Review of Vivetique Organic Innerspring Mattress
Back in January or so, we bought a Vivetique Organic Innerspring Mattress from the The Organic Mattress Store. We spent a good deal of time researching mattresses (at least a month), etc. and finally settled on the organic cotton innerspring mattress because my wife gets pretty nasty migraines from a lot of things like perfumes, etc. and the stuff they put in conventional mattresses. We were pretty excited about the purchase, as it has been a number of years since we last bought a mattress and we were due for a new one. Additionally, we liked the thought it was organic and were thus willing to pay a little bit of a premium.
So, I guess you could say we were surprised when we got the mattress and it had a pretty bad smell to it. Kind of a rubbery smell, but not completely. Needless to say, it gave my wife a migraine that night we slept on it. We called the Organic Mattress Store and said it had a bad smell. They said either give it more time or we can ship it back (at our expense) and if they (Vivetique) smell it, they will refund our money. Note, the shipping expenses are around $400. We decided to give it more time. They called back a few weeks later and we said the smell was still there. They said give it some more time. They told my wife in one conversation that sometimes it takes 3-4 months. In a separate conversation, I was told it can be up to 5-6 months and that I should go get myself a good HEPA filter (we already have one) or an ionizer. In other words, we should throw more money at the problem. So, we waited. In the meantime, I slept on it. Over time, I realized I didn’t exactly like the firmness anymore (it is not as firm as I would like) and when my wife has tried to sleep on it (i.e. when we have company), she says it isn’t firm enough either and the smell is still there.
Finally, today, I called back the store. They heard my complaint. My basic argument was that we lodged the smell complaint early on and were told to wait. We waited and it still hasn’t dissipated and now we don’t like the firmness either. They say they only will exchange within 30 days, tops 60 days for comfort. I, of course, argued this, since it was impossible for us to decide if we both liked the comfort since the smell prevented my wife from sleeping on it. The owner said he would check w/ Vivetique to see what options we had. He thought the smell might be from the wool. I’m not sure. Also, note, in fairness, the Organic Mattress Store claims they would never tell anyone to wait that long (3-6 months). I will tell you both my wife and I were told the same thing by separate people at the company, so you decide.
Finally, the store called back later today after consulting with Vivetique, who, surprise!, said there was nothing that can be done. As a consolation, the store said I could purchase any other bed they have at cost plus shipping. Even if Vivetique were to take it back, we’d have to pay $400+ in shipping.
So, now my wife and I are put in the spot of deciding if we should throw good money after bad, or if we should just cut our losses and try to figure something else out. I think we will try to sell the bed on Craigslist or something. After all, it is a brand new bed and there is nothing physically wrong with it other than a smell that someone who is sensitive to might not like and it wasn’t to our firmness liking, but that part is subjective anyway. I know we both tend to like really firm mattresses. Beyond that, I’m not sure what to do.
The sad part of it is, this type of bed is specifically marketed to people, like my wife, who have sensitivities to perfumes, chemical smells, etc. If we can’t buy an organic mattress made from pure cotton and pure wool, what can we buy? Note, she doesn’t have a problem with our older, “conventional” bed.
At any rate, I know I will never buy a mattress over the Internet again. Let’s call a spade a spade, too: A guarantee isn’t worth much if you have to spend $400-$500 in order to invoke the guarantee (i.e. by paying the shipping costs). And, that is what Vivetique counts on with it’s guarantee; that people like me aren’t going to call ‘em on it because of the shipping costs. Of course, I’m not trying to be the victim here. I knew about the 30 day guarantee going in and still chose to buy it. I guess I figured, though, that after we were told to wait for the smell to dissipate that we could still exchange it. I should have gotten that in writing (not that it was ever promised by the Organic Mattress Store). Note, also that the Organic Mattress Store has been handling this fairly well and trying to make us happy, to some extent, although it is short of what we really want, which is our money back. Vivetique, on the other hand, basically washes their hands of it.
