Dear Phoenix (and readers):
Thanks for the depth, clarity and precision of your work. I’m replacing an organic latex mattress that lasted for a good 15 years. I expect to go with a Dunlop core and Talalay top.
Many/most of the wool and cotton covers are difficult to remove and cumbersome to get to a green dry cleaner. I have allergies to dust mites and wanted to find a cover that was more easily removed and washed.
Essentia was appealing because of its organic, removable and washable cover. It’s not appealing because of the lack of transparency about the material used in its contour top and because of the “Bucaneve” wrap, which I understand is Kevlar. It’s also a bit more than I wanted to spend.
At some point, I had found one site/company option that said their covering was easily removed and washed. If I recall correctly, it sounded like the zipper was near the top (and rather than removing the whole thing for cleaning, you could easily remove at least the top part for washing).
I’m writing because I’ve gone through so many sites, options, and information that I’ve lost track of this one. I even have my own comparative chart (before I found the one on this site)!
My hope is that someone else has bumped into this information on the washable top or other options on easily washable tops and can share it.
Thanks in advance for any help or guidance,
SG
SEG - Forum member Sleep on Latex sells an Organic Cotton Cover for latex mattresses up to 12" thick. It has a two piece knit fabric construction which has a full zipper connecting the top and bottom. The top is made of 80% organic cotton and 20% polyester and is machine washable, while the bottom section is 100% organic cotton woven fabric and is dry cleanable only. I purchased one of these for a latex topper and was very impressed with the quality of the fabric and overall construction, and must say that it actually looks much better than their picture shows. I also think that their pricing is very reasonable. Hope this helps!
Thank you so much for your reply! It’s good to know about the organic cotton cover from Sleep on Latex. Sleep on Latex had promptly and kindly responded to an email from me about this a while back, reporting that their basic cover (the encasement itself) could be removed for dry cleaning.
While that’s good, I know from previous experience with another company’s mattress that removing the wool/cotton cover can be a bear. The cleaning also took about a week at a green dry cleaner, mostly because of the drying time (I believe it has to be air-dried to reduce the risk of shrinkage). Since the mattress was degrading, I never did find out if the cover had shrunk.
But…some company, somewhere, has designed the top of its cover (presumably wool/cotton) itself to be relatively easily removed for cleaning.
This process really does get overwhelming…!
SG
Hi SEG.
Thank you for your kind words. I am glad you have found us.
If you are designing your own mattress and look for a suitable option one of the forum topics that might be helpful is Post #4 here which also has a list of Mattress or Topper covers. I would also consider a good mattress pad or protector to help keep your mattress encasement clean.
Mattress encasements can be one of the most significant parts of the cost of a mattress and also one of the most important. Not only can they have a major influence on how a mattress looks and performs … cheap or thin mattress covers will not properly protect the foam inside and in particular with latex can allow the foam to degrade and break down much more quickly and significantly lower its longevity.
Bucaneve is actually a thin cotton encasement of the foam layers within the mattress. You may be thinking of the FR barrier within the mattress.
Off of the top of my head, I cannot recall any finished latex mattress that uses a top panel that zippers off with wool in it that is machine washable, but maybe someone on the forum would have a suggestion. There are more washable options like the encasements that zipper off around the bottom edge of the mattress offered by many of the site members that are machine washable, and as long as you unzip the top along with the side panels and then wash it and place it back without moving the mattress (keeping the bottom part of the encasement in place) zippering it back on is not that difficult.
Some of zippered mattress encasements that you might wish to check on include…
Arizona Premium Mattress (member of this site) also have a large selection of mattress covers, bamboo, organic wool cover, organic cotton cover which meet the flammability standards for their latex mattresses. The zipper is made of Teflon and zips around all four corners making it easy to assemble, but it will only be able to be spot cleaned.
Sleep EZ (member of this site) has Natural and Organic cotton & wool Zippered Mattress covers between 6" and 12" in thickness that zip off and spot clean only.
Although this item is a mattress protector from FloBeds(member of this site) it is washable and has wool in it.
I hope this helps and I look forward to hearing if you found an encasement that meets your criteria.
Phoenix
To Sweet Dreams.
