A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World
Updated on Nov. 26, 2024
Warning: Harmful chemicals may be lurking in your bed. Find out if you're inadvertently putting yourself in danger every night—and discover the best non-toxic mattress for safer sleep.
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You may think a mattress is a mattress, right? But if you’re buying a new mattress, know that many beds hide a dark secret: Certain sleep surfaces contain chemical components that could make you sick. That’s why finding the best non-toxic mattress is so important.
“Most mattresses typically contain polyurethane foam, which includes petroleum chemicals,” explains Tasha Stoiber, PhD, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group (EWG). “This foam can off-gas, or emit, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are harmful to health and have been linked to respiratory irritation and nervous system harm.”
But that’s not all. “Many mattresses also use flame-retardant chemicals that may cause adverse health effects, ranging from cancer and reproductive harm to learning disabilities and interference with the normal operation of hormones,” says Avinash Kar, a senior attorney and director of state health policy for the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). While you might not notice the impact of sleeping on a toxic mattress immediately, the potential health consequences may be detrimental over time. “Many of the effects of toxic chemicals are long-term, and unless the chemical causes acute reactions or allergies, you may not see immediate symptoms,” warns Kar.
Ready for a completely clean slumber? Don’t lose sleep over the thousands of sustainable brands available. After all, when searching for the best mattress, there’s more to consider than just the materials—it should also be comfortable and cozy. We consulted sleep experts to confirm that these are the best non-toxic mattress options for every type of sleeper.
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Everything this California-based company does is centered around eco-friendly initiatives, including offering a non-toxic mattress. Avocado’s goal is to be one of the world’s most sustainable brands—it even donates 1% of all revenue to environmental nonprofits. Plus, it implements ethical supply chain and manufacturing practices to safeguard consumer health.
The Avocado Green mattress is an editor-favorite for good reason. Each mattress is screened against 6,500 known and suspected harmful chemicals, so you can rest comfortably knowing that it’s completely free from potentially toxic foams, chemical fire retardants and off-gassing materials.
Ideal for all types of sleepers, the Avocado Green mattress boasts 3,136 individually pocketed coils made from recycled steel, artfully arranged in five ergonomic zones to evenly distribute weight across the mattress. This smart system is designed to provide immediate pressure relief for the shoulders, back and hips. According to our tester, former Deputy Affiliate eCommerce Editor Megan Wood, it does just that.
“With my last memory foam mattress, I usually slept on my side with a pillow between my knees for better alignment. It got to be such a habit I didn’t even realize I was doing it,” writes Wood in her full review of the Avocado Green mattress. “With the Avocado Green mattress, sleeping with a pillow between my knees is a distant memory.” It’s no wonder this mattress is endorsed by the American Chiropractic Association.
Avocado backs its mattresses with a generous one-year sleep trial and a 25-year limited warranty. But we’re confident you’ll be just as happy with your new mattress as Wood was. After a year, Wood shares that she didn’t experience any sagging, worn spots or discomfort. “I’ve slept on the Avocado Green mattress for an entire year and I’m thrilled to report that I’m just as happy with it now as I was on the first night,” she writes.
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The best non-toxic mattress brands aren’t cheap, but DreamCloud proves you can still buy an eco-friendly bed at a price that won’t break the bank. This DreamCloud mattress is CertiPUR-US certified, which means it’s made without harmful ingredients. You’ll sleep more soundly knowing there are no traces of formaldehyde, carcinogens, mutagens or other reproductive toxins you can’t pronounce.
And this best affordable non-toxic mattress pick doesn’t skimp on comfort. Our tester, Jill Schildhouse, calls this mattress dreamy and cloudlike, and appreciates how it contours to the shape of her body. “The firmness is listed as a 6.5 on a scale from one to 10, placing this mattress in the ‘luxury firm’ category. For the first few days, we were acutely aware of how much firmer the DreamCloud felt than our previous mattress. But by week two, we were fully on board with how supportive it was,” she writes in her full DreamCloud mattress review.
Another callout feature of the Dreamcloud mattress is its cooling ability. Schildhouse, whose hypothyroidism causes her to run hot, was delighted by how much cooler she felt at night. “Each night when I got into bed, I noticed how much cooler the sheets felt against my skin and absolutely loved the sensation,” she writes. “And even though I still ended up feeling warm some nights, I no longer woke up overheated and drenched in sweat.”
An affordable, non-toxic cooling mattress? What more could you want?
The only thing you may want to consider before purchasing this DreamCloud mattress is your current collection of bedding. According to Schildhouse, it was hard to find a set of sheets deep/wide enough for the 16-inch-deep DreamCloud Premier Rest. Luckily, that’s an easy fix. Just check out these organic sheet sets to find the perfect set for your new bed.
