You may already know the difference between an organic apple and a non-organic apple, but do you know the difference between an organic mattress and a conventional mattress? Many people are already aware of the importance of organic food, but not about the importance of other organic products.

Did you know that conventional mattresses contain harmful chemicals? Most of the ingredients are made from petroleum—yes, like gasoline. Not only is petroleum dangerous for your health, but it is also highly flammable.

To offset this problem, mattress companies add flame retardant chemicals and barriers into the mix (to limit the whole having-your-mattress-catch-on-fire scenario) and voila! An off-gassing,chemical-soaked, petroleum mattress for you to put your face on for 8 hours a day.

But wait, there’s more . . .

What do you think happens when a bulky, chemical-filled mattress ends up in a landfill? It passes those chemicals out into the environment, polluting the air we breathe. So not only are you putting yourself in danger, you’re also endangering those around you.

Why should you care if your mattress is made of chemicals? It’s not like you are putting the ingredients in your body. Who cares if there are chemicals or not? The answer is simple: The government is much more lenient when it comes to what kind of chemicals are allowed in your mattress than it is on what kind of chemicals are allowed in your food. Think about this though, the skin is the largest organ in the body, so while you may not be eating your mattress, your skin will come in contact with it and absorb some of the chemicals.

If someone was trying to put flame retardants and other toxic chemicals in your applesauce, the FDA would be all over it, but when companies put flame retardants in mattresses, it’s acceptable.

It would be one thing if these chemicals stayed buried in your mattress, but research has shown that that’s just not the case. The chemicals in your mattress off-gas into the air (and continue for years, as your mattress decays over time).

So what can you do to ensure safe sleep?

Look for mattresses that are certified organic by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS.)

The Global Organic Textile Standard was developed through collaboration by leading standard setters with the aim of defining requirements that are now recognized world-wide. These standards ensure the organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing.

A GOTS certified mattress (like Happsy) is the safest & most organic mattress on the market. If you’re interested in what goes into getting GOTS certified, check out our GOTS To Be Organic series.

Not only does Happsy meet the highest organic standards for organic products, we exceed them. Find out how Happsy goes the extra mile here.