Thank you for the added information about the Sleep On Latex cover in case SEG is considering a cover to go with the mattress. It this is the case, then a few more cover options would be:
Latex Mattress Factory (member of this site) has a removable and washable 360-degree zipper cotton cover from 2" to 12" in thickness, but it zippers on the bottom.
Soaring Heart (member of our site) carries protectors that fit their organic dust mite resistant mattress and topper and are machine washable.
Flexus Comfort(member of this site) caries organic cotton & natural wool stretch knit zipper cover and mattress protectors with 100% washable wool & natural cotton.
I have the same problem. I live in Canada and I’d like to replace the wool cover for cotton or something else washable and to which I am not sensitive. Where should I look for, and something not too expensive? In Canada if possible…
Hi John667,
Thanks for the post. If you are looking for a latex mattress cover that is sold in Canada, your best bet is to look at the different covers and sizes at our trusted member MFC, here is the link to their DIY mattress covers.
As far as low cost, these covers are for latex mattresses, they usually cost between over $250 CAD. It would be approx the same price at any of the US companies that ship to Canada DIY mattress covers.
Good luck and let us know if you have any other questions.
Phoenix
Thanks! Will try to see if my wool cover is OK and if not I will check… Was looking for something less expensive. Pretty expensive for a King Size mattress and I believe those are non-washable as well. But maybe wool will be OK, as it is under the sheets… Just received my mattress today, so I’ve got to give it a couple of days to test it!
Hi John667,
Congratulations on your new mattress purchase! :cheer:
You are very welcome. I totally understand about the budget considerations, but give the wool and the new mattress a fair amount of time as it may take some time for you to adjust to a new sleeping environment and for the mattress to adjust to you. Especially as you already have the cover and the wool is the best temperature regulating material if all goes well then there is no need for more spending. One step at a time!
Good luck and I’d be curious to hear your updates and feedback once you have a chance to sleep on it for a while…
Phoenix
Yes I’ll give some time, but so far some wheezing, but maybe it’s because of the dust… also the bed frame has a strong odor. I’ll wait a bit. Do you think that the wool fibers can get through my cotton sheets? Cause I’d hope everything would stay under and not bother me…
So far the bed is very comfortable. Just hope everything will be allright with wool. I really did not think too much when ordered. I’ve read everywhere wool is the best but didn’t think that I am sensitive… We’ll see…
Hi John667,
It’s so hard to determine what the issue may be, of course, you have to trust your judgment and instinct, it is always dependant on each person’s individual sensitivities. Have you experienced issues with wool in the past? I was actually reading more about wool allergy/sensitivity on this site Healthline article, just to do some additional research about this particular issue.
You can also read more about lanolin and wool in this wool sensitivity thread.
Do you mind mentioning what brand you purchased, as I would like to look up and see if there is any information on the type of wool they use? I imagine some wool that is “lower quality/value” or even higher value (purer) may factor in people’s sensitivities.
Look forward to any future updates.
Phoenix
I bought the Presto from MFC. I also have a St. Dormeir mattress protector made from merino wool.
Maybe it’s also in the chemicals for the bed frame, cause I bought a wood bed frame. Not sure…
Yes, always a bit sensitive to wool, but never thought it would be a problem.
If I have normal cotton sheets, shouldn’t all the wool stay under the sheets? How could it cause any problem?
Hi John667,
My apologies for the delayed response, it seems this post got lost in the shuffle. The mattress protectors Presto and St. Dormier are excellent quality products, you probably are not getting any wool fibers through these fabrics and the cotton sheets.
Moreover, wool allergies or sensitivities are generally contact allergies or sensitivities and it would be unlikely that they would be an issue in a mattress. There is more about wool allergies or sensitivities in post #2 here
Thanks again for the post, and let us know if you have any other questions.
Phoenix
Yes I’m sure it’s good quality, but wouldn’t wool fiber get through cotton? How can you be so sure it doesn’t get through?
Hey John667,
We really do not have any access to any data that says wool fibers will get through cotton. We copied you on the information we have at this time. Let us know if you have any other questions.
How is the wool cover working out for you?
Thanks
Sensei
Thanks… Not that bad… But I put two sheets under me. I feel like it gets through a bit, but maybe I had some trouble because of the bed varnish as well… I’ll see long term how it feels.