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Green mattresses make for a comfortable, restful night’s sleep

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Photo by Al Hoch

Ryan Poppie uses a fire retardant thread to sew together the fabric on the sides of a mattress that is made from a fire resistant fiber at the Beloit Mattress Co.

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Photo by Al Hoch

Eleanor Poppie cuts out the covering to a mattress that is made of Ingro (fiber made from corn) at the Beloit Mattress Company.

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Photo by Al Hoch

Beloit Mattress Co. showroom displays front-Bamboo eco-friendly textile and back Ingro corn textiles mattresses.

Photo

Photo by Al Hoch

An eco-friendly textile made from bamboo is used as a covering on some of the mattresses at Beloit Mattress Co.

BELOIT — For a comfortable, restful sleep, all you need is a little bamboo or corn.

The mattresses made at Beloit Mattress Co. are designed not only for a good night’s sleep but for the environment, too.

It started in July, when the Consumer Products Safety Commission changed mattress safety requirements mandating all new mattresses be resistant to open flame. Before, mattresses were required to be resistant only to lit cigarettes, a regulation in effect since 1973.

Most mattresses are made of polyester treated with fire retardant chemicals.

But the Poppie family, which owns Beloit Mattress, was looking for something better—something that didn’t force their customers to sleep on a bed of chemically treated synthetic fibers.

They found visil rayon, a naturally flame-retardant form of rayon. According to the manufacturer, Sateri, it doesn’t melt when it comes into contact with heat or flame and emits virtually no smoke or fumes.

Beloit Mattress Co. uses visil in all of its mattresses.

The Poppies said the new safety standards sparked the company’s change to “green” mattresses. They needed a way to make their mattresses of a high quality and more attractive than a mass-produced mattress. And they needed to make money.

“A lot of small companies like us went out of business (after the new safety standard went into effect),” Ryan Poppie said.

The expense of open-flame testing sent small, independent mattress factories packing. It costs $500 to burn a bed for testing, Poppie said.

With the growing demand for eco-friendly products, the Poppies felt green was the way to go.

“It’s better for the environment … and it also improves the beds,” Poppie said. “It just makes sense.”

The family looked at other aspects of their mattresses and changed from synthetic foam, which is made from crude oil, to natural Latex foam, which is made from the sap of rubber trees.

Poppie said it’s more comfortable and more supportive than synthetic foam. It’s also resistant to mildew and dust mites, which means the mattress lasts longer and is healthier.

They re-examined the fabrics they use, too. Most mattresses are covered with cotton or polyester. But the Poppies learned that fabric made from bamboo and corn is soft and stretchable and doesn’t snag.

“It’s the nicest fabric we’ve ever run through the factory,” Poppie said.

The fabric is naturally antibacterial and deodorizing. It breathes, absorbs and evaporates moisture.

The fibers are made of renewable resources, a feature that was appealing to the Poppies.

So is going green in the bedroom more expensive?

Initially, Poppie said, “but you’re probably saving money in the long run.”

Green mattresses are more durable, so they last longer, he said.

At a time when the home furnishings industry is experiencing a downturn as a result of a slumping housing market, Beloit Mattress Co. is thriving. The first two months of 2008 were a record for the company, and the Poppies attribute their success to the popularity of the green mattresses.

While some mattress companies charge a “major premium” for similar products, the Poppies have chosen not to capitalize on the green hype. They only mark up the price to reflect the extra cost involved in making the mattress.

Beloit Mattress Co. green mattresses range from $700 to $1,500 for a queen-sized set.

“We try to give the customer the best value in a mattress we can,” Poppie said. “Because if something isn’t right, we’re going to hear about it. So we overbuild every bed.”

Poppie said environmentally conscious beds have been well-received.

Customers can’t stop running their hands over the soft fabric and pushing their hands into the foam and springs, he said. They shop around, but “once they lay on the beds, they always seem to come back,” he said.

“The bed just plain feels better,” Poppie said.

In-green-dients for a good night’s sleep

Visil

What is it? Visil rayon is a naturally flame retardant form of viscose which has silica embedded in the fiber during manufacturing.

Characteristics: Doesn’t melt when in contact with heat or flame; emits virtually no smoke or fumes; biodegradable.

Latex

What is it? Natural latex is made from the sap of rubber trees unlike the synthetic stuff, which is made from crude oil.

Characteristics: Resistant to mildew and dust mites; hypoallergenic; biodegradable; soft and supportive.

Bamboo

What is it? Bamboo fabric is made from bamboo fiber extracted from bamboo culms.

Characteristics: Antibacterial and deodorizing; breathes, absorbs and evaporates moisture; soft and stretchable; doesn’t snag.

Ingeo

What is it? The first manmade fiber made from corn.

Characteristics: Hypoallergenic; breathes, absorbs and evaporates moisture; soft and stretchable; doesn’t snag.