Organic Mattress Cotton
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Why Cotton?
- Cotton is often referred to as “the fabric of our lives” and for good reason. We come in contact with items made from cotton every day. The clothes you wear, the sheets you sleep on, the diapers you put on your baby and even some of the food you eat have been made with cotton.
- Cotton is a natural, renewable fiber and is also biodegradable.
- Cotton breathes, so it stays cool. It is also a great conductor of heat. In other words, it draws heat away from your skin to keep you cool, making it most comfortable to wear & sleep on.
- Cotton is hypoallergenic meaning it doesn't irritate sensitive skin or cause allergies. It is also good for asthmatics.
- Cotton absorbs moisture easily and can take up to one fifth of its weight in water before it actually feels damp. Cotton absorbs body moisture and evaporates it to the surrounding air, thus allowing your body its natural tendency to breathe - keeping you cool in summer and dry and warm in winter. Not only are you more comfortable in cotton, you are healthier sleeping on it!
- Cotton has individuality & character. Each fiber grows a little differently — with sunshine & soil — and takes on characteristics that indicate its life & style... just like the people who sleep on it.
- Cotton fiber has soft natural tips from where it is harvested from the seed boll giving a smooth sensual hand, unlike consistent length synthetics that have circular cut edges from being chopped to specific fiber length. Cotton is never itchy and its an outstanding insulator which allows it provide warmth in the summer & heat in the winter. It's not only what you want on your skin, its what you want in a mattress!
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Why U.S. Cotton?
- Cotton is a natural, renewable, biodegradable and sustainable fiber. To ensure that the population can continue to reap cotton’s natural benefits, today and in the future, the U.S. cotton industry is committed to the sustainable production of cotton, including utilizing new technology that positively impacts cotton’s environmental footprint. The U.S. cotton industry supports sustainability and the goal of environmental, economic, health and social responsibility for production agriculture.
- We utilize long fiber Egyptian staple cotton grown in the western United States.
Once upon a time most of each dollar that was spent on food went to those who grew it. Today almost none of it does... Small & local farmers are the true unsung heroes of our time who still practice truly sustainable agriculture. That is, they are the ones who know how to grow our food in such a way that is not harmful to our own health, to their own health and the health of their families, and to the health of all life. Sadly, small local & organic farmers have gotten the short end of the stick in our current global commerce system. At The Futon Shop, we envision a commitment to local agriculture, where the lives of those who grow, harvest, produce and bring it to you are affected for the good.
- Our Organic Cotton comes from Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative (TOCMC), the largest organic cotton cooperative in America with 10,000 acres, grows all of the cotton used in Organic Essentials products. Unlike traditional cotton farmers, the cooperative does not use pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers and defoliants that are harmful to the environment. Organic Essentials’ mission is to expand organic agriculture by building the world’s leading brand of certified organic cotton personal care products. Organic Cotton You Can Trust!
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Why Organic Cotton?
It may cost less to manufacture and buy conventional cotton, but it’s better for the land, the farm workers and your well-being to choose organic whenever possible. Organic cotton is grown without the use of toxic pesticides or fertilizers. Methods such as beneficial insect releases, strip cutting of alfalfa and new weeding machinery help reduce the environmental impact of cotton crops. Third-party organizations certify that organic cotton farms use only these approved methods and do not spray toxic chemicals on their crops. About 25 percent of the world’s insecticide use and more than 10 percent of the world’s pesticide goes to cotton crops. Some of these chemicals are considered to be the most toxic chemicals in the world. The health risks of pesticide exposure include birth defects, reproductive disorders and weaker immune systems. With so many products made from cotton, we are all exposed to these chemicals at some point. Our organic cotton is USDA certified. USDA regulates the term “organic” as it applies to agricultural products through its National Organic Program (NOP) regulation, 7 CFR Part 205. Raw natural fibers, such as cotton, wool, flax, etc., are agricultural products and are covered under the NOP crop/livestock production standards. Organic farming is a healthier, more sustainable way of producing vegetables and fibers. Organic methods focus on soil health, replenishing soil fertility, promote bio diversity, and protect our air, water, soils and wildlife from toxic chemicals. Organic farming is also a powerful tool in the fight against global warming. It reduces our dependence on fossil fuels and stores carbon in the soil, where it boosts soil fertility instead of releasing it to the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. Organic farming just makes sense—for people and for the planet.
