Trying to understand this? Isn’t wool supposed to be washed and have a fire barrier? Rec’d Bedmaster’s latex bed yesterday. Odor so strong last night could not sleep. James from Bedmasters said it’s “lanolin” from unwashed wool, which he uses in order to make it 100% organic and chemical free. Said would take 2 wks to dissipate. Said Zenhaven didn’t have odor because they wash their wool in a fire barrier. When I ordered it he said he was making it just like the Zenhaven properties, never mentioned unwashed wool or bed would have an odor.
yes the lanolin in wool- to me- smells greasy or oily and I’m allergic to it.
i think but don’t quote me that wool is a natural fire barrier.
sleepez makes a bed with a stretch knit cover to use for those who don’t want wool
Hi Reahbgal,
Wool must be cleaned before being processed for various applications. This can be done with water, soap and detergent, or even an acid bath. I’m not familiar with the exact method used by the mills supplying either Saatva or Bedmaster. The wool is itself the flame retardant barrier in the mattress. Being a natural product, different types of wool with different levels of processing from different mills can have various odors, varying from batch to batch, and some people are more sensitive to this. The wool smell will diminish over time to levels that won’t be noticeable for most people but how long it will take will also depend on the sensitivity of the person and the smell and the particular batch that was used. Wool can also smell stronger initially in more humid environments and it’s a fairly common experience with wool that has had less processing. Either way it’s certainly not harmful and will diminish over time to levels that most people won’t notice.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix-trying not to be difficult but the customer needs (and you as you endorse) to be fully informed, I just wanted a Zen bed with a racetrack If we knew ahead of time regarding this type of wool & lanolin I would have passed.
He didn’t ask if I had any allergies or discuss any potential odor. We only wanted and spoke about the racetrack & making it same firmness as the Zen.
“Organic” is one thing, who wants a bed with wool thatvcan smell for an undetermined amount of time?
Hi Rehabgal,
No worries! 
While I certainly agree with the customer needing to know about the componentry within a mattress, your definition of “fully informed” isn’t the same as mine, as it seems that you’re asking the manufacturer to divine what items, and to what level of detail, may or may not be of a specific concern to you and potential sensitivities to such, and without you expressly presenting those questions to a manufacturer prior to order placement, this in my opinion is more hindsight than a lack of completeness of a manufacturer.
Omission by lack of presentation isn’t necessarily incomplete transparency or abdication of responsibility. No manufacturer can or would include every small detail of all of the componentry within their mattresses or the potential questions that may arise about all of these components, as they could never be able to determine the importance of certain features to each individual customer, and they would spend all of their time listing or trying to explain information that would be mostly meaningless to the majority of consumers and would become bogged down in minutiae. If a customer has more specific needs or criteria, then it is incumbent upon that consumer to ask those specific questions.
If a customer is asking for a very specific product to be constructed, as in this situation, it would be reasonable for the manufacturer to expect that the customer had a familiarity with the components being requested, as they are specific, which in this particular instance, is a product containing wool and latex, which are both natural materials that can initially vary in odor. As you were requesting a copy of a very particular product containing wool, it would be reasonable for the manufacturer to assume that you were familiar with this and there would be no reason for them to inquire about sensitivities to the components within the product, as it would be unreasonable to assume someone would be specifically requesting a product to which they had some sort of an aversion.
So while I certainly understand your viewpoint and comments, and don’t minimize them, I have a slightly different opinion of situations like this, as I’ve outlined previously on the forum.
Phoenix
I don’t know much about specific materials or expect to know or be told every minutiae, like purchasing Any product, I do expect to be educated on why one product is different than the other. In this instance. Wool iprocessed very differently changed the product I thought I was buying.