So, in the end, buyer beware, I guess. I can’t recommend buying from Vivetique given their return policies and the associated cost. As for the Organic Mattress Store, I’m still undecided. I’ll keep you posted on how it works out. In the meantime, I’d love to hear some other options.
June 29th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
I can’t believe they told you to wait and then they said it’s too late to take it back!
I’ve been thinking of getting an organic mattress so I’ll be sure to smell it before purchasing, after reading what you have to say about yours.
June 30th, 2008 at 7:50 am
I guess I would just make sure you try it out before hand. The smell does dissipate over time, but it took longer than 30 days. There is still a hint of it now, but not much. I guess it can depend on when the wool is harvested, so not all mattresses may turn out that way.
July 13th, 2008 at 3:59 am
Oh no! I am having the exact same problem. EXACT. I ordered the Vivetique cotton organic mattress. Two actually for two beds from a local store. Of course they are custom made and come from Vivetique straight to us. They were delivered and had the strongest, foulest smell. I have been in tears daily over this for weeks as I am at a loss on what to do. I am a single mom who provides childcare to be able to stay home with my kids while providing for us. It took years to save enough to buy mattresses that would be healthier for us. But my eyes water and throat burns when I walk in the room with them. We have been sleeping on our conventional couch for weeks (note – without problems). We have waited 6 weeks and the smell is still there. I have contacted the store we bought from – local non chain – and the owner said he’d come by our house later in the week and smell it himself and then see if there is some way he can help us (does not sound promising). I am scheduled to call Vivetique Monday but am now not hopeful of help from them. I do not want another mattress from them. I want my money back. I expected an organic coton mattress to have no smell. This one had a MD note – it contains no wool or borate – just cotton and innersprings. So what should smell? I am really concerned about what it could be. Reallllllly stressed about this.
I have contacted others who have gotten Vivetiques and they say theirs has no smell at all. Which makes me think this is NOT normal. I am afriad if I were to get the money to order organic from another company for fear of something similar. But I am concerned about getting a conventional mattress due to the chemicals known to be of harm.
-Pulling my hair out
July 13th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Tamara,
I’m incredibly sorry. I can tell you I believe the smell will go away, but it can take 3 or 4 months. If you can, try to keep your windows open as much as possible and even put the bed up on it’s side so more of it is exposed.
As for Vivetique, now that there are at least two complaints, I know it isn’t just us, anymore, and I think that changes the game a bit. Sooner or later, someone at the store will do a Google search for Vivetique and realize that this post is in the top 5 results and do the math to realize how many people are seeing it and then maybe, just maybe, they’ll be a little more motivated on the quality control side of things. Maybe.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Hi Grant,
We are a very small manufacturer of mattresses and in the past have made mattresses for people with chemical sensitivities. We have found washing the fabric in a detergent like BioKleen can help eliminate a lot of problem. You may be able to find a small manufacturer in your area who is willing to do this for you.
As you have learned, comfort is personal thing and you should always try out your mattress before buying it. If you buy another mattress, go to a store and try it out. The Better Sleep Council and Consumer Reports have some great tips on how to select a mattress. Even with a comfort guarantee, you will be stuck paying restocking fees and redelivery charges.
Good luck with your mattress.
Anonymous
July 22nd, 2008 at 7:15 am
Hi,
We make organic mattresses in the UK (Abaca Organic) and I’m really sorry to be hearing the poor customer service that is being offered to you! We also sell direct over the internet, but our Trading Standards state that we have to accept any returns within 7days with a full refund regardless of reason. If Abaca suggest that you try it for longer then that is our responsibility and we should and will accept the ‘return’.
We often suggest that we post material samples to the customers before making the mattresses to make sure any smells are flagged before we accept the order.
All that said we couldn’t offer this to an export order!
In a nutshell; by selling mattresses on the net you save the massive overheads of a real showroom (rent/staff/etc) so if it means you have to accept the odd mattress returned; so be it! Hope you’re able to resolve your situation.
Regards
July 28th, 2008 at 4:15 am
Hi Grant (and Tamara),
So sorry to hear about your troubles. I just wanted to give you both a HUGE thank you for posting about your organic/Vivetique mattress issues. I’ve been researching and was almost ready to order the PureWool mattress and now will find an organic mattress that I can actually sit on and try out.
