case it would be impossible to know if the mattress you’re purchasing contains the certified wool or not (to say nothing of the other materials in this mattress).
- Sometimes, a mattress will claim to have a certification that they don’t really have. One of the of the most common deceptive practices is when a manufacturer claims to have GOLS certification for their latex mattress, and they even display the GOLS logo on their website. They might even show an actual copy of it on their website, complete with date and signatures. If, however, the certificate is not written to the same name as the manufacturer, it is not particularly meaningful. They are commonly written to a latex supplier out of Sri Lanka or India or South America. A certification written to an entity or person in Sri Lanka shows only that the latex was certified up to that point on its journey to becoming someone’s bed. Between Sri Lanka and your bedroom all sorts of things can (and do) happen to the latex to cause it to be more toxic than the certification implies. (Only three companies have the best certifications written directly to the company: Soaring Heart, LifeKind, and Naturepedic.)
Best Non-Toxic Mattress Certifications:
GOLS (for latex) and GOTS (for textiles).
To obtain a GOTS certification, at least 95% of the mattress must be made of certified organic materials, and certain chemistries are prohibited entirely, even for that other 5%. These include polyurethane foam and the fire retardants listed above.
A GOLS certification means that the mattress is made of at least 95% organic latex, and again, the other 5% of the materials are also restricted in important ways.
Good Mattress Certifications:
Oeko-Tex Standard 100. While this certification doesn’t require any organic materials to be used in a mattress, it does set limits for VOC emissions (such as formaldehyde). It also prohibits the use of dangerous flame retardants and dyes.
Okay Mattress Certifications:
Greenguard-certified mattresses have been tested (and are within limits) of certain VOCS, such as formaldehyde, and Greenguard Gold has stricter standards than plain old Greenguard.
Organic Content Standard 100 just means that some of the ingredients are organic, but doesn’t ban flame retardants or other harmful chemicals.
Sneaky Mattress Certifications:
NAOMI (National Association of Organic Mattress Industry) and CertiPUR. NAOMI was created by Pure Rest Organics (a mattress company!), and CertiPUR was developed “by members of the global foam industry,” although it does ban the use of some chemicals, such as PBDE flame retardants).
Bottom Line on Certifications:
Most certifications are of SOME value, but they can be used sneakily by mattress manufacturers. Manufacturers may claim to have a certification that they don’t actually have. So you really need to ask to see the actual signed certification, keeping in mind that if it’s out of date, it’s worthless. Only three companies have the best certifications written directly to the company: Soaring Heart, LifeKind/OMI, and Naturepedic.
The Best Stuff
Soaring Heart Non-Toxic Mattress
Soaring Heart Natural Bedding Company was quick to answer our questions about their mattresses. They are also incredibly transparent. Based out of Seattle and in operation for almost 30 years, Soaring Heart hand-crafts most of their mattresses on site.
Soaring Heart makes two kinds of non-toxic mattresses: organic innerspring and latex. The organic innerspring is made of 95% recycled steel and wool, with an organic cotton casing.
Soaring Heart’s latex mattresses are made of 100% organic latex. They have both GOLS and GOTS certification, written to Soaring Heart itself.
Soaring Heart mattresses contain no chemical fire retardants. They explained to me that “the latex passes the flame test by using a combination of a tightly woven, organic cotton fabric encasement and is then wrapped in organic felted wool.” Soaring Heart discloses the materials of all mattress components on its website, something that most companies do not do.
Bad Stuff About Soaring Heart
The only downside to Soaring Heart is that if you live on the East Coast there is only one way to lie on this mattress, which is to come stay in our non-toxic retreat space in Lancaster, PA. 🙂
How to Get a Soaring Heart Mattress
You can now buy Soaring Heart mattresses through our online store, and they ship free anywhere in the United States. Depending on the specific model you choose, as well as the size of your bed, these mattresses run from $1,500 to $3,650. Soaring Heart offers organic crib mattresses and dog beds, too, which are both also available in our store. I sleep on a Soaring Heart Zoned Mattress, my parents on a Soaring Heart organic latex shikibuton, and we both have toppers.
Naturepedic Non-Toxic Mattress
Naturepedic was founded by a grandfather named Barry when he could not find a non-toxic mattress for his grandson. Naturepedic mattresses are now used by over 150 hospitals in the United States.
Naturepedic mattresses are made of certified organic cotton and a steel innerspring. Naturepedic use no flame retardants of any kind. Naturepedic mattresses are less expensive than other natural mattresses, and Naturepedic has received many awards/certifications for their products.
Naturepedic is one of only three companies that has the best certifications (GOTS and GOLS) written to the company itself (see above under “The Best Non-Toxic Mattress Certifications” for more on this.)
The waterproof mattress options use food-grade polyethylene for their outer layer (it acts as a moisture and vapor barrier). I’m skeptical about the safety of all plastics, although this one seems about as good as it gets for those of you wanting a truly waterproof mattress.
How to Get a Naturepedic Mattress
Naturepedic mattresses are available on their website. Adult mattresses mostly run in the $3,000-range, an crib mattresses from $259 to $399. We offer Naturepedic crib mattresses and children’s mattresses in our online store.
LifeKind Non-Toxic Mattress
Also known as OMI or OrganicPedic, LifeKind makes fully certified organic mattresses. (We confirmed this after shooting the video at the beginning of this post, which is why we only mention two premier brands in that). We have yet to test out a LifeKind mattress for comfort, but if you have, please share your thoughts below.
(Don’t forget to scroll up to read about The Good Stuff, The Okay Stuff, The Bad Stuff, and The Sneaky Stuff!).
You can find LifeKind crib mattresses on Amazon.
The Good Stuff
The mattresses that we are calling “The Good Stuff” make all the claims of safety and non-toxic materials and processes, but don’t have all of the top-level certifications. Of course, this doesn’t mean they actually have questionable materials in them, but simply that we can’t be completely assured of their non-toxicity in the same way that we can for the stuff we have deemed The Best Stuff.
Bella Sera
This tiny company has some good certifications, namely GOLS, but unfortunately it’s not written directly to the company (but rather the foam manufacturer; you can see why this may be problematic by reading the Certifications section above). They use wool as a flame retardant, which makes them Good Stuff rather than Okay Stuff.
CozyPure
CozyPure’s mattresses skip all the flame retardants in favor of wool, which is significant. Unfortunately, though, their GOLS certification isn’t written directly to them, so I can’t call this brand the Best Stuff.
Lotus Travel Crib from Guava Family
The only reason I’m calling the Lotus Good Stuff instead of just Okay is because it’s the best of the travel/portable crib options, with no chemical flame retardants and a GreenGuard certification. It is, however, made of polyurethane foam and polyester, and would definitely not be my first choice for a regular crib mattress.
Metta Bed
Metta uses only wool to meet flammability standards, and is a solid choice for a non-toxic mattress. Metta does not have the certifications that would put them in the Best Stuff category.
My Green Mattress
This company doesn’t have GOLS certification for latex written in their name or GOTS certification for their wool, but they do have GOTS for their cotton. They do have GreenGuard certification, and they use wool as a flame retardant rather than any toxic chemicals. Overall, I consider this brand a safe option with negligible risks, and they can be purchased on My Green Mattress website.
Savvy Rest
Savvy Rest is the non-toxic mattress we bought when I was pregnant, and we slept on it for six comfortable years. The latex used by Savvy Rest is 100% natural, and other materials used include certified organic wool (which serves as flame retardant) and cotton. Note that the Dunlop latex is organic, while the Talalay is not.
Savvy Rest mattresses have various natural certifications, including Oeko-Tex. (It’s important to note that these certifications are for specific materials within the mattress, rather than the mattress itself; you can read more about this above.)
Savvy Baby is Savvy Rest’s line of crib mattresses, which are (obviously) free of flame retardants and made of organic latex, organic cotton, and organic wool.
The process of picking the right mattress can feel complicated when you’re choosing your Savvy Rest mattress, despite great customer service. Like most other mattress brands, Savvy uses some proprietary materials and processes in the manufacturing of their mattresses, and we know that chemicals are needed to convert latex into foam. Savvy Rest’s certifications are not written to the company itself (see above for more on certifications).
How to Get a Savvy Rest Mattress
Visit Savvy Rest’s website to see their wide array of mattresses and learn more about all the materials they use. Our king-sized mattress cost around $3,500, but prices depend on which model you choose in addition to the size you want. We now sell Savvy Baby mattresses in our online store.
$549.00Add to cart
White Lotus
White Lotus provides a comprehensive, transparent website (complete with an ingredients page), and they sent along a big box of samples of all of their sumptuous natural materials when I first reviewed them. (My kids had a blast making beds for their stuffed animals out of the goodies.) Not all White Lotus mattresses qualify as Good Stuff, though, so make a note of the issues below.
White Lotus uses some really cool ingredients in their products:
- Kapok to stuff their mattresses. The “harvesting of the kapok pods provides jobs to indigenous people and helps maintain this vanishing ecosystem,” according to the White Lotus website.
- Wholesale green cotton, which is totally unprocessed once harvested from the bolls–no bleaches, dyes, or fungicides.
- Wool, which is 100% virgin lamb’s wool.
- Organic cotton.
- Organic buckwheat hulls (for pillows).
- 100% natural latex (from the rubber tree).
Note that you will need a doctor’s note to to buy some White Lotus mattresses since they are free of flame retardants. (The wool mattresses are an exception as wool is a natural flame retardant.)
When I decided to get Felix a new twin-sized non-toxic mattress, I went with this White Lotus futon.
Bad Stuff About White Lotus
Avoid the Evergreen Foam used by White Lotus, which is a blend of “natural, oil-based foam” and conventional polyol, an alcohol used in the production of polyurethane. While off-gassing is heavily reduced and the environmental impact better than conventional foam, I don’t consider this truly natural, safe foam.
The cotton used in the White Lotus standard crib mattress is treated with borate powder (note that there are organic cotton options available without the borate powder, and you’ll need a doctor’s prescription for one of those).
We have gotten to know the folks at White Lotus quite well, and we really trust the owner, but White Lotus does not have those top level certifications we mention above.
How to Get a White Lotus Mattress
We now carry White Lotus mattresses and futons in our online store! If you don’t see the model or size that you want, contact us and we will get it for you. Prices range from $1,100 to $2,490. Crib mattresses run from $470 to $825. Please note that we do not carry any White Lotus products with any of the questionable ingredients listed above–if you see it in our store, you know it’s free of borate, toxic foam, and other synthetics.
(And here’s a video I made on the difference between a mattress and a futon.)
The Okay Stuff
The brands we call “Okay Stuff” may have CertiPUR or other dubious certifications, but due to new laws, they probably do not have flame retardant chemicals, so should be reasonably non-toxic.
Avocado
This new-comer fails to back up their claims with good certifications, but if you believe said claims, this mattress should be non-toxic!
Brooklyn Bedding
This company claims to have OekoTex certification but failed to present proof to us of this. They do have CertiPUR certification (meaning at least the very worst flame retardants won’t be present in these mattresses).
Coco-Mat
This brand uses all the right buzzwords to describe their mattresses (“non-toxic,” “sustainable,” etc.), but they are lacking somewhat in the certification department (although with digging we discovered they do carry the Oeko-Tex 100 certification). The big question mark for us is the “natural rubber” they use, which doesn’t have any certification, sadly. Still, that Oeko-Tex 100 certification means something, and they don’t use PBDE flame retardants.
Eco Terra
Eco Terra sounds good, but they appear to have zero certifications–not even CertiPur! The good news is they don’t use scary flame retardants, just hydrated silica, about which we have no significant concerns.
Essentia
We field a ton of questions about Essentia from people who love memory foam and want a safer option. Standard memory foam (made of petroleum derivatives) is decidedly toxic, and I’ve long suspected Essentia of being Sneaky stuff. After researching Essentia thoroughly for a recent client, I came away (still reluctantly!) recommending them as Okay Stuff, although I do still have a few reservations. They use a proprietary flame retardant in their foam, which involves Kevlar–a material that is not remotely natural, but which appears to be non-toxic, based on current research available. Kevlar is a type of plastic, however, and you probably know I don’t love plastic, period!
I spoke to the people at Essentia, and they sent me the independent testing results for their mattresses—I saw no red flags and everything checked out as non-toxic. They also have a number of certifications, some of which are more legit than others. There is always chance that sneaky manufacturers might hide things under the “trade secret” laws, but I didn’t learn anything from Essentia that suggests that they are doing so. I personally will continue to buy our mattresses from manufacturers who use wool as a flame retardant, but if you want a memory foam mattress, this is your best bet!
Hastens
These super expensive mattresses are very comfortable and contain no foam; they also carry the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification. The price puts them out of range for most people: starting at $10,000, Hastens mattresses go up to a whopping $99,000! Hastens does use steel springs in their mattresses, which some folks would prefer to avoid for the reasons listed above.
Natural Mat
This brand appears to be made of all the Good Stuff and none of the bad, but doesn’t come with any certifications proving this. They do use wool for flame protection, which is a plus.
PlushBeds
These guys DO have some good certifications, but they are written to a foam manufacturer in Sri Lanka, not to PlusBeds directly.
SleepOnLatex
This brand does not have GOLS certification, but does have Oeko-Tex, and doesn’t use the most dangerous flame retardants.
Vivetique
This company claims to have Oeko-Tex and the GOTS certifications, but have been unable to provide us with proof. Furthermore, one of our readers recently called us to relay a frustrating experience with Vivetique. Their website is somewhat maddening to navigate, too.
The Bad Stuff
It’s safe to assume that all conventional mattresses contain petrochemicals and that many are treated with toxic flame retardants of one kind or another.
IKEA mattresses are tempting because they are cheap. But they have no certifications of any kind, and had this to say about the use of fire retardant chemicals: In our adult mattresses, mattress pads and mattress sets a fiber fire barrier made of rayon/polyester batting is used that has an inherently fire-resistant property. Flame retardant chemicals (phosphorous-based inorganic salts) are only used for some stitch bond and zippers.
IKEA children’s mattresses sold in the U.S. have a fiber mix barrier as described above. The fiber batting is quilted into the mattress cover and is not treated with any flame retardant chemicals. (Note from Maia: So the crib mattresses at least are free of all fire retardants!).
Sealy is the same as Simmons, if you’re worried about toxins.
Simmons mattresses contain vinyl, undisclosed fire retardants (“trade secret”), polyurethane, polyethylene, and nanoparticles. This includes the mattresses they make for children.
Newton Wovenair. The polymer this mattress is made from appears to be fine, but the cover is made of polyester (this doesn’t post a real health risk, but is not environmentally friendly and a form of plastic). Newton uses phosphate flame retardants. This is better than bromated or chlorinated, but still should be avoided if possible.
Tempurpedic mattresses are wildly popular…and wildly toxic. “Memory foam” is made of inexpensive polyurethane, and you’ll notice that a brand new Tempurpedic is smellier than most other mattresses–this is because it’s off-gassing more. The fire retardant used on Tempurpedics is NOT PBDE, but they do not disclose what it is. The Environmental Protection Agency has also raised concerns about emissions formed during the production of polyurethane foam products, which include methylene chloride and other hazardous chemicals.
The Sneaky Stuff
Colgate‘s “eco” crib mattresses claims to be made of “the finest non-toxic materials in the marketplace.” In reality, Colgate mattresses contain vinyl and polyurethane.
Casper. These popular, inexpensive mattresses contain a top latex layer that is Oeko-Tex certified, but I’m not crazy about the memory foam component (which is not certified and contains polyurethane). The flame retardants seem pretty safe: “A fire retardant knit sock covers the foam before the outer cover is placed on the mattress. The knit sock is made from a proprietary yarn with a silica core and a polyester/acrylic/nylon/rayon outer wrap…The knit sock is made without any toxic chemicals and each component is OEKO-TEX® certified.” However, the latex in the lower layers is not 100% natural but rather a blend, and synthetic latex can be very toxic when made from carcinogenic styrene. Readers who have purchased a Casper mattress have complained of the smell and sore throats.
Eco Dream mattresses (sold at Target) are basically just memory foam mattresses that don’t even make claims of non-toxicity!
IntelliBED claims to be non-toxic, and is heavily promoted by natural parenting blogger Mommypotamus (for the record, I usually agree with her assessments and love her recipes). The only certification they have received is the dubious CertiPUR, and Mommypotamus says they use a “green fire blocker,” but the company hasn’t gotten back to me on what this is. They claim that they use a soy-based foam, but companies can make this claim when the mattress contains only a small percentage of soy foam (the rest being petroleum-derived polyurethane), and IntelliBED gives no specifics about their foam. Mommypotamus has this to say: “Based on my research, I believe the materials used by intelliBED are inert, aka non-toxic/non-offgassing. Though generally I prefer to use natural materials I feel there are some very unique benefits to intelliGEL regarding sleep quality, and for me that played a factor in my purchase decision.” I respect her decision, but my recommendation is to go with one of the mattresses recommended under the Good Stuff.
Keetsa mattresses (which are manufactured in China), are described by many retailers as “natural” or “green.” The company is, in fact, pretty transparent, and clearly states that “Keetsa’s mission is to deliver a comfortable, affordable and durable mattress in an eco-friendly manner. We are not producing organic or natural mattresses. By replacing some of the petroleum product with cedar oil and introducing green tea extract into the mixture, we have created a foam that is less toxic and has a less-offensive odor than traditional foam. We also utilize sustainable materials, such as bamboo, in our cover materials.”
Layla, like so many others, is a memory foam mattress with only a CertiPUR certification.
Moonlight Slumber set off an alarm for me right off with their bogus certification: “Green Safety Shield” is their own certification, and is not third (or even second!) party. They do have testing that shows no VOCs from their mattresses, but that’s only one issue of concern. I’m more worried about their “Visco foam,” whatever that is! They do have a CertiPUR certification program, but this is from a polyurethane industry group. Finally, their flame retardant is proprietary, although they claim it’s natural and free of chemicals.
Natura World mattresses may contain (depending on the model you select) boric acid and fiberglass flame retardants, petroleum-derived latex (as in, not the kind from rubber trees), and nanoparticle. The organic model may be safe, but I don’t have enough information at this point to know for sure.
NECTAR is exactly the same as Tuft & Needle in terms of certifications (just CertiPUR) and flame retardants (all we know for sure is that NECTAR doesn’t use PBDEs). Nothing about this mattress is particularly non-toxic, in other words.
Nest Bedding says that they are a “Organic, Natural, and Certified Bedding and Mattress Company” but ithey too rely on only CertiPUR certification.
Nook crib mattresses fail to show independent certification. I also don’t love that their mattresses contain plastic (PETE, which is among the safer types of plastic, but plastic nonetheless!). They claim to use wool as a flame retardant, but one of our readers had the foam tested in her Pebble Lite model and it tested positive for flame retardants!
Saatva and their sister company Loom & Leaf are memory foam mattresses with only CertiPUR certifications. They use only about 30% “plant-based foams.” The rest is petroleum-based.
The Sealy Naturalis mattress has an organic cotton layer; unfortunately, it is surrounded by a vinyl cover.
Swiss Dreams mattresses appear to have exactly zero certifications, making it impossible to back up any of their claims of non-toxicity.
Tuft & Needle mattresses are listed on a number of natural lifestyle sites as a great “non-toxic mattress.” But Tuft & Needle doesn’t make any claims to be such, other than the CertiPUR certification. This is just an inexpensive foam mattress, although it doesn’t contain the very worst flame retardant chemicals. One reader told us: “We got a Tuft & Needle at the beginning of this month and are sending it back. I am pregnant and have been experiencing terrible headaches since we got it. It had a very strong smell the first week, which has subsided but I can still smell it.”
YogaBed doesn’t even really make any claims of non-toxicity, but I’m calling it Sneaky Stuff. Anything with “yoga” in the name is trying to project a green image, don’t you think?
ZenHaven is just another mattress company jumping on the greenwashing bandwagon, and they have no certifications. This is not a non-toxic mattress.
Don’t Be Fooled By:
- Natural latex. Petroleum comes from the earth, so petroleum-based mattresses can be “natural.” A “natural latex mattress” may only contain only 50% natural latex and may be blended with polyurethane foam and treated with VOCs. Look for mattresses that specify that they are made from 100% natural latex.
- “All-natural wool” or “pure wool” or “eco-wool.” Unless wool is certified organic, it is likely processed conventionally, with a variety of chemicals. You may or may not be okay with this (I feel that the flame retardants are more concerning). In some cases, a wool producer may not bother with organic certification, despite organic practices.
- Biofoam. Soy or plant foam is still made of mostly polyurethane; biofoam mattresses typically contain less than 20% plant material.
- Certifications. Oftentimes, these certifications apply only to certain parts of the mattress, not necessarily the mattress as a whole. In some cases the mattress company creates its own certification. You can read more about this in the section on certifications, above.
- Most of all, remember that there is a lot of deceptive marketing in the mattress world and it is not illegal to throw around terms like “natural,” “green” and even “organic” without actually having to prove it.
Less Expensive Ways to Sleep Safely
Do you want to co-sleep with your baby but don’t want to buy a new mattress? Consider a futon as an alternative to an expensive non-toxic mattress. They are much more comfortable than they were in your childhood, and I love the ones by Soaring Heart in particular. (Conventional or Sneaky futons will be loaded with all the same scary chemicals as mattresses.)
Here’s where I explain the difference between a mattress and a futon:
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Jenn says
Hello! Thanks so much for this write-up, it has a lot of great information and things to think about while mattress shopping. I am trying to find a mattress for my two year old for his first big boy bed and having trouble deciding on one. I’ve called the big manufacturers to inquire about the safety of their mattresses. Both Simmons and Serta assured me that the foam used in all their mattresses now are CertiPur and that they do not use any chemicals for their fire retardant. Sealy said their foams are not CertiPur but that they do not use any chemicals in their mattresses such as formaldehyde, fire retardant chemicals. This makes me skeptical because why wouldn’t they just get a CertiPur certification if that’s the case? Do you have any thoughts on these big brands? I found some beds of theirs that I like and the prices are right but I am still hesitant. The Simmons Beginnings line sold at Land of Nod say their mattresses are low-voc, etc. when I called Simmons, they said all their mattresses are low-voc. I am also considering Casper mattresses but don’t know if they are as solidly built as a spring mattress. Thanks for any thoughts you have!
Sincerely, Jennifer
Maia James says
Hi Jennifer-
Sorry for the delayed response, but if you are still looking for a mattress for your son, I am happy to answer the questions you’ve asked above. I would push Simmons or Serta to send you the MSDSes for their mattresses and also ask them how they meet flammability laws. Also, low-VOC is better than nothing, but ideally you want a zero-VOC mattress.
Jordan says
Hey Maia – do you know anything about astrabeds? I just ordered one… They are usda certified organic, along with seceral other certs… Organic latex, wool and cotton… I cant find much info on them from other sites… Returnable within 90 days… Would love any insight, thanks!
John Goss says
Hi Jordan,
John here…
Although Astra claims to have GOLS certified latex, their certification documents show otherwise. Their GOLS certificate is issued to an entity in India, not to Astra. This may seem like a minor difference but it is not.
Their latex is certified only to the original supplier but from that point on any number of things can, (and do) happen that can cause their products to be other far less than organic.
This is the most common problematic we see in the “nontoxic” mattress industry and it raises red flags.
For about the same price you can get a great mattress with the most robust independent 3rd party certifications available…no sneaky stuff!
There is a lot of deceptive marketing in the industry and unfortunately it is legal. Yikes!
Feel free to contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
I’m happy to help.
Best…
Sara says
FYI, Savvy uses the same latex export company out of India and has the same GOLS certificate as Astra, as shown on their website.
Sonja says
How about a straw mattress?? We slept on them when we were kids. Changed them every two weeks. Organic!!??
Suzanne Weaver-Goss says
Ha, Sonia! That’s one solution:)
Shannon says
We just purchased Soaring Heart with the OMI latex wave topper for joint pain. Very comfortable and was recommended by Soaring Heart if you have extra joint discomfort.
Scott says
What about Sleeping organic? I was emailing them about there certifications because I did not see on the website. It looks like they are on the up and up. What do you think?
http://www.sleepingorganic.com/
Scott
Suzanne Weaver-Goss says
Hi Scott, Like so many manufacturers, Sleeping Organic falls a bit short on independent 3rd party certifications. They do not make our list of “Best Stuff”. You can contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
I’ll be happy to help you find a truly nontoxic mattress.
Jeff says
Keetsa mattress is one of the worst offenders out there. They claim eco friendly, lots of green logos and stock photos of smiling people but their beds are 100% petroleum, they use chemicals for the fire retardants and they are made in China. There are good companies out there like Dunlopillo, Nest Bedding, Brooklyn Bedding and others that make good latex beds and non toxic bed.
Maia James says
We agree, Jeff. Keetsa is definitely Sneaky Stuff.
Jeff says
You seem like you really are sincere in your presentation, so I will challenge you to dig deeper into Keetsa’s greenwashing NOT transparent hidden lies. If you read the law label, you will see it says 100% Petroleum Foam. The government doesn’t let them spin the truth there. Sprinkling in some extract of tea and cedar oil does not disguise the fact it is made from petro-chemicals. Also absent on their site is the ingredients of their fire barrier. Lots of talk about how safe it is, but they won’t tell you what is in it. Why? Because its a blend of chemicals. Not good ones, or they would simply list them. Lastly, the beds are manufactured in China. With so many affordable and not toxic beds here, why roll the dice with your health on these beds which are clearly greenwashed? Don’t take my word for it, ask them to pony up the truth, ask for the real ingredients.
Maia James says
Yes Jeff, as noted above, Keetsa is Sneaky Stuff.
Cass says
I noticed My Green Mattress did not make the list? The Pure Echo Organic mattress seems to be the cheapest non-toxic mattress I can find. Any thoughts on it?
Thanks.
Sam says
I noticed this, too. Has any further research into them been done?
Kayla says
I’m wondering the same thing. The wool they use is blended with polyester and bleached with hydrogen peroxide- that’s my best guess as to why. It’s not GOTS/equivalent.
John Goss says
Hi folks,
John here from Gimme the Good Stuff…
One of the reasons that My Green Mattress has such cheap products is that, from all I can discover, they actually show no true certifications…(none that have much meaning anyway).
Feel free to contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff and I’ll be happy to guide you away from the “Sneaky Stuff” and towards “The Good Stuff”
Let me know what sizes you are looking for.
