Mattress Forum

Mattress encasement link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002R0DR74/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002R0DR74&linkCode=as2&tag=naturcosme07-20&linkId=NL5EZRKR6D47IW7L

Pillow encasements: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002R0DR3I/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002R0DR3I&linkCode=as2&tag=naturcosme07-20&linkId=INQQYQDAHL5PZWCL

Organic sheets: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030GR48W/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0030GR48W&linkCode=as2&tag=naturcosme07-20&linkId=QQYS5O3GVC5CNLR3

I also ran across this one from thecleanbedroom (albeit more expensive):  http://www.thecleanbedroom.com/Organic_Mattresses/Mattress_Encasings/Organic_Dust_Mite_Mattress_Encasings.htm  But again the tight weave fabric appears stiff in the photo.

I'm also considering a more traditional cotton / bamboo cover from SLAB: http://www.sleeplikeabear.com/9-oz-natural-woo-bamboo-mattress-cover  It does have 9oz wool quilted so thre is more of a dicsonnect between you and the latex but lots of people seem to like sleeping on wool, plus I don't belive 9oz is that thick (and you get added benefit of moisture absorption).  Although this one wouldn't be as dust mite resistant if that's really an issue.

Can't beleive I'm stressing about mattress covers!

Yugnat-

The protector is thick and canvasy, but I don't feel it on the mattress. It seems like it is very heavy duty, and it seems to be made to really protect the mattress. That being said, I'm sure it will get softer after washing it (I just got it in the mail a couple days ago..) I also have soft sheets to go over it, so I don't find it to be problematic. I'd much rather not have to worry about dust mites, personally. Can it be the only cover on your latex mattress? I would say DEFINITELY. It's much more of a "protector" than the one that came on my latex mattress.

I also came across the one on clean bedroom, and by the looks of it, I think it's the same as the allersoft cover (but with much higher markup). The second one that you posted seems more like a "comfort" layer. Unfortunately, it's difficult to protect against dust mites while adding a comfort layer in ONE solution... (they make the dust mite protector to have a very small pore size to prevent dust mites from burrowing into the mattress) If I were you, I would get the organic dust mite protector, and a nice organic wool "topper" to put underneath the protector if you feel you really needed it to be softer.

Plus, I don't know how important it is to you, but the second one is made of a 55% polyester blend (manmade from petro chemicals) and bamboo (sounds natural, but very unnatural processing to make bamboo cloth i.e. adding tons of unnecessary chemicals). The healthiest options are organic cotton and organic wool.

PS I did probably the same ammount of stressing as you recently about the same thing so I figured I had to put my 2 cents in!

To be honest though, if you do one of those covers it should go over something like a quilted woolen cover, although they protect against dust mites penetrating into the mattress core; they do not protect the mattress from perspiration damage over time.  The salt content in your perspiration literally pulverizes rubber down over time, this is why in europe for decades (even before they had strict fire codes as well) sheeps wool or other animal hair was always used in the high quality latex mattresses to prevent this from happening, as well as to regulate your temperature and humidity.

I'd then cover everything in one of these: http://www.dreamsoftbedware.com/allcomapad.html which is also machine washable.

The wool topper can be set outside in the sun a couple of times a year to kill dust mites, and can also be drycleaned or preferrably professionally wet cleaned when necessary. These were the options I had it narrowed down to when I was contemplating a DIY bed.

One thing I forgot to mention in my above post is that I was definitely leaning towards the flobeds encasement due to it making the whole bed much more fire resistant, since the wool is sewn into all 6 sides. This may not seem like a big deal, but I have several firefighter friends who are constantly warning me about stuff like this. Unfortunately though, it does come at a price. Just another thing to consider.

As far as wool being flammable, so is steel. That doesn't mean wool can't pass the burn test on its own. See: http://www.popsci.com/node/9344

Many online retailers claim their wool filled encasements have passed the fire requirements without the use of chemicals like flobeds: here: http://www.flobeds.com/burntest.htm and here: http://www.flobeds.com/PleinAirWool.htm

"FloBeds was the first mattress company to use wool (and no chemicals) to pass the new Federal Fire Resistance standards. We have wool on all six sides of the mattress."

