The world is usually filled with landfills that are plagued with plastic and often toxic waste. Oftentimes, mattresses are part of the landfill that fills up the earth. The problem is that not all of these mattresses end up being earth-friendly due to their harsh chemicals.

For instance, many of those have not-so-green mattress materials used in them to make them durable and comfortable. There are some chemicals that could be carcinogenic, which means they can cause cancer. For example, VOCs or volatile organic compounds are one of them. Also, there are those that have formaldehyde, which is used on preserving the dead!

Heavy metals such as antimony can also be found, as well as flame retardants that could be bad for your health. Without sacrificing comfort, you can have your very own organic mattress if it has the right materials. This is why you may be looking for the best eco-friendly mattress.

In this article, we give you some insights on organic mattresses of different kinds and materials. You can go green without having to sleep on a rock, and you can still have more value for your money due to its durability.

 

Best Eco-Friendly Mattress Reviews

Here are our top picks for the best eco-friendly mattress:

1. LUCID 10 Inch Twin Hybrid Mattress

Are you looking for a mix of comfort and eco-friendliness? We present you with this hybrid mattress, which is a mix of bamboo charcoal and Aloe Vera on its memory foam, so it’s not all chemical inside. Because it is made with CertiPUR-US Certified material, it can be of quality material inside.

It is made up of 5 layers in total: bamboo charcoal memory foam, Aloe Vera transition foam, support foam, encased coils, and 1-inch support foam, so you get many layers for added comfort. If you want the best of both worlds (spring coil, memory foam, and regular foam), this hybrid mattress may be for you.

This mattress has a medium-plush feel, which can make it ideal for both the kids and the adults (as well as the seniors). Since this is a twin mattress, it can fit well for those who have this size of the bed frame and it measures 10 inches on the thickness. The whole thing is also backed by a 10-year warranty.

 

2. Colgate Eco Classica III Dual Firmness Orthopedic Style

If you are looking for a mattress for cribs, this one can be of choice. It is made with eco-friendly foam so it will be safe for your baby without being too rough for them. It also has a cotton cover (which is organic) that is hypoallergenic and waterproof so you need not worry much about baby’s messes.

With a thickness of 6 inches, this can fit most standard American cribs and toddler beds. There are actually 2 sides of the mattress: extra firm and less firm. This means that you can just flip it over when your baby grows up or depending on their preferences.

As for the quality, the mattress meets the standards of GREENGUARD Gold, and CertiPUR-US and CPSIA compliance. This means that it is free from harsh chemicals such as fire retardants. Since the mattress is not that heavy, it can make it easy to change the cover sheet when your baby has some accidents.

 

3. Sunrising Bedding Natural Latex Queen Mattress

For those with a queen-sized bed, this can be an eco-friendly choice for you. It is made with natural latex so it has no chemicals and synthetic materials in it. Each mattress sits at 8 inches thick and has individually encased pocket coils. It is a combination of natural latex and spring coil.

Since it is made with natural materials, it has a natural cooling effect without the toxic chemicals. Each spring has a 2.0 mm gauge thickness so it can hold your back much evenly than most cheaper spring coil mattresses. The individually-encased method can also reduce motion transfer and may improve blood circulation.

Talalay latex extracted from Malaysian rubber trees were used in each latex bed mattress. The mattress conforms to the OeKo-Tex Standard-100 due to having CFR1633 cotton without the use of any chemical fire retardant for fire safety. It uses cashmere wool for the mattress cover so it can be luxurious in this aspect. It is also backed by a 20-year warranty.

 

4. Oliver Smith Organic Cotton Luxury Mattress

Having a green memory foam along with 15-gauge pocket coils, this is a hybrid mattress that combines both comfort and firmness. It has a total of 500 coils for extra durability and firmness without taking out the comfort factor, thanks to its memory foam, which is 100% GreenFoam Certified Foam.

The cover is made with polyester and organic cotton so you get a bit of durability and softness as well. The mattress is at 8 inches in thickness so it might be able to help you sleep better due to its high layers. It is available in twin and full sizes so you can choose depending on your bed frame.

Its Euro Top design also adds 3 inches of comfort while the organic cotton could help with cooling and ventilation. As with all mattresses out there, it comes compressed and safely sealed until you unpack it. Tempered steel is used for the coils so they don’t get corrosion as quick as other mattresses do.

 

5. Zinus Memory Foam 8 Inch Green Tea Mattress

Ever heard of green tea being used in a mattress? Absolutely! This unique memory foam mattress is infused with green tea so it can help absorb bad odors while keeping it naturally fresh. It measures 8 inches in thickness so it can be at par with most commercial mattresses today. You can choose from various sizes, such as twin, full, queen, king, and variants.

The foam used is also the CertiPUR US Certified for quality. Also, the natural castor seed oil is used along with the green tea extract to help with its antibacterial and odor-reducing properties. Jacquard that has been knitted makes up the cover material so it could have a luxurious feel to it.