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One of the scariest things about investing in a new mattress is knowing that after you spend all that money, it could be too firm or too soft for your liking. Thankfully, there’s a mattress that helps you get it just right. This Naturepedic mattress allows you to swap out the inside layers to ensure the perfect feel. If you find that you chose the wrong firmness level or, after years of use, it starts to give, you can swap out a piece of the mattress instead of getting rid of the whole thing. This gave senior shopping editor Caitlyn Fitzpatrick total peace of mind when she replaced her 10-year-old mattress with a Naturepedic.
This best non-toxic mattress is certified non-toxic and organic by Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). It’s also latex-free, making it ideal for people like Fitzpatrick who suffer from latex allergies. It’s available in four firmness level options: plush, medium, cushion-firm and firm. Fitzpatrick and her husband both opted for cushion-firm. “When it arrived, I was nervous because it felt quite firm. At one point, I thought maybe the wrong ones were sent,” writes Fitzpatrick in her Naturepedic Mattress review. However, Fitzpatrick was relieved to find that it was both comfortable and supportive.
“It only took me a few nights to decide that I love this Naturepedic mattress,” raves Fitzpatrick. “It turns out that cushion-firm is the perfect firmness for me. In fact, I regularly get knots in my left shoulder, which results in my left arm going numb and leaving me in a lot of pain. Since sleeping on the Naturepedic mattress, I’ve noticed those knots are less regular and less severe. I take it that my body likes it, and it’s more supported than it was before. And as an every-position sleeper, I’m happy whether I’m on my side, back or stomach.”
Her husband, on the other hand, found the cushion-firm to be, well, too firm. Fitzpatrick appreciates the fact that they can simply swap out his side of the bed. “Imagine if we had to send back the entire mattress,” she says. “Not only would I be disappointed because I love my side of the bed, but it would be a bit of a headache.”
If you opt for the Naturepedic mattress, keep in mind that some assembly is required. And while Fitzpatrick says that assembling the mattress wasn’t exactly difficult, it did require arranging the pieces in the casing just so. “The challenge is that the pieces fit very snugly inside the casing—as you’d want them to so there aren’t any gaps (and there aren’t!)—so you have to be strategic with ensuring each layer is in the right place and tightly so,” she explains. “After all the layers were in on each side, it was time to zip up the entire thing. This part did cause me to break a sweat.” Fitzpatrick was able to assemble the entire mattress herself, though she recommends phoning a friend to make the process go smoothly.
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Former associate shopping editor Emily Way knows that she’s a human furnace. In fact, she runs so hot that she was sure investing in a cooling mattress would be a waste of money. That was until she tested the Bear Pro Hybrid mattress. This GreenGuard Gold-certified mattress is scientifically proven to meet some of the world’s most rigorous third-party standards for chemical exposures and pollutants. There are no traces of VOCs, formaldehyde, phthalates or other nasty toxins and it uses CertiPUR-US certified foams and fiberglass-free fire protection.
Best of all, this mattress is comfortable and supportive thanks to individually wrapped coils, which provide support and pressure-point relief. “I’m a side and stomach sleeper, while my husband is a back and side sleeper. This normally means that at least one of us is unhappy with the firmness of our mattress,” writes Way in her full Bear mattress review. “With our old mattress, both of us frequently woke up with back and hip pain. However, the Bear mattress surprised us. It’s supportive, thanks to the coils and firmness, yet also offers enough ‘give’ to cradle the body.”
Moreover, this mattress has a layer of premium hyper-soft cooling gel under the cover to keep you cool throughout the night. According to Way, who frequently sweated through her pajamas, sheets and True Temp blanket, the cooling gel layer and air-infused coils really do a great job of moving heat out and away from her body at night. “Even on sweltering nights, I have yet to wake up drenched in sweat—a big win for me, especially for a budget mattress,” she writes.
Pair this mattress with a set of cooling sheets for an even more comfortable sleep experience.
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If your budget allows you to spend a bit more, then treat yourself to a Saatva Latex Hybrid mattress. You won’t be sorry, assures our tester, Lara Eucalano. “Saatva advertises itself as a luxury mattress company—and I can say with certainty that this mattress feels luxurious,” writes Eucalano in her Saatva mattress review. “This mattress didn’t need to be broken in at all. It was comfortable for the first night’s sleep (and every night after that).”
This hybrid mattress offers the best of both worlds: support from an innerspring layer and comfort from a squishy layer of organic latex. On a firmness scale of one to 10, Saatva says this model is a six. Eucalano explains that in real life, that means it’s on the firmer side without being stiff. “You sink into the plush top layer, but not so far that it’s impossible to extract yourself from bed in the morning,” she writes.