They do this by compressing a thick wad of wool inside their encasement. Now some say they're lying to us, but I do believe they'd be open to some pretty hefty lawsuits if proven, which can be easily done via some simple lab tests. I'm guessing that they're telling the truth.

Here, to answer some of your questions, (especially since you are making people believe steel is as flammable as wool....)

http://www.strobel.com/wool_burns.htm

"As you can see in all the proof above everything organic burns, there are no natural, chemical free, or nontoxic mattresses that comply with the federal regulation. They all contain toxic chemicals. Your only choice for a chemical free mattress is by prescription."

"Cotton burns at 255 degrees and untreated Wool burns at 600 degrees. The open flame test is 2,000 degrees for over a minute. It is scientifically impossible for a blend of untreated cotton and wool to pass the test."

Silica is not considered a chemical- therefore someone can say there are no chemicals.

“They do use a sand based material mixed in with their wool to help meet the flame retardant standards.”

Sand is Silicon (Si) which you can see on the CPSC table of chemicals used in beds When you melt sand it makes glass. This is the Silica Glass or simple glass that is in the fibers of “inherently fire resistant fibers” that they call viscose, Visil, or FR Rayon. It is an extreme respiratory hazard and known to cause illness and cancer. "

Formaldehyde is the most common FR chemical used in beds today, wool has a higher burning point than formaldehyde.  

The 1633 CFR regulations do not require beds to be flame proof, they just require a certain rate of heat release and rate of how fast the fire spreads.

If you took the same piece of wool and tried to light it on fire from the top down it would self extinguish; the fire on these tests is applied to the surface of a mattress not the underside. 

No company has ever claimed that wool does not burn, but the laws have never required beds to be completely fire proof to begin with.  

tjstogner,

Please re-read my original post, as I never insinuated that wool is AS flammable as steel. I was just pointing out that almost everything IS flammable, and that just because it is flammable, it doesn't mean it can't be used as a fire retardant.

FWIW, antimony is a very commonly used fire retardant used in firefighter gear, and is also flammable: http://www.speclab.com/elements/antimony.htm  "BURNS WITH BLUISH-WHITE FLAME WITHOUT VOLATILIZING"

I used steel in my previous example, because most people aren't familiar with antimony.

"In conclusion 100% pure wool processed properly will perform very well as a FR barrier for CFR 1633 compliance. However it is a very expensive way to achieve it. Ultimately bedding manufacturers and their customers must decide whether it is worth the additional expense they must pay for an all natural solution for compliance to the law."

Interesting article there; thanks for the link.

From another article (Polyurethane Foam Application and Design in Mattresses) by the same author (Steve Holder) on that same site:

"...The temptation for manufacturers is to use cheaper less durable foams to achieve price competitiveness. There is a large risk here, since consumers cannot be fooled by these compromises made by bedding manufacturers for very long. In other words when consumers realize that the new mattress they recently purchased fails to hold up and loses it comfort performance, it may well come back to haunt those manufacturers who compromised the quality of their products by substituting cheaper poorer performing components. There is much evidence of these compromises being made, by the greater use of lower quality lower density polyurethane foams being used in mattresses today. Polyurethane foams as low as .8 lb – 1 lb density foams are being used in many mattresses today. These foams are formed with very weak polymer bonds and are mostly made up of foams formed with weak hydrogen bonds which will lose more than half of their IFD rating very shortly. Also, these foams are subject to compression set or collapse, bringing about massive body impressions in new mattresses in a very short period of time. It is very important for all legitimate bedding manufacturers to understand the destructive effects to the bedding products they are putting their reputation on. A better understanding of this very important component will not only enable manufacturers to build superior products, but also build better more durable products for their customers."