Making the switch to green, eco-friendly products can be a fantastic change for your lifestyle and long term health. Investing in an organic mattress is something to consider because we spend one third of our lifetime sleeping on them. The harmful effects of polyurethane foams or synthetic latex is not widely understood. Continue reading to understand the benefits of sleeping on an organic mattress!
No Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Volatile Organic Compounds are a large group of chemicals that are used during the manufacturing process for many household items. VOCs are man made chemicals that constantly emit from certain solids and liquids in products we use everyday. They can be found everywhere around your home including mattresses, furnishings, carpets, paint, printer ink, and cleaning supplies that emit carcinogens as breathable gas. The chemicals can be found present in common household products such as polyethylene or highly toxic flame retardants.
These products consistently “off-gas” into your indoor air that you are breathing in constantly. It is very important to understand the long term effects of bad air quality in our sleeping environment and living areas as this can be detrimental to your health in the long run.
Can you get sick from exposure to VOCs? Some common short term symptoms of being exposed to a high level of VOCs include:
- Eyes, nose, throat irritation
- Dizziness
- Nausea/Vomiting
- Headaches
- Allergic skin reaction
- Fatigue
High VOC exposure can cause serious long term issues as well which include:
- Cancer
- Liver and/or kidney damage
- Central nervous system damage
There are a few ways you can reduce and/or eliminate VOCs in your household and better help your indoor air quality. Luckily, organic latex mattresses, like our own, contain no VOCs and therefore do not off-gas harmful chemicals. Mattresses that contain materials such as wool, organic latex, and cotton won’t produce harmful gasses and will better your life in the long term.
The only way of understanding if the product you are purchasing is safe enough for long term use is to identify safety regulations and protocol through certifications provided by the company you are purchasing from. These identifiers will confirm if the mattress you are purchasing is free of chemicals and harmful VOC emissions. Some certifications you need to be aware of are GOTS, GOLS, eco-INSTITUT, FSC, and OEKO Tex which will be discussed further down.
No Glue or Formaldehyde
Glue can be commonly used in mattresses as an adhesive to bond together different parts or layers of the internal structure of the mattress. You can usually tell if there has been glue added in the manufacturing process from a strong odour coming from your mattress. This strong odour can cause the following symptoms:
- Irritation of the eyes and throat causing soreness or itchiness
- Nosebleeds
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Skin irritation
These symptoms are from constant inhalation of formaldehyde and can be worsened if used around children, elderly people, pregnant women, and people with underlying health conditions such as asthma or bronchitis.
Genuine 100% organic latex mattresses have no added glues, formaldehyde, or harmful chemicals during the manufacturing process so you can rest easy knowing you’re having a healthy sleep.
Less Mould, Dust Mites, and Mildew
Additives to a mattress’ materials isn’t the only thing you should be concerned about. Mattresses that are slept on over a long period of time can be a festering ground for dust mites, mould, and mildew that can also significantly affect your health if not attended to properly. Some materials such as organic latex are far less prone to dust mites and mould than others and should be considered when purchasing your new mattress.
Mould and dust mite resistance can be crucial for people with allergies because of constant exposure that can cause symptoms such as:
- Itchiness
- Sneezing
- Eye irritation causing them to weep and be red
- Inflamed or irritated eczema
Dust mites will stay where there is a valuable source of food and water for them, regardless of the material they are living inside. This is why it is important to choose materials that are less likely to fester dust mites, such as organic latex, cotton, and wool which air out better than synthetic materials do.
Organic latex can also be considered “mould resistant” as it is antimicrobial, if cared for correctly. This is why it is important to have a properly aerated bed base like our own to have sufficient air flow underneath to stop any mildew build up and mould.
Eco & Ethical Certifications
Purchasing an organic mattress is usually backed up with certifications (just like a Quokka beds mattress), which come with a host of other benefits like fair working conditions and sustainable practices too. This further ensures the company you are buying from is environmentally conscious and has a small carbon footprint too.
The best way for knowing whether or not you are purchasing an authentic organic product is by looking out for certifications that can back up their claims. Some of these certification include:
- GOLS Certification (Global Organic Latex Standard) – this is for identifying that the latex used is from an organic nature from raw materials as a whole. It also focuses on and evaluates farming and manufacturing practices of the latex and if they are ethical
- GOTS Certification (Global Organic Textiles Standard) – this certification is in clarification with the world’s standard for textiles made from organic fibre. This is to prove that the textile being used is organic with no synthetics used
- eco-INSTITUT Certification – A quality label that indicates the product is 100% natural, low-pollutant and low-emission for indoor environment use
- OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Certification – This certification upholds the right to claim the textile being used is free of harmful substances
- FSC Certification – Ensures the materials used are sourced from responsibly managed forests for the benefit of the environment, society, and economy.
Understanding the importance of what materials go into your mattress and how these can affect you long term should be a priority when choosing which mattress to buy. Common mattresses made from materials such as polyurethane foam or synthetic latex can contain harmful chemicals and materials that off-gas throughout its whole lifetime.
Being concerned about your long term health is something a lot of people are becoming more and more conscious of and switching to Eco-friendly products such as an organic mattress is an important step in the right direction for your future self.