Eucalano also appreciated how cool she felt at night while sleeping on this mattress. “My previous mattress was a hybrid innerspring and memory foam. It was comfortable, but it didn’t take long for me to overheat in bed,” she writes. “I tested this mattress in August, a notoriously hot and humid month where I live. I didn’t notice feeling cooler right away, but then it dawned on me: It was 80 degrees Fahrenheit in the house, and I was sleeping comfortably. I couldn’t believe it!”
All of Saatva’s mattresses meet the highest safety standards, only using materials that are eco-friendly and non-toxic, meaning they’re good for the planet and your health. This specific model uses GOLS-certified organic natural latex that’s free of toxic chemicals, emissions and pollutants. Handmade in the U.S.A., the mattress also has an organic cotton cover that is cooling and hypoallergenic.
This mattress is treated with a Guardin non-toxic botanical antimicrobial treatment, and it’s covered with the brand’s hypoallergenic organic cotton quilted cover. Together, they promote cooler, healthier sleep and let’s be real. You can’t put a price on that.
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A mattress is a large investment, so you want to make sure you get it right. You can try out Silk & Snow’s organic mattress for 365 nights. That’s an entire year! And if you decide you don’t love it, Silk & Snow will take it back and donate it to someone in need as long as there are no stains, tears or odors. Better yet, returns are free. That said, we don’t think you’ll want to return this non-toxic mattress.
This Silk & Snow mattress is constructed using chemical- and synthetic-free materials. It boasts certifications from the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS), OEKO-TEX Standard 100 and Eco-Institut. In other words, you’ll sleep soundly knowing that you aren’t sharing a bed with heavy metals, VOCs, pesticides or other harmful chemicals.
In addition to being non-toxic, this mattress features a mix of soft and firm pocket spring coils that offer zoned support. This means the mattress has different materials and levels of firmness built throughout in order to alleviate neck and back pain. According to our tester, Sabrina Tillman, the Silk & Snow organic mattress is highly effective when it comes to relieving aches and pains. “I noticed a positive difference in my neck and shoulder pain after the first night of sleep,” she writes in her Silk & Snow mattress review. “After 30 days, I’m amazingly pain-free in my neck and shoulders when I wake up, despite spending hours a day hunched over a laptop. I also feel generally less creaky and achy when I get out of bed.”
The only thing Tillman didn’t love was the fact that this mattress didn’t fit her queen-sized bed frame corner to corner. “You get a peek-a-boo view of the wooden slats of the bed frame if you look closely, even though the mattress is queen-sized,” she explains.
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It doesn’t get more convenient than ordering the best non-toxic mattress on Amazon. Simply add the Happsy Organic Mattress to your cart, sit back and wait for it to show up at your door. This organic mattress is certified nontoxic and organic by Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), meaning it’s free of harmful allergenic materials and odors. It’s also free from chemicals such as glue, adhesives, and flame retardants.
Another thing we love about the Happsy Organic mattress is the affordable price tag. It starts at just $899, which is a bargain in the realm of organic, non-toxic mattresses. And while it may be cheap, it offers plenty of comfort and support thanks to its two inches of Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS)-certified organic natural latex and pocket springs. Our tester, Cathy Harms, was impressed by this mattress as soon as she took it out of the box.
According to Harms, the mattress expanded quickly and had no off-gassing smell. And as someone who tosses and turns all night long, she found that she was comfortable in most positions. However, the medium-firm mattress was too firm for side sleeping. “I needed more softness for my hips and shoulders, so I ordered the optional mattress topper. It gave the mattress two additional inches of soft plushness, with a supportive foundation underneath,” writes Harms in her detailed Happsy mattress review. “My sleep quality greatly improved during the testing period, and there was virtually no adjustment period once I added the mattress topper.”
Additionally, Harms was pleasantly surprised to find that her allergies greatly improved while sleeping on the Happsy, which is hypoallergenic and dust mite resistant. “The organic wool and latex naturally repel dust mites, mold and other allergens, making it a great option for people like me with dust mite allergies or asthma,” says Harms.
Overall, Harms was thoroughly impressed with this mattress’s comfort performance. “While I felt incredibly supported, the mattress still provided cloud-like comfort. The biggest bonus: my neck and shoulder pain went away! If you prefer not to sink into the mattress, you’ll definitely want to consider this mattress,” she raves.
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The Birch Natural Mattress is made by the award-winning Helix Sleep brand, so you know you’re getting the best of the best. This non-toxic Birch mattress is handmade in Phoenix, Arizona and is Greenguard Gold, GOTS, Eco-Institute and Fair Trade Certified. Our tester, Richard Glenn, slept on it for a month and deemed it well-built and supportive. Additionally, it kept him cool and helped alleviate his joint pain.
