Did you know that most mattresses are created with fire retardants, VOC’s, and petroleum-based polyurethane foams? These synthetic materials and chemicals are highly toxic to the human body – yet we spend half of our lives sleeping on a mattress, inhaling these toxins night after night! If there is one thing you should invest in for your home and health, it’s a quality mattress. It took me years to find an organic, safe mattress that could also do its job. Luckily, holistic health expert Ashleigh Frager, the Founder of Back to Basics, steered me in the right direction.

There are currently two companies who are disrupting the sleep industry, creating non-toxic yet highly effective and comfortable sleep solutions. So ditch your memory foam mattress and check out these healthy alternatives, below.

1) Parachute Home

This is the mattress I purchased and I am IN LOVE and could not recommend more! I have yet to hear a negative review, so if you are in the market for a mattress, look no further. Parachute Home says of their product, “Every component of The Eco Comfort Mattress is recyclable, breathable and eco-friendly. From tempered steel to organic cotton to pure wool, each material was chosen to provide ultimate comfort to you and sustainability for our Earth. Unlike other mattresses, ours is free of foams, adhesives, petrochemicals, chemical flame retardants and gimmicky layers. Because nobody should be sleeping with toxic materials.”

2) Avocado Green

Another mattress brand that has made a big splash recently is Avocado Green. Their commitment to using materials beneficial for our health is impressive, to say the least. Check out what they have to say, below:

On Fire Retardants: “The chemical flame retardants used by most mattress manufacturers are toxic, suspected to cause organ toxicity, hair loss, and other neurological damage. There are no flame retardants or synthetic “fire socks” used in an Avocado Green Mattress. So how do we meet federal safety standards without using chemicals? Our Green Mattress uses 100% GOTS organic certified wool, with absolutely no chemical treatments. Where does the wool come from? From our own herding collective, which boasts 150,000+ sheep, 400+ farmers and herders, and 40,000+ hectares of organic pastures across the foothills of the Himalayas.”

On Memory Foams: “We don’t use petroleum-based polyurethane foams, memory foams, chemical adhesives to bind our layers, or flame retardants of any kind in our Green Mattress”  Avocado Green passes rigorous safety standards, such as removing “chemical exposure and pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde, and phthalates”.

Cleaning & Care 

All right, so you want to invest in a clean mattress and ethically sources linens, pillows and more. All of this is great, but if you wash your sheets in toxic laundry detergent, then it counteracts the hard work these brands did to create and source non-toxic component parts. If you make the move to invest in clean bedding, invest in clean laundry detergent. Health expert Ashleigh Frager says,

“Conventional detergents expose us to some of the most damaging toxins in our homes through both inhalation and skin contact—there’s a high exposure rate to whatever’s in your detergent because you’re wearing your clothes, sleeping on your bed sheets, and using your towels, all day, every day. Plus, washers and dryers create indoor air pollution by emitting fumes throughout your home. And what’s in those fumes? Potential carcinogenic, endocrine disrupting, and birth defect causing chemicals like 1,4 dioxane and synthetic fragrance. So, if you’re looking to make the most impact with your natural and nontoxic swaps, start with your laundry detergent!”

T’s Tip: Beware not to be scammed by greenwashing; a marketing tactic used by corporations to make their products seem eco-friendly and non-toxic to the consumer.

Check out Molly’s Suds, Common Good or Branch Basics for a healthier detergent!