Best,
Louise says
Hi, John –
I’m looking into these myself and not sure why you would say that. It seems that while their wool has no certifications, their Latex is Okeo Tex 100 certified and their Cotton is GOTS certified. For half the price of some of the mattresses that you guys endorse here, that seems like a really great option for families who can’t shell out $2,000+ for a new bed.
Virginia Coulter says
Yes, I am confused by this above comment on my green mattress. Under the FAQ section they show the certifications. I am trying to wade through all this info and want a latex with spring support mattress for an adult which can be quite pricey! Seems my green mattress has the right price point for me! Now have to convince my husband to throw caution to the wind and buy a mattress online instead of going to try it out.
John Caldwell says
The mattresses have inner coils as opposed to foam/latex. As I am concerned about the EMF implications of this construction, it is not ideal.
This probably accounts for the price point.
John
Lauren says
I’m most concerned about the adhesive in My Green Mattress. The under layer is also conventional cotton. Anyone have any further insight into this? I can’t afford more than $1,600 for a king. Need to make the best choice I can, but don’t feel confident that this company is safe.
Nikki says
Just wondering if anyone knows about the dream mattress https://kalonstudios.com/shop/dream-no-1-mattress/
Melissa says
Hi!
Thank you so much for this article! Do you know anything about the IntelliBed? I have seen a lot of what look like health conscious websites posting about how great it is, but the reviews all seem a little too good to be true. I would really appreciate any thoughts you have on it.
Thank you!
Jessica says
Check under “sneaky stuff” for IntelliBED.
Melissa says
Thank you for your help!
Jessica says
I’m looking into a buckwheat hull mattress. It looks like a great non-toxic, eco-freindly, less expensive option. You can build your own for around $1000. Have you heard of this and/or do you have any thoughts?
Maia James says
I have heard of it, and it sounds like a great natural option if you’re a DIYer:)
Mel says
Does anyone know anything about the SleepOnLatex mattresses? They say they are 100% natural latex, wool, and organic cotton. The company offers free shipping and returns, and the mattress is considerable cheaper than the other latex mattresses I have seen. Is this too good to be true?
Thanks for any help!
Maia James says
I haven’t heard of this company, but will definitely look into it!
Irene says
The name of the matters is Pure Green Natural Latex. The website is sleeponlatex.com. I too am looking into mattress specifically for my 9 year old. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Jolanda says
Did anyone get a chance to research this one yet? I am looking into putting this on my fiance and my registry for a new mattress for us 🙂
Bérénice L. says
Hi, Nice article, very helpful to navigate what is important and how to look for it!
Did you look into Sleep on Latex? They look legit (GOTS organic cotton, Oeko-Tex and ECO natural latex, GreenGuard Gold mattress), and they are the cheapest I could find for 100% natural latex mattress … I am curious to know what you think!
What about Sleeping Organic?
Thanks!
John Goss says
Hi Folks,
John here fro Gimme the Good Stuff…
Sleep on Latex falls into our “Sneaky Stuff” category for several reasons. They rely pretty heavily on the word “natural” which has no legal meaning. Almost anything on earth can be called “natural”.
This is a common tactic used to lure in folks who want a nontoxic bed. Unfortunately there is a tremendous amount of deceptive marketing in the mattress industry. 🙁
Please contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff and I’ll be glad to help. Let me know what size you are looking for.
Best
Irene says
Hi John. I’m confused. Their website says “natural 100% latex” which is what we are told to look for just above.
Karl Shevick says
John,
I just came across this article. While I appreciate you taking the time to put together this article and it contains some good information, I think the classification of our products as “Sneaky” is wildly inaccurate and misleading.
I’m not sure I understand the criticism of us using the term “natural” in reference to our latex, when in your article, you yourselves recommend purchasing a mattress made with “natural” latex. Also, our description of natural latex foam is no different than any of the companies that you are recommending.
I would absolutely agree with you that the word “natural” is thrown around way too much with little meaning. When it comes to latex, however, there are two distinct types of latex. Synthetic Latex is produced from petrochemicals. Natural Latex is harvested from rubber trees. We use only natural latex in our foam, we never use any blends of natural and synthetic latex. As with many of the other companies you recommend, we express that our mattresses are made with only natural latex.
I’m not sure I understand why you are considering this a “sneaky” practice at all. I’m even more perplexed by the fact that you consider it “sneaky” when we do it, but are recommending several other companies that do the exact same thing. As Irene has pointed out, this is confusing and really doesn’t make any sense.
Karl Shevick
Founder & CEO
Sleep On Latex
Bob says
So, were these questions from the CEO of Sleep On Latex ever addressed here? I agree that the term “sneaky” is very negative.
John Goss says
Hi Bob,
John here…
Thanks for the question.
We review many many mattress manufacturers. Some of them do not like the fact that their products do not achieve our internal standards for “The Best Stuff”. We have recently published an updated Safe Mattress Guide. https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/safe-product-guides/mattresses/
You’ll see that we have added more categories in order to address particular issues.
Mr Shevick appears to be the founder and CEO of Sleep On Latex and it is natural that he want’s to shield his brand from less-than-flattering reviews, but his insinuations that we fail to disclose that we are dealers for certain manufacturers are entirely unfounded. Even a brief look through our site renders his opinion as uninformed at best. His accusations of slander are equally silly.
We decided it is best to remain silent to his correspondence because it is so angry and beyond credibility.
We are not trying to harm anyone. We are simply doing research and arriving at conclusions. If a manufacturer changes their products or demonstrates that our assessment of their product is incorrect, we are happy to re-review and publish corrections as necessary. As far as we can tell, Sleep On Latex has neither changed their products nor demonstrated how our assessment is incorrect.
Thanks
Krista says
Are you familiar with 45th Street Bedding’s lattex mattresses? They use Botanicore lattex and use something called Ecoloft Whispershield for their fire retardant.
Thanks.
Maia James says
Hi Krista-
I’m not familiar with this company, but when we update the guide in the future, we will include it in the list. If you’d like an answer sooner, you can always purchase a Pick My Brain: https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/pick-my-brain
John Goss says
From what I can see, Botanicore supplies latex foam to many different manufacturers and carries no organic or nontoxic certifications at all.
Looks like sneaky stuff to me.
Vanessa says
I just bought the essential mattress but your post has me a bit nervous about my purchase. What are your specific hesitations about them? From what I understand, the “memory foam” isn’t memory foam but natural latex mixed with essential oils and water to make it feel like memory foam. They Listed all their ingredients on their website, which was only six ingredients, so that’s why I bought it l, because it seemed transparent. I’m still under my 60 day trial so I’d love to know why you don’t trust them. I don’t want to have a toxic bed. Our baby sleeps in it sometimes too. Thanks!
John Goss says
Hi Vanessa,
John here…
Essential has been controversial for a long time and is involved in a class action lawsuit over false advertising…
That’s enough to raise concerns.
What risk it when there are a few really solid manufacturers out there?
Feel free to contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org and I’ll be happy to help.
Best,
Ann says
Hi, thank you for your information. I am in total support of what you say, and hope that more can learn about clean living. I am in the market for a new bed for myself. Both of my little girls have Savvy Rest simplicity mattresses, and I love them. We are looking for a less expensive, but still very clean option. We found Cotton Cloud for futons, and they appear to be be quality products. Have you looked into them, or can you comment on their products? I would skip the borate and go only for the wool.
Thank you!
dominique says
Any thoughts about The Futon Shop?
Megan says
I’m looking at them right now too. Any thoughts?
Jen says
We bought a king and twin organic cotton futon mattress from Cotton Cloud and now I am curious about your thoughts, too… Thank you!
Sean says
I did some research The Futon Shop seems like they have great organic mattresses with all organic certified ingredients at a cheaper cost then most competitors. https://www.thefutonshop.com/mattresses/organic-mattresses/
Any thoughts?
kelly miniter says
Do you know anything about Loom and Leaf by Saatva?
Kim says
Yes, I would also like to know about Loom and Leaf by Saatva.
Vanessa says
I also came back to your page to see if you had an opinion about the Loom and Leaf by Saatva. I’ve been doing a lot of research because I’m in desperate need of a new mattress and want a healthy one. Can’t afford many of them. Must keep it under $2k and Loom and Leaf sounds like a good option (though not completely organic), only an organic cotton top. Have you looked into them at all?
Jennifer says
Also interested in loom and leaf
Anneka Werner-Gavrin says
Also interested.
Kim Phillips says
I have been doing hours of research. Loom and leaf and their other company stave both claim to be green. The foams they use are 30-40% plant based but the rest are petroleum based foams. I decided against them for this reason. Such a bummer. Tuft and needle also has a petroleum based foam.
Rebecca says
Casper mattresses are NOT the good stuff. The latex used is synthetic latex. I bought one and the offgassing was horrible. Slept on it 2 nights and woke up with a sore throat both times. Didn’t sleep on it the next night and no sore throat the next day. Got rid of that mattress and bought a natural latex mattress from EZ Sleep.
Maia James says
Thanks so much for sharing this (bad!) experience, Rebecca. I don’t know about EZ Sleep, but I will check them out!
Stacey says
We bought an Essentia mattress and were able to get it without the flame retardant layer. We ordered online and emailed a note from our doctor requesting not to use flame retardants on the mattress for health reasons. I’m not sure if its just the kevlar layer or if there are chemicals involved as well, but we just had it made without it entirely. I don’t think they include that layer at all for their Canadian stores.
Maia James says
Thanks so much for letting us know this is an option, Stacey!
lisa says
Do you have information about winkbeds?..
Maia James says
I’m sorry, Lisa, but no I haven’t heard of Winkbeds. If you’d like us to look into that immediately, feel free to purchase a Pick My Brain session: https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/pick-my-brain
AJ says
Does anybody have experience with Spindle latex mattresses? They are based in Boston and their all latex mattresses are cheaper than others I’ve seen. thanks.
mariah says
Thanks so much for this perspective and all this helpful information. After reading this and then clicking around a lot I was somehow led to PlushBeds.com Natural Bliss mattress. I was stoked because we’re concerned with animal rights (vegan) and had yet to find any mattress that was as pure and natural as this one seems to be, latex, AND “100% wool free & animal free”. I wish I remembered my clicking trail from this article to the mattress we ended up ordering and have high hopes about. At any rate, any thoughts on this mattress? And thanks again!
http://www.plushbeds.com/Natural-Bliss-Natural-Latex-Mattress-construction.html#tabcontainer
Maia James says
Hi Mariah-
I’m sorry, but I am not familiar with that brand. When we update this Guide in the future, we will include the many additional companies readers have asked about in our review. In the meanwhile, if you want an answer sooner, you are always welcome to submit a Pick My Brain: https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/pick-my-brain
Jolanda says
OOps sorry, ignore my inquiry above, I mean I was looking into this bed for my fiance and my wedding registry. Many third party certifications 🙂 AND affortable!
Any feedback from Mariah or Maia James? 🙂
Mallory says
I’m wondering about this company too. It seems like a really good option. I’m having a hard time finding a downside
Piper says
Thanks for all the great info Maia. Have you heard of Lifekind? They offer organic natural rubber Mattress that are Greenguard, GOTS and GOLS certified.
Would love to know if you trust them.
Thanks!
Maia James says
Hi Piper, and so sorry for the long delay (only now seeing your comment!). LifeKind looks promising, and it’s on our list for the next time we update the Safe Mattress Guide!
EG says
Today I went to Denver Mattress, which sells several generic brands but also makes their own line in the U.S.A which are certified by CertiPUR. Damn I fell in love with one of those models, and the price, but upon doing more research the certification is dubious.
HOWEVER, they have also just released a new line of 100% organic mattresses, and apparently even have yet to sell one from this store. More expensive and not quite as heavenly to the touch, but actually the least expensive organic mattress I’ve ever bumped into.
So my question is: If something is certified organic, does that cover the peripheral concerns about secret additives, plastics, blends, et al.? Or what are the necessary followup questions?
This arena is maddening and confusing; thanks for your research~
Maia James says
Hi…John here…
Thanks for the questions about mattresses, and YES, this arena can be maddening and very confusing. We have done, (and continue to do), quite a bit of research about mattresses and there is an extraordinary amount of green-washing in this industry.
Your decision to bypass the CertiPUR products is probably a good one.
As for the 100% Organic mattress… This seems strange because even the companies who are totally committed to non-toxic sleepgear, (it’s the ONLY thing they do), do not offer a 100% Organic mattress…but without being able to see the data and certifications I’m unable to form an opinion based on anything but my experience and research. Again…this industry is full of “Sneaky Stuff” and we have found the sales staff in a many stores are not nearly as educated on the subject as they might be.
I went to their website and found a mattress with pretty good certifications re: organic but the picture is incomplete. For instance, they do not mention what they use for fire retardants…which is one of our big concerns. Also, I saw that this mattress carries only a 15 year warranty.
Another concern is that emerging data indicates that sleeping on steel springs (box springs or mattress springs) may also compromise our health. It has to do with the concentration of Electro magnetic fields etc. Early studies are suggesting a link with, among other things, breast cancer. A lot more research needs to be done, but because steel springs are entirely unnecessary, why not eliminate them? You might want to look into it.
As you know, a good mattress is a significant investment and you should be confident that you are getting what you think you are getting.
You probably know that we sell several lines of great mattresses, and we’d love it if you made your purchase through us. But we don’t want you to think that we will only guide our readers to products we sell. Our mission is to help folks make healthy choices, whether we sell that product or not.
If you tell me what it is you are looking for, I can guide you to products on our site that match your needs.
Thanks for the great questions.
Best,
John
EG says
Thanks for the reply!
I just wanted to update my experience with Denver Mattress for the internet chronicles.
First, the phone representative I spoke with was ill-informed, but thankfully gave me the number for the regional manager. I was quite impressed to receive TWO phone calls from two different higher-ups in the company within 15 minutes.
I ended up emailing a list of questions and heard back, on a Friday evening, again with amazing speed. They explained they are still working on the product description, so some of this should be reflected on their own website in the near future.
This is from the vice president and general manager of manufacturing and design:
“I appreciate the customer that really wants to know what is inside the mattress vs. what may be claimed. Unfortunately, I see many beds in retail stores that say Organic Cotton and while it may be true that 10% is organic, the other is either synthetic fibers or other non-organic fibers incorporated into it. Our components are Certified by either GOTS or GOLS and our factory also is certified for each standard by Control Union, which is an internationally known inspection operation. The standards are very rigorous, so your in depth questions are very exciting to hear. There are less than 5 certified Organic mattress companies in the USA and I believe with the awareness generated by Organic foods, consumers are now looking for other categories that are truly what they say they are. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to email to assist you with getting a clearer understanding of Denver Mattress Organic lineup.”
In answer to my questions he wrote:
– What kind of latex is used? Is it 100% pure, botanically derived?
It is Organic Latex GOLS Certified. It is 100% Naturally grown from Certified Organic Rubber Trees.
– What percentage of the foam is made from latex sap, as opposed to soda ash?
No soda ash used.
– Is it processed via the dunlop or talalay method? Dunlop
– Are the layers of latex adhered to one another? (If so, with what?)
Water based latex glue certified GOTS
– How are the federal flame retardant standards met? Does the mattress include boric acid? Using GOTS Certified Organic Cotton ticking and GOTS Certified Organic Wool which passed CPSC 1633 burn tests. I personally observed the burn tests. No Boric Acid used.
– Is the mattress flippable?
Technically yes. The bottom side would be substantially firmer than the top side.
– What is the cover made of?
GOTS Certified Organic Cotton
– Is there anything between the cover and the latex?
GOTS Certified Wool with GOTS Certified Cotton quilt backing
– Where is the mattress produced?
The Denver Mattress HeveaPUR mattress is assembled at Denver Mattress factory (Denver, CO) which is Certified by Control Union.
– Do you have any information on VOC emissions? The Denver Mattress HeveaPUR mattress passes the ECO lab tests as well as California Prop 65 tests.
– Which components of the mattress are certified organic, and via what certification agencies? Wool & Cotton are certified by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standards) & Latex is certified by GOLS (Global Organic Latex Standards). Denver Mattress is verified by Control Union and can be verified on their website for both GOTS and GOLS.
– Can I see the Material Safety Data Sheet?
None generated as no chemicals used.
Kim Phillips says
So did you end up with the mattress from denver mattress? It seems pretty safe. would love to know what you ended up deciding. I am leaning towards a naturpedic even though it has the springs (i wot have any emf things in my daughters room so I am hoping it won’t be an issue) because I can get a 15% discount from a friend.
Liz says
Great website. My Husband and I are due for a new bed and are having a tough time finding Organic ones in the St Pete, Fl area. We did visit a store in Sarasota and were wondering what you knew of the brand Biscayne Bedding. I know if did have coils, but by what the Owner said it seemed like a fairly healthy bed. They had Dunlapillo also, but it was not quite as cozy. Thanks so much for all you do to make us sleep healthier!
Puja says
What a wonderful, comprehensive article. Thank you so much! I am looking for a twin mattress for my 3 year old and possibly replacing our crib mattress for our next baby. Have you heard of the Brentwood Home company? They are Certi-Pur but don’t have any other certifications. However, I am very convinced by their website and materials used in their mattresses (looking at the Bamboo Gel 11). Just good marketing on their behalf? 😉 The wool they use does not state it’s organic but based on your comments about that above, I am okay with that. I’m much more concerned about flame retardant chemicals. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
Puja
Dina says
What did you end up going with? I am looking at that brand now too.
Jessie says
Do we know the status on Brentwood?
Michelle C says
I feel so lucky to have stumbled across your website while attempting to research for our first mattress purchase. I am very interested in White Lotus and Soaring Heart and was wanting your opinion on the White Lotus Latex Sleep System. Just because of the better price point on White Lotus Latex I wanted to see if it really was another viable option. You don’t have it in your store so I am wondering if it contains anything iffy.. It isn’t the evergreen foam you mentioned in your post. Thank you so much for your blog and your help!
Jean M says
Thank you, Maia. This is exactly what I am looking for. Have you heard about Cozy Pure? Their price seems affordable and the mattress are organic certified? Can you please advice if there is any sneaky part? Thank you.
Kathy McNally says
I’m curious about Cozy Pure, too. I have a 7 yr old Tempurpedic I’m hoping to replace soon.K
Janelle says
Cozy Pure is local to me. We just visited their showroom last weekend in anticipation of ordering mattresses. They are 100% made out of what is listed in the “great ingredients” up there… wool, 100% latex, and organic cotton.
Janelle says
In fact, they have their latex processed right on the plantations instead of bringing it back and having it processed here in order to be certain that there is no adulteration to its purity.
Nikki says
I have been researching for a year and I am pretty sure Cozy Pure is what I will buy. They have been in business for 20 years. It’s owned by a woman. It’s local to me in VA. I live three hours from their store and finally got down there a few weeks ago and was impressed.
Today I was researching Essentia but I am not sold on them! Plus they are Canadian!
Until my husband gives me the green light to buy it, I will co tinue to research…. but I haven’t found a better product/deal than Cozy Pure!
heather says
did you buy your cozy pure? do you love it? looking to possibly buy one soon….
Jacky says
Hi! This info is amazing! Last time we bought a mattress we were so overwhelmed and gave in and bought a regular mattress. Would you say that Casper is the “best” alternative if we want to stay in that price point? Or is there another you’d reccommend in that price point? Thank you!!
Sally says
We bought a casper mattress and are happy with it. I did a great deal of research for an affordable mattress that did not have harmful chemicals. Although Casper may not be perfectly pure, and who knows what that is?, I have felt safe sleeping on it and have recommended it to friends. Their customer service is excellent and I believe that they are a transparent company dedicated to avoiding “sneaky stuff.” We are in the market for another mattress and I am hard pressed to find a better deal.
kimberly bacher says
Hi — I was wondering what your views were on the room and board mattress? Also, do you think finding a CertiPUR-US is meaningful? Thanks — we are lost trying to find a mattress for our toddler and the ones you recommended are so $$$, but there are some reasonable Certi-PUR ones available… not sure if that is enough though. Thanks.
Fiona says
Hi, this post has been so informative, thank you!
I’m in the UK and had a decision made on a gel mattress, when I stumbled across an article that flagged the possible toxicity of it. I currently wake up with allergies, which I suspected were from dust mites, which is why I chose a ‘gel’.
No I’m thinking it could be the toxins of course, and being in the UK have found this company;
Naturalmat.co.uk
I wondered how exactly I can try to investigate that they are as ‘organic’ as they say they are, before I spend £1,000 more than planed on one from their selection.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and I feel really excited to have found your blog.
Fiona
CJ says
Does anyone have any experience with Brentwood Home Bamboo Gel mattresses? Do these seem like safe(r) foam mattresses? http://www.brentwoodhome.com
Irene says
Hi. Has anyone heard of Pure Green Natural Latex sold on sleeponlatex.com? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks
Jennifer Crowder says
Love your article on non toxic mattresses. Who knew it would be so hard to find an affordable, safe, non-toxic mattress. I really appreciate all the research you put into this as well. I also found another website http://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/natural-and-eco-friendly-mattresses showing 19 natural and eco friendly beds. A couple companies they list, you already address. Using the information you provided I put them to the test (if you hadn’t already mentioned the company). I’m looking for a big girl bed for my 2 year old and really don’t want to spend a ton of money on a mattress, but at the same time I want her to have a safe, non-toxic bed to sleep on. On the website I list above there’s a company called Mighty Nest and I was just curious if you’ve heard of them and what rating you would give them. They are a more affordable option and seem to meet the standards you set in your article. They are Certified by OTCO to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). I just want to make sure I’m not missing something before choosing which bed to buy my daughter. thank you in advance!
Maia James says
Hi Jennifer!
Do you mean Mighty Nest the retailer? Perhaps they are now private labeling a mattress?
Tatiana Prisco says
I also found that list while looking for a king for us and a toddler mattress for my daughter. I saw the Tuft and Needle mattress and, though they are CertiPur certified… they seem to be ok. This is what the company says:
“The cover is a high quality rayon and polyester performance fabric. It’s designed to be soft to the touch, but also durable over time.”
“Our mattress is tested by CertiPur, a 3rd party foam certifier, to be free from known harmful chemicals and gasses. More specifically, our mattress is tested to be free from ozone depleters, PBDE flame retardants, heavy metals, formaldehyde, phthalates, and low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions for indoor air quality (less than 0.5 parts per million).”
“Our fire barrier is essentially a fabric blend. It’s mostly rayon, blended with small amounts of polyester and silica (very fine-grained sand). When it’s blended like that, it’s inherently flame retardant. This fabric blend fits on the mattress like a sock, underneath the cover, and there are no chemical flame retardants in our foam. Our fire barrier is TB117-2013 compliant.”
“The Tuft & Needle Mattress is a high-quality, high-performance foam mattress made in the USA. Our foam, called T&N Adaptive™ Foam, is completely unique to our brand because we actually invented it. It’s neither memory foam nor latex, but better. Our T&N Adaptive™ Foam combines pressure relief, support, and breathability, which no other kind of foam offers”
Any thoughts?
Lau says
Thanks for the great review ! We bought the Dream n•1 mattress for our son after an extensive review process – http://kalonstudios.com/shop/dream-no-1-mattress/. I am surprised that it didn’t make it to your good stuff list .. (Nb. We sleep on savvy rest ourselves). Could you please let me know your thoughts ? Thanks
Maia James says
Hi Lau!
This mattress looks great! I know about Kalon furniture, which I’ve recommended to many of my consulting clients. I didn’t know they made a mattress! Thanks for letting me know.
Laura says
Hi Maia,
Thank you for writing this article. I am currently in the market for a new bed and I’ve slipped down a rabbit hole learning about all of the toxins and the regulations for flame risistence. I am wondering if you know anything about Intellibed? Any info you have is greatly appreciated.
Maia James says
I don’t like Intellibed, Laura. You can see what I say about them above, under The Sneaky Stuff tab.
Tianna Tagami says
Do you know anything about Spindle Mattress? They claim to be 100% natural latex with organic cotton padding and cover.
Carolyn says
Thank you for the helpful information! I love this site and always refer to it to aide in purchasing decisions (I purchased the home detox guide too!). As I move my 3-year old to a twin bed so our baby can have the crib, I want to purchase a mattress that is safe for both kids, replace the mattress in the crib and replace our queen size mattress. However, on one salary from the military, we don’t have much money. After much searching online and trying to figure out how we can manage this, I found a company called Tuft & Needle that makes a foam mattress. I know you aren’t a big fan of foam but you do list one foam bed as good stuff so I thought I would ask some questions. They make a different type of foam that isn’t memory foam or latex. Using EG’s post above, I asked them some questions. But I’m not an expert like you so I’m sure I left out some important questions. Here’s what I asked and their responses:
→I am looking for non-toxic, affordable mattresses for my family
Representative: Our mattress has been tested to be free from harmful chemicals 🙂
→I want something free of flame retardants but I cannot find in your FAQ if your mattresses use any type of flame retardants.
→Do you have any information on VOC emissions?
Representative: It passes the strict testing set by CertiPur, which reviews the tests performed in a lab, that our mattress is free from harmful chemicals, known carcinogens, PBDEs, heavy metals, or formaldehyde
Representative: We don’t use flame retardants
Representative: We use a flame resistant cover made from a polyester/rayon blend
Representative: You can read about Certipur here if you’d like
Representative: http://certipur.us/for-consumers/
→Ok, I will look at that link. Do you have a Material Safety Data Sheet?
Representative: We don’t
→I know wool is naturally flame resistant but how does the polyester/rayon blend pass flammability tests?
Representative: There is a lot of good info on the Certipur website about what they test for
→ok
Representative: The cover also has silica incorporated into it to make it flame resistant
Representative: The fabric blend that is inherently fire resistant, with no extra flame retardant chemicals in our foam.
→ok, thanks.
Representative: My pleasure
Representative: Anything else?
→Ok, I assume you also do not use boric acid like other mattress manufacturers
Representative: Nope
→Ok, great! One last question: how are the 2 foam layers adhered to one another? A water-based glue?
Representative: yes, it’s essentially just rubber and water
Representative: and we use very little of as not to restrict airflow
Maia James says
Hi Carolyn-
Certipur is a 2nd party certification rather than a 3rd (meaning it’s basically a trade association for the polyurethane foam industry). With that said, it sounds like they don’t use flame retardants or noxious glue, so for the price point, this may not be a bad option. If you email john@gimmethegoodstuff.org and tell him I sent you, he may be able to get you a discount on a Soaring Heart or White Lotus mattress or futon.
