so since wool is expensive and can be ruined by cleaning ( but absorbs moisture well ) and microfiber type toppers are cheap, soft and easy to clean ( but don’t absorb moisture ??? ) then:
how about putting a microfiber type ( down alternative ) topper on top of a wool topper and machine washing the microfiber one regularly but never washing the wool topper underneath it ? or at least washing the wool topper very rarely.
or is it plain stupid to put a biocompatible material like wool underneath and plastic next to your body ?
If It was me … I would probably add a stretch knit cotton mattress protector (not another topper) such as the ones mentioned here on top of the wool mattress protector. This could be washed and would be like an extra sheet. I personally wouldn’t use a down alternative (polyester) topper over a wool topper which would lose much of the benefits of sleeping on wool but of course each person may have different preferences or prefer different combinations.
i like your idea ! but $150 - 230 for a cotton cover that has no thickness ? snugfleece offers an inch and a half of wool for $260 and these people want $230 for just a cotton cover that has similar construction to a regular pair of socks ?
what am i missing here ?
and what exactly does organic cotton mean ? is it organic in the sense that they didn’t use pesticides when growing it or organic in the sense that they didn’t soak the cotton in chemicals after it was picked ? if it is the first then i would rather put my money towards organic food, but if it’s the second then i guess it may be worth the extra money.
basically i don’t think this thing is thick enough to provide adequate protection against body oils and especially dead skin cells that are constantly shed - is it ? as i said i think the idea of a cotton pad over wool is great, but i would like the cotton pad itself to weigh something like 10 pounds.
if they insist on making it as thin as a regular pair of cotton socks then it should cost 50 bucks, not 150 or 250. for god’s sake - you can buy an entire LATEX topper WITH COVER for $230 from Brookly Bedding and these people want $230 for just the cover !
I would suggest talking to the people who make the products you are mentioning … see what they have to say … and then decide on which is the best fit for your personal value equation. They are the best source of knowledge about the specific products they make.
The ultimate answer to your questions are fairly simple … higher quality materials, better or more costly manufacturing methods, or organic materials are more costly than the cheaper versions or different types of products that are often represented as being “the same” when they are not.
If you don’t see the value of a cover that conforms better to the layers underneath it (wool or otherwise) … then I would just purchase one that wasn’t and learn from your positive or negative experience. To me … better quality and performance is worth paying for but not everyone will have the same priorities or thoughts.
The pad you linked is cotton batting which is a great material but is not the same as stretch knit cotton and will have a greater effect on the toppers or mattress layers below it. If that’s OK with you then by all means I would purchase it. It’s a mattrerss pad (thicker) not a mattress protector designed to minimize the effect on the layers below it.
You can read more about organic certifications and claims on the USDA site here.
You could call them to find out but I can’t imagine that any of the ones I would choose if I was choosing that type of protector would weigh that much. To me that high a weight would be a negative.
But of course each of us is different and if weight is the most important part of your value equation then it would be a simple matter of choosing the one that weighs the most and costs the least per oz…
“and what exactly does organic cotton mean ? is it organic in the sense that they didn’t use pesticides when growing it or organic in the sense that they didn’t soak the cotton in chemicals after it was picked ? if it is the first then i would rather put my money towards organic food, but if it’s the second then i guess it may be worth the extra money.”
Organic cotton is grown without synthetic fertilizer or the use of pesticides. The benefit is to the planet and its ecosystems, not necessarily to the end user. If you do an online search you will can find out about the ecological benefits to organic farming. Organic products do cost more, so we all have to figure out how much of a premium we are willing to pay to support organic agriculture. I am pretty sure that the organic cotton would not be treated with chemicals. Good question Lew
A good stretch knit cotton protector would be fine to protect the wool topper from body oils and soiling (although it’s not waterproof) and could be washed like a sheet and protect the wool topper well. A stretchy wool/cotton protector would have the additional benefit of being water resistant (not waterproof) although this may not be that important and may affect the feel of the layers under it a little more because it isn’t as stretchy and soft as the cotton knit.
I personally would be quite comfortable with these along with the self cleansing properties of the wool which are activated by putting it in the sun from time to time and very occasional hand washing if necessary.
I personally wouldn’t use a thicker cotton batting layer over a wool topper because it would interfere too much with the feel and properties of the wool but these would only be my own preferences and yours may be different.