“The medium firmness is a great balance between support and comfort,” Richard says in his Birch mattress review. “It’s not a cure-all, but it’s good enough that I don’t even think about waking up achy. When I do sleep on my back, I don’t have any lower back pain because of the support from the mattress.” This can be attributed to the mattress’s individually wrapped coils, which provide reinforced support under your hips and cradle your body while helping to align your spine.
When you order a Birch Natural mattress, you can opt for in-home delivery, setup and haul away of your old mattress. However, Richard notes that his Birch mattress took a full 48 hours to expand and feel firm enough to sleep on. “I slept on it before it was fully inflated, and it seemed squishy,” Richard says. “24 hours later, it came to its full firmness and felt much more supportive.”
Many mattresses include warnings about the presence of carcinogens or chemicals that cause reproductive harm. However, not all manufacturers disclose this important information. “I would only purchase from a company that is transparent about the materials they use in and on their mattress,” says Stoiber. Don’t be afraid to be diligent about your shopping decision for a non-toxic bed. “The absence of warnings does not mean that the product does not contain chemicals of concern,” explains Kar. “Follow up with the brands and ask if the products contain any of the chemicals you are concerned about.”
While they might not be the most affordable mattresses, take into consideration that buying a chemical-free mattress doesn’t just benefit you—it also helps workers all along the supply chain avoid exposure to the chemicals, for starters. “What’s more, toxic chemicals don’t end up in the environment and put people and wildlife further at risk when discarding the products,” adds Kar.
Since most mattresses don’t easily biodegrade, they will continue to emit harmful chemicals as they sit in a landfill—another reason why recycling mattresses is so important. Along that same note, consider the company’s sustainability practices and commitment to ethical and responsible manufacturing.
Every type of mattress, including memory foam, latex, innerspring, hybrid and latex, is available in non-toxic models. The best non-toxic mattress depends on your personal preferences, as comfort is subjective. But sleeping position, weight and health factors, like back pain, are a few things that will determine the type of mattress best suited for your needs.
It can be easy for a brand to slap a “non-toxic” label on their product and call it a day, so we went several steps further to ensure that what you’re shopping for is truly a chemical-free mattress. Besides doing our due diligence of heavily researching the non-toxic mattresses and considering what real-life buyers have said, we consulted with seven experts—all bringing something a little different to the table—to confidently say that these are the best non-toxic mattresses you can buy. Our team of expert sources includes Tasha Stoiber, PhD, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group, Avinash Kar, a senior attorney and director of state health policy for the National Resources Defense Council, Avocado CMO and co-founder Mark Abrials, Abby Wood, a sleep and health content associate at Mattress Nerd, Alex Savy, a certified sleep science coach and founder of SleepingOcean, Jackson Lindeke, a product expert at the Sleep Foundation and Victoria Wildhorn, a sleep health specialist at Mattress Clarity.
Nina Derwin is a commerce updates editor for Reader’s Digest, Taste of Home and Family Handyman. She has experience researching and reviewing various items to help shoppers find the best products on the market. She researched and updated this piece.
It should come as no surprise that there are many, many mattresses on the market. To narrow our search, we combed through the most popular models from well-known brands. We looked at their basic details, features, prices and real-world customer reviews to see if they’re among the best available. Then, we sent them off to our editors and testers to see how they perform in real life.
There’s no universal definition, but generally, the best non-toxic mattress is free from potentially harmful chemicals. The EWG suggests seeking out the following qualities:
Abrials says that while many companies may use natural elements, they often don’t disclose all of their materials—most of which often include toxic flame retardants or binding agents. “Look for trusted certifications that test products to validate they are free from toxins that are known to be harmful to humans and environmental health,” he says.
Natural latex is derived from the sap of rubber trees, and it’s a common material utilized by non-toxic mattress brands. However, some mattresses made with synthetic latex may contain harmful chemicals. When shopping for the best non-toxic mattress, look for one that has 100% natural latex that’s certified by an independent organization, such as the GOTS or GOLS. These certifications ensure that the latex is free from harmful chemicals and meets strict environmental and social standards. Also, check out the other materials used to ensure the mattress is actually non-toxic.
A non-toxic bed is typically made with natural, sustainably sourced, organic and eco-friendly materials that are free from harmful additives and toxins. Common materials include organic cotton, organic wool, plant-based foams, natural latex and other natural fibers like hemp.
To determine whether your mattress is non-toxic, look for Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS), EWG Verified or Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certifications. If you’re unsure, contact the manufacturer or check their website to see which certifications your mattress has.
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