The hunt for an organic yet affordable mattress is a very FAQ in my group. As with other categories I’m asked about, Greenwashing abounds. Companies use all sorts of buzz words, often stating what their mattresses are free from, while glossing over some less than desirable materials that may be in them. I had my choices narrowed down to 2 companies: My Green Mattress (MGM) or Savvy Rest. Both offer quality, organic mattresses. I ended up choosing MGM because their prices are much lower. They’re able to do this because they sell factory direct, meaning there is no middle person in the equation. Yes, they have an affiliate program, Jolene my co-author on the page is an affiliate, meaning she earns a couple percent of each sale used via her link. But it’s nothing like the 50%+ mark-up a standard whole/sale retail agreement would entail. I strongly suggest going to their showroom in La Grange, IL if it’s at all doable for you. In hindsight I’d wished I’d made the 6hr drive myself. BUT, they do have a 100 night trial, if you’re not happy, you can send it back for a refund or exchange. So that gave me the peace of mind that if I hated it, I wasn’t stuck with it.
I went with the 9” Simple Sleep latex, and since Jolene has already shared the great reasons she made that choice as well, I’m not going to re-type that info myself, but will share her post here for you to read to begin: https://ecofriendlymamausa.com/2017/04/12/jolenes-my-green-mattress-review/
So how did I like the new mattress? It’s very firm. I did sleep well, but after giving it a full month I decided I wanted something more pillowy. I was torn between sticking it out & getting used to it, which I have a feeling I would’ve eventually. It takes our bodies time to adapt. I really didn’t want to spend more money, but decided to go for it & get a topper. After reaching out in my group to weigh all options, I settled on the Shepherds Dream Snuggle Mate Topper from the vendor Green Mountain Organics (a Mama in our group). About this topper: “ Add a wool filled Snuggle Mate to your mattress for additional cushion and to experience the benefits of wool. Wool will keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer, while also helping to relieve aches and pains. Feel your body relax as you lie upon the cloud-like wool in the snuggle mate. Our Snuggle Mate wool mattress topper consists of 3″ of our lush USA eco wool batting, and is encased in a thick, soft cotton sateen. The sateen fabric is grown and woven in the USA. Add this topper to any bed to provide you with the comfort and breath-ability of natural wool. If you would like to add extra cushion to your existing mattress, this is the perfect item for you. Lightweight and easy to care for, we highly recommend topping your mattress with the 3” thick Snuggle Mate. Though this mattress topper will compress regular use, wool always retains its comfort and natural resilience.” The fact that it was on sale so I saved a couple hundred bucks was the cincher in me choosing this over some that were more in the $1000 range. It was waiting for me after we got back from a 3 night camping trip, I was so excited to get it in place & lay down & truly had an ahhhhhhh moment & indeed, it has made my bed perfect for my liking. Of course, the kids sleep great no matter where they are, but they liked the addition of the pillowy softness too! Jolene, who shared her thoughts on the same 9” latex mattress in her link up above, is still very happy with hers, and she is not using any sort of topper.
Topper link (you could contact Michelle to see if she has any special offers before purchasing): http://www.greenmountainorganics.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=56_2_30&products_id=1122&fref=gc
Bed platform: we used our existing, homemade support that my Hubby had made for our previous mattress. It’s a custom red cedar platform & I love it because it has storage built-in underneath.
MATTRESS PROTECTOR: I went with the Luna: http://amzn.to/2vAryjp. It might surprise you that I bought an organic mattress but opted out of a 100% natural mattress protector, but I really didn’t want to drop another $500+ on a wool barrier. Being I am bed-sharing with my 2 kids I know there will be an occasional bed-wetting, and sick nights involving puking kids. I wanted to be realllly sure that the mattress & topper were protected. And my daughter has indeed wet the bed twice in the 3 months we’ve had our new bed, and the protector did its job perfectly. It washes very easily, I was concerned a king size wool pad would not fit in my washer. Both products from Luna did have a pretty strong plastic smell out of the plastic zipper bag they came out of, but per the instructions (and as a good rule of thumb in general) I washed them twice before using them & did not notice a smell afterwards.
