Updated February 2024
This guide contains mattresses at a range price points. Because you spend ⅓ of your life in bed, this should be a priority to have it be as non toxic as possible! The best way to avoid toxicants is getting a certified organic mattress.
This post may contain Amazon Associates and other affiliate links, that I may earn small amounts from. I only joined affiliate programs for mattresses in 2024, YEARS AFTER first publishing my recommendations, so I wasn’t biased. See the bottom of this page for more details.
ISSUES WITH CONVENTIONAL MATTRESSES
1. Formaldehyde–this chemical is found in fabrics, adhesives, and foams. It off-gasses from the adhesives used and the petroleum-based polyurethane foam. Formaldehyde is a carcinogen.
2. Flame Retardants–these chemicals off-gas for years after the mattress is sold and are harsh endocrine disruptors and possible carcinogens. One of the most common ones was PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), which increases the risk of breast cancer and disrupts normal thyroid functions, among other things. The good news is that in newer mattresses (starting after 2007), these are becoming much less common.
3. VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds)–Health effects range from headaches & dizziness to cancers and central nervous system problems. VOCs also bond to ozone in your home creating smog in the sunlight.
4. Polyurethane foam and polyester are synthetic (petroleum based). Another reason to purchase an organic mattress is that polyurethane foam is incredibly flammable. Polyurethane foam is also referred to as “gasoline” by firefighters because it’s made of petroleum and catches fire very quickly. So if you have a conventional mattress, fires are more of a problem. This is the reason why they have to add chemical flame retardants to the mattress.
CONSIDERATIONS WHEN BUYING AN ORGANIC MATTRESS
The entire mattress should have a GOTS organic certificate, not just its parts. And the certificates should have the manufacturer’s name on it, not just their suppliers. A Transaction Certificate is not the same thing.
GOLS is another certification for organic latex. OEKO-Tex 100 is a lower level certification that is a good step but not nearly as good as an organic certification.
Some brands claim they are organic, but sometimes that doesn’t mean the entire mattress. You can search for the name of the company in the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) database here. If you don’t find that brand, most likely that means that neither the whole mattress nor the facility is certified, which means we can’t be sure that the mattress is totally free of petroleum-based materials or flame-retardant chemicals.
I recommend organic Dunlop (not talalay) latex with no coils. You don’t know for certain what is in talalay because there are no regulations and no certifications.
Also look closely at ALL materials used, including in the mattress encasement cover. Some companies are vague and say they use organic cotton, but they don’t say if it’s blended with anything and if it’s certified organic. I recommend confirming this if the website doesn’t say specifically. Many companies use wool because it’s a natural flame retardant.
Conversely, some mattresses and pillows that market themselves as organic really just have an organic cover (and possibly not even truly organic), but the latex or inner materials are not organic.
There’s a ton of green washing/ misleading claims around mattresses, so beware of marketing claims. Regulations for using terms like “natural” or “organic” don’t exist the way they do for food products, so if you ever see a non-food product claim to be organic without a certification, there’s a good chance it is not organic at all.
IKEA (which isn’t even cheap for a “natural latex” one) and Tuft and Needle (a better choice for foam, if you have to get foam) are just two of many that are not non-toxic as claimed.
Other things to consider are whether inner springs/ coils are used, or additives like hydrated silica. I personally don’t buy mattresses with coils.
WHAT IF I CAN’T AFFORD A BEST OPTION OR REPLACING AT ALL?
Remember that latex mattresses can last 20 years, so consider it an investment! I am not an affiliate for any mattress companies, but many of them offer sales and discount offers. Other things to consider are shipping charges, and return policies.
I used to think it was possible to cover conventional mattresses in a protective encasement, but it’s unlikely to prevent exposure to off gassing. You could wrap in thick plastic, but it would be crinkly and pose a mold risk. You’d also then be laying close to plastic, which is not non-toxic. I’ve seen this recommended for baby mattresses and I find it appalling.
If you can’t afford a better option, the best thing you can do to mitigate a toxic mattress is having a high quality air purifier in your room. Here is my post about air purifiers.
BEST ORGANIC MATTRESSES
#MyTopPicks: Based on everything I’ve read, the very best truly non- toxic organic mattresses I recommend are:
–Soaring Heart (starting at $2,907). Most other non-toxic mattress guides don’t include this one because they haven’t heard of it. I own one for my own bed. Get a 5% discount with the code CLEANGREEN5 at this link: Soaring Heart.
–Turmerry is a newer company that I looked into and bought from. They state they are a GOLS and GOTS certified facility and that the two major organic certification bodies, GOLS and GOTS, issue their certifications directly to their company. The cover is 💯 certified organic cotton. Most other non-toxic mattress guides don’t include this one because they haven’t heard of it. $799 for a twin kids mattress. I bought one of these for my daughter.
