Space Saving Organic Beds

When space is tight, a bed can take up a whole lot of room, making a bedroom feel swamped and un-useable in the day for other activities. Although we in the UK are traditionally used to having a bed as a fixture in a room and are not used to putting it away during the day, this may just be the ideal solution to create space for work and play. Being able to put your bed away, would allow a bedroom to be a play room in the day or study room in the day, alternatively it could even be used as your lounge in the day, making your small living space really multi-functional. The Japanese are used to living this way and traditionally sleep on thin rolled up mats called futons. In the west futons are thicker, and made with a lot of alternative synthetic fabrics, but at BuyOrganics we have kept the purity of the fabrics introduced in Asia and use pure organic fabrics such as thick organic deshi cotton, organic wool, coir and natural latex to create a super comfy organic futon that has all the comfort of a traditional bed yet can still be stored away at night. An organic bed in the form of a futon is the perfect healthy solution for kids and adults, in fact the whole family.

The Health Benefits of an Organic Futon

Organic Futons are a much healthier choice than conventional futons due to the use of all natural and organic materials within the fillings and cover. Fillings used in conventional futons may include polyester cotton, synthetic petrochemical based foams, cotton linter pulp or noil, which are weaker, less superior and less healthy fabrics than the organic deshi cotton, organic wool, natural coir and natural latex used in BuyOrganics Shanti Futons. The high grades of organic fibres and natural plant based foams that are used in our Shanti Futons are highly resilient and provide a greater level of ergonomic support to the body. This ensures optimal comfort whilst you sleep as your spine is kept aligned and the muscles kept relaxed giving you rejuvenating rest without aches and pains. In addition, they have natural qualities which keep the organic futon healthier over time. • Organic Wool - keeps dust mites at bay, is naturally fire resistant and keeps you cool in the summer and warm in the winter • Organic Cotton- Is clean and allergy free, breathable and skin friendly, it contains no bleaches, or toxic residues • Natural latex – Pure 100% rubber foam from the Rubber tree, naturally anti-bacterial and anti-microbial. Breathable and non-toxic • Organic Coir – Made naturally from coconuts and fixed with natural latex milk, creates excellent air flow and breathability, creating stability naturally within the futon • Wild Grown Kapok – 100% vegetable fibre that provides warmth and softness Conventional futons also use conventionally grown or GM crops of cotton that have been treated with pesticides, herbicides and mixed with artificial fibres such as polyester or nylon. They are then treated with formaldehydes, VOC’s and fire retardant chemicals amongst other things. Our Shanti Futons only use completely clean organic cotton, and organic wool as a natural flame retardant thereby meeting UK fire safety standards naturally. Our covers are made of organic cotton also, so the whole futon, is chemical and toxin free whilst still ensuring optimal comfort. Many people choose to sleep on an organic futon because they like sleeping on a Japanese style pad rather than a pocket sprung mattress. This is a very good choice as we are exposed to electromagnetic stress throughout the day, from TV’s computers, mobile phones, and telephone poles, metal in our bed keeps this stress directed at us as we sleep and interferes with our quality of sleep. An organic futon is neutral and has a higher yin quality due to the natural fibres ensuring a better more relaxing sleep. Last but not least BuyOrganics Shanti Futons, do not off gas any nasty smells or chemicals as conventional futons do, meaning no headaches, no having to open windows and no health safety fears!

