When buying a mattress, it is easy to get overwhelmed by all the things you need to take into account. Which of the hundreds of different types of mattress is best for you? Which material is best? How long will it last?
This can get even more confusing when you visit a mattress sale UK and see the perfect one there, but it is a bit too expensive and it is not made in the material you were looking for.
After you have decided that a spring or memory foam mattress is best for you and how much you want to spend, you are now bombarded with loads of certifications trying to persuade you to buy certain fancy ones that are best for your health.
You may have heard of Oeko-Tex in your mattress search or on your clothes and are wondering what it is and what it means. Essentially, they are a company that certifies the fabric used in your mattress is free from harmful chemicals. Simple, right?
It can all be a bit confusing but that is why we are here to help! Let us go into a bit more detail about what an Oeko-Tex certification means and why it is an important thing to consider when choosing your next mattress.
What is an Oeko-Tex Certification?
While there are many different types of Oeko-Tex certification, the one we are concerned about when looking at mattresses is the Standard 100 Certification. Essentially, this certifies that the material used does not contain any hazardous chemicals.
This means that it is completely safe for children and babies, and retailers and mattress manufacturers have been promoting this certification with increasing regularity.
The Oeko-Tex website describes the Standard 100 Certification:
“If a textile article carries the STANDARD 100 label, you can be certain that every component of this article, i.e. every thread, button and other accessories, has been tested for harmful substances and that the article, therefore, is harmless for human health.”
How do they test the mattresses?
You may be thinking “this is great! But I’ve never heard of Oeko-Tex before, how do I know that this certification holds any weight?”
This is a common question to ask and one that many people have been asking. Luckily, they have outlined their thorough testing process on their website.
The products are tested randomly and with a variety of scientific techniques. They conduct a test with fake saliva to see if the PH-levels change. The chemicals they are looking for when carrying out their tests include nickel, axo dyes and formaldehyde. They also run the fabric through fancy and expensive machines to detect any of the many harmful chemicals that could have been introduced through manufacturing or transport.
Why is This Certification Important for Your Mattress?
If you have children, this is especially important as you surely want to keep as many harmful chemicals away from your child as possible. It also shows that the company making it doesn’t take any shortcuts and uses as many natural processes as possible, creating an overall better product.
Oeko-Tex also has a ‘MADE IN GREEN’ certification which “guarantees that the textile or leather product has been manufactured using sustainable processes under socially responsible working conditions.”
Helping the environment with any purchase we make is the minimum of what we can do to help the planet.
In short, the Oeko-Tex certifications are important because this is the thing you’re going to be sleeping on for the next 5, 10, 15 or even 20 years! You should want to know that it doesn’t have any dangerous chemicals in and that it has been made responsibly with the environment in mind.
Buying a mattress is a very big purchase and one that takes a lot of thought, but with so many different types and certifications to think about, it can become a nightmare. When searching for your mattress be sure to look for the Oeko-Tex certifications. These ensure that the mattress you pick will be free of all harmful chemicals and has been made responsibly with the environment in mind. This is especially important if you have small children or if you just generally want to do something good for the planet.