–Naturepedic is what I used for crib mattresses, which don’t have springs. However, their larger mattresses all contain inner springs. A kid’s twin mattress starts at $799. Note that at least some of their mattresses have a polyester spring insulator layer. For 15% off, use code: cleangreen at this link: Naturepedic
–Savvy Rest $999 and up; has coils. Non-coil options available. GOLS from from beginning to end. The Serenity is GOTS-certified organic as a finished product and includes your choice of GOLS-certified Dunlop latex and/or Cradle to Cradle GOLD certified Talalay latex. For 20% off all their products, use this link and code CGTF.
–Happsy is an offshoot of Naturepedic that is also GOTS certified, and contains metal coil springs. $899 and up. For 15% off, use code: cleangreen at this Happsy link. It’s also at Amazon at this Associates link: https://amzn.to/3IAMA7u
–My Green Mattress is often recommended. $599 and up but all contain coils. They upgraded to full certification of GOLS and GOTS, and they stopped using polyester in the covers. Use this link and code Green25 to get $25 off the Pure Eco mattress, which is usually excluded from sitewide sales.
-OMI (or Lifekind/ Metta/ Nest, their cheaper versions, which start at $1,299). There are options without coils and is GOTS or GOLS from beginning to end.
–Obasan– GOLS and GOTS certified latex mattress from beginning to end. Starting at $2459. No coils.
-White Lotus makes GOTS organic futon mattresses. Get 20% OFF with promo code GW2021 at this link: White Lotus
#MoneySavingTip: If you don’t want to spend the money for one of the top choices, the lowest cost option I’d recommend is trying one 3” latex topper or stacking three 2” latex toppers (about $500 total) plus an $89 Magnolia encasement or DIY Natural Bedding (but see concern with them below) to put them in to avoid shifting around. When I looked at toppers a couple years ago, the Happsy Organic Mattress Topper was the best price and a recommended brand and that’s what I bought. Each one comes covered in organic cotton fabric, not sure if that makes it easier or not to stack, but you could always cut off the cover. Amazon Associates link: https://amzn.to/3ACz54o
Another option for latex layers is this: https://amzn.to/35m8tcg (Amazon Associates link). There’s not the same kind of brand recognition with this option, but it’s listed as: “Organic 100% Natural Latex Mattress Topper – Includes Organic Cover – Medium Firmness – 2″ King Size – GOLS & GOTS Certified.” You can cut a king size 3” topper in half to make a “6 twin.
GOOD ORGANIC MATTRESSES
These are lower cost organic options, but they aren’t quite best because often the certification is through the supplier only, and/or they use coils, polyester in the cover, use hydrated silica, etc). I looked up prices for twin size, cheapest option available:
-Avocado (offshoot of Brentwood Home) starts at $799 (all have coils) They upgraded to full certification of GOLS and GOTS. As of Spring 2023 there is a class action lawsuit against Avocado mattresses. However, I think people should wait until is more is known/ decided before over-reacting and refusing to buy from the company. Here is more information.
-Eco Cloud $1000 (coils) $1500 (no coils).
-Essentia $1,791 and up.
-Awara $699 and up; all have coils; certification may be lacking.
-Mountain Air Organic Beds $1,699.00 and up.
-Saatva Latex hybrid (has coils) $1,199 (may have certification issues, and the cover just says “made with organic cotton”).
-Cozy Pure. No coils. GOLS certified organic but I haven’t looked deeply into if the final products are certified. $2,619.
-Sleep EZ. Starting at $1,199.00 for their organic latex (no coils) mattress made with both Dunlop and Talalay latex. Do note that they have cheaper mattresses but they aren’t organic. Read the fine print carefully. For the organic latex mattress, at one point it says the Dunlop is organic, but other times it is described as “natural” and only Oeko Tex certification is mentioned, rather than organic certification.
NON-ORGANIC (BUT CHEAPER) OPTIONS
OEKO TEX:
-Brooklyn Bedding $479.
-Zenhaven $1,299 (no coils).
NOT ORGANIC OR OEKO TEX:
-Birch uses natural, but not organic Talalay latex. $799 for a Childrens mattress.
-Coco-Mat $1,400?
-Eco Terra $649.
-Ikea natural latex $799.
-Relaxation Products on Etsy: Wool and cotton mattresses. $250.
-Sleep on Latex $595 (no coils). Their layers of latex are fused together with latex based adhesive to create one solid piece of latex (not individual layers). I would be concerned about this because of the mysterious nature of adhesive ingredients.
-Biosleep uses natural latex but it isn’t organic. In some descriptions they claim organic latex but on their certificate page it doesn’t list GOLS or GOTS, but I couldn’t download the actual certificates.