That said, years ago I worked for Earthsake which carried/ies Vivetiques – they did not have a weird smell, so perhaps it is a few isolated incidents?
On that note, I am still in the process of returning/exchanging a Cisco Brothers organic wool sofa that I ordered and was broken by the delivery people, I suspect. I ordered it sight unseen and unsat on, as well, which I won’t do again although it does look just fine. There IS an odor coming from the sofa but I suspect that it’s the slipcover, but maybe it’s the same wool odor you all have. It made my eyes water and after 3 weeks, is finally getting milder (or I can tolerate it now?)
This is just so frustrating – thinking we’re getting something healthy that technically might be fine except for the smelly wool batch here and there? Ugh.
Hope you all get some resolution and that the manufacturer has something to say soon!
Best,
Cate
Marin County, California
July 28th, 2008 at 7:27 am
Yeah, it probably is a few isolated incidents. I hope for Vivetique’s sake, it is. Also note, that most beds don’t smell in the showroom. They’ve been out in a large, well-ventilated room for a good deal of time and have already out-gassed.
From what the sales guy said, apparently, the wool smell (if that is what it was) can vary depending on when the wool is harvested.
Bottom line: even in this day and age of the Internet, some things are still better purchased locally.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Hi,
. However on the day I was going to order a King size organic mattress I unfortunately read this site and was thrown back into a state of confusion due to the “organic smell”. I contacted Abaca for their point of view on this issue and had an email whizzing back to me within 24 hours. Here is my email and their reply……
After weeks of internet fact finding causing me to change my mind on a daily basis from pocket sprung to memory foam to pocket with memory foam then finally to organic pocket spring, I thought i’d finally come to a logical conclusion. I was going to order a King size organic mattress and couldn’t wait for its arrival. I couldn’t believe how little sleep I’d been getting due to worrying about which mattress to buy to give me a good nights sleep
>
. Can you
> comments: Hi, I have been looking to buy a new kingsize mattress over
the last few weeks and have spent a fair amount of time researching on
the internet. The conclusion I have reached was that an organic
mattress was the way forward. However today, I have found an article on
a website forum regarding the issue of smell from an organic mattress,
which seems to stem from the wool inside. This article was for a
different manufacturer in the US but it has set alarm bells ringing. I
realize smell is a personal judgement and i imagine a mattress will
smell a little for a few weeks until aired properly. However I am now
worried that if I bought a new mattress, in 6 months time I will still
feel like I am sleeping in a sheep pen due to the smell
offer me any advise on this subject.RegardsJason
>
Hi Jason,
I have also seen pieces on the internet about smells from organic
mattresses …. mostly about cotton rather than wool, and have been
puzzled by how extreme the descriptions are. All natural materials have
their own smell …. our wool certainly has a ‘woolly’ smell, but it is
not strong or unpleasant and seemms to dissipate within a few weeks of
the mattress being delivered. I am going to send you some samples of the
cotton and wool, reasonable size pieces that have come off the rolls
today so that they are ‘fresh’ so to speak! If you still have concerns
after receiving the samples, then it’s possible for us to cut enough
wool off a roll to make your mattress, then ‘air’ it for a few weeks
until the woolly smell has all but disapeared.
Hope that helps
Best Wishes
Rhiannon
In the next few days I am moving house and the level of customer service I have had to endure from estate agents to broadband supplier to van hire etc has had me pulling my hair out with contempt and frustration. I wonder how certain company’s can possibly stay in business and no doubt the coming recession will sort them out.
I am very very impressed with the reply from Abaca and even feel obliged to order now due to their obvious care for potential customers. I’ll let you know how I get on….
