In recent years, sustainable and ethical choices have really become a highlight in my decision making process. I do enjoy a good research project, so it honestly is interesting to dive into where things come from and how they are made – from our food to clothes to our house and everything in it!
Since getting married, my husband and I have made 2 big purchases – our couch and our mattress (I mean, a house too… but that’s a different story). The couch was the one of the first pieces of furniture I had probably ever purchased brand new. I visited a storefront in Vancouver, BC – the closest one to where I live and found the couch of my dreams! Then we ordered it – had to go and pick it up from a warehouse near Seattle and brought it home.
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It smelled so bad! The off-gassing was terrible. We would take all of the cushions outside and lay them around our front yard on sunny days hoping to get rid of some of the smell. It gave me headaches.
The new mattress we bought wasn’t as smelly, but it also felt like such a huge investment that was really a little bit disappointing. It has worn out quickly, it’s impossible to clean (which would be nice considering we’ve had two small children sleeping in here with us at times), and also – like – what are we even supposed to do with it now?
Anyway, we’ve been considering new mattresses for a while and I made a few discoveries.
First, that organic mattresses exist! We made a pit stop at the Holy Lamb Organics little storefront in Oakville, Washington on a drive back from Portland a year or two ago. The shop is located in an old-fashioned country store looking building on the main road. The town is less than a mile long and I had driven through it thousands of times and never stopped before.
They make beautiful pillows and bed accessories, also selling from other makers – including latex mattresses. It was really fun to try out the different mattresses they had on display in the shop and talk to the store clerk about the benefits of these kinds of mattresses. I kept this info in the back of my mind, because I knew I wanted to get something like this after we were done with babies sleeping in our bed!
Also recently I had done a few searches for mattresses which invariably leads to A LOT of advertising about mattresses in my face every time I look at a screen of any kind. Watching these commercials where they show how their mattresses are made, I thought – how hard is it to just make your own?
Which of course led me to an internet search rabbit hole. And now, here are my top organic mattress picks! This list includes price points and the pros and cons of each PLUS each one is really quite different, so if you’re looking for a new organic mattress, maybe you’ll find an answer here!
Avocado Mattress
This one is similar to many of the big start up mattress companies, in that they’ve been sending a lot of advertising my way! From what I can find, this mattress looks pretty similar to the one I currently own from a major mattress brand. It is a organic latex mattress with coils and touts that you never need to flip it (which, maybe I’m old fashioned, but I just really want to flip my mattress!). It is deep like a typical mattress, with handles. It has a wool cover and they don’t use flame retardants – so hopefully no yucky smells! They also have a VEGAN mattress option!
Many mail order mattress companies offer pretty great return policies, and they are similar – asking that you give your new mattress a good try for at least 30 to 60 days and then you have 1 year to return (limit of 1 per household – assuming that if you hated it the first time why would you buy again, right?).
They are a certified B Corp, meaning they have a mission that includes charity giving. Some of the things that also influence my choice is shipping time and pay options! Avocado mattress has a 4 to 5 week turnaround and has the Affirm pay option on their site, so you can break down your payments there if needed.
I’m comparing the King size mattress, which starts at $1799 and you can add a pillow top for additional fees.
Holy Lamb Organics
As I had mentioned, this business seems to me the epitome of organic/natural/quality comfort and they are local. They offer a variety of products, some of them are made in-house and others are sourced outside of their manufacturing business. A bed similar to the Avocado, with coils for comparison sake, is $2834 and ships from New York in 8 to 10 weeks from ordering.
However, I’m not interested in a coil mattress myself, so I also looked to the Latex mattresses. They have a Natural Latex and an Organic Latex mattress. The Organic Latex mattress is 6.5” deep and comes standard Firm. It is GOLS Dunlop latex wrapped in wool and made in Seattle, shipping at 6 to 8 weeks from order.
I have actually tried this mattress out and it is what I’m looking for! I simple mattress, flippable, and has a good density/firmness. They do not offer free returns, with a 30% restocking fee on unused and unopened mattresses – but since they are local here in the PNW, you can actually make a stop in Olympia or Oakeville to try it out first!
They also have an Affirm Pay option on their website. The Organic Latex King mattress is $2834, so the priciest of the bunch here, but also likely the top quality and service. They also carry wool toppers, sheets, pillows… so many cozy things! If you can, just stop in their store to see their operation and test out their products.
DIY Natural Bedding
As I mentioned, I went down a rabbit hole when I searched “DIY Mattress” on google. I do love a Do It Yourself project, because once you realize that things are just made by humans and some kind of human-made machine – then anything is possible! Including making your own mattress.
I found this company intriguing because it is a nice blend of DIY and sort-of-already-made-for-you. All of their products are organic and locally sourced or made in house. They are based in Lafayette, Indiana and Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
You get to customize to your hearts content here, because DIY! The owner is also a great resource as she will help you make the mattress combo that is perfect for you.
You can purchase pre-cut organic latex foam in 3” depths, stacking them up to create the mattress depth you need also offering 5 different levels of density from soft to hard. Then you’ll need a cover, also called a Ticking, for your foam, and they have a variety of pre-sewing options to fit the depth you need based on your foam layers. In addition, you can add a wool wrap on the foam. If you really want to go full DIY, you can even sew your own ticking and they sell supplies!
The parts for the mattress ship in 2 weeks. The website notes also that the lifespan of Dunlop latex is twenty to thirty years! So, spending the extra funds on one of these mattresses is surely worth the expense. Organic latex foam also boasts being hypoallergenic, antimicrobial and dust mite resistant.
One of the major bonuses for me in the DIY method, is that I can make adjustments and really clean my mattress. I love that I could, if needed, completely remove the cover and clean it completely OR if we decided a certain firmness or depth of our mattress wasn’t what worked best for us, we could swap it out.
Speaking of swapping, they offer a “buy and try” option. After you’ve tried out your mattress, you can send it back to exchange for an alternative firmness if needed for a $100 fee which covers shipping. A completely reasonable offer and offers some security, as mattresses can be major purchases that you don’t want to get wrong!
Totalling this one involves a bit of math, but we are looking at two 3” King latex slabs ($530 each) + a wool batting wrap ($150) + a 7” ticking/cover ($255) totalling $1465. I also intend to add a 3” wool topper for $460 to add another layer. We potentially may need an additional layer after trying this out, based on their extensive recommendations on their website. Thankfully, we can add that if needed for an additional $530.
The total then for a DIY comparable is somewhere between $1465 and $2455.
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As you might guess, we’re leaning toward the DIY Natural Bedding option! I love the versatility and the price comes in a bit lower than the Holy Lamb Organics options – though I really find that local option to be a wonderful business!
I also appreciate the turn-around and the great customer service I’ve already received in talking with the owner. I’m excited to make my order and show you more of the process in getting our mattress all put together!
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