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Fire Retardants used in our Cotton
For consumer safety and in accordance with Federal Law 603, all mattresses made in or imported to the United States of America must be flame retardant.
We use 2 products to make our mattress flame retardant.
- Boric acid, also called boracic acid or orthoboric acid or Acidum Boricum, is a weak acid used as an antiseptic, insecticide, flame retardant. It exists in the form of orderless, colorless crystals or a white powder and dissolves in water. Boric acid was first prepared by Wilhelm Homberg (1652-1715) from borax, antis by the action of mineral acids, and was given the name sal sedativum Hombergi ("sedative salt of Homberg"). It is however, a naturally occurring substance. The presence of boric acid or its salts has been noted in seawater. It is also said to exist in plants and especially in almost all fruits. The free acid is found native in certain volcanic districts such as Tuscany, the Lipari Islands and Nevada, issuing mixed with steam from fissures in the ground. It can be used as an antiseptic for minor burns or cuts and is sometimes used in dressings or salves or is applied in a very dilute solution as an eye wash in a 1.5% solution or 1 tbsp (15 ml) per quart (very close to a liter) of sterilized water. Boric acid is generally considered to be safe to use in household kitchens to control ants. Boric acid is also made into a paste or gel form. Borates including boric acid have been used since the time of the Greeks for cleaning, preserving food, and other activities. Silly putty was originally made by adding boric acid to silicone oil.
- Barrier Fabric is used in some futons instead of boric acid to maintain federal standards.
If you're interested in buying a chemical free non-toxic mattresses and have a doctor's approval
we can make a custom made 100% organic mattress with no borate acid for you.
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Chemical Free Mattresses
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Creating Chemical Free Mattresses
The Futon Shop, a family business since 1976, is dedicated to continue to manufacture premium organic chemical-free healthy mattresses, and eco-friendly furniture for you and your family. Let us help you make your bedroom and your home safe from harmful chemicals. It’s so simple; just ask your doctor or chiropractor’s for a note or prescription for no fire retardants added to your mattress. Most retailers purchase their mattresses in bulk and are unable to eliminate harmful fire retardants. Our custom made, premium organic and green futon mattresses can easily empower you to choose whether or not you want fire retardant in your mattress.
The Futon Shop strives to create the kind of awareness that will empower the eco-conscience consumer to understand what is in the products they are buying, and that they have choices. The reason that laws have been mandated to control fire resistant mattresses is consumer safety from deadly house fires. The latest federal fire regulation is 16 CFR part 1633, which requires all mattresses to pass an open flame test. In California Technical Bulletin 117 applies for upholstered furniture and mandates every single component in an upholstered sofa be flame retardant.
According to US consumer Product Safety Commission, under regulated FDA flammability requirements of 16 CFR part 1633, with a doctor’s prescription from a licensed health care professional, one can purchase a bed or mattress without fire retardants. The Futon Shop has followed the law, by adding the most natural fire retardant to our cotton batting in the form of Borate aka Borax, aka Boric Acid. As for All Futon mattresses manufactured at The Futon Shop, the fire retardant boric acid is only sprinkled into the cotton, and no fire retardant exist in our soy-foam, latex or wool. Boric acid is not a known carcinogen by the EPA, the state of New York or the IARC International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Nevertheless as a consumer, you have the right to eliminate fire retardants of any kind in the products you buy for your health and your family. We want you to have voice and have choice.
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Viscose Memory Foam
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Memory Foam
Our futon memory foam is a unique family of high-performance, highly-breathable memory foams utilizing renewable resources. One of the key ingredients is agriculturally derived, replacing portions of the petroleum-based raw materials traditionally used in conventional memory foam. At The Futon Shop, we our proud to finally be able to offer a memory foam that is as healthy for the environment as it is for for your body.