BioFoam is also used as a mattress material, which uses plant oil so it can be eco-friendly as a whole. It has a medium feel so it can adapt to both firm sleepers and those who prefer a soft mattress.

 

How do I choose the best eco-friendly mattress?

Choosing an eco-friendly mattress may sound like hard work, but we’ll narrow it down to some factors to consider when buying one:

Type of mattress.

You have a general choice of a foam mattress, memory foam, spring coil, latex, or hybrid, which is the combination of any of those that we mentioned above. Each of them has its pros and cons:

• A memory foam mattress is best for those with bad backs and wants something that has minimal movement transfer. They tend to be costly but make sure that they contain eco-friendly materials.
• Spring coil mattresses are also called box spring mattresses. They have spring coils inside and are among the oldest types of mattresses out there. Just make sure that they have no harsh chemicals inside.
• Latex mattresses tend to be a little more expensive, but only if it’s natural. Synthetic latex could be bad for your health, but natural ones are okay unless you have a latex allergy.
• A regular foam mattress uses your typical foam, although if it is GreenFoam Certified Foam, you have a better edge as compared to regular foam due to its eco-friendly properties.
• The hybrid mattress could be your option if you want all of these features in one big mattress. Some of them also have at least 3 of each feature or layer.

Where to use the mattress.

Not all mattresses are for beds – some may be looking for a crib mattress and some may want a futon mattress. Do know what mattress you want because bed mattresses have a different size from those that are used on cribs, futons, and even RV beds.

The sizes that are available for the mattress.

Do you have a king-sized bed? A twin bed? A queen-sized or a full? It depends on the size that you want because sometimes, the manufacturer may not always have the size you want in stock. Look for brands that offer a plethora of sizes – and special ones, maybe, if you want to use them for unique uses, such as for RVs.

Materials that were used.

Know which materials are used for the mattress. Usually, eco-friendly mattresses nowadays are using bamboo charcoal, green tea, and Aloe Vera for adding environment-friendly aspects for their mattresses, especially when it comes down to moisture-wicking and odor-reducing capabilities.

Any third-party certifications.

Look for mattresses that have certifications, such as CertiPUR-US, GREENGUARD, CPSIA, OeKo-Tex Standard-100, GreenFoam, and the like. This can help you to easily distinguish mattresses that are eco-friendly over the regular ones. Reputable companies usually sell these kinds of mattresses, so it’s still best to do a background check on the manufacturer.

 

Why should I buy an eco-friendly mattress?

A mattress that does not contain harsh chemicals could have a positive impact on your everyday life. For instance, here are the benefits of buying such mattresses:

• They don’t contain VOCs. Volatile organic compounds can cause irritations on our eyes, nose, throat, and could even cause internal organ damage.
• They don’t contain harsh flame retardants. In case of a fire, a mattress with regular materials could set fire to an entire house if not treated with PBDE, which is a harsh type of flame retardant. To avoid using such, a mattress with eco-friendly material is probably a much better choice.
• Their covers tend to be organic, too. Along with being free of harsh chemicals inside the actual mattress, the cover is also usually organic, which can be made of cotton or wool.
• You may be able to sleep better. Without the annoyance of bad smells and possible coughing and irritation due to the effects of such harsh chemicals used in these regular mattresses, you can potentially sleep better in an eco-friendly mattress overall.

 

How do I use an eco-friendly mattress?

Using an eco-friendly mattress is much like with a regular one, but here’s a refresher course on how to unwrap and use them:

• Unwrap it from the packaging. First, unwrap them from the box that contained them during shipping. Do not use knives to cut them out because they could potentially damage the mattress.
• Wait for it to fully expand to normal size. Usually, a mattress takes about 1 to 1 ½ days to return back to the original form that it was before it was vacuum sealed. Be patient and wait for it to expand.
• Place it over your bed frame. Position the mattress over your bed frame to check if it fits. If it doesn’t, you can contact the manufacturer if they sent you the wrong size.
• Add a mattress topper. This is an optional step, but you can also add a mattress topper to your mattress. This can enhance the height of the mattress and also improve its comfort and firmness. This would also be beneficial in the cold where you need to keep warm. It also helps to protect the mattress and keep its lifespan long.

 

Conclusion

To wrap it up, our top pick for the best eco-friendly mattress is the LUCID 10 Inch Twin Hybrid Mattress because it has a hybrid design, meaning it is a combination of memory foam, spring coil, and foam, while adding eco-friendly materials, such as bamboo charcoal and Aloe Vera for both comfort and odor-wicking properties. It is also CertiPUR-US Certified material so it is of high quality in materials.

As with all of our picks here, this one has eco-friendly material as well as a reasonable packaging that is easy to set up in general (compressed and rolled). However, this stood out because of LUCID’s reputation as a quality mattress maker.