Isabella says
Thank you so much for your diligent work & research, I have been looking for a healthy mattress for over three years and it can make your head spin,
Have you checked Naturalbed.com in Nebraska and Nontoxicbeds.com in Jeffersonville Indiana.
The folks at Natural bed are amazing and very revealing with all of their mattress making process.
The non toxic bed people were not as easy to communicate with and something seemed off to me on their site and description of materials used.
The Futon Shop uses boric acid, they are very layed back and seem to not be concerned with selling or not, their latex was not revealed as pure and they do use polyester and memory foam in some of their beds.
I bought a mattress from Saatva Mattress, but it had a oily wet feel and an odor. We could not be in the same room with it, due to the smell.
The folks there were very nice and came back the next day & removed it from my home and refunded
100% of all the money I spent. I may have got a fluke, not sure.
I still have not bought a mattress yet, just not sure who to trust. I think NaturalBed.com seems legit,
but who knows?
I thank you for the certification info, as anyone can add those to a site, it is good to know what to look for.
My doctor refused to write a note, saying she nor her associates ever heard of toxic beds.
I gave her two pages of independent studies, she stated she could only find issues for babies, children and pregnant women. Nothing for the rest. ??? I felt that proved these chemicals are bad for all.
I have asthma and severe chemical sensitivity and my husband has emphysema, I would think if anyone qualified for a non chemical bed we do. We all do.
It is crazy they put this stuff in our beds and furniture and clothes, knowing how harmful it is,
When the polyurethane & polyester are highly flammable and deadly when burning within 3 seconds, after fire starts, anyone in the building will suffocate from the fumes.
Why not just quit making things out of these and there would be no need for fire retardants?
I have to wonder; are the Doctors being paid to not write notes by the mattress company’s. like they are by the pharmaceutical company’s and the government? Or is it a liability fear or both?
Well I guess my frustration of three years of mattress searching, just came out. (Sorry so long)
I hope my search ends soon as our current mattress has had it as well as my sanity.
I hate that a healthy mattress is so high in cost, however, I would rather spend money on my ‘living bed’ than my ‘death bed’ after I am gone. And if I cut corners I sleep in a death bed while living,
So saving up and spending crazy money on a mattress seems to only make sense with the choices we are given, Like they say; “if you spend money on anything make it your shoes & your bed because you spend your life in one or the other.”
Thank You again for all this time consuming research, keep up the great & needed work.
Happy sleeping all.
maia says
Hi Isabella-
At this point, your best bet might be to speak to our mattress expert, John, who could help you sort through this and find the most affordable mattress that will also be nontoxic (he’s really great–and he won’t only try to sell you what we offer in our store…he often does extra research for readers about other brands they might be considering). You can reach out to him at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org.
Best of luck to you!
Marlyn Diamond says
hello this is Marilyn at The Futon Shop.
I would first like to say thank you for anyone even mentioning us. We would love to answer any of your questions. We do care very much about flame retardants, toxins, pesticides and do all we can to be transparent. We use wool as a natural flame retardant. We have a chemical free section in our futon mattresses and use no flame retardants including no boric acid. It is a great natural alternative. Our modern frames also do not have any flame retardants! This was a great thing when this happened a few years ago!! Also we have a specific organic futon and organic mattress section!! Yay!! Certified organic cotton! Organic certified wool! And certified organic latex!!! We care and try our best to hand make all our mattresses and futons in San Francisco and work with local farmers and vendors. Please do not hesitate to check us out and ask us anything.
Mindy says
Great research on mattresses. I have a 7 week old son who I currently co sleep with. I say “I” because right now we are sleeping on the couch since our current mattress seems a bit too soft/spongy. I am waning to transition to a king size bed anyhow however we cannot afford any of the organic mattresses you mentioned. Our budget is around $1,000. I’ve been looking int the Caper mattress. Do you have thoughts on it? Or do you know of any other mattresses in that price range good for co sleeping. I would love a memory foam but after all I’ve read that’s a big no no. I’m lost on where to keep looking. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Maia James says
Hi Mindy-
Casper isn’t the worst, but not the best either. You can see what I said about them under The Sneaky Stuff tab, above. Naturepedic makes some more affordable mattresses–what’s the top of your budget?
alison says
Hi , Are the natural latex mattress options at Ikea awful? Pure green actually looks great and it is certified by OKO, and GOTS but I have no idea, white lotus and your other choices are far out of my price range. Your help would be greatly appreciated , what would be great is a list for those of use who are on a very tight budget, maybe a list of the top five less expensive options,
thanks,
alison
Maia James says
Hi Alison!
Because the laws have changed, any mattress can now be made without fire retardants, which is, in my opinion, the most toxic thing in conventional mattresses. If you have been assured by a manufacturer–Ikea or otherwise–that their mattress is completely untreated with any chemical flame retardants, that should put your mind at ease. I like the idea of coming up with a list of the best inexpensive mattresses–I’ll add it to our list for a future post!
Lucy says
I would love to know this too! It would be so helpful as I need to buy a mattress, and would love to have the least toxic one that falls in my budget( 600 and under) until one day when I can invest in a great one:)
Looking forward to these posts, and thanks for all of your research!
Anna B says
Hi!
I am so thankful for your post! I was going crazy trying to figure out what and who to trust when looking for a new mattress.
When we got our mattress they asked us what kind of mattress protector we wanted, and their options didn’t seem very appealing, plastic and/or treated with weird stuff, but I do want something that protects the mattress so it’ll last longer. Do you have any suggestions?
One big downer is that we got our son a Keetsa mattress before I knew better. It has both coils and flame retardants (apparently) so I’m now massively uncomfortable with that choice :/ But not sure what to do, is there anything I can do to at least help protect him from the fire retardants? He will soon be sleeping on a grounding mat which should prevent any negative effect of the coils at least.
Also wanted to add another company to your list to look up later. Samina, a European manufacturer. I couldn’t afford their mattress but I got one of their grounding pads (lokosana) who protects from EMF’s while you sleep. Not sure if you’re familiar with it.
Cheers,
-Anna
Debbie says
Could you please tell me what yout concern would be with regard to the Talalay latex that is found in the SAvvy Rest mattress and is also found in the Plush Beds Botanical Bliss mattress? The latter is having a great sale for Presidents Day but I not sure about the Talalay. Thanks for your quick response in advance. Deb
Debbie says
Could you please tell me what concerns there are with regards to Talalay latex such as is found in Savvy Rest and Botanical bliss mattresses ? Is this a health concern? I had posted a comment earlier, but no longer see it- could someone help with this answer. Thanks. Deb
.
Maia James says
Hi Debbie, There is a tremendous amount of green-washing and disinformation in the “non-toxic” mattress world. There are also new players arriving almost daily. Unfortunately most are not what they say they are. I am not familiar with Botanical Bliss. When I get a few minutes I’ll look into them.
The certification process (GOLS, GOTS, Oeko Tex, etc) are thorough and very complex. This means that their certification can be very meaningful…but…it also can be used to trick consumers. There are many levels of these certifications. The ones that Sleep EZ has are pretty basic
and in no way cover the full spectrum we (Gimme the Good Stuff) needs to see in order to qualify the product as “Good Stuff”.
This is from one of our contacts who is very knowlegeable in this area…
“The long and the short of this is that the folks at sleepez are fantastic at greenwashing. Due to compliance regs they have to label their product what it is, in this case “natural dunlop latex” but they can stick whatever image they want on the product pic (in this case the 100% organic which only refers to the case). Additionally, their links to the GOLS certification is a link to their suppliers GOLS certification not their own, they sell the natural dunlop which isn’t listed on the GOLS certification for Latex Green (their supplier) at all.”
There are many other mattress companies that have smelled the $$$ and gone the same route…making a marginally “healthy” seeming
product, but using every trick to fool unwary consumers.
If you are looking for the
purest possible mattress, the folks at Soaring Heart, Savvy Rest and White Lotus make
the ones that I place the most stock in.
You can email me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org and I’ll be happy to help you find the nontoxic mattress that best suits your needs and is truly “non-toxic”.
Rachel says
We are interested in a White Lotus mattress for our 3-year-old. We’re satisifed that it’s non-toxic, BUT we have question about a factor that got cast aside in our quest to avoid carginogens… Is it actually comfortable (for kids)? Did you need to get a topper? Futon-style mattresses can be so firm. WL basically doesn’t have a return policy, so I don’t want to ship it to California only to find it’s hard as a rock. A search of their Yelp results is inconclusive. Since you purchased WL for your own kids, will you let us know?
Thank you!
Maia James says
Hi Rachel:
We’ve been very happy with the WL futon, but yes, it feels like a cotton futon, not an innerspring mattress! But my son sleeps well on his, and we’ve had guests sleep on it as well–no complaints! Not sure what I more I can say about it—a topper would definitely make it cushier if you feel like it would be too firm for your child but that has not been our experience.
Danielle says
Hi! Do you feel that the WL futon is supportive enough for every night use for the growing bones of a 5+ year old. When I think of futons, I think of occasional use like for guests. I’m interested in your thoughts!
Jillian says
I was wondering the same thing. I’m thinking about the WL futon for my almost two years old’s first bed in the near future and don’t know if it would hurt his development.
Anna says
Hello and thanks so much for this guide. In Canada our selection is unfortunately a lot more limited. I’ve spent a lot of time researching mattresses after the birth of our little one. I’m leaning towards a Green Sleep mattress and would really appreciate your feedback.
http://www.greensleep.com/en
Maia James says
Hi Anna,
John here. I’m the mattress person here at Gimme the Good Stuff.
You are the second Canadian this week to ask about mattresses!
As you have figured out by now, getting to the truth about non-toxic mattresses can be maddening. There is a tremendous amount of greenwashing and deceptive marketing going on. It also seems that every week a new manufacturer pops up.
I have not looked into Greensleep yet. I just made a quick pass through their website and they use the right language but their certification page leaves something to be desired.
I will send an email to an industry insider who knows how to quickly get to the bottom of things. Within a couple of days I should hear his take on Greensleep.
Even if they prove to be less than what you’d hoped for, we represent mattress manufacturers who regularly ship to Canada. I’ll be happy to work with you to help you find the right mattress.
Finally, if you have not done so already, you might want to read my “What to Consider when Considering a Mattress” piece on our website.
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/buying-a-mattress
Maia James says
Hi Anna,
John here again…
I just heard back from my “guy” in the industry. (That was quick!)
He says this about Greensleep:
“Everything is “natural Dunlop” (meaningless), with an organic case. No certifications anywhere. Also latex breaks down from the perimeter in, so by having multiple slabs of latex in different sizes on top of each other is a bad idea. Basically as the mattress starts to break down in the middle it will create a major valley in the middle where the customized latex cores meet.”
Again…I extend a personal invitation to work with me directly, one-on-one, to help you find exactly what you are looking for in a quality, TRULY non-toxic mattress.
You can contact me directly at : john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Lauren says
What is your go-to recommendation for baby crib mattresses? Naturepedic seem to be widely available at buybuybaby, but they have SEVERAL choices. Thank you!
Maia James says
Hi Lauren-
While we offer Naturepedic mattresses in our online store and think they make a great, truly nontoxic product, my go-to suggestion is this Savvy Rest mattress: https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/store/savvy-rest-crib-mattress/
(the reason being zero plastic and no innerspring coils–which may concentrate EMF radiation, although the jury is out on that).
Terry says
I have been doing some research and I have narrowed down my son’s first mattress to either a naturepedic or a my green mattress. I am leaning toward the naturepedic because that is the brand his crib mattress is. However the my green mattress is a little cheaper and is dual sided without water proofing. I see you give a good review of the naturepedic. Do you have an information on the my green mattress? I found it on Amazon but had limited reviews. Thanks.
Maia James says
Hi Terry,
John here…I’m the mattress person around here.
I’m glad you asked. We get questions like this a lot. In your case there a several considerations.
1) My Green Mattress is new to me (new mattress companies are jumping on the bandwagon weekly. They smell the $$$). A quick glance at their website indicates that they have zero 3rd party certifications that can verify the actual content of their products. Words are cheap. They use terms like “organic cotton and natural wool quilted cover, organic cotton batting” but nowhere do they even attempt to prove it. Just so you know how tricky this industry can be, the term “organic” is essentially meaningless. Unless it says, “Certified Organic” or “USDA Certified Organic” it could be anything and just called organic, because they can charge more that way. That practice is actually legal. There is a smoothy cart in Central Park NY with a big sign reading “ORGANIC SMOOTHIES”. When asked if their smoothies are certified organic, the owner answered, “No, that’s just the name of my smoothie company.” They’ve been legally selling non-organic “Organic Smoothies” to New Yorkers and tourists for years. Pretty funny, buyer beware!
2) There is some new science emerging that the metal springs found in mattresses and box springs may actually be amplifying ambient electro-magnetic energy (wifi, cell phones, computers, TV’s etc) and focusing it straight into our sleeping bodies! The data is new and more studies are being designed to find out what is going on, but if it is true, it is concerning. I am not an alarmist but over my life I’ve seen so many situations like this turn into something worthy of our attention that I cannot see having beds with springs, especially when there are so many great alternatives.
If this is a concern to you, this would of course, eliminate both the Naturepedic and My Green mattresses. For my money, the Soaring Heart Organic Crib Mattress is the best thing going. Yes it costs a few dollars ($31) more than the others you are looking at but, in my estimation it is far superior to the others.
http://soaringheart.com/products/organic-crib-mattresses
Finally, I am not saying that I know for certain that MY Green is not what they advertise themselves to be. They may well offer a great product, but this industry if fraught with green washing and deceptive marketing practices. Given the choice between Naturepedic and My Green, I’d go with Naturepedic every time.
I am certain that my opinion is not shaded by the fact that we sell Naturepedic and do not sell My Green. It is based upon what I can find with a quick look around their website. Without PROPER certification there is simply no way to know if their claims are true…and I’ve seen enough deceptive marketing (that looks a lot like theirs) to be cautious.
I hope this helps. If you want to know more, feel free to contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org I’ll help you find the right mattress even if we don’t sell it.
Best,
Terry says
John,
Thanks for the reply. I was leaning toward my green mattress because of the cost and because I wanted a 2 sided mattress and the naturepedic only comes in a 2 sided in which one is waterproof. Good points about the certification. I am also a fan of the naturepedic crib mattress we have. As for the possible inner spring issues, I prefer those to the supposed safe foams and latex materials. My daughter is currently sleeping on a germany made co-sleeper coir mattress (BabyBay) in which the coir is coated in latex and it smells like tires. Even if that smell is “safe” I still don’t want me son breathing in that smell from large mattress made purely of latex. I will stick with the inner spring. If I read something conclusive about the studies, I will swap it out then.
I guess Naturepedic it is.
Again thanks for your insight.
Michele Mahoney says
Any thoughts/reviews on a Yogabed? Seems like a more inexpensive option but I’m weary and would love your thoughts!
Maia James says
Hi Michele-
Doesn’t look like Yogabed has any certifications or even real claims on nontoxicity.
David says
Thank you so much for posting extensive information.
I also found much more economical natural latex mattress from plushbeds.com. Not all of their products are natural and organic but they do seem to carry legit certifications for their organic products. If you get a chance, can you make a comment about this company… ? I am almost leaning towards to purchase from them because they offer free returns.
Thank you,
Tierney says
I would love to seem OMI and Lifekind covered on your updated post 🙂 I’ve done a looooot of mattress research and so far I think they’re probably the best I’ve found! Somehow they’re the same company. I would also love to hear about Tuft and Needle. I am almost positive they’re not good but everyone keeps trying to convince me otherwise. As far as Nook, I own a Pebble Lite and I had the foam tested and it tested positive for flame retardants. Nook told me when I voiced my concern that “synthetic foam mattresses just contain that chemical.” I think the Pebble Pure is more promising but they won’t disclose a lot about the latex foam they use. Thanks for this amazing resource 🙂 🙂
caroline says
We got a Tuft and Needle at the beginning of this month and are sending it back. I am pregnant and have been experiencing terrible headaches since we got it (didn’t have them the first 5 months). It had a very strong smell the first week which has subsided but I can still smell, my partner can’t. A few people complain of this in Amazon reviews and T&N says it is inert. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!
John says
Hi David,
John here…
Thanks for the question. Unfortunately, Plushbeds appears to be just another of dozens of imposters out there. They do what many do…they make claims that they cannot back up. When you click on the “View Certification” button it shows a certification made for someone in Sri Lanka. This is a very common, (and sneaky), tactic. It fools many people. If the certification is not made to the same entity that is selling the mattress, then it is essentially worthless.
There are all sorts of ways that a mattress that is certified to someone in Sri Lanka, or Belgium, or any any other place, can be no longer certifiable, (or organic), once it reaches the end user. Many companies do this same thing. It creates big profits, which would be fine if the product was good…but when this tactic is used to mislead customers, it’s just sad. The worst part is that it is legal!
Please feel free to contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff and I will gladly help you sort this out and find a truly nontoxic mattress.
John says
At first glance, Lifekind/OMI seem legit. I’ll look into it a bit more. Their prices seem a pretty steep.
Tuft & Needle are not “Good Stuff” in our book.
The crew here at Gimme the Good Stuff really likes Soaring Heart mattresses. Yes, we are a dealer, (full disclosure), but we are a dealer because their certifications are second-to-none, their quality is outstanding, and their prices are fair and reasonable. They are not the new kid on the block. They’ve been at this for over 35 years!
Feel free to contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff,org I’ll be happy to help you find the right bed.
Angele Torres says
Hi! Do you think the Lotus bassinet (and mattress) is non-toxic / safe? I plan to transition to an organic mattress / crib at some point but would like to start off with a bassinet.
http://www.guavafamily.com/products/lotus-bassinet
When I asked what was in the mattress this is what they said:
Our mattress is made from a high-grade, low-voc polyurethane foam, and is covered with polyurethane coated polyester fabric on the top and polyester fabric on the bottom. We do not add chemical flame retardants.
The fabric assembly is made from polyester fabric and polyester mesh.
The frame is aluminum with nylon plastic parts.
All materials are 3rd party tested to ensure they are completely free of Lead, PVC, phthalates, flame retardants, formaldehyde, heavy metals (cadmium, arsenic, etc.), PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) that are commonly known as semi-volatile organic compounds (this includes Flourene, Pyrene, Napthalene and many more).
The Lotus Crib and Bassinet have also undergone 3rd party testing for stringent chemical emissions standards and have the GREENGUARD GOLD Certification:
http://productguide.ulenvironment.com/ProductDetail.aspx?productID=67423
THANK YOU!
silcominc says
You list many organic mattresses and most are very pricey Do you have any suggestions for a chemical free mattress Less concerned about organic than I am about avoiding chemicals and VOC off-gassing. Price is a huge consideration with many of your listings being unaffordable or little more than a potato sack filled with wool and cotton.
Maia James says
Hi there-
If you find an affordable mattress that you like, you can ask if they use flame retardant chemicals; this is the most important consideration, and due to relaxed laws, these chemicals are no longer necessary. While I would still recommend a truly nontoxic mattress like the ones listed above (and yes, I know they are frustratingly pricey!), at the very least it would be good to make sure whatever you’re sleeping on is free of fire retardants.
Tobi says
Any thoughts on Flobeds. They do use Talalay. But they provide links to their manufacturer of it that describes it as being made from 100% pure, natural latex without any artificial additives…and it satisfies the requirements for the Oeko-Tex ® Standard 100 product class 1. They make a good case on their websites as to why their organic product seems non-toxic and hopefully a safe product?
Sarah D. says
How about the mygreenmattress “Simple Sleep Latex?” It’s different from the one John commented on previously because it has no springs and lists GTOS and OEKO-Tex 100 certifications (their cert. link did cite Sri Lanka–is that any different from say Soaring Heart or Saavy certs?). It’s really the only mattress in my price range. Would you be able to please check it out? Thanks!
Michelle says
Hello. We are about to buy my toddler her first “big girl” bed and your post has helped tremendously in selecting a mattress for her (in spite of the fact that we’re in France!). What about the actual bed though? Would a bed from ikea suffice? I feel like we’re splashing out financially in order to get an excellent good stuff mattress and the budget left over for the bed is now looking pretty measly.
Maia James says
Hi Michelle-
Certainly I would say that the mattress is most important. That said, ideally you’ll choose a bed frame that’s free of plywood/particle board (and is instead solid wood).
John Goss says
Hi Sarah,
John here…
Independent 3rd party certifications are important, but they can be mis-used as a marketing tool.
It is important that the certification is given to the same entity that is manufacturing and selling the mattress. A certification written to an entity or person in Sri Lanka or Belgium etc. shows only that the latex was certified up to that point on it’s journey to becoming someone’s bed.
Between Sri Lanka and your bedroom all sorts of things can (and do) happen to the latex to cause it to be more toxic than the certification implies.
The industry is fully of deceptive marketing, all designed to shoot for a lower priced product. This drives sales.
Unfortunately, true organic/nontoxic mattresses are not inexpensive to make. So when you find one that seems like a great deal (1/2 price), it is likely and indication that measures have been taken to reduce costs. These measures usually involve tinkering with the materials or processes. The result can be a mattress that is not what we think it is…or not quite what the manufacturer implies that it is.
When a mattress is certified to the actual entity that manufactures and sells it, you can be reasonably assured that it is what you think it is.
That is the difference between a company like Soaring Heart and some of the many others (who do not carry full certifications.)
You can contact me at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org I’ll be happy to help you find a mattress that works for you.
Sarah D. says
Thanks for your response, John! As you may have noted, I e-mailed you when I was unable to figure out how to post, but realized that the website thought I was spam because I had included a web link. The e-mail was the same question as posted here, so you can ignore that.
I do have a different question now, though. I was curious about “green cotton” vs. “organic cotton.”. It seems from White Lotus’ website that green cotton is cotton where nothing is done to it AFTER harvesting. While organic means that it is not treated with pesticides, etc while growing AND nothing is done to it afterward. White Lotus sells beds with both kinds and it seemed from the link I followed in Maia’s post that she purchased a green cotton futon for her son recently. In doing bed research, I came across a blog post on Naturepedic’s website that talked about why conventional cotton batting in mattresses was not good (pesticide residue was the main point) and that organic was really the only good way to go. How do you feel about this? How about conventional cotton that is neither green nor organic? (in beds–I already read Maia’s post re: the importance of organic cotton clothes). Thank you very much!
John says
Hi Sarah,
John here….
Your questions are very good. Yes…the whole “Green” label is somewhat problematic because there is no official definition of the term “Green”. It means different things to different people.
We have discussed this with mattress manufacturers and they each have a different take.
Generally speaking, “green cotton” means what you’ve suggested it means: no toxic chemicals added after harvest.
Of course there is a robust debate about whether or not the herbicides and pesticides used on cotton will wash/bleach out as the cotton is processed. Most studies show that it does but some folks believe that a residue remains.
The fact is that certified organic cotton is costly…about 2 times the cost of conventional. This means that the organic cotton product can be 2 times the cost of the conventional one!
Many folks simply cannot afford to spend twice as much for an organic futon. This is why we offer the White Lotus Green Cotton Futon. We feel that it offers a much less toxic solution than a typical mattress for folks who want to get away from heavy toxins and flame retardants.
Over time the cost of organic crops will come down and more folks will be able to afford the best option, but until then we feel that a “Green Cotton” product is a good first step.
Sarah D. says
Thank you, John for your thorough reply; I really appreciate your time and help!
John Goss says
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/?s=clean+sleep
Kathy Hendricks says
What about a Habitat Pure Latex mattress? They claim 100% purity.
Jol says
Hello I know this post is old. I have been doing some research and I have found a mattress I would like to purchase for my little one. It is from NEWTON and its made from polymer. This is what the website posted “Wovenaire technology was invented in Japan and is now made in the USA. Highest quality food-grade polymer is extruded into a crystal clear pool of water, creating a unique, resilient three-dimensional shape that is 90% air by volume.” Have you heard of this company? Is the kind of mattress safe? It does have many certifications including green guard.
Thank you!
John says
Hi Jol,
John here…
I am not familiar with Newton but I just took a look at their site.
Their concept is interesting. They say over and over that the mattress is made of a “polymer”.
Polymer is a very broad term and could mean any number of things. Our DNA is made from particular polymers. Polymers are also what polystyrene foam and other plastics are made from.
It is unclear how they are achieving required flammability standards. They also do not say what the cover is made from.
I will look into it. Thanks
Jol says
Thanks for you response John. Yes I couldn’t find the info for flammability standards either. I like this mattress because it claims it is breathable if baby were to roll on tummy during the night. Thank you for looking into it! Any info is greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much
Stephen Wilson says
I’ve been doing research on a bed for my wife and I, and 2 others for both my kids. However, my question is regarding a SleepNumber bed. I contacted them via email, but they couldn’t give me any answers. They said the process and certification is on the website, but couldn’t find any info regarding their beds. Also we are going to purchase a twin size bunk, what would recommend for a mattress and should we buy something to have a good foundation for the matresses
Howie says
Stephen I would suggest that any bed should have a good foundation because just like anything else in life if the foundation is crap then you can forget about the rest of it. You can take a look at this website. I like their bed system very much as it has by far the best foundation that I have seen in any bed system http://swissdreambeds.com/
Jess says
Hi
Looking to buy our 3 year old a new mattress for his new twin bed. Super confused! Naturepedic? If so which? Or something better like Savvy Heart? What would you go with?
joann calo says
Hello,
If you have time, the stores in my area sell Posh and Lavish mattresses (in addition to OMI) and advertise all their beds as being chemical free.
On Posh and Lavish’s website, it claims the beds have a wool and cotton flame retardant layer as well as OekoTex certified latex.
Would you classify this bed as good stuff? or sneaky stuff? Thanks in advance!
Howie says
The by far BEST BED system I have come across so far is this from Swiss Dream Beds (http://swissdreambeds.com/). It an all natural bed system that is designed to relieve and prevent lower back pain. They don’t use synthetics or chemicals in their beds. Also the nice thing about them is that their beds come as a whole set. So all the wood, the flexible slat system, the organic talalay latex mattress and the sheep wool topper come included at a price that is really good. Check it out. I have been sleeping on this for almost 7 years, my bed is like new still and I have never woken up with back pain since.
Aaron says
Any thoughts on Loom and Leaf or Purple? Loom and Leaf has a plant based memory foam with an organic cotton cover, while Purple has something called hyper-elastic polymer. Also curious about Nest Bedding.
john says
Hi Aaron,
John here….