I would encourage you to have a few conversations with the people that make wool toppers and you will find them to be very helpful and educational if you really want to learn from the “wool experts”
saving the planet is low on my list of priorities. in the last century alone 160 million people were killed in wars and additional 260 million killed by their own governments. this is almost as much people as the populations of United States and Soviet Union combined. war and democide - now those are good places to start if you want to help the PEOPLE on this planet. instead the green movement is focusing not on saving the planet FOR THE PEOPLE of the planet - but rather on saving the planet for the sake of the planet itself - even if it means killing all of the people on it to stope them from polluting it. if you want to spend your money towards “saving the planet” - that’s admirable - i have nothing against that - but it’s not something i will do myself. my concern is saving people, not trees.
on the other hand, i AM very interested in using healthy materials in and around myself - this is the main reason why i am looking at wool and cotton - the fact that they also perform better than polyester batting is a secondary consideration for me.
in particular air pollution has been shown to increase mortality from all causes and indoor air pollution tends to be far worse than outdoor air pollution. in my room for example there is always tons of dust no matter how much i vacuum with my sealed HEPA vacuum. i have no hope of eliminating dust in my room, but at least, if i can, i would rather be breathing dust produced from things like wool than things like polyester.
wool being a protein in my estimate it should pose a lot less risk to our bodies since our bodies are made out of protein as well. polyester clearly is the loser here. but i am not sure about cotton either ! yes cotton is “natural” but it is made out of CELLULOSE - which is a substance that is neither naturally found in our bodies, nor is it even a substance that we are capable of digesting if we eat it. i am very skeptical of the body’s ability to break down cellulose fiber if you INHALE it.
breathing in cotton dust in my estimate will have the same effect as breathing in sawdust - since they’re both composed of cellulose. i don’t think anybody would argue that breathing in sawdust is healthy.
this is the main reason why i’m trying to minimise the use of cotton and rely mostly on the wool, but at the same time i need a surface that can be machine washed on a monthly basis or so because i’m also not willing to sleep on a bed that stinks.
wool topper(s) // i have three 4 pound ones for free via grandma ( they’re at most 1/4" thin dense woven wool sheets ), maybe buy additional ones, maybe not
2" Sensus memory foam
2" 19 ILD talalay // already purchased from Brooklyn Bedding
A good stretch knit cotton protector would be fine to protect the wool topper from body oils and soiling (although it’s not waterproof) and could be washed like a sheet and protect the wool topper well. A stretchy wool/cotton protector would have the additional benefit of being water resistant (not waterproof) although this may not be that important and may affect the feel of the layers under it a little more because it isn’t as stretchy and soft as the cotton knit.
I personally would be quite comfortable with these along with the self cleansing properties of the wool which are activated by putting it in the sun from time to time and very occasional hand washing if necessary.
I personally wouldn’t use a thicker cotton batting layer over a wool topper because it would interfere too much with the feel and properties of the wool but these would only be my own preferences and yours may be different.
I would encourage you to have a few conversations with the people that make wool toppers and you will find them to be very helpful and educational if you really want to learn from the “wool experts”
Phoenix[/quote]
oops - i missed this post !
so would you then approve of this stack:
stretch knit cotton cover
waterproof wool pad
wool topper
?
when you say that cotton batting would interfere with feel and properties of wool underneath it - do you mean it would make the bed hotter ? because you said that cotton helps wick moisture and feels good to the skin - so what exactly would it ruin then ? just make it feel hotter ?
I don’t “approve” of anything because only you can determine how well it works for you in your own real life experience … but I would personally use either one or the other in terms of a protector and with a wool topper I would lean towards the stretch knit cotton. I would also talk to the wool manufacturers who are the “experts” if you want more information.
I have already answered this … a thick cotton pad would interfere with the feel and pressure relieving properties of the more resilient wool layer underneath it. Whether this was “good or bad” would be up to you to decide.
In my first post to you I replied …
This means that you would need to test or sleep on this specific layering or something similar and report back your experience for me to make any further meaningful comments.
My “generic” comment would be that overall … this layering for the comfort layers seems to me to be risky in terms of how much thick/soft layers (7" in total) you have on top for someone who is 5’10" and 230 lbs. but if you plan to build your own mattress you will need much more extensive experience with testing various material layering combinations (and much less emphasis on theory) to know how it will feel and respond for you. It will take you much more time and personal testing to gain the experience you need to go in this direction IMO.