Watching Nest Bedding owner Joe Alexander put together a DIY mattress in the video demonstration below I had to wonder why this practice isn't more common. Standard mattresses are big burdens – cumbersome to deliver and move, difficult to clean and, once they're worn out, you have to replace the entire thing. The Build-A-Nest kits solve all of these problems — layers of padding (organic quilting, wool or foam latex) are zipped inside a mattress cover making it easy to replace individual components. It also makes it a cinch to clean — remove the washable cover and put the padding out in the sun for a few hours to kill dust mites.
In addition to Build-A-Nest kits, Nest Bedding offers other natural bedding — from buckhweat hull pillows to organic sheet sets.
(Images: Nest Bedding)
Store History
- Founded by: Joe Alexander
- Headquarters: Albany, California
What makes Nest Bedding unique? The mission is simple: find American made bedding and mattresses that are non-toxic, organic and natural at a reasonable price. Present them in a non-pressure setting and give customers the best possible customer service. Nest Bedding strives to stand apart in value, service and shopping experience. When you visit a Nest Bedding store, you will be greeted warmly, listened to and valued, and paired with the best products for your situation. And Nest Bedding prides itself on finding and presenting items that are unique to the market, not the same old thing you find at every store.
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This is good marketing. I've used foam for my mattress for decades and it seems what Next has done is offer a better cover.
As for its other claims:
1 . All mattresses are "nontoxic" or we'd have a lot of people dying in their sleep. We need to keep in mind that toxicity has to do with dosage as well as the particular toxin. And natural materials contain lots of natural toxins.
2. Natural materials tend not to be non-allergenic.
3. Latex is not a natural material ...
Not all mattresses are nontoxic and there are health problems associated with them. The chemicals used to make synthetic mattresses flame retardant are known carcinogens. Sure there are plenty of natural toxins, but these are deemed not to be toxic. Wool, foam latex, etc. are known alternatives to make a mattress both comfortable and fire retardant without the toxins of conventional mattresses
Latex is a milky colloid produced by some plants. Natural rubber derives from latex and latex is a natural alternative to chemically produced memory foam mattresses. That is why you have a designation for synthetic latex - if latex were all synthetic, you wouldn't need the qualifier.
Grinsngiggles is correct. I have a natural rubber mattress with an organic wool and cotton cover that zips off. What a difference! I got it a few years ago at Foamsource. You choose your core firmness and your topper firmness.
I don't care about organic, I care about finally having people realize we should be making as many things as possible in the US. When we have jobs we have money and then we can argue about buying organic or natural.
Just saw that they wrote about my little store! Yay! Synthetic foams can emit toxic off-gassing. Its a documented fact. And natural latex is made from rubber, infused with air.
Spider Lady, I wholeheartedly agree! That is why every mattress in my store is made in the USA!
kkkkaren, the difference is that you bought a mattress, and since you bought a mattress, it had to be submitted for fire testing, and have wool or some substance to make if fire retardant. Some people don't like to use wool, are vegan or allergic to wool and some don't want to sleep on fire retardant materials. When you buy COMPONENTS and build it yourself, YOU don't have to make it comply with fire retardant laws. That is the difference.
Great to see more American made products being highlighted on AT. I was really disappointed when you guys gave such rave reviews to Keetsa because they are made in China. There is no reason to buy a mattress shipped from the other side of the planet on a fuel consuming, exhaust spewing cargo freighter. People don't think: That stuff is cheaper for a reason: No regulations and they don't pay people properly.
To clarify, latex can be either all natural, all synthetic or a blend of the two. All natural latex is made from the sap of the rubber tree. Synthetic latex is a petroleum polyurethane foam that is made to look and feel like natural latex, but it off gases carcinogenic fumes.
Most mattress manufacturers use chemical fire retardants because they are cheap. Wool can be used as a fire retardant, but it is more expensive.
Studies have proven that the toxins from mattresses including the chemical fire retardants does absorb into your body.
I'm a retailer with experience and knowledge of the materials used in mattresses and I have my own daughter on a natural latex mattress with wool as the fire barrier.
Jeff Klein
www.organicsleep.com
Good post Jeff, I think we all agree wool is the best and chemical the worst.I do however believe that if an all organic mattress is out of price range a rayon or Poly FR is a good alternative. I too would be more than happy to work with the readers to provide them help choosing healthy sleep products versus the unhealthy junk 99% of mattresses are made of these days.
Joey
www.theorganicbedroom.com