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Variable Pressure Foaming
The VPF method produces a high quality foam product that is better for the environment as the method does not use any solvents or any other potentially harmful blowing agents. The machinery used in the VPF method provides a zero-emissions rating, earning this method of pouring foam the California EPA award. At The Futon Shop, we use the 5.0 Density Open Cell for a superior grade of comfort & resilience.
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Advantages of Soy-based Memory Foam
- Shape-conforming comfort.
- Up to 8 times the air flow efficiency of traditional visco.
- Dissipates heat up to 10 times faster than traditional memory foams.
- Superior cell structure to other memory foam materials.
- Exceptionally durable—retains performance advantages for years.
- Antimicrobial properties for added protection.
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Pocketed Innersprings
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High Quality, American Made Springs
At The Futon Shop, we get all our springs from Leggett and Platt International, an American manufacturer. They make our springs out of high quality wire to exacting specifications that are 50% more demanding than industry standards, but which our customers have come to expect from The Futon Shop. If you know about The Futon Shop's drive to preserve the planet, it should come as no surprise to you that we have gone out of our way to find an American manufacturer; lowering our environmental impact via easier transportation, and supporting a company that adds 24,000 jobs to the American economy. Furthermore, Legget and Platt makes their mattress coils out of 100% strength tested, recycled steel, helping us live up to our commitment to the planet.
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Marshall Coil
Also called "pocket coils", each spring is encased in a highly durable fabric encasement. The steel is highly tempered, for a strength and spring that's hard to find in conventional spring mattresses. The pocket structure also helps each spring move independently to minimize weight transfer movement.
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BioFlex Hybrid Mattress Foam made with Soy Beans
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Flexible Foam Products Inc.
BioFlex Hybrid Foam is a more environmentally friendly alternative to the conventional mattress foams because it replaces up to 50% of the petrochemicals used in foam production with environmentally friendly and renewable soybean oil. This patented process called EnviroFlex improves the foam's core structure, thus creating a more supportive, resilient and comfortable mattress foam. BioFlex offers a superior performance over conventionally produced mattress foam while doing so in a manner that uses only 50% of the fossil fuels used by conventional foam mattresses.
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Supports the American Farmer
We at The Futon Shop have a dedication to the environment that extends to supporting the American farmer, by buying American grown soybeans & utilizing soybean oil into our foam mattresses. This is not only good for the American Farmer, lowers the CO2 emissions made from the transportation of our ingredients. Good stewardship of the Earth goes beyond buying organic. When we can purchase products made locally we save money from transportation costs and save the environment by reducing fuel consumption. At The Futon Shop we understand this and the fact that a strong local economy is created when American Farmers and American manufacturers like The Futon Shop work in tandem to implement the latest green technology for our customers.
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Smaller Environmental Footprint
- Lessen dependency on fossil fuels including foreign crude oil.
- 23% reduction in total energy demand.
- 61% reduction in non-renewable energy use.
- 36% less global warming emissions.
- Results from Preliminary Life Cycle Analysis by Five Winds International.
- The Life Cycle Analysis Estimates BioFlex Hybrid Foams will save more than 50,000 barrels of oil per YEAR.
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I.L.D., " Indentation load deflection", is measured by putting a 15"X15"X4" specimen of foam in an indentometer and measuring the weight required to push the foam down to 25%, 65% and back to 25% of its thickness. Therefore, an I.L.D. rating of 10 lbs. at 25% means that it takes 10 lbs. to compress the foam 25%, 65% I.L.D. compresses the foam 65% and will have a higher figure, then it is brought back to 25% and this is generally the right I.L.D. rating. These days I.F.D, "Indentation force deflection", is sometimes used instead of ILD but means the same thing.
