Organic Mattress Pads

You know those advertisements that the "big guys" use? The ads that say "By the time your mattress is 7 years old it weighs 4 times as much as it did when you bought it!" Let's clarify a few points. First, it is true that there is more dust in the air than you think there is. It is also true that humans and animals create dander. Maybe if you slept on your bed without sheets or a mattress pad it could gain some amount of weight from body oils, dust, and dander — but we don't suggest doing that! The reality is that everyone should be using a washable mattress pad under their sheets to protect their mattress investment, since it's kind of hard to throw your mattress in the washing machine. If you use an organic mattress pad you will eliminate almost all of the sweat, body oil, dust, and dander from reaching the surface of your mattress.

At The Natural Sleep Store we carry a great selection of organic mattress pads to suit your needs. Maybe you want a quilted mattress pad for a high level of protection. Maybe you want a mattress pad that protects your mattress sufficiently but won't change its feel. Or maybe you want a wool moisture pad to specifically protect against moisture. We have three main categories of organic mattress pads: Quilted Pads with Woven Fabric, Non-Quilted Pads with Knit Fabric, and Wool Moisture Pads.

Quilted pads are made from two layers of woven cotton fabric — like the material percale sheets are made from — with either cotton or wool quilted in between. Quilted organic mattress pads are very breathable and are thicker than non-quilted pads, creating a strong barrier between you and your mattress. This type of mattress pad offers great protection against dust, dander, and oils because they would have to travel through all three layers to touch your mattress. It offers good protection for normal amounts of perspiration, but does not protect against excess moisture.

Non-quilted stretch knit pads are simply made out of knit cotton fabric. Knit organic mattress pads offer solid protection as most dust, dander, and oils get caught in the fabric before reaching your mattress. The key benefit of a knit mattress pad is that it doesn't change the feel of your mattress. Specifically, if you have a mattress with a knit cotton cover (knit fabric being a little stretchy), a mattress pad also made from knit fabric moves just like the fabric that covers your mattress. Alternatively, putting a quilted pad (made with non-stretchy woven fabric) over a mattress with knit fabric could change the feel of your mattress slightly, as woven fabric does not move the same way as knit fabric does.

Wool moisture pads are made from felted wool woven together so tightly that it repels moisture. Wool moisture pads are the most protective organic mattress pad option, as very little can get through to soil your mattress. For large amounts of moisture, it is best to layer a cotton mattress pad over the wool moisture pad. One disadvantage of the wool moisture pad is that some people can feel the coarse texture of the wool through their sheets — another good reason to layer a cotton pad on top. It is also less breathable than a cotton mattress pad, as air doesn't travel through it as easily.

Part of choosing the right organic mattress pad is determining what the surface of your mattress is made of. For mattresses made with a stretchy knit outer fabric — such as Bella Sera, Green Sleep, Sleeptek, or Freefrom — you would want to pick a mattress pad with a similar fabric to avoid changing the feel of the mattress. For example, if you have a Bella Sera Nove 3 mattress and want to feel like the mattress pad is "not there," the Suite Sleep Organic Cotton Mattress Pad is a great choice, since it has stretchy knit fabrics that move naturally with your mattress.

Of course you can use a quilted organic mattress pad, like the Suite Sleep Washable Wool Quilted Mattress Pad or the Saavy Rest Wool Mattress Pad — however your mattress may feel just a bit different when using them.

If you have a mattress with a woven fabric cover, like Savvy Rest or Royal Pedic, any of the organic mattress pads we carry will work well and should not change the feel of your mattress.

Looking for an all-organic solution to protect a child's mattress during potty training? We generally recommend pairing one of our organic wool moisture pads with a quilted cotton pad layered on top, like the Suite Sleep Washable Wool Quilted Mattress Pad. This gives you a completely natural, breathable, synthetic-free solution that is highly effective at preventing moisture from reaching the surface of your mattress.

Let's circle back to that scary advertisement. All of that dust and dander that supposedly infiltrates your mattress — good news, it really doesn't! It's caught by your organic mattress pad, and all you have to do is wash it. Pretty simple, right? Give us a call at 1-866-663-0859 or send us an email and we'll help you pick the perfect organic mattress pad for your mattress.