Considering we spend around 1/3 of our lives on a mattress, it's pretty important that it's not emitting toxic vapors or otherwise causing health problems.
Fire retardant chemicals are a big health issue with mattresses. Flame-retardant chemicals have been linked to serious health risks, including infertility, birth defects, neurodevelopmental delays, reduced IQ scores and behavioral problems in children, hormone disruptions, and various forms of cancer.
And then there are the added problems of toxins in memory foam...
That's why I often get asked from health-conscious people, "What are good choices for healthy mattresses?"
The depth of my experience with toxin-free mattresses was Ikea's spring mattresses. It was what was in our budget at the time and the best we could do. I don't really know how much healthier they are but it's what we could do!
I kept hearing a lot about My Green Mattress, so I reached out to them. They generously offered to send me a mattress to check out! So I'm going to offer a fair review of this mattress. I strive to be unbiased and have no potential financial gain from a favorable review.
Just a few days after their email, a big roll arrived at our doorstep. This was exciting!
After opening it up, the first thing I noticed on the Pure Echo mattress was the amazing softness of the GOTS certified organic cotton and Oeko-Tex certified natural wool quilted cover. I didn't want to put a sheet on it because it was so comfortable just like that!
I wish you could feel this through the screen!
And then I noticed the smell... It didn't smell like chemicals. It smelled like something different. Earthy. I'm guessing it is the wool. (It was a very faint smell; I am known for having an ultra-sensitive sense of smell so I notice smells others may not notice.) The wool in the quilted cover acts as a natural flame barrier, so the mattresses pass flame testing required by law without the use of dangerous flame retardant chemicals.
“The government requires all mattresses to pass burn tests. We are able to pass both the 1633 open flame test and 1632 cigarette test by quilting natural wool into the organic cotton cover of your mattress, without use of any chemical flame retardants. Wool is a natural flame retardant and was used in years past to make firemen’s coats.”
This mattress was significantly taller than the Ikea mattresses we have. It is more plush and padded. It is quite firm. On the website, it is labeled as a 7 for firmness on a scale of 1 to 10, and I agree.
We made the bed as normal and used the mattress for a few weeks. Quite honestly, we love it. When I review products, I try to find both pros and cons. And I couldn't really with this mattress. The price may definitely be an issue for some but when I was comparing prices of other truly natural GOTS-certified mattresses, this one was lower in price than others.
The firmness may be a factor for those who prefer a softer mattress. My Green Mattress offers a Natural Escape mattress which is slightly less firm as it contains three inches of GOLS Certified Organic, 100% All-Natural Dunlop Latex. This is the one more recommended for adults while the Pure Echo is generally more for kids. (For bunk beds, they also have an 8" Pure Echo that is slightly shorter than the regular Pure Echo.)
And this is pretty awesome: Each Mattress comes with a 10 Year Warranty and a 100 Night Comfort Guarantee.
Oh and free shipping to the continental U.S., so that's pretty awesome too!
I've only had the mattress for a short time, so I can't comment on the durability of it over time. But the 10-year warranty is a pretty good bet that it's durable!
I reached out to My Green Mattress and asked if they would be willing to offer HFFG peeps a discount. They said yes! How sweet is that?!
Scroll around on their website and check it out! If you're in the market for a healthier mattress, use code HFFG5 to get 5% off your purchase!!
I'm definitely going to be getting some more mattresses from My Green Mattress!
Have you ventured into the world of healthy mattresses? What have you found? Do you have one you like? Share your experiences!
Blessings of good health,
~Sara Jo Poff
Natural Health Practitioner
Healthy Families for God