August 4th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
I’m really frustrated with the entire mattress industry. I have purchased 4 mattresses in the past 2 years. I’ve had trouble with every single one. I even went and recently purchased 2 mattresses off the floor of the showroom floor to avoid all the off gassing. The problem is they fume for 6 months or more these days. I learned from one salesperson that mattresses are sprayed with fire retardant that can cause long term fumes. He said to look for teflon in the thread instead of fire retardant for less fumes. It does seem like any form of latex fumes for a long time. I was at an organic mattress store in the denver area and the organic latex smelled like old tires to me. The salesperson said they put vanilla in the latex to help mask the smell. I also heard form a different organic store that they can’t truly tell you what real organic rubber is because of internal laws and the fact the rubber comes from Asia. I don’t remember this being so hard 10 years ago. I really feel sick from new mattresses…even the box springs.
I get sore joints, sore throat and headaches. I wonder if there are recent laws that make all new mattresses get sprayed for fire hazards and in the process we will all get exposed to cancer chemicals…. all for the mere chance there is a fire in our houses. I mean seriously, the chemicals probably cause more harm.
I found this online:
http://www.peopleforcleanbeds.org/
August 5th, 2008 at 7:59 am
Also note, some people have had success with the smells using these blankets: http://nontoxic.com/activatedcarbonblanket/activatedcarbonblanket.htm
We haven’t tried them yet, but they basically act like a carbon/charcoal water filter does, I guess.
August 8th, 2008 at 12:26 am
Does anyone have a good- no, excellent – organic latex/wool/cotton mattress to recommend? Thanks for all of this info.
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I have had horrible problems with my Aurora mattress from Vivetique. Not only did it smell for a long time (smell does go away eventually!) but it sags to the left. Basically, the construction of this mattress is not well thought-out. It has pocketed coils, which are supposed to move independently to cushion you. However, the coils are covered by 2″ of heavy latex, plus wool and cotton, so by the time any pressure gets down to the coils, it’s already spread out across a wide area, rendingering the pocketed coils useless. I’m getting rid of this thing, and probably going to eat the $2000 I spent on it. Sucks.
October 17th, 2008 at 2:15 am
Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience. I don’t typically hear of this issue with organic mattresses. I have heard of this issue with certain types of memory foam mattresses. Typically the smell dissipates after a few days. Obviously that was not your experience. I would not go as far as saying that ordering a mattress online is a bad idea …when you comparison shop, you just need to make sure you read the fine print. Some charge you practically nothing to exchange (my company charges $99 and gives you 100 days to exchange on most of our items) and some charge you a ridiculous amount of money. Of course to be fair to the retailer that sold it to you…it cost them on average $275 to ship a mattress one way through most freight carriers and they can’t resell it.
link: Shop for a mattress
October 17th, 2008 at 8:50 am
I stand by my assertion not to buy mattresses online. The only way I could see doing it is if I knew exactly what I wanted. Even then, though, that likely implies that I went into a store to buy it, took up their time, etc. and then didn’t buy from them? Probably better to talk them down on price, IMO.
Consumer Reports won’t even rate mattresses b/c they are such a personal thing. Add to it the fact that the mattress companies make the same mattress and then “brand” it 10 a bunch of different ways for each retailer, and you have a situation that is akin to buying a used car.
January 10th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Just purchased 2 mattresses for my children, they love it.
No odrs and chemical flame retardants
February 22nd, 2009 at 3:47 pm
I’ve been researching organic mattresses for some time because I want to avoid all chemicals such as boric acid, polyurethane, etc that are found in conventional as well as many “healthier” mattresses and futons (scary how deceptive even supposedly organic mattress claims can be, as there are no FDA regulations in the industry for using terms such as “natural” and “organic,” and flame retardants are required by FDA.) I have also heard that Vivetique is extremely rude and difficult to deal with from friends who attempted to order several pieces directly from the company.
