This post was sponsored by Grassroots. I was not paid but given pillows to review.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the new natural and organic mattress set that we bought a few months ago, and the matching pillows given to me to review by the nice people at Grassroots Store, well, it’s time to review these bad boys!
Let’s examine all the benefits of owning an organic mattress set: it’s non-toxic for us, and non-polluting for the planet. Considering that we spend 1/3 of our life in bed (and even more for kids), shouldn’t it be important to sleep on something that is not dangerous for your health (most mattresses contain many added chemicals)? A place where you can truly relax and not worry about what chemicals you might breathe during the night?
The cotton and wool batting are fully certified by G.O.T.S., the most prestigious and rigourous certification going on earth. The natural rubber comes from latex trees, and is harvested by farmers that are paid a fair wage (fair-trade), and is also certified by the eco-institut, a well-known certification body with the highest standards. The mattress and springbox are handmade in Canada, by a company called Sleeptek, by workers who are passionate about what they do and paid fairly as well. These are sold through Grassroots Store, in store and online.
Here is some additional information about each component:
Organic cotton
All products are made from pure, organically grown and harvested cotton. Cotton grown in industrialized countries is saturated with pesticides and herbicides, and absorbs all the chemicals that modern fertilizers deposit in the soil. Machine picked, it is full of impurities, oil, leaves and dirt. The cotton we use is cultivated and hand-picked in the traditional co-operative manner that has been followed for centuries in the Canete and Chincha valleys high in the Peruvian Andes. It is grown organically without the use of synthetic pesticides or herbicides to fertilize the crop, control plant growth or fight pests. No synthetic chemicals are used to strip the leaves in preparation for the harvest or during the manufacturing process. Hand picking ensures that it is the cleanest, purest most resilient cotton fibre available. All the cotton used in our batting, filling and fabrics is clean, pure, and organic. It is woven to very high standards into the finest fabrics in Peru and Belgium.
Organic wool
All wool filling and batting is 100% organic. The pure wool we use in the quilting process is shorn from sheep that have grazed only in pastures free from pesticides and herbicides. The wool is washed without detergents, chemicals, chlorine or bleach – just hot water. The wool fibre produced retains 3-4% lanolin oil; a completely natural dust-mite repellent. Our wool comes from Argentina where the climate is very dry, filled with short grubs and rocks. Because of this climate, no agriculture has ever grown on this land, leaving the soil pure and organic. The type of sheep is called Corriedale, which provide a wool that is denser, more resilient to its shape and that has a rough finish. All these properties are excellent for mattresses, pillows, and comforters. The batting is certified through GOTS, the most recognized independent organic certifier in the world.
Natural rubber
The mattresses are made from natural rubber; the most durable, elastic material available. A natural rubber foam core is ideal for mattresses; flexible yet stable, it is absorbent, resilient and provides excellent heat and moisture regulation as well as air circulation. Natural rubber is a renewable resource. It is the milk or sap tapped from the Hevea Brasiliensis, commonly known as rubber tree, grown in Malaysian and Sri Lankan plantations specially selected for their high quality product.
Because the product is processed where the sap is harvested, we are helping to sustain the local economy and provide jobs without depleting the natural resources of the country of origin. An important element of the Sleeptek manufacturing method is the processing of the Hevea milk close to the plantation because rubber destabilizes when it is kept too long. This can be avoided by the addition of chemicals, but since we want our product as pure as possible, we do not do this. The milk is harvested in the morning and by the afternoon, it is being molded into sheets, then shipped to Canada where they are expertly covered at our facility. We use the Dunlop system to produce the purest latex. This process involves only air and vulcanization agents, which are used to ensure the latex-foam keeps its form.
Natural wood
All box springs and foundations are constructed from non-treated, natural wood. The foundations, hand-constructed in our facility, are made exclusively from untreated, seasoned, kiln-dried spruce and harvested by the “sustainable harvesting method”. Our bed frames are made from spruce that have not been treated with harmful substances, only with natural oils. No synthetic glues, dyes or finishing sprays are used at any stage of production.
Mattress and pillow review
Obviously, the price is a big factor. This set cost about 2-3 times the price of a comparable quality mattress set. However, its life expectancy is about 25-30 years, as opposed to most mattresses that are dead within 10-15 years, so it should lasts us a lot longer, but I can’t speak of that yet, only time will tell. I have high hopes though, given the excellent craftsmanship involved.
We received our mattress set and pillows only a few weeks after ordering it. It was delivered to our door. I was a bit worried that it might be too heavy for the 2 of us to install everything, however, we were pleasantly surprised at how light everything was (well… lighter than we were expecting)! It came in 4 boxes, 1 large one for the foundation, 1 smaller one for the mattress, another even smaller for the mattress topper, and a small one for the pillows. The mattress and topper are rolled and vaccum-sealed, so they are easily manageable. Watch out when you open the bag though! haha
What is recommended, and I recommend as well, is to open everything in the morning and open the windows to let everything air out for a day before putting any sheets/blankets on it. The rubber smell is not overpowering, but it still smells strong enough that it’s best to let it air out for as much as you can. (In fact, this is something we’ve been doing whenever we wash the sheets, we open the windows and air it out. But the smell is very faint now.) We also got a schedule set-up to turn everything every 3 months in order to use it properly and keep its shape for as long as possible (also to keep the warranty active).
Like most women, I sleep on my side and I need proper support that is giving and releases pressure-points, otherwise my joints are painful (especially one of my knees, hip and my left shoulder, due to a few skiing/snowboarding accidents). When we set-up our new bed, we also started using our new pillows. My husband LOVES his. He describes it as the best pillow in the world. I, on the other hand, am very picky with my pillows. I’ve tried the shredded rubber pillow for a couple of nights and unfortunately, I stopped using it. I didn’t like it. It felt like there wasn’t enough shredded pieces of rubber to fill the queen-size case properly, and it kind of shifted a bit during the night, which is one reason why I hate feather pillows so much. I really should give it another try, but for now, I went back to using my old organic wool pillow (which I’ve been using for about 10 years).
As for the mattress… my, oh my! We love it! One of the most comfortable mattresses I’ve ever owned. The 4″ topper made out of a small core of rubber and surrounded by wool and cotton (all organic) is simply amazing. The salesgirl at the store told us that they only knew of one other person who had ever bought the 4″ topper (most people get the 1″ or 2″). Well, I’m glad we paid a bit more to get the 4″. It’s superb. Really. I’ve noticed a great improvement on my hip and shoulder while sleeping, and it feels like it’s breathing (keep in mind that our sheets and blanket/comforter are also made out of organic cotton and organic wool). It doesn’t feel like the humidity gets trapped close to your body. Just as the pamphlet said, it is great for temperature regulation. It also looks really good (check out the pictures below) And most of all, we can breathe easy, knowing that we are not breathing toxic fumes for 8-9 hours a day. And non-toxic, high quality is always worth it in my book! I’ve been dreaming of this day for over 10 years, and now, it’s a dream come true to own an organic mattress. 🙂
For more information, and to purchase, check out www.grassrootsstore.com. *Edit* this store no longer exists.
What do you think about it? Is it a worthwhile investment?
(Note: the pillows were given to me to review, but I was not compensated to write this review. All opinions are my own.)
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