Can’t Afford a Natural Mattress? Buy a Natural Mattress Topper Instead
There is no way on god’s green earth that our family can afford an organic mattress. Just…no way.
Conventional mattresses, though? Yikes! Mother Jones writes about the petrochemicals, formaldehyde, and flame retardants that conventional mattresses are chock-full of. And you don’t have to only be interested in living a chemical-free life to be freaked out–you know how new conventional mattresses smell funky? Off-gassing–if you smell it, you’re breathing it in.
Again, yikes.
The mattress that our girls sleep on is much too old to off-gass, but, although it’s still in pretty good condition, it’s certainly exceeded its reported mattress lifespan, and thus now we get to worry about gradual deterioration releasing even more chemicals into our daughters’ lungs and open pores while they sleep for ten hours at a time.
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So when one wayward spring poked through the most jumped-upon corner of the mattress, I decided to buy SOMETHING new. My goals:
- Keep any more springs from poking me in the butt
- Keep unfriendly chemicals away from our bodies
- Spend less than one month’s Montessori tuition
- A little more comfy, please?
And that’s how we ended up with a three-inch thick natural latex mattress topper and a case for our old mattress. The case basically seals the mattress away, keeping out dust mites and whatever allergens live inside mattresses. Some cases are made of organic cotton or other natural materials, but we chose a synthetic case for its effectiveness as a barrier, and we’re relying on the thickness of the natural mattress pad that sits on top of that for a complete defense against sleeping on synthetics.
We’re not sensitive to latex around here, so our mattress topper is made from natural latex. We don’t use wool, but if you do, organic wool is another viable option for a mattress pad. Our natural latex mattress pad is thick and comfy, and even without that mattress case (which we’re actually thinking about moving to our bed, frankly) it’s solid enough to be a good barrier both against chemicals and wayward springs.
A natural latex mattress topper is thick, however, and is also meant to be placed UNDER your mattress cover. I sew my own mattress covers so I can easily modify my elastic to accomodate the extra depth of a three-inch mattress topper , but if you don’t know anyone crafty, you may have to spring for the mattress cover that these places also sell.
It’s our goal the next time we move to pony up for a whole, entire natural mattress for me and my partner (and the occasional night-traveling child). Of course, we may have to sell the car to pay for it.
How timely! I’ve been looking into organic mattresses, as we co-sleep, but they are certainly pricey. Where did you find the mattress topper? And have you considered selling some of those great fleece mattress covers on etsy for those of us who are domestically-challenged?
Keetsa sells mattresses for as low as $600. If someone can afford a toxic mattress, they can afford a Keetsa.
When my wife and and I were mattress shopping we found the natural (not sure about organic, though) mattresses at Ikea to be comfortable and pretty reasonable in price. They are several times more expensive than a cheap toxic mattress, but cheaper than a really good toxic mattress. In the end we were fortunate enough to be able to afford an actual organic mattress from Coco-Mat, but it was decidedly NOT a low-cost option.
That’s a really good idea with the natural latex mattress topper. The only other chemicals should be foaming agents, which there aren’t very much of.
Just a few points though -
Most major brands use a layer of Kevlar now, instead of spraying flame retardant chemicals.(Simmons, Serta, Sealy)
Also formaldehyde is never used in American made beds now. It’s illegal.
For your children -
My advice would be to purchase a simple cotton or wool inner-spring mattress. Make sure it’s comfort layers are all cotton or wool though. (a lot of times you can find FUTON MATTRESSES like this for cheap.) They don’t have poly-urethane foams in them, which are the major petro-chemical used. They’re not really comfortable, but what kid really cares that much.
Bottom line though - almost every conventional mattress and foam mattress, even mattresses considered to be natural latex beds will have some sort of urethane foam either in the comfort or base layers.
Studies aren’t inconclusive that they have any negative effects on people, but there are too many factors to scientifically isolate.
p.s. - Keetsa sells memory foam mattresses that have natural products that go into them, but overall memory foam is still a urethane product. My company also features a similar product as Keetsa. It’s a foam mattress made predominately out of SOY, and uses 0 petroleum.
This is a compromise however. They are compressed and suctioned, so there is little to no off-gassing, but the memory foam products are still a urethane chemical foam.
If you are not sensitive to urethane foams, and you love the feeling of memory foam, then maybe a natural plant-based memory foam is for you.
I tried using the memory foam mattress topper, but somehow it just didn’t agree with me. I did sleep better than on my old ‘bare’ mattress, but still…The new latex mattress topper (bought it at Amazon) is really great. Feels bit tool yet nice and comfy, love it. I’m dedicating now a website only on this subject, I really want to know all there is to know about it.
Marcia
Hey, a natural mattress is not that expensive I think. On the other hand, a comfortable and durable natural mattress is definitely worth that much money. You can use it for a long time, better than several crappy traditional mattresses. Have a try!