DENSITY - Lbs. per cubic foot is simply the DENSITY of the foam and is not related to I.L.D. at all. You can have a high I.L.D. on a low density piece of foam and conversely a low I.L.D. on a high density foam. The higher the density of the foam, the better the quality and durability of the foam. I.L.D. has nothing to do with the quality, it merely indicates the softness or the hardness of a piece of foam.
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Virgin Wool
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Crimp
American Crimped Wool fiber has a natural crimp due to its unique chemical and physical structure. This adds loft and natural comfort to our futons. Because it is naturally elastic and resilient, wool gives all our futons many unique properties: durability, loft, warmth and resistance to abrasion.
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Durability & Resilience
Each wool fiber is a molecular coil spring making the fiber remarkably elastic. These wool fibers adds many years of comfort and life to our futons. Nature has folded the chemical polypeptide chains back upon themselves in such a way that they act like a coiled spring which elongates when it is extended and retracts when it is released. This molecular crimp, along with the 3-dimensional fiber, allows wool fibers to be stretched up to 50% when wet and 30% when dry, and still bounce back to their original shape when stress is released. A wool fiber can be bent back on itself more than 20,000 times without breaking, compared to about 3,000 times for cotton and 2,000 times for silk.
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Natural Absorbency
Wool is a hygroscopic fiber, it takes up moisture in vapor form. We lose 30% of our water during sleep, therefore our futons with wool help to wick away our natural moisture and adds years of life to your futon. Wool can easily absorb up to 30 percent of its weight in moisture without feeling damp or clammy. Wool always absorbs moisture from the atmosphere of greater humidity and releases it to the drier environment as it creates a balance in moisture conditions. This characteristic makes a wool futon warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
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Resistance to Flame
Because wool contains moisture in every fiber, it resists flame without chemical treatment. Instead of burning freely when touched by flame, wool chars and stops burning when it is removed from the source of the flame. Wool is self-extinguishing; it will not support combustion.
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100% Natural Latex
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From Latex Green Pvt Ltd
Our partner has access to the finest quality 100% natural rubber latex from its strategic partner plantations in Sri Lanka assuring us the best quality material for our futons. They have 60 years of combined hands on technical management experience in rubber technology & manufacture.
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Value of Natural Latex
Each rubber tree weeps 15 grams of latex daily. A Queen size core needs the daily output of 2,500 rubbers tree, spread over 12 acres of rubber plantation. Additionally, these 2,500 rubber tree account for the removal of 143 metric tons of Carbon Dioxide from the environment every year. This is a genuine contribution to the environment contributing to healthier lives for everyone.
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Dunlop Process
Open mould filling system essential for making our D-95 density high quality 100% Natural Latex futon cores.
- Compounding - High performance compounding methods are utilized to best preserve Natural Latex's characteristic qualities.
- Vulcanizing - Steam cure technique with design engineered stainless steel pin moulds for energy efficiency. This keeps the natural latex characteristics undisturbed through the vulcanizing process.
- Washing - Multi-cycle washing method using drinkable quality water to ensure clean & pure product.
- Drying & conditioning - Soft condition drying mechanism, unique to Latex Green enhances the natural feel of the product.
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I.L.D., " Indentation load deflection", is measured by putting a 15"X15"X4" specimen of foam in an indentometer and measuring the weight required to push the foam down to 25%, 65% and back to 25% of its thickness. Therefore, an I.L.D. rating of 10 lbs. at 25% means that it takes 10 lbs. to compress the foam 25%, 65% I.L.D. compresses the foam 65% and will have a higher figure, then it is brought back to 25% and this is generally the right I.L.D. rating. These days I.F.D, "Indentation force deflection", is sometimes used instead of ILD but means the same thing.
DENSITY - Lbs. per cubic foot is simply the DENSITY of the foam and is not related to I.L.D. at all. You can have a high I.L.D. on a low density piece of foam and conversely a low I.L.D. on a high density foam. The higher the density of the foam, the better the quality and durability of the foam. I.L.D. has nothing to do with the quality, it merely indicates the softness or the hardness of a piece of foam.
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