Hi RehabGal,
I certainly understand your concern, but there would be no way for one manufacturer to know the specific process, grading, blending, mixing, scouring (and chemicals used, if any), and carding done that was used by a specific mill (or mills – many manufacturers source from multiple mills) for the wool used by a different mattress manufacturer. Most manufacturers don’t even know this detail, which does get into minutiae and very deep into the rabbit hole of information that is important mostly only to the mill itself.
Different wools can have different odors – even the same type of wool from different sheep can have a different odor. The location of the wool on the sheep (belly, rear, main body) will have different levels of cleanliness and odor (some mills use the belly and rear for other thins). Then the mixing and scouring can be performed in many different fashions, with different speeds and number of passes with the wool being run through the scouring train, with various detergents (if any) being used to clean the “grease wool”, and then different amounts of rinsing. Then the final processing into the final product, with cleaning done by manual or mechanical picking or through the use of chemicals, and then carding the wool into batting with different blends. And even with a mill being as consistent as possible in their process, you can have different levels of odor from bales being produced by the mill using similar wool blends and similar production processes.
Even if a manufacturer told their customers the exact percentage of each type of wool used, that it was run through the scouring train at so many inches per minute, using XYZ detergent at a certain dilution, with X times rinses, and then combed into batting of a certain thickness, they wouldn’t be able to predict the odor of the product, as in the end it’s a natural material, and there will always be inconsistencies, and while most people don’t notice or are bothered by the smell of “new” wool, there are some who are more sensitive (just like to latex, or memory foam, or even polyfoam), but the smell generally dissipates in a few weeks, just like wool socks that are rinsed out and left to dry in will have an initial odor, as this also dissipates.
Phoenix
When questioned after delivery, said knew which chemical Zenhaven used to clean their wool hence no odor, but he doesn’t consider that “organic” and doesn’t like to clean wool.
To end this, we had no idea the mattress would smell like this and only hope it dissaptes soon, we have it auring with door shut.
Since you mentioned that you’re trying to air out the new mattress in a room with the door shut, if it’s not raining out and you have some windows in the room it would help to open them a bit. Fresh air circulation in the room will help to facilitate the process. Good luck and I hope the mattress ends up meeting your needs!
Hi Rehabgal,
Yes, some processors use different methods/detergents/chemicals for cleaning the wool, and some manufacturers have a preference for what they want used to clean their wool (what they personally may consider more “natural”). But all wool will be cleaned from the original “greased wool” state to some degree.
I hope it dissipates for you soon as well!
Phoenix
Hi there, I’m reviving this thread because it was really helpful to me to learn about the reasons wool can smell and how some manufacturers consider it better to have less-processed wool. This explains a lot to me. I’ve encountered that musty barnyard smell a few times lately, especially in the fancier products from high-quality, natural brands. The problem is that I can’t stand it! The smell is really strong to me, and it makes my eyes water. I’m guessing now that I may have a mild lanolin allergy, although I never would have guessed since my more processed wool items (e.g. sweaters) don’t bother me at all.
Other than “unwashed” or “not processed”, are there other keywords I should avoid (or should look for) to try to find wool that doesn’t smell / trigger my allergies? Are there questions I can ask the manufacturer other than “does your product smell” (when it may not really be noticeable or bother them)? Does anyone have examples of other brands that do or don’t process their wool to become odorless?
Hi BurrowingOwl.
Love the username!
Certain companies like My Green Mattress source their wool from producers who use a breed of sheep that inherently produce a nearly odorless wool. Some companies also place wool out in the sun to help dissipate the natural odors before quilting it into a mattress (again, My Green Mattress does this).
I didn’t review the entire thread so it’s possible this has been mentioned already but to expedite the dissipation of the wool odor in a mattress you can also do the following:
- Put your mattress out in the sun for 3 to 4 hours – the sun is a great deodorizer.
- If your mattress is upholstered on two sides, make sure both sides get exposed to the sun for 3 to 4 hours.
- Air out your mattress. Remove any bedding from your mattress, open the windows, and let the fresh air in.
I hope this helps!
NikkiTMU