We may have found an answer to our long and difficult search for a truly healthy and organic mattress, finally. OMI – Organic Mattresses Incorporated in CA. They are actually certified and can tell you where all the materials are from (all USA) and have super-strict factory conditions (nobody can even wear perfume.) I will have to give an update after making our purchase. http://www.omifactory.com/home.php
May 26th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
I have deal with vivetique a lot and they try hard but I suspect that sometimes wool or even organic cotton gets a pungent smell if its not the first expensive virgin growth. You get what you pay for really. I did not like their lack of acknowledging problems or dealing with them . I do know they try hard. I dont order from them any more. daliya
June 1st, 2009 at 11:15 pm
So, what companies DO make genuinely nontoxic mattresses? Lifekind? Pure Rest? OMI? Does anyone know? Who really makes the latex itself? I think we all have reason to be highly skeptical if we don’t have the REAL information, when sellers/manufacturers don’t disclose all their sources for materials, and when bogus info is put up (like in the case of companies like greenmattresses.com, live for tomorrow, dremata, etc.) I think we need legislation that has no loopholes as to the standard of purity. And let’s face it: fire-retardants–even boric acid–are HIDEOUS and HAVE NO PLACE IN BEDDING! Really, if your house is on fire, you can’t sit there on your bed…duh! We, as consumers, need to DEMAND safety standards in our bedding and mattresses. Write to your congress people, even if you have to start at the state level to get some attention. IT really is a nightmare for all of us, otherwise. No wonder cancer is so prevalent and depression and thyroid disorders! Oh, and if you are buying, tell the seller “I am going to have the actual mattress you send me tested by an environmental hazard testing company, and if it comes back with any of the chemicals you say are not it in actually in it, I will sue your company for false advertising and fraud and negligence.” See what they say next, which is probably going to be “well, that isn’t necessary…” and then you say, I want a written statement certifying the chemical composition and purity of each of these components of the mattress and I want it to be sent with the mattress for comparison to the tests, and, by the way, I will make the results public. Do you think your mattress can stand up to that?” If they hang up on you righ then, they are probably hiding something. If they sell in anyhow, or try to, either they really are clueless about the product or really do have a good one. Anyhow, sorry to rant here. My heart goes out to everyone who is getting ripped off or did get ripped off. Be sure to lodge complaints on ripoff.com and other customer sites, with the BBB of the place where the mattress came from, and with your state attorney general’s office and, of course, raise a ruckus on the web. Be factual as you can and don’t give up. It is too horrible when bad things happen to good people, like us parents who are trying to protect our kids’ health or our own or our spouse’s–and a lot of us are not in that income brackett that makes mattress-buying easy. Instead we have to scrimp and save and go through headaches and then to get ripped off! Hold the B***ards to the fire.
July 10th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
I am waiting to hear back from JB or someone about OMI. What about Abaca? I’d like to know more. Sounds like Vivetique needs to revamp. I thought wool was a natural fire retardant. I sgree, I would really like to know what is in mattresses and where they came from. One person knows all of the answers. Pray and ask him to prosper your search. I will.
October 6th, 2009 at 8:19 am
We purchased two twin size Natura beds and frames five or six years ago and I would NOT do it again. First, there was an odor, not so much from the wool but from the cotton casing and especially from the organic latex. The latex smell – someone earlier described it as rubbery – lingered for years and on a hot night, I can still smell it. I encased them and covered with with lots of sheets and blankets, but still the odor lingers. Second complaint: After less than two years, they began to sag – badly. One of them has a deep U shape – I can’t sleep in it and it has been assigned to the guest room. Now we are looking for another mattress and I’m not sure what to do. Anyone happy with their purchase? There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of critique on the Web.
November 8th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
just purchased the vivetique mattress. even with the window wide open this mattress has a very pungent offensive odor which has now been ongoing for 2 weeks. i called the local store that sold it to me and was told this smell comes from the natural rubber latex. they insist that there are no chemicals used in the manufacturing process. they also claim there is no MSDS for this product since everything in the mattress is listed on the tag attached to the bed. they were quick to point out their warranty is for comfort and does not extend to any reaction due to “chemical sensitivity”.
this is an interesting claim as I am not sure what the definition of chemical sensitivity in this context would be. does this mean if they use formaldehyde and i react to it that i am chemically sensitive? aren’t we all chemically sensitive to acute and systemic poisons? one of the main reasons i buy “natural” is to avoid harmful chemicals? if my bedding’s noxious fumes prevents me from sleeping on the bed would that qualify me as uncomfortable for warranty purposes or would i be disqualified as chemically sensitive?
what i do know is that i just purchased a $2100 mattress based on the claim it was all natural. i have not yet called vivetique so i am hopeful their claims are true and the “natural” smell will dissipate overtime.