PILLOWS: I also purchased 2 new shredded latex pillows from MGM. They are not made by them, I learned once they arrived that they were made in Canada, which is OK by me. They are shredded latex. I also have 2 of the solid latex (not shredded) from MGM (they no longer offer them) that were ~ 3 years old & I did feel they were starting to get a bit deflated, I found myself wanting another small pillow. But the new ones are plenty supportive & I don’t need more than just that for my needs. My Hubby prefers a flatter pillow so is sticking with the old ones, the new are a bit too much for his liking.
PILLOW PROTECTORS: I hadn’t really thought about protecting my 2 new pillows, until someone in the group mentioned she had to throw away her pillow away after her child puked on it & she just could not get it cleaned properly. So for only another $30 I felt good purchasing the Luna protectors & knowing my pillows would also be safe: http://amzn.to/2vAT9kk.
My budget really needed some recovery time after this flurry of activity. So I decided to make do with the bedding we had been using (regular cotton sheets, etc). But as my budget allows & as I need new sheets, pillowcases & eventually a comforter, I will be replacing them with organic, hopefully made in USA options as well (and will share here).
So what did I spend for all of this? I did get a couple hundred off my mattress (they upgraded me to the 9” at the 7” price, as a blogger discount and for sharing my honest thoughts with you today), but here’s what you’d pay at full price: $2922.85 (I paid around $2500 with the mattress discount & topper being on sale).
Mattress: $1669
2 king size latex pillows: $178
Topper: full price $996 (got mine on sale for $717)
Luna Mattress Protector: $49.95
Luna Pillow Protectors: 2x $14.95
So yes, ~$3000 is a LOT of money. We rarely spend more than $1000 on our vehicles (my Hubby is a mechanic so puts needed work into them). So this was a huge purchase for us. BUT, I had been on my conventional, nothing special mattress for almost 17 years! I have no doubt I will be set for 2 decades. And also remember, this was all king size, so it will be cheaper for smaller sizes of course. The peace of mind that comes with providing the very safest options for my family is worth every penny. And the fact that we spend ~1/3 of our lives sleeping, means this really, truly is a very important item purchase! Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts, and let me know if you have any questions.
(additional expenses listed below, came in at right around $3500 total when I replaced every, single item for the bed!)
ADDED OCT OF ’17:
COMFORTER: I went with a comforter & duvet from the Company Store, which is local to me here in WI. Here’s a link to the comforter I got, it was 60% off last month (in store), so only $120. I bet they’ll have a Black Friday sale too. The shell is imported from China, it is stuffed & finished in WI. I would’ve loved to stick to 100% made in USA on both these items but compromised. I’m very happy with my bed, just waiting for those sheets to have it finally complete. We refer to it as paradise 
🙂 http://www.thecompanystore.com/…/organ…/c2v6-ps-h16.html
DUVET: This is the duvet I got, I absolutely love it. The duvet is GOTS certified organic but made in Pakistan, I almost passed it up but I really, really liked it so went back for it. I loathe white & beige which is the norm for organic fabric it seems, so was happy to find a pattern I liked…. So, I compromised on it not being made in USA. I fell in love with the duvet then saw the made in Pakistan & put it down, bought the comforter (from the Company Store & left). I got 3 blocks away & turned around, the duvet called me back…. (not my bed pictured below, from Company Store website)
Sheets- Coyuchi had 40% off sale in Oct! I purchased king size, 300 count sateen organic sheets & pillowcases (and a toddler pillow), for ~$240 total via Green Mountain Organics. Contact Michelle, she often has sales! No, not made in USA.
I later discovered this brand, and got great deals (off already reasonable prices) over Black Friday. I got towels, sheets & even a robe for myself, all organic & fair trade (but not made in USA), and am very happy with them (have had them 1 year now): https://underthecanopy.com/
ADDITIONAL EXPENSE: comforter, duvet, sheets & pillowcases= ~$450, and all were on sale! So that brings the total of my bed to right around $3500, really not too bad in my opinion, considering the 2 decades or more I’ll get out of it all!
Also, you may be interested in reading how I turned a twin mattress from MGM into a couch: https://ecofriendlymamausa.com/2017/06/26/turning-my-mattress-into-a-couch/
), non-GMO, nature-based ingredients
Eco-friendly baby/family products MADE in USA 