Are there more economical ways to avoid chemicals and find better materials?

Many thanks!

I want a greener mattress, but cant afford it. The matress I have was one year old when it was given to me by my aunt and uncle. It is a sealy postropedic (however that is spelled) and I love it... But it's not green. Everytime I go to bed my body is comfy, but my mind isnt. I know I am laying on something that feels good but isnt natural. It ruins it!

I even thought about making my own green mattress. I havent thought too much about it, but I know I could use unbleached cotton cavas. But what would I put in it?
I'm surely not going with straw... I wonder how much a BIG load of plain cotton would cost? But I'd want it to be organic....

So, I went to google and searched "affordable green mattresses" and found this:

........................
"A Natural Home's "Simply Affordable" furniture line includes twin- and full-sized organic cotton and organic wool mattresses ($450 and $500, respectively). Savvy Rest has two styles of natural latex mattresses (with organic wool quilting and organic cotton casing) that, starting at $1,049, cost less than most made with these materials."
that quote is found here:
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/118/ecobedroom

and the direct link to the page to buy the 450-500 dollar ones is here:
http://www.anaturalhome.com/product/D000ORGCOTMAT/

Hope this helps!
sammie

Catherine

We're the only manufacturers of natural memory foam mattresses in the world.

good luck with your search!

I'm new to this forum, and really delighted to have found your
green community.

Been living green for years before it was the right thing to do.
I've been line drying year 'round clothes and bedding outside and inside since '77, after moving out of an apt. into a home with a rear yard and clothes line.

My Mother and G. Grandmother always line dry family clothes and bedding.
I used to line dry towels, until a family member said they were too scratchy.
Gave in to drying them in the Dryer.

The benefits of line drying are that clothes last significantly longer.
Has anyone noticed how much thinner cotton underwear has been in
recent years? People who dry them in the dryer must go thru them
like "Kleenex."

Thanks

I'm sleeping in the "greenest" bed I've ever owned and I bought it 25 to 30 years ago. In my case it's an air bed that was made by Select Comfort. It's probably one of their earliest efforts. It has been a Godsend to me having broken my back twice in my days. I can make it very firm which is important for my problems. The other side can be as soft or firm as my sweetheart prefers.

I had been through a good many beds trying to find something to help me with my back problems so that I could go to work and make my way in this world rather then take the disability route that so many losers that I know have done.

Finding a great bed that will last a very long time is the "greenest" approach you can take. Don't get lost in this recent liberal trend of "Green for Profit" that is infesting the country and picking the pockets of ignorant people who don't realize they are being manipulated. Find what works and then you won't have to add it to the waste stream.

They have the highest percent of plant-based foam in the industry, are the first and only major line to have all components Oeko-tex certified (class I - safe for a baby), and the orgnaic cotton in the cover is certified by GOTS.

Spaldin also offers special discounts for FaceBook fans at http://www.Facebook.com/SpaldinGreenBed

Follow them Twitter for news of discounts and other green tips: http://www.Twitter.com/SpaldinGreenBed

Sounds like a great company - I love this interview with their CEO: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/4MzAQz/www.triplepundit.com/2010/10/green-beds-inspired-nature-oscar-valdemoros-spaldin-sleep-systems/

Hope this helps!

P.S. My problems with so-called natural latex are:
1) There's a LOT of greenwashing: latex used in mattresses often contains fillers (sometimes up to 70%+ petrochemicals). Also, ammonia is often added to the fresh sap to preserve it.

2) A queen 6" natural latex mattress requires one day's output of 12 acrres, containing 2500 rubber trees, with each tree weeping about 15 grams of latex daily." - Habitatfurnishings.com about latex

3) Conversion of tropical rainforests to monoculture latex plantations is an important cause of rainforest destruction.
The rubber tree (from which latex comes) is native to Brazil. But most mattress latex comes from the rainforest regions of Indonesia, Malaysia, etc. So latex isn't exactly good if you like Orangutans, which are notoriously killed by staff of latex and especially palm oil plantations.

There is not yet an actively used certification for truly sustainably harvested (or at least "well-managed) rubber -- that doesn't come from pesticide/fertilizer intensive monoculture plantations. We need a top organization like the Forest Stewardship Council or Rainforest Alliance to make it happen.

Check out some of these links about challenges in making latex sustainable:

1. Journalistic Summary of the two reports below: http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/09/06/bus33.asp

2. http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/SEA/Publications/files/workingpaper/WP0003-04.PDF

3. http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/sea/Publications/files/report/RP0260-10/RP0260-10-1.PDF

4. http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0521-rubber.html
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/slash-and-burn-agriculture-isnt-great-for-forest-but-monoculture-plantations-worse.php

5. http://travel.mongabay.com/laos/images/laos_0441.html
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/pdf/5si.pdf (scroll down to second article � page 3)
http://www.redd-monitor.org/2009/09/28/how-vietnam-exports-deforestation-interview-with-patrick-meyfroidt/

Pretty incredible, huh! While even 100% latex may be "natural", it's not yet produced in a very eco-friendly way...

Hopefully that changes, because there's no denying it is very comfortable.

To be considered a true organic mattress it should posses the following criteria:
1. It should use 100% CERTIFIED organic materials from the cover to the core. No synthetic materials at all.
2. It should be manufactured in a facility that only manufactures organic products and is third party CERTIFIED to be an organic manufacturing facility. This means they are free from chemicals and anything else that could cause cross contamination and compromise your organic mattress.
3. It should utilize the smallest carbon footprint possible when it comes to transportation.

If you live in California and you're looking for a truly organic mattress you can visit Urban Sleep Store. They are located in the San Francisco Bay Area PLUS the manufacturer of this mattress is also located in California. This keeps the transportation footprint to a minimum.

Those living outside of California would obviously use more resources when it comes to transportation but even still, you wont find a higher quality or purer organic mattress anywhere in the U.S. because these are the only CERTIFIED organic mattress manufacturers in America. Trust me I've spent a lot of time researching this before I ended up purchasing my organic mattress from Urban Sleep Store.

Manufacturers attempt to make products that people want to buy. So, the more the mattress makers hear from people who want organic bedding, the more prevalent (and affordable) the choices will be.

Many stores that sell mattresses don't have the space to display every mattress from every manufacturer they represent. If you don't see what you want to buy where you want to buy it, tell somebody. They're desperate to know what people want to see and buy in their stores.