FOAM (not recommended but if you’re going to do foam, these might be “better” options):
If you are going to get foam, try to see if there’s one that has Oeko-Tex certification on the mattress (make sure it’s not just for the covering). I haven’t looked into it so I’m not sure it even exists, but that would be most ideal.
-Sunrising brand gave sketchy answers about certifications.
-Tuft and Needle $290. This has a bunch of lower certifications but not oeko tex.
-Loom and Leaf $749.
-Brentwood Home/ Juniper $219. Has some certifications but still uses memory foam and such. Uses odd language saying the finished product has other certifications but never mentioned GOTS.
-IKEA conventional (not latex), may contain small amounts of flame retardant around the stitching.
NOT RECOMMENDED:
-Mattresses from DIY Natural Bedding. This brand doesn’t share supplier info.
-5 Little Monkeys. It’s certipur, memory foam, gel, etc. just covered with oeko organic cotton.
-The Futon Shop. There have been reports of mold in their warehouses.
BOX SPRINGS/ BED FRAMES
To prevent mold growth, it’s recommended not to put the mattresses directly on the floor. Wood slats are available from companies like soaring heart, or a natural wood frame such as this (not an affiliate link). I hear Naturepedic might have some options too. KD Frames is one I’ve bought from.
A coconut coir pad can also be an option, such as from Avocado brand or the Futon Shop.
CRIB MATTRESSES
The brands I listed under my top picks (and some of the less expensive organic brands as well) make baby mattresses. After researching, I personally felt most confident about Naturepedic and that’s what I bought for my baby. I am not an affiliate of this company but this is an Amazon associates link to the one I bought: https://amzn.to/3nUWb0G
SHEETS AND BEDDING
Here’s a few I have. For other options, look for GOTS certified organic cotton. Target Threshold organic is a great #MoneySavingTip option! For a higher thread count, Magnolia Organics is another that I have (amazon affiliates link: https://amzn.to/3fUDar1). I have also bought organic sheets from Pottery Barn Kids but check the descriptions carefully to see that the ones you want say GOTS CERTIFIED.
This brand I have comes packaged without plastic, in cardboard and tissue: (Amazon associates link: https://amzn.to/3AtRgsG)
I have an organic duvet cover from West Elm and the cheapest all-organic cotton duvet insert (also works as a comforter on its own) I could find is from Coyuchi. Burts Bees makes affordable crib and bassinet sheets. Amazon Associates link to one I used: https://amzn.to/3IzoxFT
PILLOWS
Many of the brands above make pillows as well. I tried organic cotton (Amazon Affiliates link: https://amzn.to/3IyubrU or kapok from Magnolia Organics, but wasn’t a fan. My husband and daughter use them. I like my latex pillow from Happsy. Amazon Associates link: https://amzn.to/3Iyv8jN. I like a little more height so I put a folded organic towel underneath. I also use these pillow protectors (Amazon Affiliates link: https://amzn.to/3ArahMB)
I also use an organic cotton body pillow from Lifekind or White Lotus Home. Get 20% OFF with promo code GW2021 at this link: White Lotus. I have learned never to try to wash an organic cotton pillow! It will soak up a ton of water. It can be put in the dryer to kill germs instead. This pillowcase fits the White Lotus one: https://amzn.to/3wgKFUy.
As mentioned in an earlier section, beware of deceptive advertising about things like pillows and mattress pads. Sometimes, just the cover will be organic cotton, but the filling will be polyester, so be sure to check.
If you are looking into making your own or adding more stuffing, here is a source of certified organic cotton fill (not an affiliate link).
MATTRESS PROTECTORS AND PADS
There are a few brands that make waterproof protectors, including Naturepedic and Happsy. Here’s one that uses TPU instead of polyurethane, though it’s tough to say which is better. If you’re looking for the cheapest, Vekkia claims to be GOTS certified but I haven’t verified that (Amazon associates link https://amzn.to/3OgyqMr). Here’s a guide to mattress protectors with even more.
I hear Holy Lamb, Coyuchi, or Soaring Heart have mattress pads but haven’t looked into them. Or this has a waterproof backing and is GOTS certified (Amazon Associates link: https://amzn.to/3AuL1oG).
Other mattress pad/ protector options are wool puddle pads but I haven’t looked into any.
Also check out my post about sleep/ insomnia tips.
Please follow my Facebook page, Thanks!
***Thank you for visiting Clean Green Toxicant Free! I started this site simply because I want to help people and share information. I dig deep and seek the most truly non-toxic products, without bias. I am not paid to write anything and I don’t sell anything. In 2022 I became an Amazon Associate, which does NOT bias my recommendations. I may earn small dividends from purchases made after clicking my clearly labeled links (even if you don’t buy those specific items), which covers the costs I pay to maintain this site, at no cost to you. More info is on the About This Website page.***