Great questions. Loom and Leaf is an offshoot company from Saatva. Saatva does not make our cut. Loom and Leaf makes memory foam and memory foam simply cannot be made without some “interesting” chemistry. Their foam certification is from CertiPUR which is arguably one of the weakest certifications available. It looks like they are trying, but we smell a bit of greenwashing.
Purple is an entirely different technology…made from a “proprietary polymer” (which is code for, “we’re not going to tell you what’s in it”.) They dedicate one sentence to the subject of “nontoxic” but fail to show any certifications.
Nest Bedding says that they are a “Organic, Natural, and Certified Bedding and Mattress Company” but it seems that they too rely on CertiPUR for their certification. Weak at best.
CertiPUR is a “certifying’ entity that is essentially established by the businesses it “certifies”. It’s sort-of like if Coca Cola claimed to be good for you based upon a certification from the American Beverage Association…which is simply a group of folks hired by Coke, Pepsi, etc to lobby for the industry.
If you want to be sure you are getting a truly nontoxic mattress, feel free to contact me directly at: john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
I’ll help as best I can to find what you want.
Jasmin says
Aloha! Thank you very much for this info! I stumbled upon your site while researching new mattresses. At first, my primary factor was support since my husband and I are on the heavier side and we’re tired with our sagging innerspring. We used a natural latex mattress topper as a temporary solution but I’m ready for a new mattress. The more I researched, the more my factors grew! Now, I’m looking for a non-toxic, non-innerspring, at least 12″ thick (to help with the support) mattress that can also be shipped to Hawaii. I am, however, concerned about the wool component of most of these non-toxic options. My kids and I have a history of eczema and asthma and I’m worried that we’ll be more healthy sleeping on our new non-toxic mattress but be itchy and sneezing. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Mahalo!
mitch says
Hi, do you have any thoughts on the Sopora Ultimate crib mattress? Says it is naturally fire resistant with no added chemicals, make with eco friendly 100% renewable foam, and its certifications include Certi-PUR-US® (which you have some good points against in this post) but it’s also GREENGUARD certified…
Kinga says
Hi Maia,
I bought the Greenbuds Magnolia Purete Deluxe Mattress for my little one back in November after doing tons of research. I would hate to find out that it was’t all that good, but still wondering what you think.
http://greenbudsbaby.com/shop/mattress/magnolia-purete-tm-deluxe.html
We are sleeping on a Leesa mattress, that I bought a little over a year ago. Their costumer service representative assured me of its non-toxicity. But that was back when I cared a little less about its contents as long as it gave me a good night sleep. Anyway baby sleeps with us a lot lately. I know it’s no good, and Im eager to just throw it away. It is also CertiPUR-US certified which I learned through your website does not mean much. Is Leesa really as bad as I think it is?
Best,
Kinga
Christie says
I have never been as overwhelmed with researching something as I am looking for new mattresses. I have a 6 and 8 year old and one on the way. We are looking for three new mattresses. My husband thinks I am crazy wanting to spend $1,700 on a twin mattress.
Is there any information about the next step down? Can there be a happy medium?
I was looking at Sleep On Latex as a possibility, but haven’t found much third party information on them.
I am so amazed about the different options and types of jargon that I am at a stand still!
John Goss says
Hi Christy,
John here…
Overwhelming is an understatement! Yes, it can be tricky identifying the mattresses that are truly nontoxic from those that are using deceptive marketing.
I spend a large percentage of my time working with folks who, like you, are unsure what path to take.
The good news is that I’ve gained a fair amount of understanding and might be able to help you.
FULL DISCLOSURE…We represent several mattress manufacturers and we sell mattresses, so there is a strong likelihood that I will guide you towards products we sell. Having said that, we have looked fairly deeply into the subject and we are convinced that the products we represent are among the best and least toxic available. Our site started as an informative blog. It is now a commercial site run by the same folks who started the blog. Our mission has not changed. Our commitment to nontoxic living has not changed. We sell great products in order to keep the website afloat.
From what I can see, Sleep-On-Latex is not selling nontoxic mattresses. They provide no independent 3rd party certifications, but they use the term “natural” a lot. “Natural” is essentially a meaningless term. It has no legal standing. Poison Ivy is natural. Arsenic is natural. Even Gasoline is natural…(regulated by the Dept of Natural Resources) 🙂
I agree that $1700 for a twin mattress for your child might seem a bit much. There are several affordable options…(how does $630 sound?)
Feel free to contact me at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
I will be happy to guide you through the process and help you get the mattress that fits your needs.
Best,
John
Christie says
Hi John, I sent you an email. Thanks!
Christie
Jill says
John,
Looking for an affordable healthy mattress is daunting to say the least. Sleep on Latex has certifications listed on their website, are you saying that is not accurate? I’m confused. Please elaborate. If it is not certified, please point me in the direction of a King mattress less than $1800 if possible.
Thank you,
Jill
Jill says
John,
Looking for an affordable healthy mattress is daunting to say the least. Sleep on Latex has certifications listed on their website, are you saying that is not accurate? I’m confused. Please elaborate. If it is not certified, please point me in the direction of a King mattress less than $1800 if possible. I prefer a regular bed, rather than a futon.
Thank you,
Jill
john Goss says
Hi Jill,
John here…I get asked about Sleep on Latex a lot.
The following is from an email I sent to a client yesterday regarding them…
“I get asked about Sleep on Latex a lot. They use the term “natural” a lot. Too much for my liking.
The term “natural” has no legal meaning. Almost anything on planet earth could be called “natural.” They also use the term “Green” a lot. This too has no legal definition, but it sometimes refers to the eco footprint left by the manufacturing process…but still…no legal definition of exactly what that means.
Their 3rd party certifications are somewhat dubious. Okeo Tex is for textiles and likely certifies the mattress cover, not the mattress core.
A search of the Eco Institut website tells us that Sleep on Latex products are certified as “natural”. There’s that word again! Poison ivy is “natural” but I don’t want to sleep on it. Arsenic is “natural”…plutonium is “natural”.
Ditto for Greenguard…”natural.” And Greenguard certifies for low VOC’s, not zero VOC’s. We are left to wonder what “low” means.
You can cut to the chase by simply taking a photo of the law tag that is attached to every mattress. Send me that photo and I’ll help you quickly separate the wheat from the chaff.
In our view, the GOLS Organic certification is as good as it gets. Many manufacturers claim GOLS certification, but upon closer examination we usually find that the actual signed certificate is awarded to an entity in India or Sri Lanka or elsewhere. For many very good reasons it needs to be certified to the exact entity that is manufacturing your mattress.
Like this:”
http://soaringheart.com/pages/global-organic-latex-standard
http://soaringheart.com/pages/certifications
Unfortunately, it is a challenge to find a truly nontoxic king size mattress for $1800…(but I have 1 possible solution.)
Here’s another excerpt from my blog on the cost of organic mattresses that will be published soon…
“A good mattress, when properly cared for, should last about 20 years (often more).
If this mattress costs, say $3000, this means that you will pay:
$150 per year,
or about $12.50per month
or about $2.89 per week
or about 41 cents per day”
“In the bigger scope of life’s expenditures, 41 cents per day starts seeming like a bargain for an item that can have such a profound impact on your health and well-being.”
“The good news is that an investment in a nontoxic mattress also casts off health rewards that can save quite a lot over time. The toxins contained in most mattresses can cause or trigger all sorts of not-so-fun health problems, and even small health problems typically costs far more than $150/year.”
I’ll be happy to help you find a truly nontoxic mattress.
Feel free to contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Best,
John
Lin says
According to this link, it looks like the latex itself is 100% natural latex verified by the Oeko-Tex certification and is not referring to a mattress cover (see where it says “for the following articles”)
https://sleeponlatex.com/blogs/news/34341957-health-and-environmental-certifications…
Karl Shevick says
John,
I responded to an earlier post, but I will respond again to this comment as I think it is extremely unfair and misleading.
Again, I’m not sure I understand the criticism of us using the term “natural” in reference to our latex, when in your article, you yourselves recommend purchasing a mattress made with “natural” latex. Also, our description of natural latex foam is no different than any of the companies that you are recommending.
I would absolutely agree with you that the word “natural” is thrown around way too much with little meaning. When it comes to latex, however, there are two distinct types of latex. Synthetic Latex is produced from petrochemicals. Natural Latex is harvested from rubber trees. We use only natural latex in our foam, we never use any blends of natural and synthetic latex. As with many of the other companies you recommend, we express that our mattresses are made with only natural latex.
Despite your initial claim that we have no independent 3rd party certifications, here are the facts:
Our natural latex foam is Oeko-Tex Class 1 Certified.
Our natural latex foam is ecoInstitut Certified.
Our Mattresses and Mattress Toppers are Greenguard Gold certified.
All of these certifications are in our own name and can be verified these organization’s websites.
These are certifications that are specifically strongly recommended in your own article. To recommend looking for these certifications but then suggest that the certificates are “somewhat dubious” in reference to our products is contradictory and confusing.
The fact that these certificates say “natural latex foam”, does not mean that they are certifying the product as being “natural”, they are simply stating the material that is being certified. The certification body places this description on our certificates. We have no authority to dictate how these certificates are worded. I think you would find that other certificates contain the exact same language. This is not specific to us in any way. Natural latex foam is a different material than synthetic or blended latex foam, so I don’t see how this description is in any way misleading. All of these certifications are emissions certifications. We have never made any claim that they certify anything other than emissions.
I appreciate that you are trying to provide good information on mattresses. I do, however, think your statements in the comments section about our products (and some products from other companies) have been extremely unfair and confusing. Many people are relying on you to provide accurate, unbiased information. What you have done in the comments section is basically classify any product that you did not initially endorse (and are not getting commission on) as being “sneaky stuff”, often with nonsensical justifications that contradict your own article. I would urge you to take a more measured and informed approach going forward.
Karl Shevick
Founder & CEO
Sleep On Latex
Maia says
Hi Karl!
I am SO sorry for my very delayed response on this! I wasn’t getting alerts when new comments were posted on this blog. You make some good points here, and I’m sorry that the content of this Guide hadn’t been updated when John was commenting; that no doubt caused some confusion! Since SO many new mattress brands have come on the market, we’ve reworked our categories based on new criteria. The Guide has been updated now, and it reflects our assessment of all of the various certifications, and what makes some mattresses–in our opinion–Best Stuff vs. Good Stuff or Okay Stuff. You’ll find Sleep On Latex listed under Okay Stuff.
The reason that Sleep On Latex isn’t Good Stuff or Best Stuff is because of the certifications you have. The mattresses that we think are the absolute safest on the market are those with GOTS and GOLS certifications. In terms of the latter, here’s where things get tricky (I know you probably know all this, but for our reader education): Many manufacturers display a GOLS logo on their website and some even show actual signed GOLS certificates.
Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of manufacturers who claim GOLS certification are not actually certified by GOLS. They simply buy some amount of their foam from a GOLS certified producer. So far-so good, but this is not the same as having a GOLS certification written to the same company that makes the mattress.
Why?
Because a manufacturer could buy a few GOLS certified foam blanks from a producer in Sri Lanka and then be allowed to use the GOLS logo. This does not mean that every foam mattress sold from that manufacturer is GOLS certified.
In order to have a GOLS certification in your name you must go through rigorous inspections of every facet of your manufacturing facility and business practices, including your records!
A manufacturer with a GOLS certification in its own name must be able to prove that the quantity of mattresses sold exactly match the quantity of GOLS certified foam blanks purchased. This ensures that the actual mattress you get when you buy from that manufacturer is indeed certified.
On top of that, GOLS must have tracked the foam blanks as they move from the manufacturer to various shipping and warehousing facilities around the world…often crossing multiple international borders. Every country has regulations about what crosses its borders and how various products are to be treated as they enter.
Without GOLS inspections all along the way, the foam could be exposed to any number of concerning chemical agents, and nobody would know.
This also includes inspections of the manufacturing facility here in the USA.
GOLS is a rigorous program. It’s a hassle. It adds costs. That is why many manufacturers either opt to use a less rigorous certifying organization, and/or simply display the GOLS logo of a vendor rather than get their own.
Karl Shevick says
Maia,
I just came across this response. I’m not quite sure I understand why you have responded to me with a lecture about the merits of the GOLS certification. My response to John had nothing to do with GOLS.
What I would really like a lecture on from you is the ethical merits of publishing a guide which rates products without disclosing which products you are receiving commission on and how much commission you are receiving.
An apology for John’s repeated slander of our company and products would also be nice.
Karl Shevick
Founder & CEO
Sleep On Latex
John Goss says
Hi Karl,
We, and many others, arrive at the conclusion that a GOLS/GOTS certification written specifically in the name of the manufacturer, (not another party) makes for the very best independent 3rd party verification that a latex mattress contains the least possible amount of potential toxins.
You may have missed the box that is prominently featured near the top of almost every page on our website informing our readers of affiliate relationships. It reads:
“This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure page.”
The word “disclosure” is linked to our disclosure page.
For instance, you will see that box near the top of our Safe Mattress Guide.
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/safe-product-guides/mattresses/
Our guide says the following about your products…
“This brand does not have GOLS certification, but does have Oeko-Tex, and doesn’t use the most dangerous flame retardants.”
If there is anything untrue about our assessment of your products we will be happy to look into it and make changes as necessary.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Louise says
I’m looking into buying an Organic mattress for my son. I’ve found this Canadian company that seems to have a great product, do you guys know of these mattresses or have any reviews of them?
http://en.memoryfoamcomfort.ca/natural-latex-mattresses.html
thanks for you help
john Goss says
Hi Louise,
John here…
Unfortunately MFC is running the same deceptive marketing that many others also run. They claim GOLS certification but upon examining that certificate we find that it is not issued to MFC but rather to an entity in India.
This makes a tremendous difference in whether the product they sell actually meets the GOLS standards or not.
From our point of view, any certificate that is not issued to the exact entity that makes/sells the mattress is essentially worthless. It is, however, a great marketing tool used by scores of manufacturers to lure in folks like you and me who are looking for a truly nontoxic mattress. The shame is that many folks fall for this and end up sleeping on a mattress that is not what they think it is.
I’ll be happy to help you find a truly nontoxic mattress. What size are you looking for?
Feel free to contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Best,
John
Jess says
Karl,
Are your certifications specific to your company name?
Karl Shevick says
Yes, they are. Thank you for asking. Here are the certification numbers:
Our natural latex foam is Oeko-Tex Class 1 Certified. ( Certification # 15.HUS.60646)
Our natural latex foam is ecoInstitut Certified. (Certification # 0215-33371-001)
Our Mattresses and Mattress Toppers are Greenguard Gold certified. (Certification #’s 80102-410 and 80101-410)
You will find that all of these certifications are issued to Sleep On Latex directly.
Thanks!
Angie says
Hey Karl!
Where can we view these certificates? I have searched for the first one and all I could pull up was that it is a valid certificate.
Thanks,
Angie
Katharine Roe says
I was wondering if you had addressed previously mygreenmattress offerings. The wool they use has 1% polyester.
The site says….
The wool batting is processed with a small amount of polyester fibers that have not been treated with any flame retardants. The purpose of these longer fibers is to give the wool a more consistent weight and feel, and prevents the quilt in our mattresses from feeling lumpy. The total composition of our finished mattress has less than 1% of this polyester fiber. Our wool is bleached using hydrogen peroxide (not sodium hypochlorite which is what you usually buy when you are buying laundry bleach and will damage wool) and this is the same substance that is used in lower dilutions for washing wounds and for oral rinsing.
Looking at their offerings with coils, but again wondering about this polyester content. The price I could handle. I have a very low budget, and need something asap.
Thank you,
Kathy
Christie says
I looked at this company too. I am on a limited budget as well. They don’t seem to have any real certifications.
Christie
john Goss says
Hi Kathy and Christie,
John here…
You are correct…they have no meaningful certifications. Their thing is “cheap” not nontoxic.
The following is an excerpt from a blog I am writing regarding the price of a good mattress…
“A good mattress, when properly cared for, should last about 20 years (often more).
If this mattress costs, say $3000, this means that you will pay:
$150 per year,
or about $12.50per month
or about $2.89 per week
or about 41 cents per day
In the bigger scope of life’s expenditures, 41 cents per day starts seeming like a bargain for an item that can have such a profound impact on your health and well-being.
The good news is that an investment in a nontoxic mattress also casts off health rewards that can save quite a lot over time. The toxins contained in most mattresses can cause or trigger all sorts of not-so-fun health problems, and even small health problems typically costs far more than $150/year.”
I’ll be happy to help you find the best value in a truly nontoxic mattress…and it probably will cost you fewer than 41 cents per day!!
I’ll be happy to help you find a truly nontoxic mattress. What size are you looking for?
Feel free to contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Best,
John
Brad says
Hello everyone. I wanted to provide some updates on our products after reading some of your concerns. My Green Mattress uses all natural wool sourced from California that contains no polyester fibers and is not treated with any harsh chemicals. Our cotton is GOTS certified organic and our latex is 100% natural Dunlop latex, which is Oeko-Tex Certified. We also recently obtained our GreenGuard Gold certification and will have that live on our website as soon as possible. If you have any other questions or concerns please do call us directly; we love talking about our products.
John Goss says
Hi Folks,
John here…. I do research for our website (Gimme the Good Stuff) Occasionally a mattress manufacturer will jump into this conversation, as we see in the above post. We welcome their input. We can all learn.
The above rep, Bradley Bonic, Director of Marketing for My Green Mattress, would like for you to consider buying their products and is likely concerned that they do not get a “Good Stuff” rating from us.
Brad says, “…our latex is 100% natural Dunlop latex”. Brad likely knows as well as I do that the term “natural” has no legal meaning and is tossed around a lot. Marketers like Brad know that the term “natural” is often good enough to lead us to believe that the product is safe, or good for us, or nontoxic. A stroll through any supermarket aisle will prove the flaws with that belief.
Many mattress manufacturers use that term, but from our perspective they need to be able to back that up with GOOD independent 3rd party certifications. The term “natural” is essentially meaningless. Poison Ivy is “natural”, as is plutonium. I don’t think we want to sleep on those things.
Brad also says their latex “is Oeko-Tex Certified”. I could not find an image of the actual signed/dated document with the name “MY Green Mattress” shown that would back this claim up, so I went to the Oeko-Tex website and conducted a database search to see if My Green Mattress was listed as a certified manufacturer. The results?…”No results for this query.” In other words, it does not appear that My Green Mattress actually holds an Oeko-Tex certification.
An Oeko-Tex logo displayed on a website has plenty of marketing value, but oddly, I don’t see it used on the My Green Mattress site. And even if they use the logo, that in itself does not mean that the manufacturer is properly certified. You need to see the actual certificate with the manufacturers name and a valid date on it.
Brad also claims that they will soon have GreenGuard Gold certification. That may be true, I don’t know, “but GreenGuard, by measuring only emitting chemicals, is significant for what it does not measure:
It does not measure any of the heavy metals (lead, mercury, copper, etc.)
It does not measure PVC, which is a polymer and therefore not volatile
It does not measure phthalates (except in the Children and Schools certification).”
Finally, (and this is the biggest problem) I cannot find what sort of flame retardants are used in their latex mattresses. Without knowing that, everything else seems petty!
All of the above is far too common in the world of mattress manufacturers. I see it every day. If there is something I’ve missed I invite Brad to correct me.
We are just a few weeks away from publishing our new, updated safe mattress guide. There are some changes. Look for it soon.
It’s a confusing world. Buyer beware.
Best,
John
Brad says
Hi, John.
I encourage you to check out our website for My Green Mattress, where all of our certifications are listed. We are also always available by phone to discuss any questions you may have. It seems as though your information is incorrect, and we don’t want to mislead anyone. We are very transparent and welcome all questions about the quality of our materials and products as well as our certifications!
Brad says
How can we actually believe a word that John Goss is saying!? He sells the naturepedic mattresses and makes money doing so… of course he is biased towards that mattress. I wish we could find an unbiased opinion about mygreenmattress that we could trust.
Tia Marten says
http://denvermattress.furniturerow.com/dmc/organic
What do you think about these?
John Goss says
Hi Tia,
John here…
Thanks for the question and thanks for your dedication to nontoxic living!
I have looked into Denver Mattress several times and have found them to be what we call “Sneaky Stuff”. They make a lot of claims which, as far as I can see, they fail to back up. Their independent 3rd party certifications appear to be lacking or non existent.
Also, if you review the entire line of products they sell you will quickly see that their commitment to selling nontoxic products is weak-to-none. They offer a line of products marketed as nontoxic but most of what they sell is not.
You can contact me directly and I’ll be happy to help you find a great truly nontoxic mattress. john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Sunny says
I looked up the GOTS and GOLS databases. Denver Mattress has products in their database. However, I’m unfamiliar with either databases. I’m assuming the mattress that has the certification is the HeveaPur as no other of their mattresses make the claim. Is there a place in the databases that would specify which mattress has that certification, am I overlooking something??
Ian says
I am looking to purchase the kapok pillows on your website. I eventually want to get a new nontoxic bed too, but right now I can only afford the pillows. Is it okay to have nontoxic pillows on a toxic bed..like will the pillows be safe and stay nontoxic, or will they become toxic from the bed? Do you suggest I wait and do it all together? Thank you for your time!
John Goss says
Hi Ian
John here…
That’s a great question! Will your less-than-perfect mattress “pollute” your nontoxic pillow?
Most mattresses have two basic areas of concern:
1) Fire retardants, which are actual very fine particles that “shed” for the life of the mattress. They accumulate as a tiny dust that is easily spread around your room and home.
2) VOC’s, which are gases. These off-gas more at first but slowly diminish over the years.
The particles likely will not accumulate in you pillow.
The gasses will also not likely adhere to the pillow in any significant way…BUT…I am cannot say that with absolute certainty. ?
It seems to me that the gasses that escape from the mattress do so because of an ongoing slow chemical reaction or degradation. Once released from the the material they were bonded to, I think they are prone to staying airborne rather that re-bonding back to a cloth surface. But that is just a semi-educated guess.
I may have a way for you to get a great nontoxic mattress and save a bit. You can reach me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Lauren and Ian says
Great! We may be contacting you soon! Thank you for the response.
Ian & Lauren
Meg says
I just bought a naturepedic mattress for myself and am looking for the best mattress pad to protect it. Naturepedic has some waterproof ones which has a “dry sleep” layer they describe here… http://www.naturepedic.com/info/drysleep
I was unsure about it since they said it uses a polyurethane barrier. Was wondering your thoughts on this or should I just stick to a non waterproof wool or cotton pad?
John Goss says
Hi Ian
John here…
That’s a great question! Will your less-than-perfect mattress “pollute” your nontoxic pillow?
Most mattresses have two basic areas of concern:
1) Fire retardants, which are actual very fine particles that “shed” for the life of the mattress. They accumulate as a tiny dust that is easily spread around your room and home.
2) VOC’s, which are gases. These off-gas more at first but slowly diminish over the years.
The particles likely will not accumulate in you pillow.
The gasses will also not likely adhere to the pillow in any significant way…BUT…I am cannot say that with absolute certainty. 🙁
It seems to me that the gasses that escape from the mattress do so because of an ongoing slow chemical reaction or degradation. Once released from the the material they were bonded to, I think they are prone to staying airborne rather that re-bonding back to a cloth surface. But that is just a semi-educated guess.
I may have a way for you to get a great nontoxic mattress and save a bit. You can reach me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Jillian says
Hi Meg,
This section from the guide above may apply to your question:
Bad Stuff About Naturepedic
The waterproof options use food-grade polyethylene for their outer layer (it acts as a moisture and vapor barrier). I’m skeptical about the safety of all plastics, although this one seems about as good as it gets for those of you wanting a truly waterproof mattress.
I got the non-waterproof protectors for both my son’s changing pad and our mattresses and they actually wick the moisture really well! Not to get too graphic, but to help you out, when my son urinates while getting change, the liquid just beads up and puddles and I can quickly clean it up before it has a chance to absorb. Never actually waited to see how long it would take to absorb, if ever. But I really like it!
Meg says
Thanks but concerned if my son has an accident while sleeping would the non waterproof options prevent the mattress from becoming wet?
Jillian says
I haven’t gotten to no pull-ups with my older son yet so I’m not sure. Have you tried calling naturepedic or the company you are considering to see what they say?
John Goss says
Hi Meg,
The plastic used in Naturepedic is generally pretty benign. In Maia’s review of their mattresses In her review of this product, Maia says…
“You know I am not a fan of any plastic, but the waterproof surface on Naturepedic’s cradle mattress is vinyl-free, and made from 100% food-grade polyethylene (the least toxic plastic). Features: Wipe clean waterproof surface is certified to not leach out harmful chemicals. The 100% polyethylene waterproof surface keeps fluids out of the mattress. It provides a non-toxic, stain resistant, easy-to-clean waterproof surface. It’s a safe alternative to vinyl/PVC.”
Jillian says
This guide is incredibly informative and has been a life saver in purchasing mattresses for both my children and now that I am looking for a replacement for my old mattress, it is continuing to make my life so much easier. Thank you SO much!!
Since you are New York based, and many people from the city can easily take a Metro North train ride to Beacon to their showroom, I think it is worth reviewing the locally made, organic/natural mattresses of Heathy Choice Organic Mattress. My biggest issue with all the natural mattresses is that many of these companies do not have showrooms where I can try the mattress. Because it is a big investment, I may limit my search to just those I can actually try, which pretty much is HC Mattress and Hastens (and like you said, Hastens price range is limiting, even if worth it). I plan to go to HC Mattress’ showroom on Thursday, so I can report in on how it feels, but so far with a basic comparison of their materials to your guide, they seem to be Good Stuff. Of course, I really want to know what you think. I appreciate your feedback. Thank you!
John Goss says
Hi Jillian,
John here…
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I have reviewed both HC and Hastens. Unfortunately, in my opinion, neither would be considered “Good Stuff”. They each make lots of claims but neither seems to actually display their Independent 3rd party certifications. The best way to tell if a mattress is actually organic and nontoxic is to read the tag that is attached. If you are unsure, send me a photo of the tag and I’ll help you sort it out.
Feel free to contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Best
Jennifer says
What does Maia think of this company and these mattresses?
https://sleeponlatex.com/products/natural-latex-mattress?variant=5950335109&gclid=CISKh4GsjM4CFQiQaQodlZoGMw#
John Goss says
Hi Jennifer,
John here…
We’ve researched Sleeponlatex and unfortunately they fall considerably short of the mark. They use the word “Natural” a lot. The word “Natural” has no real meaning. It does not equate to non-toxic at all. But using that word can mislead many into thinking they are getting something they are not getting.
