Cotton grown in industrialized countries is saturated with pesticides and herbicides. It absorbs all the chemicals that modern fertilizers deposit in the soil. Machine picked, it is impregnated with cottonseeds, cottonseed oil, leaves and dirt. The cotton in our mattresses comes from the Caņete and Chincha Valleys high in the southern parts of the Peruvian Andes. It is organically grown, as it has been for centuries, without pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. Handpicking ensures that it is the cleanest, purest, non-aromatic and most resilient cotton fiber available. The Swedish certifying body KRAV, Europe's oldest and most prestigious certification agency, has certified the organic cotton. Their stamp of approval is not only a guarantee of organic standards, but also a guarantee that social rights are observed and that child labor is not employed in the production of the cotton.
Wool
Only pure wool is used which is shorn from sheep raised on organic farms, the wool is washed using only mild vegetable-based soaps and hot water. Since no detergents, chemicals, bleaches or chlorine are used in the cleaning process, the lanolin is not completely washed out of the wool. Lanolin naturally repels dust mites, the single most common allergy. Wool is a natural flame retardant. In mattresses, it is the perfect, natural substitute for flame retardant chemicals. Wool will also help you get a better night's sleep.
The wool used in our products does NOT go through the carbonizing process. Only wool that is free from prickly vegetable matter is used so that no carbonizing is required. The fibers used in our products are never short! This results in a much softer wool that does not cause prickle.
Studies conducted at the Polytechnic Institute of Wales have proven that people sleeping on or under wool have significantly lower heart rates 100% of the time. A lower heart rate means that you will have a deeper more restful sleep.
What is the difference between down and wool?
Sleep refreshes the body and while the body is at rest, the pores of the skin open and moisture is given off. Wool wicks that moisture away leaving the body at a comfortable and constant temperature all evening.
Wool is the most complex, breathable fiber on earth. Wool responds to your body temperature by not overheating, as down tends to do. Down doesn't handle moisture well, as it collects moisture it overheats the body and loses it's insulating properties, clumps and separates.
Dust mites love down because they thrive in dark damp places. Wool does not provide a damp medium for them to thrive.
Wool is a bit weightier than down and will not slip around on the bed. The pad and comforter are constructed of full size layers of batting, hand tufted and/or machine sewn into position so it will not bunch or separate leaving cold spots.
People sleeping on or under wool have significantly lower heart rates 100% of the time. A lower heart rate means that you will have a deeper more restful sleep.
The springy, resilient wool-fiber batting structures contain an abundance of air. This combination acts to cushion the body and prevent the formation of painful pressure points.
What is Sonoma County "Pure Grow" Wool?
A program following organic agricultural practices i.e.... no pesticides on the pasture, no chemicals in the animal feed. The wool is removed in a single fleece and placed on the skirting table where it is inspected for length, strength, dirt and pests. Care is taken to keep the wool as clean as possible during shearing to eliminate any need for chemical treatments to remove burrs, brands, dirt and other impurities.
How do I care for your products?
Natural fibers truly benefit from sunning and airing. Borrowed from the Europeans, we recommend monthly airing for all of our products. You can spot clean the cotton or the wool, but you cannot submerge either fiber in water. A mixture of four parts water and one part vinegar misted on the products before airing will neutralize odors.
Bedding may be professionally cleaned by an upholstery method using a wet-cleaning non-dip method. (but not traditionally dry cleaned.)
What is green cotton and is your cotton organic or green?
Green cotton is unbleached, untreated, undyed, formaldehyde free, but not certified organic. We use this green cotton for the outer shell of our filled products. Why? The widths that are milled in the USA are not wide enough for our use.
Our fill for cotton pillows is organic. We also have a mattress made from organic cotton wrapped with Pure Grow wool - the wool is naturally flame resistant so we do not have to use a chemical flame retardant.
How do I choose a Pillow?
We offer both organic cotton and "Pure Grow" wool pillows. Both pillows will compress about 1/3 over time. The wool will retain a springy quality as the wool fiber is naturally more resilient.
Cotton is a static fiber and will provide a firmer, flatter pillow. A light-fill wool pillow is more similar to down than cotton because it is more moldable.
Why should I choose a wool pad or a wool mattress topper?
They provide a wool layer underneath you with all the benefits of wool. Wool wicks away moisture from you while helping to regulate body temperature and heart rate. They add a layer of softness and breathability to any conventional mattress.
The 3" wool mattress topper will have more of a nesting quality. The wool will come up around you, gently cradling you while you sleep.
The pad will settle somewhat flatter than our 3" wool mattress topper and has the advantage of being able to be air fluffed in the dryer to remove moisture.
The latex pad is surrounded with our Pure Grow wool to give you all the benefits of wool and still provide extra support and body to the pad.
Our seasonal pad has a cool, breathable layer of cotton on one side for the warmer summer and fall months and a layer of wool for the cooler months.
What is the difference between a futon and your 3" mattresses?
We make a layered bed system. Borrowing concepts from Europe and Japan, we use 3" layers of natural fibers combined for different degrees of softness. These are used on a slatted bed frame for breath-ability. We find that 3" layers are easy to maintain by rotating and airing, thus increasing the longevity of the bed. They do not convert to a couch though, thus they are not futons.