Safe & Comfortable Sleep MyGreenMattress.com
With winter in full swing, most of us are finding ourselves spending more time indoors, cozied up with friends and family. Doing an assessment of your home environment is essential around this time of year, as you may be suffering from a variety of allergens and toxins lurking around your living space without even knowing it. Maybe you have a chronic stuffy nose, asthma, or a cold that just won’t seem to go away. While our immune system is compromised during the colder winter months, you should not feel constantly sick or uncomfortable at home.
We recently had the pleasure of meeting with Tim and Cindy Masters, the owners of My Green Mattress, to discuss the benefits of organic, green mattresses. While the business idea all stemmed from wanting to reduce their daughter's allergies and irritations while sleeping, the Masters have created long-lasting healthy mattresses for all families, young and old. From crib mattresses to adult mattresses, their organic mattresses are 100% free of harmful chemicals such as oil-based components and pesticides.
Certified Organic Mattress
So what exactly is an organic mattress? Tim Masters explains, “our organic mattress contains 100% organic cotton, organic latex from the sap of the rubber tree (for padding of the bed), and guarantees that no GMOs, herbicides, or pesticides used on the trees.” The word “Green” in their products name is NOT a greenwashing tactic, as My Green Mattress is one of a few certified organic factories via third-party testing certification, mattresses that are GOTS-certified organic cotton, GOTS-certified organic wool and GOLS-certified organic latex. The Control Union audits the company's products purchased and manufacturing processes to trace each ingredient (cotton, wool, latex). Each piece of the mattress is traced all the way from the farm to the factory. Even how the factory equipment is cleaned is assessed on a regular basis to make sure the mattresses are not being exposed to toxins or harmful chemicals.
The main reason you may want to choose the organic mattress:
In 2007, the government passed new flammability standards, so many companies reverted to fire retardant chemicals. Tested by holding a torch to the bed, all beds must withstand the fire. Tim Masters says “our organic mattresses utilize the perfect ratio of wool and cotton to provide a natural flame barrier. No fire retardant chemicals necessary.” Most mattress companies have started incorporating polyurethane and other oil based components, which pose a huge health threat.
“One memory foam model was found to emit 61 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including known carcinogens benzene and naphthalene” according to LeafScore.com.
Masters explained that gel/memory foam beds just don’t hold up as long, either. You could purchase a mattress topper and receive the same effect. This makes My Green Mattress’ hybrid wool and cotton bed even more sustainable, as it lasts for decades rather than just a few years. The fewer mattresses in our landfills, the better! Polyurethane and other components of conventional mattresses also take over 100 years to break down, whereas cotton, wool, and latex will return to the soil more quickly. Even if you don’t care too much about the organic aspect of things, you should definitely care about what kinds of chemicals you may be sleeping on every single night! VOCs and off-gasses from products such as mattresses, carpets, and paints in our homes can cause serious respiratory issues and chronic illness over time.
5 Tips to a Better Nights Sleep
If you are still struggling with cold, flu, and allergies this season, transform your bedroom into a comfy wintertime haven with these 5 tips:
Wash your bedding once a week.
Add an air purifier to your bedroom.
Sleep next to a humidifier.
Clean your floors and rugs often.
Have your air ducts and HVAC filters assessed/cleaned.
Thank you, Tim and Cindy Masters, for providing families with safe and affordable mattress options! For more about My Green Mattress, check out My Green Mattress - Certified Organic Mattresses
By Catie Hofmeister
Sustainable Blogger & Intersectional Environmentalist