November 16th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Another “grunt” about Vivetique – I purchased a Kapok pillow from them a while back and finally realized that all the grey sticky stuff coming out of it was from the Kapok tree. They admitted this was a very rare situation, but did not consider it a defect. I did – it wound up all over my bed. Since the pillow had a year warranty they really were not willing to help. They were very abrupt, unprofessional, and condescending towards me. They obviously didn’t care I would no longer be a customer of Vivetique. I highly recommend NOT doing business with this company. Look elsewhere. One more thing about Vivetique, when I explained to them that I should have read this website before purchasing, they brushed it off saying that “it was written by a competitor of our’s” I don’t believe it after having had all my problems with them. Highly unprofessional. Stay away.
November 16th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
“It was written by a competitor of our’s”
That’s pretty funny. Instead of a company dealing with their problems, they just stick their head in the sand.
January 16th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
Hi Grant,
Thank you for posting your Vivetique experience.
I purchased the Vivetique Aurora queen-size mattress w/ matching 1000 coil box August of 2008. As another person stated, the mattress is not designed properly. The springs “float” and are easily sent out of whack. My mattress arrived with a crooked springset..it slants to the left. This has created a hammock effect to the mattress which is most uncomfortable. There is missed stitching on the top of the bed, the mattress handles are applied poorly and the box spring arrived with yellow stains of unknown origin. The “yuck” factor here is huge!
Both the retailer, Phoenix Organics, and Vivetique said that all of the above were caused by freight damage. How in the world do you get stains and missed stitching from a mattress set that arrived shrink wrapped from the factory? Vivetique told me that the Aurora is a delicate mattress that requires special handling. Only problem is…they didn’t mention that to anyone. No instructions provided to retailer or to me. Additionally, my mattress set arrived with absolutely no paperwork. No tags on the mattress or box spring, no warranty card..nothing. I’m not even sure that’s legal. Don’t beds have to have a tag attached stating the material content?
After the first go around with retailer (Phoenix Organics) and Vivetique, the most they would offer was to replace the mattress..but I would have to cover freight..about $500. They would do nothing about the box spring. I decided to pursue other options.
Fast forward to August 2009. The box spring seams started unraveling. After sending more photos, Vivetique told me in August that they would send me a new replacement Aurora at no cost to me. I called Paul at Vivetique at least once per month. Each time I was told that the bed was scheduled for production. On one call he even went so far as to tell me that the bed had been partially completed but they were waiting for a latex supply arrival. The next call he said that I needed to be patient because their beds are custom made and take time.
Five months later, I was just told two weeks ago that a replacement order had never been placed for my Aurora! The co-owner of Vivetique wanted additional photos to decide whether to honor the warranty! When in fact I was told that he had already viewed the photos of bed five months ago and said to proceed with replacement. The entire five months I was continuously lied to by Vivetique. They simply strung me along.
I’ve been fighting this for 18 months with both the retailer (Phoenix Organics) and the manufacturer (Vivetique). Bottomline, I hope no one buys from them and has to go through what I have experienced. I’m out $3,000 and have endured a great deal of stress and negative impacts to my health and sanity over all of this.
As an aside for the people writing about the smell of the latex, the Aurora mattress did smell strongly for about eight months. I wasn’t bothered by it but know that some are extremely sensitive so thought I would share that too.
January 17th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
One correction to my posting above. I meant to imply that the mattress and box spring clearly left the factory with the yellow stains, missed stitching and poor sewing quality given that both pieces were presumably wrapped in protective plastic at the factory and then loaded onto a truck. I noticed the defects once the protective wrapping was removed in my home.
It has been very cathartic to vent here. Thanks again Grant
January 22nd, 2010 at 12:15 pm
has anyone ever thought about taking legal action again this pathetic company? (Vivetique) The whole story about Paul lying through his teeth does not surprise me. He did it to me too.