I’ll be happy to work with you one-on-one to help you find a truly organic, non-toxic mattress.
john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Ash says
SleepOnLatex claims to have the following certifications Oeko-Tex 100, Greenguard and ECOInstitut. Still a no-go??
https://sleeponlatex.com/blogs/news/34341957-health-and-environmental-certifications
Thanks for the helpful website!
Jill says
Did you ever get a reply??? I’m wondering the same thing. Did you end up buying the Sleep on Latex?
Angie says
John – care to share more information on SleepOnLatex findings? thanks!
Max says
Hi John – would love to hear your findings on SleepOnLatex as well, especially with those Oeko Tex100 Greenguard, and EcoInstitut certifications. Thinking about stretching to Essentia, but SleepOnLatex would be much closer to our budget – thanks so much, we love this site!
john Goss says
Hi Folks….
John here…
For all the reasons listed in several reply’s above, Sleep on Latex does not cut it. Their certifications are weak at best.
They do a great job marketing their products to look as though they have excellent certification.
We look for GOLS and GOTS certifications written to the manufacturer, not an entity in India or Sri Lanka. This is a very important piece of the nontoxic puzzle!
Also, a quick search of the Oeko Tex database shows no products certified to Oeko Tex.
Karl Shevick says
Again John, as I have commented in more detail above, your statements regarding our company have been extremely misleading and contradictory. Many people in the comments section have noted that your statements about our products don’t really make any sense.
Our natural latex foam is Oeko-Tex Class 1 Certified. ( Certification # 15.HUS.60646)
Our natural latex foam is ecoInstitut Certified. (Certification # 0215-33371-001)
Our Mattresses and Mattress Toppers are Greenguard Gold certified. (Certification #’s 80102-410 and 80101-410)
All of these certificates are in our own name and can be easily verified. These are certifications that are specifically strongly recommended in your own article. To recommend looking for these certifications but then suggest that the certificates are “weak at best” in reference to our products is contradictory and confusing.
If you are looking for a complete GOTS certified organic mattress, I would agree that we are not the source at this time. We make no claim to be. I would point out, however, that other than Naturepedic, none of the companies you are recommending actually have a GOTS certification on any of their complete mattresses. While the GOLS certification has many problems and shortcomings, very few of the companies you are recommending actually have GOLS certificates in their own name. To strongly recommend companies despite the fact that they have no GOLS or GOTS certificate, but at the same time dismiss us because of it, really doesn’t make much sense.
Karl Shevick
Founder & CEO
Sleep On Latex
RodneyE says
I agree about the myth about off-gassing. I recently had to change my mattress after I read this blog http://www.surplusfurniture.com/blog/know-when-to-say-good-bye-to-your-old-mattress/ . You can make your mattress last longer by rotating it on a regular basis. A single sided mattress should be rotated from end to end where the foot of the mattress faces the head of the bed and vice versa. A bed frame could be used as a support.
Jaclyn Fuchs says
Hi there, any thoughts on Tuft and Needle. We just bought one for my daughter’s first “big girl bed” and I was surprised at the off gassing. They claim no PBDE’s but worried they might substitute something else since they don’t claim no flame retardants. We can’t afford a 1,000 full size bed for her the price was right but I’m also cons indebted about getting swindled, especially where her health is concerned. Thanks for any input!
John Goss says
Hi Jaclyn,
John here…
I get asked about Tuft and Needle a lot. Unfortunately they fall into our “Sneaky Stuff” category. they make a bit of noise about being “Natural” but they fall well short. Even if they have no PBDE’s there are many other potential toxins that they may have.
The reality is that there is a lot of deceptive marketing in the mattress industry and sadly it is not illegal. The other reality is that truly certified nontoxic mattresses are not cheap…but I know of no high-quality mattresses that are. We continue to search for more affordable versions but so far they have proven impossible to find.
Soaring Heart does make an interesting alternative. They’ve recently introduced a line of bedrolls that would likely make a fine bed for kids. The insert retails for $280 and the cover, (you choose the color) goes for $90. So for under $400 you’d get a 24″x72″, fully certified Organic Latex/Cotton/wool mattress that would likely function just fine as a childhood mattress. Unfortunately two of them side-by-side is not quite as wide as a “Full” bed and one is not quite as wide as a “Twin” bed.
We have not yet put these bedrolls up on our site, but you can certainly order one through us. In fact, Soaring Heart will make custom sizes.
Feel free to contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.ord and I’ll help you find something that works.
Elizabeth Lewis says
Hi John,
I noticed that the Tuft and Needle website is saying it is GreenGuard Gold and also the entire mattress is Oeko-Tex certified. I don’t know if these certifications are newer, but would you still consider it to be “sneaky stuff”?
Thanks,
Caroline says
Do you have any recommendations for a safe nap mat (for a toddler for daycare)? We have latex mattresses at home and I’m hoping ideally for a tiny foldable latex mattress for naps at school, but I’m not sure if such a thing exists. Thanks!
John Goss says
Hi Caroline,
John here…
Contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org and I will help you find something like this. Several of our manufacturers will custom make what you need.
Coriena Witman says
What about the organic cotton/wool mattresses on Futonland.com? It doesn’t say the wool is specifically organic, so I’m going to do some research, but one to put on the list I think. With a doctor/chiropractor note, you can get one without flame retardants. Thanks for all of the great information!
John Goss says
Hi Coriena,
John here…
Futonland does not look much like a company that is even slightly dedicated to healthy living. The overwhelming majority of their products are toxic. They claim to have USDA Organic certified cotton but don’t actually show their certification. There is a ton of misleading marketing in the mattress industry so it is worth being wary.
They also state, “We don’t use any chemicals and lovingly make our products in the USA” but the foams used in almost all their products are absolutely toxic! Yikes! Their claim seems like an outright lie! I cannot imagine how they justify it.
And the price for the “Organic Cotton” twin is almost $1500!!! Wow!
For a far better futon with 100% certified organic cotton, wool and LATEX I’d recommend this at $1260:
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/store/soaring-heart-organic-cotton-latex-wool-futon/
Or for $630 you could have a 100% certified organic cotton/wool Shikibuton (a slightly thinner futon)
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/store/soaring-heart-organic-cotton-and-wool-shikibuton/
Soaring Heart has been deeply committed to nontoxic living for over 35 years. No “Sneaky Stuff”!
Contact me directly and I’ll be happy to help you find a truly organic Futon/mattress.
john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Best, John
Alex Green says
Does anyone have an idea for what to get for slats to fit my open frame? I wanted to avoid wood that off-gasses. Thanks!
John Goss says
Hi Alex,
The best solution for slats is to go to your nearest lumber yard and get 1″x 3″ or 3/4″ x 3″ or 1″x4″ (or something close to any of those dimensions) pine boards. They usually come in 8′ or 10′ lengths. Simply cut them to the correct length and you are done. No finish, no toxins, and inexpensive.
Natalia Bailey says
Hi, first of all I love your website, it’s incredibly helpful when trying to navigate the many available baby products. Re mattresses, what about Lullaby Earth? I heard they are made by Naturepedic but they are the slightly cheaper version. How would you rate them?
Kate says
I’m wondering the same thing. I bought a Naturepedic for my first and am wondering if Lullaby Earth for my second is safe as well!
Jessica Htay says
Have you researched GreenBuds? I can see they have GOT certification but I couldn’t find much else. Thanks!
John Goss says
Hi Jessica,
John here…
Greenbuds advertises “natural” latex. All latex in the world is “natural” because the word “natural” has no legal definition.
We would prefer to see a GOLS certification written to Greenbuds…not some other entity.
Unfortunately there is a lot of greenwashing in the mattress industry and it can be very confusing.
We like the following in a latex foam crib mattress:
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/store/soaring-heart-organic-latex-crib-mattress/
Best,
John
Joh says
I think you are all wrong in thinking latex foam is safe wether it is pure or not..
Anna says
Hi John,
I’m looking for the full mattress for my son, he has allergies and asthma. No springs.
For adults Cal King. I an’t afford Naturepedic.
Any suggestions?
Thank you.
Megan says
Thank you for all this information! Have you looked into CozyPure?
John Goss says
Hi Megan,
I’ve looked into CozyPure before. They make a lot of claims about “Natural” (there is no legal definition), “Organic” (they show no documents to back this up), and even use the term “Fresh” (whatever that means!).
Unfortunately there is a ton of misleading marketing in the mattress industry. It is worth really looking into it before buying. Good for you!
Feel free to contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
I’ll be happy to help you.
Best,
John
Ashley says
I looked into a lot of beds, using this blog page as a starting point, and I ended up buying a CozyPure mattress. Here’s all their info in one place, it looks pretty good to me, they explain which certification applies to what:
http://www.cozypure.com/certificates-and-memberships
I originally wanted an organic bed, but after talking to them on the phone, I ended up buying what they call a natural latex mattress (they do have certified organic mattresses available). They explained that all the latex was harvested from one large farm in Sri Lanka, but only part of the farm had gone through the certification process to be called organic, although they use the same natural techniques across the whole farm. I felt comfortable with buying the “natural,” not-certified-organic bed in this case, since I understand the circumstances and origin. It’s basically that they’re using organic techniques, but haven’t been certified. All certified organic items are first organic for years without certification, and have to pay to go through the process to get certified.
Shira Sameroff says
Hi Ashley,
How have you liked your bed? Comfort? Working with the company? Toxicity? I am looking at CozyPure as well. I would love an organic bed or one off the Best List but can’t spend that much. As long as no fire retardants etc.
Thanks a ton!
Shira
Amanda says
I purchased a Naturepedic crib mattress when my child moved out of the bassinet and have been using it for the past 6 years, but it’s now time to move to a twin bed. I’m finding myself quite overwhelmed with the options and the deception out there in this industry, even after reading your helpful product reviews. I was going to simply purchase a twin naturepedic, but I’ve read reviews saying the 1 sided twin is uncomfortably firm to the point of being able to feel the coils. What is your favorite, most budget friendly safe twin mattress?
Thank you!
Shan says
I am pregnant and looking to buy a new bed soon (before baby comes). I would like to buy a healthy mattress but feel kind of lost in all the info out there. I recently visited a local store with healthy mattresses, but I need some insight on whether or not it truly is healthy.
Here is a link to their website
https://www.sc41.com/bedroom/sc41-natural-mattress/
Thank you so much for your time!
John Goss says
Hi Shanan,
John here
From a look at the website, sc41 looks like it would not make our cut. Feel free to contact me directly and I’ll help you narrow the field to only the good stuff!
Best
john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Shannon says
Hi John,
I sent you a direct email with my question. Thanks for your time! I was wondering what is “bad stuff” about the SC 41 mattress? It all seems to check out from their website according to the info above, with the OekoTex 100 certification and all.
Thanks again
Mark says
Thank you for carefully researching this field, and for providing safe and healthy products. Wondering if you have seen this page on Lifekind’s web site about some competitor product claims (specifically Savvy Rest): https://www.lifekind.com/site_organic_products/site_organic_false_claims and if you have any comments.
Chloe says
Thank you so much for these reviews! I’m currently looking at a Hula Bed, have you heard of this? Any thoughts? Also the Helix mattress.
John Goss says
Hi Chloe,
John here…
Neither Helix nor Hula make any mention about being nontoxic…They have no certifications. I don’t think that’s their “thing”.
Contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org and I’ll help you find a truly nontoxic mattress.
Mark says
Regarding the Lifekind bed, how long have you considered them “sneaky stuff”?. Maia James says
Saturday, January 23rd, 2016 10:34 AM at 10:34 am: “LifeKind looks promising, and it’s on our list for the next time we update the Safe Mattress Guide!”
John Goss says
OOPS, Sorry about that. I had Lifekind confused with another manufacturer. They do indeed look promising. We need to research a bit more but their GOLS certification looks good. Their prices look considerably higher than other manufacturers who are also fully certified and make great products.
Jane says
I purchased a Jazvin mattress recently and was considering buying one for my adult son because we like ours so much and it was very reasonable at around $1000, currently on sale for $900 for a queen size. My concern is the certi-PUR certification for it’s poly base foam. Until reading this information on your site, I assumed it was reliable. I left a message for them asking if their foam had any polyurethane in it, as you pointed out that many times that is the case with that certification but now having just read more carefully it is a poly based foam which I assume means polyurethane. The other materials are organic cotton, natural wool and natural latex. I was wondering if you have heard of Jazvin and/or have done any research on this company? Any information is appreciated as it is definitely an affordable option for organic mattresses.
How harmful is the poly base foam considering all the other materials are on top of that closer to your sleeping surface area? Thank you!
John Goss says
Hi Jane,
I went to the Jazvin website to see what I could about their products. They use the words “natural” and “organic” quite a bit. They do not, however show any of the certificates that are needed to prove these claims. That is a big red flag.
Also, the term “natural” has no legal meaning. Almost anything can be called “natural”.
Their site says…”Mattress manufacturers are not required to disclose all the harmful materials for example like F/R fiber, type of glue or foam contents.”
This is partly true, and Jazvin, being a mattress manufacturer, may also be playing the same game!
They also claim…”The Jazvin Natural Organic Sleep Surface promotes a healthy night sleep by eliminating harmful fire retardant materials…” Yet they do not tell us exactly what they do use to achieve the level of flame resistance required by law. This is a common ploy used by many mattress companies. Many of them claim that their formulas are trade secrets and therefore they won’t disclose. That does not cut it as far as I’m concerned.
By far, the biggest concern is the “Poly Foam”. That stuff is bad news. To us, the Certipur endorsement is essentially worthless because…
“CertiPUR-US was conceived by the Polyurethane Foam Association (PFA) – its members are chemical companies and foam fabricators.
The Alliance for Flexible Polyurethane Foam (AFPF) is a not-for-profit company responsible for registering and maintaining the activities of CertiPUR-US.
Much of the funding for CertiPUR-US is provided by the very same chemical companies that want to convince the public that their chemicals are safe enough to be considered healthy.”
Asking Certipur to certify poly foam products is like asking the fox to guard the henhouse.
Finally, they say they use “Natural Latex”. There’s that word “natural” again. It is a very effective marketing tool, but it is essentially meaningless.
Unfortunately Jazvin would likely fall into our “sneaky stuff” classification.
Feel free to contact me directly about any future mattress purchases. I’m glad to help.
Best,
John
Jodie says
Hi! I have a naturepedic crib mattress but I recently got a pack and play and wondered what your thoughts are on portable crib mattresses?(I’m of course going to ditch the original mattress in this!) The naturepedic one got bad reviews because it isn’t firm enough:( thanks so much!!! Love you guys!
John Goss says
Hi Jodie,
I’d need to know exactly which portable crib you are discussing.
Best,
John
Jodie Brennock says
It’s a graco pack and play, so I’m guessing most portable crib mattresses would fit in there, but most companies don’t make portable mattresses:(
Tom says
Greetings,
Thank for sharing this knowledge and research about the mattresses. It has been very helpful.
We are looking for an affordable mattress but also one that is safe. We googled information about IKEA and found that there were some models (1 discontinued) that seem to be matching the standards you warn us of. This is the article that I am basing that off of. Is this correct? http://www.debralynndadd.com/q-a/ikea-and-flame-retardants/
Tom says
specifically the MORGONGÅVA model.
John Goss says
Hi Tom,
We read Debra’s blog and usually agree with her analysis, (not always!).
Years ago Ikea made claims about removing the flame retardants in their mattresses. This sounded great to us but we knew that they still had to meet the standards set by law. We called them repeatedly, asking what they were using instead of TRIS (and similar harmful chemistry). In the end they told us that it was a “trade secret” that they would not reveal.
As you might guess, this answer did not inspire us to qualify them as “Good Stuff”.
Debra’s blog post was written 2 years ago. Because Ikea is constantly changing, it is hard to say what their mattresses are currently using as a flame retardant. Their language is always vague and, to my ears, a bit misleading…and flame retardants are not the only toxic part of a mattress.
For instance, the Morgongava you are considering includes the following description:
“- Comfort zones give very precise support and relieve pressure on your shoulders and hips.
– A generous layer of soft filling adds support and comfort.”
In order to create “zones” in a mattress you need to be using more than one type of material…and those various materials need to be bonded together with something.
Ikea fails to say what those materials are, and they also fail to say what sort of glues are used. They also fail to tell us what their cover is made from, and if it has TRIS or not.
They go on to mention “soft filling”. I wonder what that is? They don’t say.
They also use the term “natural latex”. First, there is no legal definition of the word “natural”.
Almost anything can legally be claimed as “natural”. Yes, all latex is “natural”. This does not mean it is nontoxic.
Lots of manufacturers us that word. It is often part of a very deceptive marketing plan meant to lure folks who desire a nontoxic mattress.
Ikea makes no mention of being nontoxic…that I can see. That is just not their thing. Generally speaking, Ikea is about integrative design and price. I can find no independent 3rd party certifications at all.
The sad fact is that you will be hard pressed to find a truly nontoxic mattress for $1000…but there are certainly ways to keep costs down.
I you are serious about finding a truly nontoxic mattress, feel free to contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
I’ll be happy to help you cut through the weeds.
SWatson says
Hi I love your website – it’s so helpful! Have you been able to get any additional information about Nook Pebble mattresses? I am having a baby soon and trying to decide on a Nook or one of the latex crib mattresses listed under good stuff. Do you know if the latex crib mattresses are firm enough for a newborn? Thank you!!
john Goss says
Hello.
John here…
We love the Soaring Heart latex crib mattress. It is latex meets all the criteria for a crib mattress. Latex can be had in many different densities, from super-firm to super squishy. This means that manufacturers can make exactly what is needed. Without a doubt, Soaring Heart knows what they are doing. They’ve been in the nontoxic mattress business for over 35 years.
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/store/soaring-heart-organic-latex-crib-mattress/
You won’t be disappointed!
Best,
John
Stephen Wilson says
What do you recommend as a mattress protector? I’m looking at the aller-ease, they have an organic line, but i’m not too sure. They use polyurethane as the water barrier.
John Goss says
Hi Stephen,
In my opinion, this is a great nontoxic mattress protector…
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/store/naturepedic-organic-cotton-waterproof-protector-pads/
Best,
John
Joan says
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. What do you know about Swiss dream Beds and their organic Dunlop and Talalay latex?
john Goss says
Hi Joan,
Swiss Dream appears to have exactly zero certifications. Certifications are how you and I can know if their products are as they claim they are.
There is a lot of deceptive marketing in the mattress world and it is not illegal to throw around terms like “natural”, “green” and even “organic” without actually having to prove it.
The terms “natural” and “green have no legal meaning. They are used to lure folks in.
Don’t fall for it! I’ll be happy to help you find a truly nontoxic mattress.
john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Allen Jack says
Quality refers to how well a mattress keeps the sleeper’s whole body on a flat and level plane how comfort it is. A safe mattress is always qualitative and free from toxic or other bad chemicals. Health and comfort both are taken in to consideration when we talk about a good sleep, health and mattress. The natural one is always appreciable. Explore bedandwood to know more details.
John says
John here…
Just to set things straight…
Bedandwood makes claims about “GOLS Certified” while, from all I can see, Bedandwood is, in fact, not GOLS certified.
This is a common tactic used by the overwhelming majority of mattress manufacturers…and sadly, it’s legal..for now, (there’s talk of modifying our “Truth in Advertising” laws to address this very problem). There is an overwhelming amount of deceptive marketing in the mattress industry.
If they do not have a signed GOLS certificate issued to their exact name (in this instance, Bedandwood), then any claims to “Organic” “GOLS Certified” are worthless.
Our research tells us that there is only a very small handful (5 or so) of North American manufacturers who are actually GOLS Certified.
If you want to know the specifics and are interested in a nontoxic mattress that carries only the highest certifications, feel free to contact me directly and I’ll help guide you.
John@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Best,
John
Sid says
Thanks John, this is Sid and I am the owner of Bed and Wood. My SEO agent seems to have commented on your blog and my apologies. You can remove our comments to your blog if this is meant to be non-product oriented blog.
Just to help provide the facts- we do private label and our mattresses are made by GOTS certified facility. https://www.bedandwood.com/info/ourmaterials
Thank you, Sir and continue to do the service you provide.
Shannon says
Any thoughts on the Zenhaven latex mattress by Saatva?
Laura says
I’m also curious about Zenhaven. I recently bought a Loom & Leaf, and am very early in the trial period. The first one had serious strong off-gassing, which made me feel sick, so they offered to replace it right away. The second one was delivered yesterday, and it has the same smell and affect on my breathing. I know I’ll have to go with a different mattress, so am trying to research quickly, so that I can get one ASAP.
I’ve been looking at the Zenhaven, as it claims to be natural and “green”. Anyone have feedback on that brand? $2000 is the upper limit of what I want to spend, but I don’t know that I’ll find something in that range.
John says
Hi Laura,
I’m so sorry you’ve had to find out the hard way that Loom & Leaf, like the vast majority of manufacturers who make lots of claims, is in fact selling toxic products…despite what they say. Unfortunately Zenhaven is another that seems to do the same thing. Zenhaven is owned by Saatva (along with several other sub-labels). All qualify as “Sneaky Stuff”. There’s talk in Washington of modifying our “Truth in Advertising” laws to address this very problem.
The sooner you return your (2nd) Loom & Leaf mattress the sooner you’ll get the toxins out of your house.
There are only 4 or 5 North American manufacturers who make properly certified nontoxic mattresses. It usually takes 30ish days to receive your mattress because they are made to order, not sitting on a warehouse shelf.
I’ll be happy to help you find the right mattress and understand the difference between false claims and valid ones.
Please contact me directly.
john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
ashleigh phillips says
Hi. I am very overwhelmed. I am looking for my two year olds big boy bed mattress and do not know what to do. If I could afford to spend $2000+ for his full mattress, I would, but I can’t. I was looking at Naturapedic but it has springs, and thats bad, right? Also, I know people say those are not comfortable. Do you have any suggestions of what to buy?
John Goss says
Hi Ashleigh,
Please see the email I sent directly to you.
Best,
Tish Madej says
I am looking to buy my sons first big boy bed mattress and we were about to buy a Sealy from Costco bc it was a good price. Then I started to do some research and found your site. We have been cosleeping since he was born so I feel bad now knowing he has slept on our non-certified unnatural bed. Unfortunately there is no way we can afford a 100% natural latex, organic cotton, no springs bed as I would like, but would like some suggestions if possible. Our budget is rather low so it may not even be possible. Having springs with pillow top may be our only choice on a budget of less than $300 for a twin size. Any pointers? Thanks so much!
John Goss says
Hi Tish,
It’s an unfortunate fact that truly nontoxic mattresses are not the cheapest option.
The closest thing I’d recommend would be:
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/store/soaring-heart-organic-cotton-and-wool-shikibuton/
or
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/store/white-lotus-green-cotton-wool-dreamton-futon/
I realize that these are not in the price range you mentioned but they are good futons and will last throughout their time at home and may even go off to college with them.
Assuming it lasts 20 years it works out to just pennies per day. Most folks pay a lot more than that for just coffee.
Does this help?
Best,
Kim Rosso says
Hello. Here’s my dilemma: I’m allergic to wool and latex. I’m also HIGHLY chemical sensitive. Found out the hard way when I had a bad reaction to memory foam. I hated giving up the memory foams because it did help with my joint problems. The only bed I’ve found that may be a possibility for me is Intellibed. However, I’ve read way too many bad reviews about these beds and the customer service, so I wouldn’t want to risk that type of investment. Are there any other non-toxic beds out there that don’t contain any of the above mentioned materials? Please help!
John Goss says
Hi Kim,
I’m so sorry that you are having trouble finding the right mattress. Yikes! Perhaps I can help.
Memory foams are indeed bad and intellibed is not really in the “nontoxic” business…and yes they don’t enjoy particularly good reviews.
Two of our suppliers have made custom mattresses for our clients in the past. Wool is typically used as a flame retardant. It replaces all that nasty chemistry found in the typical mattress. As you probably already know, you can only buy a mattress that will not pass the flame test if you have a doctor’s note or prescription, (what are we…3rd graders?).
I’ll assume that you’d be able to get such a prescription.
I’d be happy to go to my suppliers and find out what it would cost to have them make you a mattress using only certified organic cotton. This would bypass the toxic foams and wool and latex.
What size mattress are you looking for?
We can keep communicating in this forum and others might benefit from your experience, or for a bit more privacy you can email me directly at:
john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
I know they can make you the mattress and I’ll have several more questions for you before you order but let’s first see what it might cost.
I am quite sure we can help you solve your dilemma.
Best,
John
Kim says
I’m so sorry, John that it took me so long to respond! I totally forgot I had posted here, and don’t know if any response came to my email. I did send you an email. I’m looking for king size.
Thank you!
kelly says
Hi John – I too am finding myself in a similar situation as Kim regarding chemical sensitivity, issues with latex and wool, and joint pain. While I feel quite concerned about the components of the Intellibed, I’m growing increasingly concerned about my inability to get a good night sleep! I am emailing you in case you might be able to help point me in the direction of a mattress that is both healthy and comfortable. Thanks!
Dana says
This is such a useful post – thank you!
We are also looking for an affordable new twin mattress for our toddler to move onto from her crib. We would like to NOT spend a fortune, and through your website & online store I discovered the White Lotus mattresses, including the competitively priced Green Cotton & Wool Dreamton Mattress. However, the cotton and wool in this mattress are not organic (their organic mattresses are much more expensive). You have listed it as good stuff regardless, so I was wondering about your thoughts in recommending this non-organic product. White Lotus states that their cotton is washed and they haven’t added any chemicals to it, ditto with their “virgin” wool. I have read on other websites that non-organic wool in particular can have chemicals in it from medical treatments/dips that the sheep receive. Is organic a concern for these pre-washed, non-treated cotton/wool products, or does it really not make that much of a difference?
Thanks!
John Goss says
Hi Dana,
You’ve asked a really great question and this subject is one that we wrestle with a lot! In fact we are in the middle of revamping the way we classify mattresses because they are a particularly difficult product to evaluate.
We have gotten to know the folks at White Lotus quite well. We’ve had this discussion face to face with the owner.
The bottom line is that we feel that their (non-organic) cotton and wool mattresses/futons are about as nontoxic as they can be. Technically they are indeed not certified and no we have not personally visited the farms and ranches where these materials are grown and processed…but the owner of White Lotus has, and based upon his experience and descriptions it seems that we can be reasonably assured that these products are relatively chemical-free.
But of course the devil is in the details. We offer these on our site because we understand that the cost of fully certified mattresses can exceed some folks budget, and we’d like to be able to help them find the next best thing.
