When you wake up in the morning, do you find yourself feeling sore and not exactly well rested? If so, you may need to upgrade your mattress. Standard mattresses only last about seven years or so before they start wearing out. When it comes time to make the change, you should consider a natural, more organic option like a natural latex mattress. Sleep should be a comfortable experience. When you wake from your eight hours of slumber, it should be a wonderful experience. Using a comfortable latex mattress can help achieve that goal. Here’s what you need to know about organic latex mattresses to get started.
Latex Mattresses Defined
In the world of organic mattresses, there are various materials used in the construction of each one. A latex mattress combines latex foam with reflex foam, natural fillings (like cotton or wool), and either springs, layers of pocketed coils, or just the foam to create an extremely durable mattress. Latex Mattresses can come in twin, standard, queen, and king sizes with either a standard or plush top.
How They’re Designed
Latex mattresses feature state of the art design and construction. Latex foam gets combined with other materials like cotton or mohair. Extra layers to reduce bouncing are introduced between the springs or pocketed coils. In the case of a mattress without springs or coils, the layers are still there but exist as individual zones. Around nine or ten inches of latex are used in a typical mattress to create a firm and contoured surface. Additional layers of the other material round out the design to make it a full size mattress. By designing it around the typical mattress structure but substituting organic materials for the standard polyurethane stuff, what you get is a high quality organic mattress of unparalleled design.
Why You Should Get One
There are plenty of reasons to get an organic latex mattress these days. Because latex is elastic, it responds to the body shape, weight, height, and movements. This elasticity supports heavy parts of the body and relieves pressure on them in ways that a standard non latex mattress would not be able to accomplish. As we mentioned before, these mattresses are durable because latex is a naturally resilient substance. They can last eight years or more with daily use. They’re also very easy to clean, keep in good shape, and maintain with a natural protection from dust/dust mites. Latex is also a hypoallergenic substance so it can help stave off some of those nasty allergies throughout the night. And since it’s made of natural materials, the manufacturers can use as much latex as they need and still be able to make more by cultivating it from rubber trees. The rubber trees themselves also create a ton (well, 90 million tons of it anyway) of oxygen each year. Getting a latex mattress is one of the most eco-friendly and green ways you can go when it comes to using sustainable furniture at home.
Materials Used
So, what sort of materials are you going to find inside a natural latex mattress? Well, there’s latex of course. Latex is a naturally occurring white substance under the bark of the rubber tree. When bark gets stripped from the tree, the latex streams down the grooves of the area and gets collected in cups. After that, it’s used in the construction of various natural items. Other materials used in a latex mattress include a mix of organic cotton, organic wool, mohair, and linens. Each of these materials must be GOTS certified in order to be considered truly organic and are all considered sustainable, renewable resources.
GOTS Certification
One of the most critical considerations for whether or not your organic mattress is actually making a positive impact on the environment is knowing if the material used to make it meets the rigid standards of the global organic textile standard. Throughout its manufacturing, sale, and construction, the mattress has to conform to GOTS standards to be considered truly organic. The standard doesn’t just stop at getting the certification. There are regular inspections and controls in place to ensure the materials are actually sustainable and meeting the high standards. If a company is producing a vegan version of something, then they need to demonstrate that they’re cleaning or using different machinery from something that processes a material that is derived from an animal such as wool. Additionally, wastewater from any manufacturing needs to be treated in order to conform to the standards and the company needs to have a written environmental policy. With rigorous guidelines and standards in place, they ensure that when somebody says their product is green, the product is actually good for the environment.