Whether your pet sleeps on your bed with you or in your bedroom on their own chemical-free pet bed, the fact is your mattress could be off-gassing. Being a chemically sensitive person, I did not want chemicals making me feel sick or impacting my dog’s health. I wanted to get a non toxic mattress.

After days of researching toxin-free mattresses, I found latex mattresses, spring mattresses, EMF-free mattresses, dual-sided mattresses, vegan mattresses, and an affordable Organic crib mattress (that can be flipped to use as both an infant mattress and toddler mattress). I will go into the benefits of each of these mattresses below as well as what mattress is best for couples.

Why is a non toxic mattress important for your pets?

Pets can suffer from various health issues such as seizures when exposed to too many chemicals. People have experienced migraines, respiratory issues and have stated that the smell was so bad that they had to either return their mattresses.

Fires are another reason to switch. A firefighter shared that 30 years ago people were using more natural materials like cotton and wool. Whereas today fires are burning faster and hotter because of all the synthetic materials. 30 years ago you had up to 17 minutes to evacuate but today you only have 1m30 – 4 minutes. For a visual demonstration of how one room burns faster than the other, because of the materials used, click the link to watch the video.

3 things you need to know when buying a Non Toxic Mattress

This is a huge topic to cover so you may want to bookmark this blog! Not kidding. I’ll admit that trying to sort through all this information was enough to make my head spin.

1) Your health, weight, and sleep style will determine the best mattress for you

2) There are many types of mattress materials and Certification ratings

3) Innerspring mattresses may emit EMF’s *more details below

Bonus tip: Now that more beds are being sold direct to consumers, make sure your mattress has a sleep trial.

Mattress certifications: what does GOTS, GOLS, and Greenguard mean?

Here I try to simplify what these certifications mean and I have listed them in order of the highest ratings.

• GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard): 95% certified organic. Highest rating and therefore the least amount of chemicals.
• GOLS (Global Organic Latex Standard): 95% Organic. Highest rating and therefore the least amount of chemicals but it only applies to latex mattresses or latex pillows.
• Greenguard Gold: Similar to Greenguard but is more strict in regards to emission limits.
• Greenguard: The finished mattress must be tested for specific emission limits of formaldehyde and other VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
• Oeko-Tex Standard 100: Applies to fabrics, yarns, sewing threads, bed linens, and more. This certification limits chemicals such as formaldehyde, carcinogenic and allergy-inducing colorants, banned azo dyes, pesticides, Phthalates, PFOA, (VOCs), and heavy metals (arsenic, lead, mercury, nickel, etc…) Chemical flame retardants are prohibited and natural sources such as wool will be used as a natural flame retardant.
• CertiPUR-US: Applies only to polyurethane foam found in pillows, mattresses, and couch cushions. It is made without ozone depleters, flame retardants (PBDEs, TDCPP, or TCEP), heavy metals (such as mercury and lead), formaldehyde, phthalates and is low VOC which is important for indoor air quality.

Did you know chemical flame retardants don’t stay on the material they are sprayed on? They off-gas in your home so you are breathing them in daily, they get on your skin and in your liver causing health issues. Flame retardants are not isolated to PBDE’s, some companies use other chemicals or boric acid (a respiratory irritant). A natural flame retardant is wool!

Although I feature only a few mattresses below, each company sells multiple mattresses.

Is your innerspring mattress emitting EMF’s?

Several websites conducted their own tests or quoted other websites’ test results stating their opinion that coil spring mattresses emit EMF’s (electronic and magnetic fields). It is thought that these springs act as an antenna and therefore can have effects on your health. To avoid this it is suggested to get a pocketed spring mattress.

Individual pocket spring mattress with Organic cotton and wool

If you love the feel or are used to an innerspring mattress, this individual pocket spring mattress will help you avoid EMF’s. This company makes its own mattresses in its California factory. The mattress has a 365-day sleep trial {the longest I have seen so far}, with a FULL refund – no fees deducted, Tencel cover, GOTS wool, GOTS cotton fabric, 5 zone support, pressure relief, 1400 coils, and more. $175 off for a limited time.

The Tencel-covered mattress is what caught my attention. The Tencel cover is made from the same plant-based fibers as my temperature-regulating sheets.

Another option, made by the same company, is this minimal motion transfer coil spring mattress, which has over 2000 individual coils, is 13″ in height, and has the highest certifications such as GOLS Latex and GOTS Cotton, for all of its natural and organic materials used to make the mattress, 1-year sleep trial and is $200 off for a limited time.

The above two mattresses are a great option when looking for 1) The best mattress for Couples and 2) The best mattress for back pain.

Organic Cotton and Latex mattress

Latex has many benefits such as it tends to sleep cooler than foam because the open cells let it circulate air more easily, latex is resistant to mold, mildew, and dust mites, and is hypoallergenic. *Possible latex allergy.

Peta Approved mattress This Certified Vegan mattress is made from GOLS Organic certified latex, GOTS organic certified cotton, and up to 1,414 pocketed support coils. The finished mattress, as a whole, is GreenGuard Gold Certified. It is 11 inches thick unless you opt for the pillow topper (made from latex) making it 13 inches thick. It has free shipping, a 1-year sleep trial 25-year warranty, and every part of this mattress is Made in the USA in the company’s own factory.

Greenguard Gold Vegan mattress made with latex and inner springs

If you’re used to a mattress with coil springs, this mattress may be for you! This mattress is a combination of CertiPur memory foam, latex, and recycled steel coils. You can flip the mattress for a plush or firm feel. This Vegan mattress is certified: Greenguard Gold, CertiPur, and eco-INSTITUT. It has a 1-year sleep trial and a 25-year warranty. $175 off this mattress for a limited time, see sale page for code.

Need more options? The same company has other mattresses as seen in the individual spring mattress section. They also sell Quilts, pillows, mattress toppers, crib mattresses, and my best-selling non-toxic dog bed. More importantly, every product is made in the company’s own California factory and no materials come from China.

Non-toxic bed frame: unstained wood platform bed frame

When I started looking for my bed frame I had no idea it could cost $1000+. I knew an adjustable bed frame could cost $600+ but not a regular platform bed.

I found a budget-friendly non-toxic platform bed frame. This chemical-free platform bed frame has a 5-year warranty, comes from trees grown in VA, is fairly easy to put together, and has a few different versions: regular and plus.

The plus version simply means the slats are closer together. This is relevant because some mattresses require more support than others. An alternative option is you can buy the platform bed with a headboard.

The platform bed comes unstained and I intentionally bought it that way because I didn’t want to be exposed to any possible toxins from traditional stains. Someone insisted that I needed to stain it otherwise it wouldn’t last…but I didn’t stain it. You will be happy to know I’ve had it for 1.5 years and it still looks just as good as the day I got it.

In part 2: Non-Toxic bedding, I will cover an organic comforter, a sustainable sheet set, and several plant-based pillows that range from vegan to cruelty-free.