Having said all of that, we might have some creative ideas of how to reduce costs and still get a high quality, fully certified product.
Why don’t you email me directly at:
john@gimmethegoodstuff.org and e can discuss it further.
I look forward to helping you get the best mattress at the best price.
Best,
John
Cathryn Cormack says
Hello, any experience with pure rest mattresses–http://www.purerest.com/? Looking at the toddler mattress. Thanks, Cathryn
John Goss says
Hi Cathryn,
Yes we’ve looked at Purest before. Unfortunately they do not make the cut. 🙁
Our favorites include:
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/store/naturepedic-organic-cotton-ultra-252-crib-mattress/
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/store/soaring-heart-organic-latex-crib-mattress/
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/store/white-lotus-cotton-toddler-mattress/
Feel free to contact me directly at
john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Carly says
Hi Maia! Thank you for your very informative post! I was wondering if you have researched the mattress brand Tuft & Needle at all? While there mattress is primarily made out of polyurethane foam it is CertiPUR-US certified which they claim is a third party certification. They claim that CertiPUR-US, “they have certified our foam to be free from known harmful chemicals and carcinogens, PBDEs, heavy metals, phthalates, and formaldehyde.” So it seems like a pretty safe option to me but what is your opinion?
Thank you Maia! I really appreciate it!
Sincerely,
Carly
John Goss says
Here’s the deal with CertiPur:
CertiPUR-US was conceived by the Polyurethane Foam Association (PFA) – its members are chemical companies and foam fabricators.
The Alliance for Flexible Polyurethane Foam (AFPF) is a not-for-profit company responsible for registering and maintaining the activities of CertiPUR-US.
Much of the funding for CertiPUR-US is provided by the very same chemical companies that want to convince the public that their chemicals are safe enough to be considered healthy.
Just to name a few of their sponsors and monetary supporters:
– Dow Chemical – Polyurethane Chemicals Manufacturer and platinum sponsor
– ICL Industrial Products – Chemical Fire Retardant Manufacturer “monetary support”
Even one of the elected CertiPUR-US board of directors comes straight from the chemical and foam companies.
CertiPUR-US claim all products that are certified have undergone a vigorously regulated process performed by independent labs, therefore the certified product must be considered healthy. But, how true is this?
We stacked up the CertiPUR-US standard next to the GreenGuard Gold standard. GreenGuard Gold certification ensures that a product has met some of the world’s most rigorous and comprehensive standards for low emissions of VOCs into indoor air.
Here is what we found:
Chemical Name CertiPUR-US [µg/m3] GreenGuard GOLD [µg/m3]
TVOC 500 200
Formaldehyde 100 9
Benzene 500 16
Toluene 500 150
It is clear that the key VOCs that concern the public are not minimized. One of the main VOCs being discussed today is formaldehyde. In fact, CertiPUR-US will allow more than 10x the amount of formaldehyde compared to other standards.
Sure, CertiPUR-US standard may be trying to do what they can to minimize the number of harsh VOCs that emit from polyurethane foam and perhaps a step in the right direction. But I believe that this standard is simply not trying hard enough.
This is one of many reasons that Tuft and Needle does not make the cut.
Feel free to contact me directly and I’ll help you find what you are looking for.
john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Fionnuala says
Hi,
Thank you for all the great information. I am looking to buy latex twin and king mattresses. I live in Seattle and have checked out Soaring Heart but still grappling with the cost. There is another independent mattress store – Bedrooms & More – that sells latex mattress made of Botanicore (6” Botanical Latex 100% Botanical (Tree Rubber) Latex by Botanicore™ Extra Firm 95 kg/m3). Quilt layers — Joma Wook Pad and Fabric Cover –Certified Organic Cotton (Knit)(G.O.T.S. – Global Orangic Textile Standard).
Any information on “Botanicore”? Sneaky stuff?
Appreciate your insights!
John Goss says
Hi Fionnuala,
I took a look around the websites of both Botanicore and Bedrooms & More. Neither indicates that their latex are certified by any independent 3rd party certifier. GOLS is the best of those but they seem to have none.
From my perspective they are like many other manufacturers that make claims they cannot back up. If knowing that your mattress is truly nontoxic you need to see their certifications, and even then you need to know what to look for.
I would take a 2nd look at Soaring heart. They also sometimes have a sale on showroom pieces.
I look at costs like this:
A good mattress, when properly cared for, should last about 20 years (often more).
If the mattress costs, say $3000, this means that you will pay:
$150 per year,
or about $12.50per month
or about $2.89 per week
or about 41 cents per day
In the bigger scope of life’s expenditures, 41 cents per day starts seeming like a bargain for an item that can have such a profound impact on your health and well-being.
The good news is that an investment in a nontoxic mattress also casts off health rewards that can save quite a lot over time. The toxins contained in most mattresses can cause or trigger all sorts of not-so-fun health problems, and even small health problems typically costs far more than $150/year.
Let me know if I can further help.
Best,
John
Kenny says
Hello,
I really enjoyed reading your articles regarding mattresses. My wife and I are looking to buy mattresses for our children as they transition out of cribs, but I had a few questions for you before we pull the trigger. I was reading about the White Lotus mattresses where your article says “Bad Stuff about Whit Lotus” from the article at:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__gimmethegoodstuff.org_safe-2Dproduct-2Dguides_mattresses_&d=DQICAg&c=zJTPELHN9m06lkJo8AwFVluD1VXOIffYvkz692hAL2E&r=4DI4E55Hgdnvkccwffwnuu5WvQwHh7mqv6QW8AXVJZg&m=P_d7PBNJa2Agjmnt60SVeUXqdP2WSQ0tmXoDi1h-XzM&s=l37if-xBGDai2YTXcHQVb2AxPTQ2L-ElqpWoRLjcuPQ&e
I noticed that you mention to avoid the evergreen foam and some organic cottons due to boric acid for obvious reasons., but also noticed that the article says, “Please note that we do not carry any White Lotus products with any of the questionable ingredients listed above–if you see it in our store, you know it’s free of borate, foam, and other synthetics.” Does this mean that the Organic Cotton & Wool Dreamton Mattress has possible unsafe ingredients that you guys noticed, and that is why it is not in your online store? I looked at their website & couldn’t seem to find any for myself, but was not sure. I noticed that your online store does have the Green Cotton & Wool Dreamton Mattress on it but not the Organic version as I mentioned. After reading the background info on their materials for both, I figured the Organic one would be a “healthier” choice between the two, but wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything after not seeing it on your online store. Please let me know. Thank you so much
Mom says
We bought a mattress from Vivetique last month. The worst experience ever. They sold us an expensive, double sided mattress, but delivered a cheap single-sided mattresses. We have yet to get a refund on the difference. The mattress and boxsprings we have received are deformed; the mattress is sagging in the center so all 108lbs of me keeps rolling into the center. I have to try to defy gravity during my sleep! The owner of the store, Steve, came out to take a look at the issue and said the boxsprings are uneven. This was over a week ago; we have yet to receive a new, non-defective boxspring. I have not had a good night’s sleep since we’ve owned the mattress. I wake up in the middle of the night in pain, and cannot fall back asleep. I wake up with lower back pain 🙁
Mom says
Update on our 2 month ordeal with Vivetique/The Natural Bedroom: after a month of sleeping on the wrong mattress Natural Bedroom/Vivetique had delivered us, they finally exchanged the mattress, but for something even cheaper! At that point, they owed us a few hundred dollars in refunds–though Steve Carwile (the owner) kept promising a refund in the difference but would not process the transaction. The 2nd mattress he delivered to us was so cheap that my husband refused to sleep on it. By this time, 1.5 months had gone by since we bought our mattress from Vivetique, and they still had not refunded the difference between the mattress we had bought and the less expensive mattress they had delivered. We had enough of their lies and returned everything and were promised a full refund after the items had been picked up (defective box-springs, mattress and toppers). Vivetique’s delivery guy picked up everything, but we were never issued a refund. After days of waiting for a refund confirmation from Steve Carwile, we finally disputed the transaction with our credit card company. However, a month later, Steve Carwile told the credit card company that he had never received the returned merchandise back at this store, therefore being unable to issue a refund. I contacted his delivery guy, who confirmed all items had in fact been returned to the store and he had signed documentation to prove it. Thank goodness, we won the dispute and received a full refund of approximately $3,000, never having to deal with such crooks ever again!
FYI: Several months later and my lower back is still in pain from having slept on Vivetiques defective and cheap mattresses–I’m getting chiropractic adjustments to deal with the pain.
klaudia says
Hi!
Thanks for this. What do you guys think about “mygreenmatress”? the king is only $850 compared to these other prices. It is organic GOTS cotton + wool
Alexandra says
What about buying a water bed as a solution?
Roschele says
My husband and I are in the market for a new, healthier mattress. However, we live in a rather rural area where there are no local organic mattress retailers close to us. I feel uncomfortable buying something such as this without being able to see it or feel it in person. I was wondering if it would benefit us to buy an organic mattress topper for our current possibly toxic bed which is over 9 years old. Would it alleviate any issues that our current bed may have (fumes, chemicals, etc?)
Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated!
Josette Baysdell says
Savvy Rest has a wonderful latex topper that has made the regular mattress I sleep on when visiting my daughter’s home comfortable for me. I am very used to my organic latex bed at home. There is also a less expensive option made by Sleeponlatex, but it’s natural latex only, and not organic. I don’t know if this would decrease your exposure or not. I imagine some, as at least the topper would be between you and your mattress.
I ordered my original Savvy Rest with some trepidation, as I was also buying sight unseen. But their customer service was very good with helping me decide on how to custom build my mattress, and you can exchange a layer for a different softness level if you need to. I would not hesitate to purchase one of their mattresses. Good luck!
Kaelyn Tomaszewski says
Hi! Has any research been done on Bear Mattress? https://www.bearmattress.com
They have all this technology I have never heard of, so I have no clue if it is legit or full of chemicals.
Thank you,
Kaelyn
Josette Baysdell says
Hi. I am very appreciative of the information provided here. My daughter is expecting her first in a few months. The most challenging thing for us to add to her registry has been a crib mattress. I have purchased Savvy Rest latex mattresses for ourselves, and I love them. I will never sleep on anything else. However, some of the research I have done on the mattress for the baby cautions about using any form of latex or wool due to possible allergic reactions. I am very hesitant to choose a mattress with these components for the little one. Have you run across any info about this? Some of the better mattress makers include latex in their mattresses. Thanks!
Josette says
Had one other question. What do you think of Babyletto mattresses? This is another possibility on our list for the new baby.
Danica Gulyas says
Hello! I have 2 organic naturepedic mattresses for our sons. I’m purchasing a mattress for my husband and I, expecting our 3rd, and am interested in any info on the therapedic puretouch sequoia mattress which seems to meet all the standards. Any info would be helpful! Thank you.
John Goss says
Therapedic has exactly zero independent 3rd party certifications. They make claims but unfortunately cannot back them up.
Feel free to contact me directly and I’ll help you find a truly nontoxic mattress that works for you.
Best
john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Holly says
Thanks for such an amazing website that has done so much research! Ever since I had my little ones I’ve been trying to live a healthier lifestyle and been more cognizant of the materials we’ve been using. Now It’s time to get rid of our old tempurpedic mattress and we are looking for a new, healthier one, along with a big boy bed for our 2 year old! Unfortunately it’s been hard trying to find suppliers in Vancouver, Canada for the mattresses you have suggested. Ideally we would like to try it out first as well and would prefer not to spend an arm and a leg. Are there any Canadian brands you can recommend? Have you heard of Obasan/Sleeptek? Been checking out their website but the certification is to a company out in Sri Lanka that apparently provides the latex to several other companies. Would this be considered “sneaky stuff”? Thanks!
Maria says
Hi,
I am do glad I found this article.
Thank you so much for the valuable information.
Have you researched Turf and Needle?
There is a big buzz around it, and they claim to have a very safe mattress. Yet, their certification is not 100% reliable from what I learned from your site.
What is your opinion on this mattress?
Thank you
John Goss says
Hi Maria,
I get asked about Tuft and Needle a lot. For some good reasons we would not categorize them as “Good Stuff”.
Telina Violette says
Is Tuft and Needle’s mattress comparable or better than IKEA’s? Or how about Brentwood Home? My husband thinks it’s crazy to spend over $300 for a twin mattress for our two year old, so I need to find something in that price range ASAP. I know I can’t get the best, top of the line 100% organic for that price, but I’d like to still find something that has less chemicals & flame retardants than the typical big brand names. Any lower price recommendations?
Alexandra says
What are your thoughts on biosleep concept? They make all the beds to order and are based out of Portlan, Oregon. I included a link to their certification page: https://biosleepconcept.com/information/info-certificates.html
They seem to be Oeke-Tek 100 and GOTS certified on specific products.
Dan says
Hello,
I am an undergrad college student in search of an affordable and nontoxic mattress. I am curious as to what are your thoughts on “Bear Mattress” and “Helix Sleep mattress” Are they a safe product, or do you have any recommendations? My budget is under $1K. I am so overwhelmed with all of this research please help.
diana says
Is there any memory foam mattress out there that passes as “the good stuff”? I dumped my tempurpedic last year and been having back problems with the cotton and latex mattresses I’ve tried.
John Goss says
Hi Diana,
Unfortunately anything called “Memory Foam” is “Bad Stuff”, despite what the website might tell you.
Contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org and I’ll help you find something.
Penny says
What are your thoughts on hula bed? I’m weary because it says 30% of foam is coconut based. What’s the rest? the website contains the oeko-tex certification.
Penny says
I just see their top two layers are certified but the other layers are low VOC less than 0.5 ppm. I know ideal is none but is that actually very low? The price is one we can afford now compared to some of the other ones you recommended.
Emma says
I am also wondering what do you think about Obasan out of Canada ? Thanks.
Victoria says
Hi, just was wondering which certification would be the best as far as a mattress protector/encasement? Green Guard Gold or Oeko-Tex? Thanks for your time.
Carrie says
Hi there, Just wondering if you have heard of Bio Sleep and if you consider them safe?
https://www.wayfair.com/Bio-Sleep-Concept-Luxury-Natural-Wool-8-Foam-Core-Futon-Mattress-BSC-FUT11-0-BOSC1024.html?redir=BOSC1024
I noticed someone above had also asked but I didn’t see a reply. I’d love to know what you think before I make my purchase.
Thank you!
Carrie
Danielle says
Safe to assume microcoils in mattress should be avoided?
Thanks in advance!
Mounika says
Ya, really informative and quiet useful to make your decision easier if we know our need and basic requirement, based on that we could easily choose the mattress that we have to purchase. The best brands like Kurlon, Sleepwell, SpringAir in India has various options to offer and you can buy mattress online at myiconichome.com. these mattress supports in providing undisturbed pleasant sleep that worth buying online
CAT says
Curious about Tuft & Needle. there is an article that claoms they are not off gassing mattresses yet the company website doesn’t seem to address that?
Malina says
Have you published a new 2016 guide ?
Any comments on 6″ Habitat ?
Thankyou
Telina says
Here is my chat from today with Brentwood Home. Sounds pretty good for the price point?
Now Chatting_
Amanda:
Thanks for stopping by! Can I help you with anything?
I’m trying to find a non toxic affordable twin mattress. Can you tell me what your mattresses are made from, certifications they have, and if they contain flame retardants?
Amanda:
Hi Telina! Our foams are CertiPUR-US certified meaning they are made without ozone depleters, PBDE flame retardants, formaldehyde, phthalates, mercury, lead, or other heavy metals. They also have low VOC emissions for indoor air quality (less than 0.5 ppm).
Amanda:
Our latex is certified by the Eco Institute to be 100% all natural
Amanda:
We also do not use any chemical flame retardants in any of our products
Ok, thank you. Do you use wool to take place of all flame retardants then? Or what is used to replace them? How is the wool processed in your Bamboo Gel 7, and is the memory foam layer made from polyurethane?
Amanda:
Yes, we use natural wool as well as a rayon fiber infused with sand to make your mattress safe without the use of toxic fire retardant chemicals.
Amanda:
Our wool is natural and unprocessed
Amanda:
Yes, our foams are a synthetic material made of a polyurethane blend
Ok, thank you. Are your mattresses all comparable as far as same (or lack of) toxins/chemicals go, or are some better than others?
Amanda:
The mattresses in our spring collection will be the most natural since they have the least amount synthetic material (foam). However, all of our products are made with the same high quality materials.
Ok, good to know. Is there any off gassing or smell to them?
Amanda:
Though rare, there is a possibility that you may experience a smell which can be attributed to the packaging or oils from the natural wool. If this does occur, letting the mattress air for a couple of days will cause this to dissipate.
Ok, thank you for answering my questions. I appreciate it.
Amanda:
Glad to help 🙂 Have a wonderful day!
Telina says
And here is my chat conversation with Tuft & Needle. Not so sure…..it sounds like most of the mattress is polyurethane, and they don’t really want to disclose what else?
Now Chatting
Want to chat with us? Ask your question below…
→What exactly is your foam made from? Do your mattresses contain any flame retardants or other toxic materials? What certifications do you mattresses have? Thanks!
Luis: Hi there!
Luis: Give me a moment and I will gladly address all of your concerns!
Luis: Our mattress is made out of 2 layers of polyurethane foam. Our top layer is a proprietary blend that we made called “Tuft & Needle Adaptive Foam”. Our mattress does not contain flame retardant solutions, instead, we use a fire sock, the fire barrier is rayon cellulose fiber blended with fine-grained sand and a small amount of polyester which, in combination, are inherently fire resistant. Our mattress is also certified by Certi-PUR US to be completely free from any harmful chemicals.
→Do they contain any wool or latex, or what are the other components other than your foam?
Luis: We do not use wool or latex. The only other component would be our adhesive that holds together the 2 layer of foam. It is made out of synthetic latex and H20.
→Ok, thanks. Do they have any off gassing or smell?
Luis: There is slight off-gassing – none of it is harmful what so ever and the VOC’s are very low.
Luis: Goes away within a few days – if that.
→Ok, what is the smell contributed to if it’s not harmful? Does the polyurethane smell strong?
Luis: All organic compounds will off gas, which includes our mattress. We don’t have a formal ingredients list, but our mattress is tested by CertiPur to be free from harmful chemicals, PBDEs, heavy metals and formaldehyde.
Luis: It does not have a strong smell. If you’re sensitive to smells, it may smell stronger but that would be the only off-case that would make it so. Personally, I barely noticed it when I got my T&N mattress.
→Ok, thank you for the info.
Luis: No problem. Is there anything else that I can assist you with today
Luis: ?
→I think that should do it, thanks!
Luis: No problem, feel free to reach out if any other
What are your thoughts? I think I’m leaning towards Brentwood Home now after my two chat conversations with these companies. I would love your opinion though!
Lucy says
Thank you so much for this guide. Would love some advice as we are trying to get a twin bed to put in a new baby’s room for an additional adult sleep space and our budget is under $800–since the baby itself won’t be sleeping on the mattress, do you think getting something that’s low-VOC rather than no-VOC/100% good stuff might be OK, or would the off-gassing/VOC emissions even from that be too much of a concern if in the same room as an infant? Thank you so much for any thoughts!
Tracy Williams says
I am curious about Brentwood Home as well. Is this a safe mattress?
Tracy says
I am curious about Brentwood Home as well. Is this a safe mattress?
Tracy says
specifically the bambo gel 13″ mattress.
Telina says
If trying to get a twin mattress under $500, would Casper be a good option? Brentwood? Ikea? Tuft & Needle? Or what is the “best” budget friendly mattress? It would be nice to have a list of lower priced options.
LEE says
I dont see OMI (organicpedic) listed on here. They have more certifications then most companies. Is there a reason they are not listed? thanks
Diana says
I’m looking at purchasing a mattress from Lifekind. Do you have any thoughts and/or concerns about Lifekind? The certifications look good to me but I would love to hear your thoughts.
Diana says
Thank you! I did not notice the date. I appreciate you looking into it.
Kari Lapins says
Any thoughts on the Secure Beginnings Breathable Crib Mattresses?
emma says
Do you know anything about Brentwood mattresses or tuft and needle??
Kacy says
What about toddler pillow options? Thanks!
Jessica says
I would also be interested in you guys commenting on this – specifically naturepedic vs nook pebble pillows – thanks!
Emily says
Hi, I was wondering about the newton mattress’. Thanks!
http://www.newtonbaby.com/
Nika says
I would also like to know about newton mattresses as well. My sister and brother in law want to gift it to us but I don’t know much about it. Please help. Thank you in advance!!!
Colleen says
Hi,
I was wondering what your thoughts are on Avocado Mattress. Newer company.
John Goss says
John here…
Avacado shows zero certifications on their site. They simply claim that their latex is “Natural”. The term “Natural” has no legal meaning and is commonly used by many manufacturers who are hoping that “Natural” will be enough to convince us that their product is less toxic.
There is a lot of deceptive marketing in the industry. It is worth asking questions.
Best,
Deserae says
avocado does show a GOTS certification and eco institut
are those what we should be looking for?
Angie says
it has to be certified to that company….what you might see when reviwing the actual certificate (if they can provide it) is that the certification is to the seller of the product, most-likely in Sri Lanka, Belgium, Argentina, etc….otherwise you really don’t know what happened to the materials from point A to point B….before point C (the consumer).
KBW says
Hi! What an amazing resource this is, thank you! We’re in Canada, so I’m wondering if, other than Essentia, do you have any recommendations for Canadian available kids mattresses? Thanks 🙂
John Goss says
Hi KBW,
John here…
Thanks for the question. We regularly help our neighbors to the north. 🙂
Contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org and I’ll be happy to help.
Best
Anne says
I would like your thoughts and opinion on the Casper mattress.
Thank you
John Goss says
Hi Anne,
Casper mattresses do not make our list of “Good Stuff”.
I can help further. Contact me at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Best
Kate says
Hello Maia,
I was looking to purchase mattresses from your store and I noticed that you don’t carry all wool mattresses. Is there any reasons for that? I was leaning towards all wool mattress and was recommended the futon shop. Any thoughts on that company? Also I need a crib mattress and the Naturepedic light version seems good but i just wanted to make sure that the wavesupport technology doesn’t off gass or emit anything? As far as I understand it’s a new technology so I’m worried if enough testing have been done to prove it safe.
Also you forgot to mention that it’s not just coil mattresses that produce EMF but also bed frames. The same article is featured on Dr. Mercola site and he talks about bed frames as well: ” …bed frames and box springs are made of metal, and the length of a bed is exactly half the wavelength of FM and TV transmissions. The maximum strength of the field develops 75 centimeters above the mattress,…”
Any suggestions on cribs brands without metal frames? I haven’t seen any that wouldn’t have a metal support for the mattress.
Best regards and thank you for the great work you do!
John Goss says
Hi Kate,
John here…
Thank you for the kind words about our site. I’m glad we can help.
We have taken a look at WaveSupport and although we are generally not fans of plastics, it appears to be a good stuff. It tests well.
Thanks for the heads up re: frames. I tend to think of bed frames as being made of wood, but you correctly point out that some are made from metal.
Best
John Goss says
…ooops! I forgot to mention that we work with 2 manufacturers who can make you all-wool, nontoxic mattresses.
Please contact me at: john@gimmethegoodstuff.org and I can get you details.
Best,
John
john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Cathy says
Have you researched Brentwood Home beds…looking at the Coronado on sale at Costco. Their website looks good and says they are non toxic. I want to replace my 3 teen children’s beds and mine with healthier beds (our old ones are older Sealy) so I can’t spend a fortune. Thank you!
John Goss says
Hi Cathy,
John here…
Brentwood Home appears to have no independent 3rd party testing or certifications. As such they would not be considered “Good Stuff”. There is too much misleading marketing in the mattress industry.
Feel free contact me directly at: john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Let me know what sizes you are looking for.
Lina says
Has any further research been done on Brentwood mattresses? I didn’t see them listed anywhere on the latest mattress update, and I’d really love to hear your thoughts! I purchased a twin from them for my son back in January, and am hoping it is at least ok stuff!
Fenny says
What about Spindle Mattress that doesn’t cost $$$$. Anyone purchase Spindle Mattress? Spindlemattress.com
John Goss says
John here…
Spindle does not make our list of “Good Stuff”. Their certifications are dubious.
Rachel says
Hi, thanks so much for your website. Is there any chance that you have ever looked into Room & Board’s mattresses? They claim to be flame retardant free … would love to know what you think of their mattresses.
Thanks so much in advance!
Madeline says
Hello
Thank you so much for all this amazing info! I want my daughter to have the safest mattress! Unfortunately my budget is very tight! I was curious how your felt about the tuft and needle mattresses? I know it’s. It the best because it is foam but wondering if it’s not too bad? I’ve been trying to do some research but it’s confusing! I was going to get the White Lotus Green Cotton & Wool Dreamton Futon but is sooo expensive!but No returns That’s a lot of money to have no idea how it feels!
Would love your opinion
Thank you
Ashley says
Could you guys do an updated guide? Please!
Maia James says
We have an updated guide in the works that should be ready this month! We appreciate your patience. 🙂
Pam says
Is this guide available yet? ITs March 28th, 2017….Really need help here…
Im about to buy a Simmons Beautyrest Bay Spring mattress for my son and Im wondering if Im making a huge mistake!
Mark J says
We’re also looking at a White Lotus mattress for our kid. Curious why you went with the Green Cotton instead of an Organic Cotton mattress. The salesperson said they can’t guarantee the farms where they source the green cotton don’t use pesticides. The green cotton is significantly cheaper, so I’m just looking to weigh the pros and cons. Thanks for your in-depth review!
Olya says
Hello:)
Thank you so much for all this helpful information. I wanted to ask what you thought about the Naturepedic No Comprimise organic cotton classic lightweight crib mattress? You guys sell the classic 150 organic one… do u think it’s safer/healthier than te lightweight one? Thank you so much! Olya
Randy says
Any update to Lifekind.com if they are in the good or bad listing since their mattresses are listed as organic natural rubber with the Greenguard , GOTS and GOLS certification?
joanna says
hi I found this site called sleepez.com that claims to you use all natural latex. In addition they say they do not use flame retardants to treat or any pdbes or harmful plastics. Seems way cheaper then your other recommendations. Have you ever heard of this company or think their claims are Legitimate?
thank you
Fenny says
Hi John,
What about Healthy Choice Organic Mattress? http://hcmattress.com/index.aspx
They are in the Real Simple magazine. Please let me know since they have a President’s Day Sale and I need to replace my mattress this month. Thanks!