January 24th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Oops on my part…the box spring does indeed have a manufacturer’s tag. I did approach an attorney and was told my only recourse would be small claims court. As this was an internet transaction for me, that becomes difficult logistically. I’d have to file in both Oregon and California and I do not live in either of those states. Big lesson learned (for me anyway)..never purchase a big ticket item over the internet!
January 29th, 2010 at 10:46 am
Just want to thank everyone here for writing. I just purchased a Vivetique crib mattress from Phoenix Organics. Have not received it yet. Will see if I have the same problem as Leigh Shaw.
Meanwhile, am looking for a decent twin to put in the baby’s room… was going to buy Vivetique, until I read your posts this AM.
Any thoughts as to what to buy now?
Thanks.
January 31st, 2010 at 9:23 pm
Jane,
I’ll be looking at OMI (Organic Mattress Inc.) next. They are manufactured in Northern CA and made in a “clean-room” facility. This time around I have located a retailer in my city that actually has the beds for me to try out. Just learning about this company so I’ll post later once I know more.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:30 pm
Hi,
I just purchased a green cotton, non-flame retardant mattress from whitelotus.com. I couldn’t wait to get this mattress, as my last mattress was a memory foam one and it made me very ill. Well the smell that the cotton mattress gives off is very strong, almost a kind of wet paint odor. I called the company and they said it was just the smell of the natural unbleached cotton, and that I should just “air it out” for a few days. I was just wondering if anyone else has had any experiance with this. It’s non-chemical, unbleached natural cotton and I feel like i’m dealing with “off gassing” all over again. Thanks:)
February 12th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
Does anyone have feedback about an organic mattress by OMI that’s made in N. California? http://www.organicpedicbyomi.com
They don’t sell directly because they encourage that you try (and smell) the mattresses first.
February 17th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Hi All – thanks for all the posting; I am close to buying from Pure-Rest. Anyone have any opinions? BTW I’m a vegan, on their site it says I can get provide a doctor’s note and skip the wool.
March 31st, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Hi,
I’m sorry to hear the problems some of you have experienced.
We recently purchased our Latex, organic USA grown cotton, and Pure Grow Wool king mattress set from Lifekind, and Love it! After researching several online companies, I choose Lifekind because they seemed to have what I wanted. I knew I had made the right decision after speaking to Sarah, the sales person, who was courteous, informed, and very helpful. She even suggested we purchase a different mattress set more suited to our size difference, even though it was much cheaper than the one I had originally planned to buy! Customer before profit!
As for the mattress, it is impeccably made. There was a slight odor, but it was gone in just a few days and it was not offensive. Lifekind had also sent information explaining this well before it arrived. I believe in buying from companies who care for our Earth and their workers… Lifekind is one of those, but Walt also makes superior products. Please check it out. I hope this helps.
Deena in Texas
May 26th, 2010 at 2:28 am
I am surprised to hear about the smell of your mattress. We bought a Vivetique Dreamlite mattress over 2 years ago and we had not noticed any foul smells at all.
We also did a lot of research before deciding, and actually went to the Vivetique manufacturing facility, which is close to us. One of the owners helped us in their sorta-showroom. They were very nice and informative and we were impressed with the cleanliness and fresh-smell of their facilities, as compared to chemical smells of other manufacturing. We were impressed with the organic, non-toxicity of the mattress. We found a place online with the best pricing and ordered it from them. It took something like 6-8 weeks to get, which was a negative. We liked the mattress, but now find it isn’t soft enough, so we plan on getting a mattress pad from them as well.
July 13th, 2010 at 9:32 pm
I’m not denying what you’re saying, but my wife and I have an organic wool Vivetique and it does not smell, has never smelled, and is the best mattress we’ve ever owned. I’m really sorry about what happened to you and believe the store screwed you by telling you to wait. We love ours, however, and would buy another without hesitation. We bought from a reputable brick and mortar store, by the way.
