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She’s about to leave. You sleep on a mattress for roughly 23 solid years of your life (on average), so it’s worth thinking carefully about what you sleep on. Unfortunately, mattresses often have questionable materials in them. Everything from formaldehyde to TCEP (flame retardant) to phthalates can be found in inorganic mattresses. It’s not scientifically proven how much these substances affect you, but one way to avoid harm is to get a mattress made from natural, organic materials. As a bonus, these mattresses are usually not harmful to the environment. Most eco-friendly mattresses are made from a combination of wool, natural rubber and cotton. The construction is similar to a normal mattress, but without chemicals.
The members of the WIRED Gear team have been testing mattresses for the past few years, and we’ve slept on every single mattress on this list. We’re always experimenting with more, but these are our favorites right now. As a note, we generally recommend hybrid mattresses over individually coiled springs because they feel more supportive and have better airflow so you won’t sleep as hot. All prices shown are for queen-size models unless otherwise noted.
Updated February 2023: We’ve added some notes on organic certifications and noted our ongoing testing of organic bedding to complement your mattress.
details of the situation
The only mattress my husband and I agree on is the Avocado Green Blend mattress. She likes a soft mattress, and I prefer a firm one. This model somehow manages to be both without being too much of either. After almost two years of sleeping on it, there is zero sagging or other issues. WIRED Mattress Contributor Jeffrey Van Camp tried the avocado and liked it.
If you prefer a softer feel, there’s a pillow-top option, or you can add a mattress topper like the company’s luxurious (and durable) alpaca hair mattress (see below). Avocado sells a zero-source organic natural latex foam mattress and a vegan hybrid model that uses no wool, but we haven’t tested those models.
The Avocado Green is 11 inches thick and is made from organic latex, organic wool and organic cotton. It is also non-toxic. According to the company, it contains no polyurethane, fire retardants, memory foam or chemical adhesives. Avocado owns its own sheep farm and latex farm, all jointly owning an organic latex processing facility in India. The mattresses are assembled in California.
There’s a one-year trial period, a 25-year warranty and free shipping on all Avocado mattresses. Like other mattress box options, avocado comes squeezed. The company is a certified B corporation, purchasing enough offsets to qualify as a carbon-negative business.
A more affordable organic mattress
An Awara mattress is made from latex foam, organic wool and individually coiled springs. Not as comfortable as Birch (see below), but more affordable. An Awara mattress is supportive and bouncy, but the springs can feel softer than other mattresses, while the edges are stiffer. (A top class might even help things out.)
A win for Awara, as WIRED reviewer Lorin Strampe noted: Unpacking the vacuum-packed mattress once it arrived resulted in little odor—much less than other brands. There isn’t much transfer of motion, and the soft mattress fabric wasn’t too hot or too cold. This is a solid choice for an easy hybrid mattress on a budget.
My pursuit of an eco-friendly mattress generally started with my kids. I’m more concerned about what they sleep on than what I sleep on. Still, as much as I love avocado greens, it’s not cheap. For my kids, I bought the more affordable Kiwi mattress with a green mattress. Kiwi is similar to avocado. By pocket source and natural materials: It is a mattress blend with certified organic cotton, wool and latex.
Kiwi is a good twisty double sided option that appeals to kids. It costs a little more up front, but flipping it will extend its life, which is handy if your kids find that beds are actually trampolines.
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