Alissa O'Connor Rottingen says
Love your site.
While I would love a mattress, I may only be able to afford a futon. Is there a futon with latex and cotton, but not wool? I may have a sensitivity to wool. If a wool sweater makes my neck itch, would the wool inside the mattress be an issue?
If I do go with a futon, would you recommend a topper (latex) for more support/cushion?
Need to purchase a new mattress asap.
It’s too bad that living toxin free isn’t a luxury everyone can afford.
Maia James says
Hi there! If you shoot an email to john@gimmethegoodstuff.org he can answer all your questions and help you find the right mattress:).
alissa o'connor-rottingen says
Thank you, Maia. Will do.
alissa o'connor-rottingen says
Thank you Maia. Will do. I look forward to your latest guide.
Janice says
hi.
I’m wondering if you can provide some feedback on some Canadian based mattress companies that sell “good Stuff” everything I seem to find is U.S and cost way over my budget. We had to upgrade to a king and ended up getting a toxic bed and hate it.
Rachel says
This is so helpful! Thank you.
Have you looked into My Green Mattress at all? They seem like a good, affordable option.
John Goss says
Hi Rachel,
My Green Mattress does not qualify as “Good Stuff”. There is a lot of deceptive marketing in the industry and it’s worth taking a closer look. Feel free to contact me directly… john@gimmethegoodstuff.org I’ll be happy to help you figure things out.
Thanks,
Karen says
I notice that you have rarely mentioned OMI Organicpedic and Organicpedic Earth mattresses. Someone else asked you about this brand in an earlier comment but there was no reply. They seem to have all the correct certifications and I like the feel of them more than the Savvy Rest. I am worried that I may be overlooking something. Do you have any thoughts on this manufacturer or either line of their products? Thank you so much for all the helpful information!
cathy says
I’m looking forward to your updated mattress guide! Can you review sleep on latex? It got high remarks in consumer reports and the website says it’s natural latex/organic cotton. Families that can’t afford thousands for new beds need some options too. Thank you for your awesome guides!
Silvana says
Great information! Thank you so much!
My daughter and son- in- law after much research, purchased a customized Obasan, made in Canada (local for us). Very expensive, but health issues were a priority. There was a reference to this company earlier but I didn’t see a response. We are in the market for a new mattress and I would be interested to know what your thoughts are.
Thank you
Mireya Sandoval says
Hi guys!
Absolutely love your site! Any updates on the Nook Pure?
Warm wishes,
Mireya
Jessica Htay says
I regularly refer to your site and greatly appreciate all the research that goes into your guides.
I am looking at Sleep On Latex out of Chicago. They list Oeko-Tex certification as well as Eco Institut. Any insights? Thank you!
https://sleeponlatex.com/blogs/news/34341957-health-and-environmental-certifications
Joanna says
Hi!
Thank you for such a helpful and informative site/discussion!
I am vegan so I want to avoid wool but I still want a non-toxic mattress.
I have narrowed my search down to three options.
I know your thought about Soaring Heart but can you please give me your opinion about the other two options?
Thank you!
1. Soaring Heart- latex (no wool with Dr. prescription)
2. Seattle Natural mattress
3. Ergovea – Madera Latex Mattress
Maia James says
Hi there! Soaring Heart is definitely our top pick. For more help choosing the right mattress for your specific needs, you can email john@gimmethegoodstuff.org.
Kasey E says
Thank you so much for your reviews, whenever I’m curious about a product I look on your site.
I am curious if you know anything about the newton rest crib mattress? It seems to be a good product, but I can never be to sure! Thanks for your time!
https://www.newtonbaby.com/
Glenn Burns says
Hello – I am interested in purchasing the intelliBed or the Purple mattress and wanted to know if they are, “non-toxic” beds like they claim. I really appreciate your time.
Kind Regards,
Glenn
Maia James says
HI there-
I don’t know the Purple mattress, but if you look under The Sneaky Stuff, you’ll see our thoughts on Intellibed. Thanks!
-M
Ryan says
Have you done any research on SleepNumber beds? Our family of 4 wants to upgrade to a king mattress and I don’t see sleepjumber anywhere on this page. Sleepnumber uses air pressure/air chambers to adjust the firmness. Specifically thinking about the C3, C4 or P5 mattress. Thank you so much!
John Goss says
Hi Ryan,
John here…Unfortunately Sleep Number is a long way from being “Good Stuff”. They are way at the other end of the spectrum. “Nontoxic” is simply not their thing. Feel free to contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org and I’ll be happy to help you find a truly nontoxic mattress.
Thanks
Maia James says
Hi there-
We would consider that bed Bad Stuff, unfortunately. Soaring Heart does offer a nice zoned support bed that is incredibly comfortable. Please feel free to email john@gimmethegoodstuff.org for more help choosing the right mattress!
Dina says
Hi Maia, curious why is sleep number considered “bad stuff”? Thanks!
maurice dudeley says
When shopping for a mattress, look for one that’s free from latex, soy based foam, and chemical retardants, and look for one that uses materials like wool, cotton, and all natural rubber instead.
http://www.memoryfoamdoctor.com/memory-foam-mattress/best-memory-foam-mattress/
Madeline says
Hi! I was wondering if you had heard of Avocado Green Mattresses? They are a new company and I just ordered one for our new bed and I’m wondering what you think. They claim to be a company in response to all of the false “organic” and affordable mattress certifications out there and are made with “natural latex rubber, wool and GOTS organic cotton”. Any info you have would be helpful! Thank you!
I found them here: https://www.avocadogreenmattress.com/
Jess says
Another fun fact to make mattress shopping more confusing/stressful is that even though the company shows a certification doesn’t mean all of the material they get is certified. For example, one of the companies that is Oeko-Tex 100 certified for their wool could not disclose that the mattress company solely purchases the wool from them for the production of their mattresses. So basically if this information is classified that means it is unsure how to know how much of the material they use is actually certified. John/Maia, does this sound accurate?
Maia James says
Yup!
Nikolay Nikolaev says
Hi Maia,
I recently discovered your blog and have already spent quite some time on it:) Thank you for putting all this information together.
Unless I’ve missed them, I’ve not seen any replies related to the Avocado Green Mattress, and this is a mattress hat we are seriosuly considering purchasing. Do you know anyting about it and would you recommend it as a healthy option.
Here is a link to their website:
https://www.avocadogreenmattress.com/
Thank you in advance for your help and have a great day!
Nick
steve says
I’m also wondering about that brand, would love to know what the experts think.
Thank You,
Steve
Allison says
Thank you so much for this article! What do you know about the Ghost Bed? I chatted with a customer service rep and she said it was made up of memory foam, dunlop latex, gel infused memory foam with a cushion on top. She also said the mattress was free of toxins and harmful chemicals, but it’s hard to just take her word for it. I asked if they used polyurethane or VOCs and she said no, but I’m not sure how I verify that for sure. They are Certi-Pur certified, but I know that doesn’t mean that much. Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated!
https://www.ghostbed.com/
John Goss says
Hi Allison,
Anything called “memory foam” should be avoided, no matter what the customer service folks say. Ghosted does not make our cut.
Feel free to contact me directly and I can help. What size mattress are you looking for?
john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Meg says
I was looking at the naturepedic toddler pillows to go with our mattress and they offer a washable one made with PLA filling. Have you looked at this material at all? Thanks!
John Goss says
Hi Meg,
Although we generally do not like plastics, PLA seems to be ok.
Thanks
Daniella says
Hi! Do you have any informations about this companies:
-Samina
-Wool bed company ( http://www.surroundewe.com/HowToSleepBetter ) ?
Thank you!
France Albert says
Hey guys – thanks for taking the time to put all of this info together.
I’m about to pull the trigger on the Newton Wovenaire. Any feedback on this particular mattress? My second choice would be the Naturepedic No Compromise.
Would really appreciate your help on this!
THANK YOU!
John Goss says
We are still on the fence re: Newton. We need to do more research.
We know that Naturepedic is “Good Stuff”.
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/store/naturepedic-organic-cotton-classic-150-crib-mattress/
Thanks
France Albert says
Hi Maia & John
I’m thinking of pulling the trigger on the Newton Wovenaire, but would LOVE your input on this one before I do due to price tag associated with it!
THANK YOU
Janice shillington says
We have a sleep number 8 full and 10 king. We are thinking of getting rid of them because of the toxic foam. / voc etc.
the company will not tell us anything. They said it is propriatory information. Tried several different people. Should we get rid of it less than a year old and comfortable.
John says
Hi Janice,
You are correct in saying that Sleep Number has toxic foams. The excuse of “proprietary information” is just a way of not disclosing problematic chemicals. It should be illegal to not disclose but…..
I will be happy to help you find a truly nontoxic mattress that suits your needs. Let me know any particulars…size, back problems etc. and I’ll make some recommendations.
john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Rachel Silverstein says
Hello! Wondering what you think of Essentia mattresses? They seem to be conscientious and non-toxic. They make a crib mattress that I am looking into purchasing. Thank you! [Also, we have a Lifekind mattress for us (with wool topper, pillows, and all of their organic sheets) and are totally obsessed. Recommend them highly!]
Maia James says
You can see above what we think of Essentia. They are listed under Okay Stuff.
Trisha says
Hello-
Thank you for all your work putting this information together. I would love to know your thoughts on the Avacado green mattress?
Thank you so much!
Trisha
John says
Hi Trisha,
Avocado makes a lot of claims but fails to make our cut.
I will be happy to help you find a truly nontoxic mattress that suits your needs. Let me know any particulars…size, back problems etc. and I’ll make some recommendations.
john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Julie says
Hi Trisha,
I recently reached out to Avocado regarding their current certifications and to see if they pursued GOTS/GOLS. Here is what the customer representative had to say:
“At present, our cotton is GOTS certified with organic cotton, and our Dunlop latex is eco-INSTITUT certified. We made a decision early on that if we ensured the purity / quality of our latex (i.e. via the eco-INSTITUT testing standard) that it would have a significant benefit in terms of cost that we pass through to our customers, while ensuring zero off-gassing or negative implications. GOLS certified latex would be much pricier, which would force us to raise our prices rather significantly, so we opted for this route as we’re seeking a balance of true greenness and affordability. We have also received our Greenguard Gold certification as well, which we are very happy to share with you!
In short, we test for chemicals and the purity of the latex. It doesn’t come from a certified organic farm which is the main difference. But similarly it’s tested for any chemicals or emissions, and its 100% natural latex so in terms of integrity and durability it’s the same :)”
I believe that they are an honest and transparent company but for my own home if I am paying 1,000 or more, I’d rather spend slightly more to get one that is certified safe. Hope this helps!
Robin J says
Was curious if LifeKind was reviewed in the most recent update? I know others have asked about their mattresses, which interests me too, but their sheets seem reasonably priced too. Thanks!
Kaylee says
If you could please give your thoughts on the Spindle 100% Natural Latex Mattress. It claims to use organic cotton and organic wool but only has Oeko-Tex 100… No GOLS or GOTS certifications. I’m between this mattress and an Essentia. So would really love to hear your advice.
https://spindlemattress.com/faq-items/wool-inside-latex-mattress/
Maia James says
our opinion is that Spindle is just Okay Stuff.
Brian Channell says
I’ve slept on a Simmons Beautyrest 14” Full SurfaceCool Gel Memory Foam but found it too soft. This is what I tried and did not like it. https://www.costco.com/Simmons-Beautyrest-14%E2%80%9D-Full-SurfaceCool-Gel-Memory-Foam-Mattress-.product.100316014.html
I’m looking for an adult full size, non-toxic, no coil, firmer mattress but a futon might be another option. Any suggestions?
John Goss says
Hi Brian,
John here…
Your best bet would be:
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/store/soaring-heart-organic-latex-support-mattress/
You can select between firm and extra firm. Almost everyone opts for “firm” rather than extra firm…
Feel free to contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Lina says
Was really hoping Brentwood Home mattresses would be in your latest review but didn’t see them. I debated between them and My Green Mattress when I purchased my son’s twin size bed recently. I finally decided on Brentwood and I hope I didn’t make the wrong choice! Now I’m second guessing it since I don’t see them on your list, but I do see My Green Mattress under Good Stuff. And too late to return I think 🙁
Kindahl says
I just bought this, doesn’t it sound good? I’m going to be so sad.
How is Zenhaven constructed?
From the top down, Zenhaven consists of a quilt package with an organic cotton cover; a flame-retardant layer of natural 100% organic New Zealand wool; a 1.5” comfort layer of 100% Talalay latex featuring our proprietary 5-zone design; and a 6” base layer, also of 100% Talalay latex. (Please refer to our Mattress page)
Jessica says
I had a Brooklyn Bedding. I asked them for their certifications and they were unable to provide it for me. They lied to me saying they had been certified for years and didn’t need to get re-certified. Since they were caught in a lie, I demanded a refund and got one (and returned the bed).
Greg says
Hi John & Mia,
Could you please let me know your thought on the brand Kidicomfort and greenbuds? Specifically the PURE crub mattres from Kidicomfort and the Greenbuds Magnolia Pureté 2-in-1 Deluxe Crib Mattress?
http://www.kidicomfort.com/en/products/prestige-collection-usa
https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/greenbuds-magnolia-puret-trade-2-in-1-deluxe-crib-mattress/1045403491?categoryId=32620
Also looking Newton mattress but concerned about the phosphates they call “salt” used for flame retardant as well as the cover. The mattress looks really good but it is listed in your “bad” category and every review I read people are in love with it.
I originally purchase a naturepedic ultra 2 in 1 but the size does not fit in my crib as they say it does so had to return.
Thanks so much!!
Greg
Brandon says
I bought a memory foam mattress from WalMart without thinking anything about it.
4 years later I decided I should wash the outer cover, it’s generally covered, but I figured I should give it a clean. The inner cover, composed of 100% glass fiber, had degraded over the years from where I slept. I think noticed clumps of loose glass fibers and lots of loose small ones everywhere.
I wondered if the outer cover, which is made of a thin fabric, had been able to contain those little glass fibers from escaping. The answer was no. I found them on my pillow, my sheets, my electric blanket, my sleeping clothes, and basically anything else that had touched my bed or shared the same area. I’ve found tiny glass fibers on my tv screen across my room for example. They are literally everywhere. I tossed the mattress out along with all my bedding and a good chunk of my clothes to get rid of all the reservoirs of the fibers and I’m currently vacuuming every square inch of my room with a brush attachment to try getting rid of as much of the fibers and particles as I can.
I was wondering, can you speak on the safety of the glass fibers used in these mattresses that’s used as a fire barrier. How safe can that material be to breath in over years as the tiny particles escape the mattress? I actually can’t seem to find much information about this and I find that pretty shocking.
Interesting site with a lot of good information.
Thanks.
Felicia says
Hello Maia and team.
Thanks for providing all of these amazing resources. I struggle with physical pain and sleep. I was encourage by Mommypotamus’s review of IntelliGEL beds, but I know that the bed isn’t good for the environment when it’s time to toss it, and I’m guessing that the gel probably contains a lot of chemicals. In your review of this bed, it sounds like the main negative is that the foam used is likely to contain polyurethane chemicals. Since the foam makes up less than 10% of the bed, I’m wondering how serious this might be when compared with others? In other sneaky mattresses or mattresses in general with toxic foam, what % is used? 10% 20%? I believe mommypotamus said one could order talalay latex instead of the foam. I understand from your info that talalay is not organic, but is it very toxic? Also, do you find a problem with the gel? The gel seems to make up a large % of the overall mattress materials. I’m really curious about the fire-blocker of course. Mommypotamus said that one could order the mattress without the fire-blocker if a doctor gives a prescription. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated and thanks for the GREAT blog!!!!
Always says
Have you heard about Surround Ewe mattresses? I wish I knew how their wool was treated.
Greg says
Seems like everyone is on vacation. No replies!
Nereida says
Hi
Thanks so much for all your guides. They’re amazing. I’m looking for a crib mattress but I live in Canada. Any of your options ship here?
Thanks
Selena says
Hi! Is the “sneaky stuff” category considered to be worse than the “bad stuff”?? Or are they just particular sneaky details, and the bad stuff is the worst category in your ranking? Thanks!
Maia James says
As a general rule, Bad Stuff is the worst category. We call things Sneaky rather than Bad when they make claims about being natural/organic/nontoxic but use ingredients or materials that suggest otherwise.
Carrie says
What do you think of Lullaby Earth?
Brin says
Do you have any details on the Happsy mattress?
Thank you.
Jennifer says
Hello,
We are looking to purchase a mattress for our murphy bed and would like it to be as non-toxic as possible. Unfortunately, although we would normally look into a latex mattress, we are only able to use an innerspring or coil mattress with the murphy bed. Can you make a recommendation?
Thank you
Greg says
Maia or John,
Would you be able to respond to the last few questions since June if you have the time?
Thanks so much,
Brian Edwards says
Hi Maia,
We have 100% organic latex mattresses made by Habitat Furnishings. Are you familiar with this company? If so, do you recommend? We spent a good amount of money on our mattresses from Habitat, so I’m really hoping they are certifiable.
Thank you,
Brian
Jana Grillo says
Hi Maia,
I was reading your non-toxic make-up routine and saw this non-toxic mattress guide underneath. I recently purchased a 100% natural latex mattress from a company which you have listed under “Okay Stuff.” I absolutely love my mattress! I want you to know that I did a lot of research before I made this purchase and I know for a fact that this company is 100% better than a few companies that I see in your “Good Stuff” category. Not only are they a manufacturer, but they have all certifications which the others do not have! I wonder if they are aware of your article here. Maia, please explain what your “rules” are for placing a company in “Okay Stuff” v. “Good Stuff.” It is very confusing and misleading to your readers and I wonder if the proper research was done before posting this article. Thank you. Jana G.
Melissa Hall says
I just asked Avocado about their certifications (if they were GOTS and GOLS) and their response:
“At present, our cotton is GOTS certified with organic cotton, and our Dunlop latex is eco-INSTITUT certified. We made a decision early on that if we ensured the purity / quality of our latex (i.e. via the eco-INSTITUT testing standard) that it would have a significant benefit in terms of cost that we pass through to our customers, while ensuring zero off-gassing or negative implications. GOLS certified latex would be much pricier, which would force us to raise our prices rather significantly, so we opted for this route as we’re seeking a balance of true greenness and affordability. We have also received our Greenguard Gold certification as well, which we are very happy to share with you!
In short, we test for chemicals and the purity of the latex. It doesn’t come from a certified organic farm which is the main difference. But similarly it’s tested for any chemicals or emissions, and its 100% natural latex so in terms of integrity and durability it’s the same :)”
what do you think? what does this mean?
John Goss says
Hi Melissa,
First off…”Natural” is essentially a meaningless term. It is a necessary word for marketing but, Poison Ivy and Plutonium are “natural”. I don’t want to sleep on those.
While Eco-Institut and Greenguard certifications are better than no certifications…they are far from the best certification which is a GOLS certificate written to the exact same company you are buying from…not a 3rd party in Sri Lanka or Indonesia etc.
There can be a lot of deceptive marketing in the industry. It’s worth sorting these things out before investing in a mattress.
You can contact me directly at 717 869 6968 and I’ll be happy to discuss it. Or email me at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Thanks,
John
Jessica says
Hello,
I recently purchased a Magniflex made in Italy. It claims to be organic cover, and chemical free. They have the good certifications you list. I have some time to test it out. What are your thoughts?
https://www.magniflex.com/international/en/toscana/27-cotton-caresse-dual-10.html
Thank you!
Carol says
This is one of the best mattress reviews I’ve read. So much great information. Too many people are confused about off-gassing, so it was great you cleared that up!
Abhi says
Hello, this blog has been supremely helpful as I shop for mattresses for my children’s rooms. I found ‘Sleep on Latex’ to have more affordable options than any of the other makes. I know this brand is currently listed under ‘Okay Stuff,’ but I was wondering if you’ve had a chance to update your findings on them? The product claims are: 100% natural latex, organic cotton, organic wool…
I’m close to making a purchase decision and wanted to get your input! Thank you very much!
JSP says
Are “non-toxic” mattresses more susceptible to mold?
We bought OMI crib mattress last fall (it was recommended on the site so we felt good about the purchase) and now it has mold EVERYWHERE. We had used the naturepedic waterproof cover on it but the mattress has been bare since late May (my daughter and I are abroad for the summer and we took the waterproof cover and sheets with us). When my husband found extensive MOLD on the OMI mattress a couple days ago and we were in total shock. He ventilates the room AND the AC is on at all times. No other furniture in the nursery OR mattresses (temperpedic, sealy; so “toxic” mattresses) in the other rooms have mold…
When I contacted the company, they said mold isn’t covered by warranty (even though it’s less than one year old!) and told me not to use waterproof cover. Except when we left, the mattress was perfectly fine. Somehow in the last couple of months when the mattress was NOT covered and NOT in use, the mold had been growing.
OMI said Live Enzyme Cleaner should do the job but we aren’t sure if that’s gonna get rid of everything. Have you had any experience with mold issues in the “non-toxic” mattresses? It’s not a big deal if we have to get a new mattress but not sure if we will go back to OMI….
Hasan Uddin says
I’m thinking about purchasing a latex mattress. I want to buy this one https://www.brentwoodhome.com/products/cedar-mattress (Cedar Mattress). “Rest with total peace of mind on layers of eco-friendly and sustainable materials like eco-INSTITUT certified natural latex, GOTS certified organic cotton, and organic coconut husk.” What do you think?
John Goss says
Hi Hasan,
I would recommend reading our updated Safe Mattress Guide before purchasing a mattress.
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/safe-product-guides/mattresses/
Or you can contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org
Hasan U. says
Any thoughts on this mattress, https://www.dreamfoambedding.com/product/ultimate-dreams-latex-mattress. I read your Safe Mattress Guide and this mattress is OEKO-TEX Certified.
John Goss says
Hi Hasan,
Thanks for the question. It does not appear that dreamfoam has proper certification. They do not display the actual certificates…among other problems.
The sad fact is that when a Queen mattress is offered at $599 it is very unlikely to be nontoxic.
Hasan Uddin says
Or maybe this one? https://www.dreamfoambedding.com/product/ultimate-dreams-latex-mattress/ Ultimate Dreams Latex Mattress
John says
Dreamfoambedding does not have the certifications to make serious claims about nontoxic mattresses.
Leslie B. says
Hi-
Just wondering what your thoughts were on the babyletto crib mattresses?
Thank you!
Lina says
Still hoping to hear thoughts on Brentwood mattresses. 🙁
John Goss says
Hi Lina,
Brentwood uses a lot of language that would lead us to believe that their products are nontoxic but unfortunately the words and the reality do not always line up.
Feel free to contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org and I can help you find a truly certified mattress.
Thanks
Kandyce says
How about the Lullaby Earth Crib Matress line created by Naturpedic company? Is it still safe? Thank you for all of your great information!
Sarah says
I’m struggling to find a mini crib mattress (and don’t have the space for a full-sized crib). Organic Textiles LLC appears to have both GOTS and GOLS certifications, but I don’t see it listed in your guide. The certificates are available on their website, but with some info obscured…not sure if this is something I should be concerned about!
Thanks for any advice you have to offer
John Goss says
Hi Sarah,
John here…
The certification shown on Organic Textiles website is not what we look for. It is not dated and it is not issued to Organic Textiles. Feel free to contact me at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org and I can help you get whatever size crib mattress you want. We know fully certified manufacturers that can make anything. Thanks
Abby says
I have a Simmons Kids® Tranquil Nights Organic Core 2 ‘N’ 1 mattress for my little one and I purchased it at Costco back in April of 2016. Im completely scared now after reading that all Simmons mattresses are treated with “bad stuff”. Even though this is considered “organic” should I still be concerned?? Thank you for taking time to help out all of us health-conscious Mamas!
John says
Because that mattress is no longer made it is difficult to get full info on it but Simmons is not exactly known for their dedication to building nontoxic products. They have zero certifications that would lead me to believe that they make any truly nontoxic products.
Kelly D says
What do you think of 5 Little Monkeys mattress?
Leslie B. says
John-
What are your thoughts on the babyletto pure core or coco core mattresses?
Thank you!
Rachelle Nieman says
Hi there, I contacted Avacado Mattress company to ask them to send me their certifications they claim to have since your mattress guide said it weren’t sure of it’s claims and they sent me two. The GOTS and ECO-Institut. I have no idea what to look for on these certifications. Would love your help.
Thanks!
Martha says
I believe you look to see if the certification is written to the manufacture of the mattress (which I think includes the entire mattress) OR simply just to a supplier of a material they use in th mattress (llatex, wool, cotton, etc.)
Martha says
I believe you look to see if the certification is written to the manufacture of the mattress (which I think includes the entire mattress) OR simply just to a supplier of a material they use in the mattress (latex, wool, cotton, etc.)
Angie says
I contacted a representative from Avocado and here is the conversation:
Angie: Hi I am wondering how i can view your materials’ certificates?
Amy: Hi there and thank you for getting in touch with us 🙂
Amy: At present, our cotton is GOTS certified with organic cotton, and our Dunlop latex is eco-INSTITUT certified.
Amy: We have recently received our Greenguard Gold certification, which tests the mattress overall for emissions, and have passed with flying colors!
Amy: I’d be happy to share the certificates with you if you’d like!
Angie: Yes I would like to see them. Thank you!
She sent me the attachments in the chat and here is what they read:
– Green Guard Gold – Certified to Avocado Green Mattress
– GOTS “Certificate” – Showing a Transaction Certificate for Textiles:
Body issuing the certificate: CU Inspections & Certifications INDIA Private Ltd.
Seller of the Product: RED FLAG – OMG this part is covered with white-out
Last processor of the product(s): Bannari Amman Spinning Mills Ltd. INDIA
Country of dispatch: INDIA
Buyer of the prodcut: KC Tex Inc. Charlotte, NC
Eco Institut Lien – Latex Certificate to LIEN A Co., Ltd. VIETNAM
This seems sketchy. They lost me at the white-out….unless it was to protect the name and address of a silent partner? idk.
Hope this answers questions.
Angie
John says
Hi Angie,
You are doing a great job as a consumer. 🙂
Feel free to contact me directly at john@gimmethegoodstuff.org and I’ll be happy to help you to the next level!
John
Nancy Fagen says
I was looking at the Avocado mattress too. Gosh, why can’t they just be straight forward and honest!
