Green Mattress

Are your mattresses green? And we're not talking shades of chartreuse. Are your bedding products kind to you and the environment? If these things matter to you, and at some point and at some level, they should; here are some things to keep in mind. Your every day mattress you can get at the local sleep store may contain flame retardant chemicals known as PBDEs. Even though they can protect you from a fire, these chemicals may also be absorbed by your body as you sleep, and have been found in way too high levels in breast milk and the blood stream. As you can imagine, this would be harmful to an unborn or nursing child.

If you want to keep your mattress safe from fires but are concerned about the chemicals, there are options for you. Heart of Vermont produces organic cotton and untreated wool futons as well as organic flannel mattress pads of all sizes that can put a healthy separation between you and the chemically treated mattress. North Star Beds offers organic cotton, wool and believe it or not natural latex (a product made from rubber trees in India) made by Amish. If you want a more budget minded option, good old IKEA makes PBDE-less foam mattresses with other proven flame retardant chemicals. There are good reasons for going green!