September 1st, 2010 at 7:41 pm
To JB above and others:
Beware of OMI and Savvy Rest. I had an OMI bed and returned it. Why? It was filled with fire retardant, and had noxious odors. I have a Savvy rest bed, and it has excessive latex odors. I purchased 6 months ago, and my room is filled with latex odors every day. I use a fan to blow out the odors every morning. I bought this bed because I expected an odorless bed after the OMI experience. I no longer trust ANY of the bed companies, regardless of their claims of no odors, natural and organic.—-AK
September 23rd, 2010 at 5:55 pm
@AK
How did you know that they had fire retardants? (OMI).
Thanks,
Steven
December 9th, 2010 at 8:55 am
I changed 3 mattresses until I found one that was fit for me. Until this one I didn’t get any good sleep, I was always tired and in a droopy mood. I’m soryy to hear what happen to you and your wife.
March 15th, 2011 at 5:59 pm
AK,
I also would like to know how you found out OMI was filled with flame retardant. I’m not sure what was wrong, but I have to say, I’m pretty skeptical about that. NOBODY I have talked to or web reviews have said anything like this. Possibly you got a knockoff? I just can’t see how that could happen being produced in a facility where the workers can’t even wear perfume.
July 29th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
I haven’t heard much about the OMI organic mattress before, it sounds interesting. I did see a few reviews here and there http://www.mattress-wiz.com/latex-mattress-reviews.html they sound really good. They seem to be right up my street, as I have intolerances to most fumes and odors, etc. I don’t really believe they would go to all that trouble to make it all natural and then fill it with flame retardants. Maybe there is a natural, non-toxic flame retardant they use?
September 19th, 2011 at 11:44 am
We bought Green Cradle innerspring organic mattresses for our kids- no smell at all, firm but they like them and the people at green cradle are VERY knowledgeable…they are in Los Angeles and they are expensive but you get what you pay for. for ourselves we bought an organic borate free (with doctor’s note) futon from the Futon Shop- handmade in San Francisco. It’s very comfortable (after 2 nights) but there is a distinct wool/ cotton smell which will hopefully fade- that having been said the mattress was at least half as expensive as the ones for our kids but theirs have no smell, and the only fire retardant in all three is wool…Edward and his wife at Green Cradle are great at answering questions and they have a LOT of information…and the green Cradle brand is less expensive than OMI, which they also carry…
September 28th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
I purchased a Cottanic pure cotton and latex mattress topper 6 months ago.
I am sensitive to oders and this smells really unpleasant to me.
brought it back to place I bought it, here in Oregon and they ozonated it for 3 full days.
still smells as unpleasant. no change.
they are saying it’s the sweet natural smell of organic latex.
I say ain’t nothing sweet about it.
love how it feels, hate how it smells.
so much for all natural.
not sure what to do now, it was expensive.
they suggested a waterproof mattress cover that encased the whole thing … hahahaha.
now that would be defeating the purpose of all natural.
very frustrating.
they said I could trade it in for less than 1/4 of what I paid.
wow what a deal.
any suggestions would be appreciated.
October 13th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
My wife is the same, she has numerous chemical sensitivities. We sprung for the Lifekind traditional innerspring ($$$) but are extremely pleased with our purchase. We ordered many items (again $$$) but we’ve been happy time and again.
November 5th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Yes I believe they told you to wait. We bought a Sealy firm mattress at a local furniture store; it felt great in the store. But after 1 night I knew it was wrong–too much foam made it too soft. Woke with back and neck ache. Tried it for 3 more nights then went to my doctor. He said, “Send it back!” “You should feel better after sleeping on a new mattress, not worse.” The store forced me, yes, to keep it 30 days they said they would not pick it up until then. We still had a go roundy round before they would and we were charged $200 various fees. It’s outrageous that anyone can expect you to blindly choose a mattress–you cannot tell if it is right until you’ve slept on it all night for several nights, then they have you hooked with all “their” rules. There should be a computer program that tests your body responses while trying out the mattress in the store! Maybe then you could choose the lesser of the 2 evils.