Randy says
Any insight on ultimatesleep.com or sleeponlatex.com would be greatly appreciated. They both have toppers in reasonable price ranges
Danielle says
What about Gold Bond American made mattresses? Thank you!
christine Schwamb says
Are you familiar with Mulligan Mattresses? http://mulliganmattress.com/
They state are 100% natural chemical free latex.
Thanks.
Christine
John says
Hi Christine,
Mulligan displays no certifications on their site. They use the word “natural” a lot. “Natural” has no legal meaning. Poison Ivy is “natural” but I don’t think I want to sleep on it. The commonly used flame retardant, Antimony is “natural” and is a known toxin.
They also claim to have “USDA certified organic natural latex”….but this is confusing because, to my knowledge, the USDA does not offer certifications for mattress cores. Hmmm…
Angie says
I am trying to make a decision by September 4th (Labor Day Sales)…and boy and I’m overwhelmed! I have converted to an all-organic lifestyle – started with food, then beauty products, and now I am onto the bedding. Your blog is extremely informative, and I appreciate everything that you guys do!
That being said…I have spent sometime in a Natural Sleep Shop (been there about 3 times), which is local to me, and they only sell Savvy Rest and Naturpedic. I really am sold on a Savvy Rest, however, I thought before I make the plunge this weekend I would go online and see if I can find a more affordable, and more/just as organic online mattress.
I did not see anyone mention Obasan (still need to see if they ship in the US) or Sleeping Pure (I have been chatting with an online representative about the product). Do you have any information on these two brands? I apologize if I had missed any mentioning of them, in advance.
Angie says
I hope this discussion is not dead and that I am not just on here talking to myself, but oh well I need to sort some things out in my brain before being set on a mattress for this Labor Day Weekend sale!!!
OBASAN
I read further through the comments and saw that someone has mentioned them, but did not see that Maia or John commenting further, so I’ll report on this one:
At first glance, they look like a great product with beautiful craftsmanship…I’m actually in love with how they look, but I will not purchase this mattress for the following reasons:
1.) I have dug deeper and cannot definitively tell if they do, in fact, ship to the US (seems Canada-based only?).
2.) More importantly, I viewed their certifications in which they have linked PDFs of, and I appreciate their honesty and all, BUT
– GOLS for Organic Rubber/Latex was issued to Richard Pieris Natural Foams Ltd., Sri Lanka
– GOTS for Organic Wool was issued to Planta Fuhrmann in Argentina
– GOTS for Textile Standard was issued to LAVA bvba in Belgium
:'( How expensive/difficult is it to just get these materials certified to the facility and/or the owner of the companies who manufacture the products? Ugh. Disappointing.
On to the next one…
SLEEPING PURE
I have been in contact with the representatives on their chat, and here is how the conversation went…
Angie: Is there any way to view material certifications?
Angie: I have clicked on the tab labeled as “Materials & Certifications” and I cannot seem to find a link to view them.
Lance: Welcome back, Angie.
Lance: Let me check the details for you.
Angie: Thank you.
Lance: You are welcome!
Lance: Thank you for waiting. Have you already checked this link, https://sleepingpure.com/about/materials-and-certifications/ ?
Angie: Yes, and I see that you have the logos: GOTS and Oeko-Tex Standard 100, however, I do not see a link to view the certificates.
Lance: Alright. I’ll have my product specialist get back to you with the information on that. Your number and email is, ___________ ____________, am I right?
Angie: I have been doing a lot research and I have read that it is best to see that the material is certified to the company/facility in which the mattresses are constructed, rather than certified in the country of which the materials (latex, wool, cotton, etc.) originate, i.e. Sri Lanka, Belgium, etc.
Angie: …because a lot can happen from the place of origin to the facility…and then to the bedrooms of the consumers of which these mattresses will go to, and that worries me. Thank you so much. I will appreciate anymore information on this.
Lance: I really appreciate your concern about certifications.
Lance: I will forward you the information of this inquiry.
I will post the email, if they ever get back to me.
Figured I’d add these to the list!
Best,
Angie
Angie says
Here is the reply, John and Maia, how would you rate Sleeping Pure?
Hi Angie,
I’ve attached a copy of our GOTS certification for you to see. Our Talalay latex is okeo tex certified but we don’t usually receive a copy of the certificate, I can reach out to them and see if they can send me one. That product is sourced in CT and you can see their website here http://www.talalayglobal.com. Our Dunlop comes from India and is 100% natural. The factory where we purchase it actually uses only organic farms but there is an upcharge for a GOLS certification on the latex and we made the choice not to pay for the certificate and pass the savings on to our customers. I understand your concerns regarding purity, unfortunately there is a lot of green washing that goes on. That is one of the reasons we started our company after working in the organic industry for so many years, we wanted to be able to make healthy mattresses that were more affordable and be completely transparent as to what is inside. If you prefer to have GOLS certified latex I will be happy to refer you to some companies that do offer it. We appreciate your interest in our products!
Angie says
Sleeping Pure GOTS Certification:
– Body issuing the Cert.:
Control Union – Netherlands
– Seller of Product:
Jacquard Textile (Asia) Limited – Thailand
-Last Processor of the Product:
Jacquard Textile (Asia) Limited – Thailand
-Buyer of the Product(s):
Latex Global – San Ramon, CA
-Country of Dispatch: Thailand
-Consignee of the Product:
Sleeping Pure – California
Still awaiting the Cert. for the Talalay Latex. I find it weird that she said in the email that they “…don’t usually receive a copy of that certificate…” How can they back up any of their claims? This is craziness.
I’d prefer it if a company had the certification, rather than them saving money for the consumers to save money….to me it’s not about the money its about my health, and my family’s health. I am definitely on this bandwagon hard!!!
John says
Hi Angie,
RIGHT ON!! Many manufacturers make claims. Few can back them up.
Claiming that they don’t actually have a copy of the certification is sheer lunacy. They can’t send you a copy because they likely don’t have the certification they claim. It’s common marketing tactic used by many mattress manufacturers.
I know we all have budgets to consider but even a fully certified $3000 mattress only costs about 41 cents per day…far less than a cup of coffee at Starbucks!
Considering the chemistry found in many mattresses, 41 cents per day starts looking like a bargain…AND you don’t need to spend $3000 to get a fully certified mattress!
Tracy says
Also looking at Labor Day Sales! I’m leaning towards LifeKind, and I’m wondering if you’ve had any input from people who have tried the mattresses. Sleeping Organic (from South Carolina) looks good, too. Do you have any information about them? Seem to have all the great qualifications and prices are really good. Just wondering if their website is making them to appear better than reality, or if the representation is true. Thank you for all of this research – it’s been really helpful!
John says
Hi Tracy,
Unfortunately Sleeping Organic does not actually have all the certifications that they make it seem like on their site. This is a very common marketing tactic in the industry. Buyer beware!
Shannon says
Hi John,
Why is it that you say Sleeping Organic does not have the certifications they claim to have on their website? I spoke with someone at the company and they told me the certifications they have. I would like to know where you are getting your information so that I can be more informed to make the right purchase decision.
Thanks!
Jaclyn says
https://www.tuftandneedle.com/lp/safety/?gclid=CMiEksnZgdYCFRC4wAodMxYGqg
FYI about Tuft and Needle
They have 3 certifications. CertiPur, Greenguard Gold AND OEKO TEK standard 100 (FIRST Whole Mattress Certified)
John says
While those 3 certifications are negligible-to-ok, they are not in the same league as GOTS and GOLS.
Jaclyn says
Negligible-to-ok? I’m confused— on your guide it’s listed as
“Good Mattress Certifications”: stating,
“Oeko-Tex Standard 100. While this certification doesn’t require any organic materials to be used in a mattress, it does set limits for VOC emissions (such as formaldehyde). It also prohibits the use of dangerous flame retardants and dyes”….
I realize it’s not organic– confusing recommendations though
Angie says
PHEW! After 2 nights I have finally finished reading this entire blog and comment sections. I just have one more thing to add…for John and Maia’s sake (and for the sake of avoiding repetition), hold down “Control” (CTRL) “F” [known as “Control Find”] then type in the search bar what brand you are inquiring about – if you hit the arrow to the right it will search any word or phrase throughout the article, that way you can jump around and see what everyone has said about it!
In closing, I think I have made my choice! I am probably going to go Naturepedic from the “Great Stuff” section, if I can find one that I love and stay in my price range…OR I may go with a Savvy Rest, from the “Good Stuff” section, which I have already fell in love with one from their Serenity line at a Natural Sleep Shop!
Good luck with the mattress shopping – try to stay sane with all the information! Just do your research and trying to make it more about health than money (if you can!).
Best,
Angie
John says
Hi Angie,
John here. You can get a fully certified (from the “Best Stuff” section) mattress from Soaring Heart for about the same price as a Savvy Rest mattress (from the second tier “Good Stuff” section.
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/?s=soaring+heart
Why take second best when the cost is about the same?
Steve says
Do you have any info on the toxicity of the Nolah Mattress? https://www.nolahmattress.com
John says
Hi Steve,
Unfortunately Nolah has exactly zero certifications that would indicate the lack of toxins. Non-toxic does not seem to be their “thing”.
Feel free to contact me at john@gimmethegoodstuff to learn more.
John
Rebecca Moore says
I absolutely agree with the gentleman who commented on GOTS and GOLS. These are voluntary certifications and they are markedly stricter than the bought and paid for ones out there. I’m thrilled with the Sleep Made to Measure products which are GOLS certified and 100 percent organic latex and covered with organically grown cotton. I have done extensive research into the company and they are top flight, though it did take me some time to get the products from them as they are shipped from Sri Lanka. The company has a full range of products and i’ve gotten the baby play mat, that is really useful for tummy time as well as the pillows made to measure and the bassinet mattress. There are no flame retardants and no additives of any type. I’m curious why companies like this are not featured in your product list. They do have an affiliate program that I just joined. So far as I’m concerned. something that is GOLS certified, green and organic takes the top slot for what I’m looking for in a product line.
Jenna says
Thank you so much for this safe mattress guide! I knew I wanted an organic mattress for my toddler, but I had no idea where to look. You’re website has become my go to spot and I appreciate all of the hard work you are doing to inform the public!
Steve D. says
Hoping all is well with the “Gimme The Good Suff Team” . I am strongly at the point of about to purchase a “Latex” mattress and was advised by a luxury mattress dealer out of California( A seller of Vi-Spring, Hastens , Omi, and Hypnos) that latex is not a durable mattress material in the long haul.
Is their validity or truth to his claim and contention? I am strongly considering Soaring Heart purchase
but never having owned a latex mattress in my life ( Have purchased 3 Innerspring mattresses new in my life) . Curious to hear the feedback of others on this one:)
Steve D. says
Never got a reply from my post on Sept 20th about the longevity and durability of latex mattresses . From owners of a latex matttess or John , if you would be so kind in sharing real life experience with a latex mattress , it is certainly appreciated.
Maia James says
Hi Steve! Latex mattresses are quite durable and will last as long as any mattress:).
Sheila says
Hi John, Sheila here, the young lady who called this past Sunday, October 8th. I have been researching on here and wanted to know what you thought of the company, “Sprindle”. I am very interested in this company. So far it looks like a winner. I wanted to tell you about them so you can add them for a yay or a nay.
Sheila says
John, the company is “Spindle”!!! as opposed to “Sprindle” I did a typo on that!!!!
Cosmia says
Hi. Thank you for this very informative mattress guide. I read through the whole article as well as the comments section to gather as much info as I can. The soaring heart mattress from the best stuff category is what I want but WAY out of my budget, unfortunately. So, I was looking in the good stuff category and noticed the The Green Mattress. When I clicked on their site the prices seem more reasonable for my budget. However, after reading through the comments it seems this company was not on the list when this post was first published. Now it is, obviously, but very little review is given. This seems surprising since you taken so much time to comment on every listing thoroughly. so, is the Green Mattress truly a good stuff option? Thanks again.
Madhu says
Hi,
What is your opinion on the Balsa mattress offered by Soaring Heart ? I am little skeptical about it’s quality due to the lower price range compared other soaring heart mattresses.
Thank you
Madhu
Sarah says
Any comments on The Original Mattress Factory? I am not allergic to latex or anything, but I’m trying to avoid it just in case due to potential eczema irritation. (Again, not allergic. Just trying to stay away from anything that would irritate…) The Original Mattress Factory only has one latex bed, so I’m concerned what all is in the other mattresses. Thoughts?
Caroline says
I have an OMI king-sized mattress (the Duo) which I am looking to sell. This is certified organic Dunlop latex in firm-soft-soft configuration, and it’s in great condition and we have taken great care of it. I am moving to a smaller bedroom, and we need to downsize to a queen.
Please remove this if this is not appropriate, but I am thinking perhaps another reader of the site will jump at the opportunity to obtain one of the Best Stuff mattresses for a more reasonable price. I am in the Boston area.
Cate H says
Has anyone checked out or slept on the OBASAN brand beds
https://obasan.ca/shop/fundy-1-0/
It appears they are certified in GOTS and GOLS (see links below)
I am looking for a bed for my 6 yr old son.
This seems to have “the good stuff” and for a full mattress, it was $1,400.
Not a bad when compared to some of the others.
I am curious if anyone has one and their thoughts on the quality & comfort because they have a strict return policy that does not leave any wiggle room if you do not care for it.
Any feedback would be helpful.
Thanks, Cate
Please take a look at the certifications (It appears that 1 certificate has expired, I will be calling the company to see if they have an updated certification.
file:///home/chronos/u-252102045bdb86465f1b7085389a3af4bb40e0fb/Downloads/gots-certificate-valid-until-20-july-2017%20(1).pdf
file:///home/chronos/u-252102045bdb86465f1b7085389a3af4bb40e0fb/Downloads/Certificado-GOTS-2017%20(2).pdf
file:///home/chronos/u-252102045bdb86465f1b7085389a3af4bb40e0fb/Downloads/GOLS-Arpico%20(2).pdf
Cate H says
If the certification links do not work you can find them easily at the bottom of each page of their website.
Mantis Toboggan says
Great blog! The analysis of the various materials and health impacts are interesting. I was wondering where the various scientists on the “good stuff” team received their PhDs in Chemistry and/or Biochemistry. Maybe some links to any works published by the team in peer reviewed scientific journals would be helpful as well.
Thanks & keep up the good work!
Shira says
Thank you so much Maia and John. The information you give us is so helpful and clear and you are both so kind!!! I have been quite overwhelmed doing research about mattressess and you helped a great deal.
I am ready to buy a latex mattress (since learning I have been sleeping on a toxic one for my entire life =( ). It is a confusing decision! Ideally as inexpensive as possible but not at the expense of health and need enough comfort that I can sleep well on it. I found a few showrooms near me (I live in Brooklyn, NY) and tried a few to feel and see them off line. Helpful. Some way more comfortable than others but some also way more expensive. I lay on an incredibly comfortable bed to then learn was $7,000! Way out of my pricerange (that was OMI which I do not see on your list.) I lay on a much less expensive White Lotus mattress that wa a mix of Latex, Wool and cotton but found it not so comfortable. Seems I would do best with all latex and possible a wool or cotton topper.
So questions are – how important is it that the latex is organic? It would be my preference of course but they are significantly more money (looked at the cozy pure organic and non-organic for example).
Have you looked into Mulligan Mattress? My mother bought one from them in Portland, Oregon.
What have you found the most comfortable mattress? Love to hear from anyone else as well about that!
Thank you again!
Shira
Shira Sameroff says
I am looking at CozyPure because looks like the best price for a good (not best) mattress that also seems comfortable. I would love organic but leaning towards non organic as more afforadable. Anyone have experience with them? Or others you like in their price range?
Thank all!!
Shira
Tamara says
Hi- Thanks for all the valuable information posted here. I’m trying to select new mattresses for my family and I’ve tested out Naturepedic, SavvyRest, and SuiteSleep. I’m interested in My Green Mattress as well, they’ve been very helpful when I talk to them too. When reading through the comments it looks like gimmethegoodstuff doesn’t recommend My Green Mattress, but they are also listed under Good Stuff, is that an error?
Also, have you heard of SuiteSleep? This bed was actually my son’s favorite that we tried, I thought it was really comparable to SavvyRest.
Thanks for your help!
nma says
Hello!
The Futon Shop has been mentioned here a few times, but there isn’t a lot of info. I’m considering buying an all organic, chemical free mattress at the Futon Shop (it’s local so I can go test it out), and was wondering if anyone else has more info to share. Are the mattress truly organic and chemical free? The website displays the certifications for the individual components, but it’s not clear to me if the mattress itself is certified. Thanks for the feedback!
Jackie says
Hi, since metal coils may be bad stuff, does that mean metal bed frames/headboard are bad stuff as well?
amber patel says
Hi! Super appreciative of your site! I was wondering if you guys had any thoughts on Urban Mattress?
Thanks!!!
Maia James says
Don’t know this brand, but will add to our list for when we update the guide!
Maia James says
We don’t know this brand but will add to the list for when we update the guide!
Kristin says
It doesn’t seem to be cost efficient, but I bought our mattress from Home Of Wool on Etsy and we love it. It looks great, smells great, and most of all is incredibly comfortable. It takes a little muscle power for the first few weeks because you need to rotate it to evenly wear the wool, but after that you’re supposed to flip it monthly, we’re not fantastic about that, but no love lost, this mattress is AMAZING. You can choose a variety of materials for the outer cover, cotton wool, flax, etc and of course the price will shift with each option. And I definitely recommend a cover. Even with the international shipping costs, they beat out every single mattress I looked at either in a local store or online. Rosica, the owner, is extremely helpful and patient answering any and all questions. I highly recommend them and plan to buy another mattress from them in the very near future.
Grant says
John states in a comment that Tuft & Needle fall under the sneaky stuff. But yet I see “Greenguard Certified”, “OEKO-Tex Certified”, no PBDEs, and low VOC. Two of those certs are listed in your Okay and Good category. Are these unsubstantiated claims or something as I would think this would push them higher in your ratings?
Mellissa M. says
Hi Maia and John,
I love this website and use it all the time for various products, and have purchased multiple times from your shop. I posted a question asking your thoughts on the all organic mattresses at the Futon Shop, but don’t see my question here. I also notice others have posted and asked about the Futon Shop but have not gotten feedback. With no response, I ended up buying a futon mattress from their site for the futon in my office/guest room. I love it. It’s comfortable, no odors. But I’m still wondering how you feel about the certifications on their website and about the product. The link is below. It was on sale and so much less expensive than any other option I’ve seen. I have a Naturepedic in my master bedroom and for my baby’s crib, but just couldn’t see spending so much for the guest bedroom as well. I really look forward to your feedback!!
https://www.thefutonshop.com/catalog/product/view/id/16283/
Janice Clarfield says
Hello ~
Please, have you a comment on the Essentia mattress?
https://www.myessentia.com
Thank you!
Maia James says
You’ll see our thoughts on Essentia mattresses under The Okay Stuff:)
christine says
Do you have a recommendation for a full size mattress for a murphy bed? The mattress may spend a large amount of time in a vertical position when closed up in the wall. Thanks.
Cindy says
I sent John an email about mattress choices but I received no reply. Is there another way to get help?
Robyn says
Hi,
This is very helpful… We are looking to get my daughter her first bed. She had a Purerest crib mattress. Which category would you file this company under? Would you say “sneaky stuff” because of the certification you mention? We were also looking at Nest — not a good option? Do you know if it’s true that kids should sleep on firm mattresses? Thanks for any more info.
Natalie says
My husband and I have recently started researching healthy mattress options for our four kids. Sadly this is one area that has largely been overlooked by us. We have managed to research and find healthy options for every other area of our lives but mattresses. Three years ago when I was still pregnant with our fourth child we bought two sets of bunk beds from ikea and four foam mattresses. We were under the impression that a mattress didn’t have to cost a lot of money, especially for children, and that if we covered the mattresses with healthy coverings then all would be well. I should also mention that prior to that we had also upgraded our mattress to a “bed in a box” memory foam mattress, and our crib mattress was also an ikea foam mattress. You can imagine my recent horror finding out now how big of a mistake this all was. I have beat myself up and I seriously feel like the worst parent ever, not to mention the countless hours of sleep deprivation frantically researching healthy options on our budget. For starters the kids bunks and mattresses are out of here this weekend! My four kids will be sleeping on the floor for a period of time until we can manage the high cost of four new healthy mattresses and bunk frames for our tiny home. For my two youngest (and quite possibly the two oldest?) we have decided on the Naturepedic Verse mattress. I noticed that you do not carry this mattress in your store. I would like to know if there is any particular reason you do not carry this mattress or what your thoughts are on it. My only concern is for my almost 14 year old and wondering if she may need something a bit softer. For her I would consider the chorus twin. Again, any thoughts would be much appreciated. I have been in touch with Naturepedic and unfortunately there is no store within 100 miles that we can test out these mattresses. With our current debt situation and me being a SAHM I feel like we are taking a huge risk mail ordering mattresses that can not be returned. My husband and I will also be looking into upgrading our mattress next year.
Sean says
This is great, thanks so much for all this useful information. So now that we found our safe mattress I was wondering if you had any recommendations on safe bed frames? Haven’t found as many as we were hoping for. Thanks
Carolyn says
I know this post is old, but it is the most informational of what I’ve found and was hoping you were still answering comments. We need two twin mattresses and are trying to find the best balance between health and what is in our budget. Any suggestions on what you would do would be so appreciated!
A few questions:
Pillow suggestions/encasements?
Is there any point in trying to seal a lesser mattress with an encasement? Are there any encasements that are even worthwhile for twin sized mattresses?
Washabelle mattress is a new company and the washable feature sounds nice but I don’t know how to tell if they’re worth the price when it comes to chemicals. Do you know anything about them?
Queenie says
Hi John and Maia,
Do you know anything about happsy mattress? I’m trying to get a new mattress for my 2 year old.
They claim to have GOT and GOL certification. Is it too good to be true?
Thanks alot in advance.
Robyn says
Hi,
Have you heard of a latex mattress called Milk bed? http://www.milkbed.com. If so, can you share your thoughts on this? Thank you!
Tammy says
Hi!
I recently purchased a Savvy Rest (couldn’t test out a Soaring Heart). Can you tell me what you did with the original one that you had? Did you resell it or keep it for another room? We’ve had ours for about 3-4 weeks. I can still smell the latex (I’m very sensitive to scents). Does the smell go away? I’m wondering if I should have gone with the Naturepedic instead, but not sure of my options since the Savvy Rest can’t be returned. Thanks!
John Goss says
Hi Tammy,
I’m sorry about your Savvy Rest! As you know we made the same error about 8 years ago before we had done any in-depth research. We retired that mattress but when we took it apart we found that the latex foam was seriously crumbling…after only 8 years! We threw everything out. It was in no condition to be sold. If yours is essentially new you may find someone on Craigslist etc who might buy it.
We all now sleep on Soaring Heart mattresses and love them. Yes, we had to take the leap of faith because there are no showrooms to try one before buying. The construction of a Soaring Heart is Similar to that of Savvy so perhaps Naturepedic would be a good choice.
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/store/naturepedic-chorus-organic-mattress/
Maia James says
We didn’t keep ours because we had it for nearly ten years; and I have to say that the smell never bothered us!
chris says
I found a company called the Futon Shop that sells what they claim are wool, organic cotton and no flame retardants or petrochemicals of any kind. Look at this mattress:
https://www.thefutonshop.com/chemical-free-purecomfort-organic-cotton-wool-spring-mattress/
They say their cotton is USDA certified organic cotton and they have a certificate saying so on the above link.
What do you think? And what should I do to protect myself if
I buy from them?
thanks
Liz says
Hi! I’m 7 months pregnant with #2 and despite my close following of Gimme the Good Stuff, I somehow bought a Sealy hybrid mattress this weekend without even thinking about the off gassing. I’ll blame it on baby brain. The mattress is being delivered Saturday, and unfortunately I can’t change my order at this point. I’m horrified and scared by what I could be doing to my unborn baby. Have you done any research on what can be done to mitigate or minimize the off gassing of toxic mattresses? How long should I air it out? Are there natural casings I can buy to help matters? Would love your expertise!
Jean says
Hi –
What can you tell me about the Purple Bed? My husband ordered one of these and I read on the website that their materials are considered non-toxic and safe?
Thank you
Jessica Garms says
Do you know anything about Lullbed?
Ashley says
Hi, I realize this guide hasn’t been updated in sometime, but I’m considering a brand not mentioned above – Happsy. According to their website they appear to have GOTS, GOLS, and Greenguard Gold certifications. The price point is good as well. I have been comparing them to other brands reviewed above and would love your thoughts.
Thanks!
Ashley says
I recently learned that Eco Terra uses polyurethane foam in their organic cotton topper. When I inquired about it, the rep repeatedly said “Its Greenguard Gold Certified and odor-free” and said it was a plant based foam. Yeah, its still polyurethane! Polyurethane is NOT listed as an ingredient on their website so I feel like these guys are sneaky! They did say that I can call and ask for the mattress to be made without a topper. I would think it would be less comfortable then, and I’d likely end up buying another topper and spending what I would pay if I just went with a different mattress.
D. Mare says
“The Eco Terra has a thin internal quilt backing of super soft foam on the organic cotton cover for added comfort. The super soft foam is Greenguard Gold certified and odor-free, yet provides additional pressure relief. If you prefer an Eco Terra mattress without this additional comfort layer, we will be happy to make this for you. Simply contact us and request that it be made without the super-soft foam quilt backing.” It’s nice that they will customize the mattress the way you want it. Most mattress covers come with the soft foam backing and they do not give you this option of having it removed. I personally love this mattress with the soft foam backing. It’s GreenGuard Gold certified and perfectly safe. Also the mattress has Oeko-Tex and GOTS certifications.
Reshma says
Any thoughts on indigo mattress?
Casey says
I am wondering what your thoughts are on the company Sleep EZ, specifically the “Roma” mattress. I didn’t read through all of the comments but didn’t see them under any of the category tabs.
shey says
Hi just thought you should updated Tuft and Needle. They have been awarded with OEKO-TEX certification
Eric says
Hi, anything about Samina? How about Dreamcloud, Idlesleep (Latex), or even Helix? Thanks!
catarina williams says
I have been using Lifekind mattresses AND pillows for about 8 years now. I am on the West Coast so I could drive up to see their company firsthand myself. The beds last forever! I wanted to mention Coyuchi for bedding and green wave for filtering your dirty electricity in your home. Also opt out of the smart meter. I know the last few are not about mattresses but thought I would share. Thank you for such an incredible incredible site MAIA.
Renae says
Hi! I was also interested in your thoughts on the brand Happsy? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you