10 Reasons Why Not to Buy a Conventional Mattress

Many people don’t really know the difference between an organic mattress and a conventional mattress, to the extent that some people even think it’s a scam. There are some very real and fundamental differences between a conventional mattress and an organic one. One thing it is definitely NOT is a scam! And it all has to do with the materials being used to make them. Get a quick snap shot here and do some independent research with reputable non-profits to get the full picture… 1. Conventional mattresses are mostly made of man-made materials that are not resistant to bed bugs, moulds, bacteria and fungi unless treated with some heavy chemical insecticides (which carry their own health problems). Over the years your conventional mattress can get infested, releasing spores and housing tonnes of dust mite faeces. Natural materials such as pure natural latex that has not been combined with synthetic additives has inherent anti-microbial and anti-bacterial properties that are resistant to bacteria and fungi; organic wool is inherently dust mite repellent due to its high lanolin content, so a natural mattress such as the ones sold by buyOrganics are a lot healthier for you without having to add chemicals 2. Conventional mattresses are pumped full of hazardous chemicals such as fire retardants, boric acid, antimony and formaldehyde, and heavy metals to name a few. Walter Bader author of Toxic Bedrooms found in his research that an independently tested memory foam mattress contains over 61 VOC’s chemicals. Chemicals such as these can cause skin irritations, respiratory problems, hormone disruption, and problems with oxygen absorption and are even carcinogenic. When you smell a conventional mattress, you know it’s not good for you! 3. Sleep is adversely affected by sleeping on a toxic mattress. Sleep is the time our body rejuvenates, cell regeneration occurs and our body rests. Toxic chemicals in our mattress interfere with this delicate bio-rhythmic balance. 4. Sleeping on a conventional mattress could harm your children and their children. Scientists have confirmed that chemical fire retardants, such as those used in conventional mattresses, have been measured in pregnant mothers and passed through the placenta to their unborn babies. The danger of these chemicals is that they build up and remain in fatty tissue for years, waiting to be shared with your growing baby. Even if you aren’t experiencing any symptoms, there’s no way to know how three generations of built-up toxic chemicals will affect your grandchildren. 5. Babies are more vulnerable and sensitive to their environment, and placing your baby on a mattress that has a lot of chemicals in it, is not good for their early years of brain and physical development. The chemicals can interfere with healthy cell development and can cause learning difficulties as well as being implicated in SIDS 6. Conventional mattresses are made from cheap materials that wear out quickly. But after they do wear out and become very uncomfortable to sleep on, they do not bio degrade, in fact they continue to pollute the planet in toxic landfills and never break down. Unlike organic mattresses that are built to last for years and maintain their comfort, they can also be refurbished by adding layers of wool or another layer of latex or by changing the cover. And when you have finally have had enough of it, it will natural bio degrade without causing an ounce of pollution! 7. The production and manufacture of conventional products such as polyurethane based foams, petrochemicals and plastic based fillers are harmful for the environment and also contribute towards global warming. Conventionally grown cotton, wreaks havoc with the environment through pesticide pollution, and GMO crops are destroying natural ecosystems. Compared to the plantation that supplies our pure rubber latex for our organic mattresses that removes 143 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere year after year. The organic cotton we use is helping communities globally to live safer, more prosperous lives. A much sounder, sustainable choice. 8. Many conventional mattresses are built in third world countries using sweat shop labour that is exposed to unhealthy chemicals and poor working practices, poor pay and poor working conditions. 9. Conventional mattresses continue to off gas chemicals as they degrade over time, so you are constantly exposed to a stream of pollution as you sleep every night. A mattress you bought over 10 years ago would not even have had the current regulatory standards of present and may contain worse chemicals than currently allowed. 10. In a fire, a conventional mattress may not burn immediately, but it will start smoking and letting off toxic chemicals which will kill you even before the fire gets to you. So in a nutshell, be smart and invest in an organic mattress.

Why an Organic Futon Mattress May Help Your Back!

I was recently approached by a customer looking for a Coir mattress to ease their back pain. As with many customers who come to us, they had been sleeping on a Tempur/ Memory Foam mattress that was making sleeping a bit of a nightmare for them.

It transpired that the Gentleman's best night's sleep had been on a firm futon style mattress that they had experienced whilst they had been visiting India. Although they didn't want to invest in a more expensive coir and latex mattress similar in size and depth to a traditional UK natural mattress, we concluded that the organic futon mattress was the best alternative, price and comfort wise. It was in fact what he had been inadvertently looking for.

Organic Futon mattresses are made to traditional Asian methods, on which people have been sleeping for decades. Created from completely natural fibres such as thick organic deshi cotton, linen, wool or horsehair, these organic futon mattresses have the option of either a firm coir layer in the middle, or natural botanical latex or just pure fibre they provide you with the healthiest night's sleep.

Our back requires a surface that is neither too soft nor too firm. A very soft or unsupportive mattress will not allow you shift your posture in the night easily and may cause strain on joints and the back leading to inflammation and soreness. This can also happen with older mattresses as they start to sag, and some of our customers have reported this feeling with memory foam mattresses. An excellent alternative to memory foam is botanical natural latex as it is not squishy like memory foam due to the absence of petrochemicals, it is totally plant based and springs back easily, allowing you to turn without being sucked into the mattress but distributes your weight across the surface evenly. An organic futon mattress is an excellent choice because they provide the back with unrivalled support and comfort.

Another advantage of the Organic futon mattress is that it is a healthier mattress to sleep on compared to other standard shop sold mattresses. The natural fibres wick away moisture making it less suitable for dust mites to breed. Air flow and permeability is also superior to standard mattresses ensuring that bacteria are discouraged. Lastly, the lack of fire retardant chemicals, petrochemicals, boric acid, glues or formaldehydes means that your body is saved from toxic pollution.

Natural fibre organic futon mattresses provide a firm sleeping surface. Many would call this Orthopaedic. Orthopaedic literally refers to the surface being firm and doesn't really mean anything else. Organic Futon mattresses provide this firmness whilst supporting your back and joints as you sleep and creating a healthy sleeping environment. Options are available to soften or firm an organic futon mattress by adding inner core layers of either natural botanical latex or coconut coir.