Hello there,
Thank you so much for this informative site!
I am looking to purchase a Pure Echo for my 4 yo son.
I am considering also purchasing one for my husband and I to cosleep on with our new baby.
The owner (who was very helpful and knowledgeable) explained to me that he has not done the OKEO-TEX or any other certifications because the certification process seemed to be more of a money grab than a genuine examination of his factory and processes. Although he is not completely familiar with the entire screening process, he feels that this mattress would certainly meet the requirements. He previously produced a crib mattress size in the pure echo line but is no longer able to do so.
Just wondering if you have any thoughts about this?
Aso, I currently use waterproof mattress protectors that are cotton, polyester and poyurethane. We often have nighttime accidents and these have been lifesavers for us. Would there be any problem with the breathability of the wool under this type of materrial? And these materials are baby safe, right?
For general information, the owner also informed me that the shipping cost on. 2 matrtesses is the same as that of one. So the 185 is a big portion of the mattress cost, however if you are looking to get a second in the near future you can save a lot that way.
BTW, I jave not checked with Canada Customs yet, but does anyone know offhand info about importing mattresses over the border? I will be driving them across myself.
I would certainly agree with this because wool and cotton that hasn’t been chemically treated is certainly safe, OekoTex doesn’t certify innersprings, and any latex in a mattress (which this one doesn’t have) would already be OekoTex tested so there wouldn’t be much point when it is already clear that all the materials are safe and don’t have any issues with chemicals or safety.
In most cases the semi breathable membrane type of protectors would be generally considered to be safe although the polyester may have some VOC’s and the polyurethane may as well. There are also versions of membranes or protectors which use vinyl which I would avoid and of course “safe” depends on what each person considers to be acceptable risk and some people may consider them to be less safe than others. This is where OekoTex or an organic certification may come in handy. All of the Protect-A-Bed protectors that have the “semi permeable” membrane are OekoTex certified. There are also organic versions that are listed in post #89 here but they are more costly.
Anything that is waterproof will also be less breathable and allow for less airflow and this is just one of the tradeoffs that are part of choosing a waterproof protector. Some of the wool protectors or puddle pads are “water resistant” but not “waterproof” but they would be more breathable and wick moisture away from the body more effectively.
If you were shipping the products across the border it would depend on the shipping method. There is no customs duties but you would pay GST and a brokerage charge that varies with each delivery company or courier. If something is mailed then there is only a very low brokerage charge ($5 if memory serves me right) but in most cases a mattress needs to be sent by courier or standard truck shipping. If you take it across the border yourself then it would depend on your exemption (see here). If you are outside of the country for 24 hours then the exemption where you don’t have to pay is $200 and if you are outside the country for 48 hours or more then the exemption is $800. You can call them just to confirm a mattress would be included in your exempt amount.
Thank you!
BTW, I live in Surrey BC. I saw you have family here.
I am just going to evaluate a few of the local stores you listed once I factor in the shipping cost of the echo. However I have a feeling that we are doing well if to get a twin and queen for $1,000 (allowing for some tax and duty) and will be surprised if anyone can beat that!
On your Vancouver post I could not get your link for rbc to work but was successful with just rbc.ca
Regarding the mattress protectors as I mentioned, do they continue to offgas or does it wear down? Mine is currently a year old and has been washed many times…
I do … I have a brother in Surrey and two daughters in Vancouver
I would agree … it’s not too common to see an innerspring/natural fiber mattress in that price range. There is some good value in latex in Vancouver but the type of mattress you purchased is much less common (and usually much more costly).
Thanks for the heads up. They must have changed the URL for their main page and I’ve corrected the link.
I wouldn’t personally be concerned with any of them (unless they contained vinyl) but my comments were more about uncertainty and not knowing because most of them haven’t been specifically tested. I don’t think after a year there would be an issue with any potential VOC’s even if there were some VOC’s when they were new (which I don’t think would be significant). Everything (even natural materials) offgass to some extent and it’s really a matter of the “degree of safety” or the level of confidence someone is most comfortable with although synthetic would be more of a concern than natural materials. One of the safest materials in terms of offgassing for example is clear polyethylene and it’s a synthetic plastic. When something has been OekoTex certified as being safe for babies then there is the assurance of knowing based on actual testing rather than the uncertainty of having to guess.
I talked with them (a few of their stores) a little over a year ago and at the time at least they appeared to be more focused on foam than on mattresses (although this may have been just the conversations or the person I was talking to).
They carry 1.8 lb, 2.0lb, and 2.5 lb polyfoam (none of these are low quality) and convoluted polyfoam mattresses. They do have and 3 lb and 5 lb memory foam toppers (I would avoid 3 lb memory foam) but not in the mattress itself and these are fairly costly. They can get latex but would have to special order it and didn’t know what type it was and didn’t appear to be very knowledgeable about it. My comments in my notes at the time were that they had “decent” prices but not the best, at least for a polyfoam mattress.
I talked with a couple of their stores today and they still had the same options and didn’t know the type of latex they could order.
I added them to the list just to give them the benefit of the doubt but if you go there I would make some very careful value comparisons because polyfoam is not a costly material, their memory foam toppers are not inexpensive, and the cost and quality of latex depends on the type and blend of the latex.
Thanks for your thoughts. You are so knowledgeable and thorough! I would definitely like to get “healthy” mattresses so would not be looking at memory or other foams. My main choices seem to be either latex or the echo.
This was the info the foam store sent to me about their latex mattresses…
EcoChoice Mattresses
EcoChoice Mattresses are designed, manufactured and inspected in our own factory to ensure quality and proper selection of natural materials.
All EcoChoice Mattresses are made with NaturaLatex cores. No other materials are added to the construction of the core. The core is then finished with a 100% natural, unbleached Cotton cover. The cover is removable for cleaning purposes.
NaturaLatex: Made from 100% Pure Natural Latex: Harvested from the Hevea Brasiliensis, or the rubber tree, latex is the most natural and durable cushioning material available. Natural latex is made from a milky substance that drips from the rubber tree when the bark is slashed. The process does not hurt the tree and the harvest is naturally renewable for the life of the tree.
EcoChoice Mattresses are available in standard and custom sizes in either 6" Standard or 8" Deluxe models.
EcoChoice Mattresses are covered by our prorated, 10 year RestAssured Warranty.
Their queen size, I think in 6 inch, was $500.
So it sounds like (??) they have upped this section of their business and it does say they are manufacturing them in their own factory. Can you suggest what kind of follow up questions I might want to ask them about these mattresses? I am mainly about natural vs. synthetic and price point…at this point - twin and queen echo would cost me around 1,000 Cdn, so I am just trying to see if I can get something local for less.
If this is a good qualtiy mattress, the price is very good. But I don’t wish to end up getting a resale of a foam by mail mattress!
It sounds like they are using 100% natural Dunlop latex but I would want to confirm that. I would also want to confirm the firmness level (in Dunlop I would look for medium). The word “natural” is thrown around a lot in the industry and it isn’t always accurate. The two stores I called earlier today with The Foam Shop also didn’t know the type of latex they were using. They may order the latex from their supplier and then put the cover around it or in some cases a supplier will ship the mattress to the store ready made.
It could be the Naturalux from Latexco here (which is 100% natural) but of course I don’t know for certain.
If it’s 100% natural Dunlop for $500 in queen then it would certainly be a good quality material and very good value.
