Do Saatva Mattresses Contain Fiberglass?

When you’re shopping for a mattress, you might be too busy thinking of whether it’s cooling and responsive enough to worry about what’s in it. But the ingredients inside a mattress can make or break your sleep experience in more ways than one. In fact, they might even cause serious health problems.

One such ingredient is fiberglass. This common industrial material serves as a fire barrier in many mattresses, including some of the most popular brands. The Saatva mattress brand is among the most popular in the nation. If you want to know whether it’s safe to sleep on, keep on reading.

The Saatva Mattress Brand

Saatva is one of the most popular and best-reviewed mattress brands on the current market. Unlike many other contemporary mattress manufacturers, Saatva does not deliver their mattresses in a box. Rather, they include a white-glove delivery service that assembles your mattress and bed frame for you.

There are many options to choose from when you purchase a Saatva. They offer pure-foam mattresses in both latex and memory foam. They also have latex, memory foam, and even innerspring hybrid choices. And they even feature a mattress that can adjust its firmness at the touch of a button.

SEE ALSO: Best Mattresses Without Memory Foam

What is Fiberglass?

Fiberglass is a type of plastic reinforced using glass fiber. There are several types of fiberglass, and this material can be used to make all kinds of things, from storage tanks to insulation to sporting equipment and even boats.

The most common type of fiberglass that goes into mattresses is glass cloth or glass fabric. This fabric appears as a sock that goes directly under the cover of the mattress and encompasses the foam inside.

Why Would a Mattress Have Fiberglass?

Mattress materials are often highly flammable. This is especially true if you choose a type of mattress containing synthetic foam or fibers. Memory foam, in particular, is very susceptible to bursting into flame.

For this reason, all mattresses are legally required to create a flame barrier that protects sleepers from fire outbreaks. Fiberglass is an inexpensive solution to this problem. Fiberglass cannot burst into flame. If it’s exposed to heat, it will melt rather than becoming engulfed in flame, and it will create a barrier that slows or even prevents the spread of fire through the foam inside the mattress.

A fire barrier is an essential part of all mattresses, especially when you consider the fact that you’re most likely to be asleep in the event your mattress catches fire. But the issues with fiberglass make it one of the worst materials for this purpose.

SEE ALSO: Softest Mattress in a Box

Drawbacks of Fiberglass

Fiberglass has a lot of serious issues that make it a dangerous and unhealthy material for mattresses. While fiberglass has a lot of other uses where it is safe and even superior to other materials, sleeping on it night after night can come with risks.

One of the biggest problems with fiberglass is the potential for direct exposure through the mattress cover. If your mattress cover ages or degrades, it can release tiny glass fibers into the air. These fibers get all over everything. They may settle all over your furniture, bursting into little clouds when you sit on it.

The fiberglass particles may also float right into your home’s ventilation system, where they circulate back into the air, where you breathe it in. Plus, having it spread throughout the home makes it harder to clean up fiberglass.

Fiberglass particles are bad for you because they can leave tiny cuts all over your skin, causing rashes, irritation, blistering, and even infections. Fiberglass can also irritate your eyes and lungs if you breathe it in. This is especially true for those who suffer from lung issues like emphysema and asthma. Fiberglass exposure can even lead to frequent airway infections.

You might also not understand just how easy it is for you to be exposed to fiberglass if it’s inside your mattress. If you remove the cover for any reason, it will immediately release fiberglass into the air. If the cover gets old and develops areas of degraded fabric or holes, then it may also release fiberglass particles.

Fiberglass can also get released if you purchase a bed in a box that contains a fiberglass fire barrier. When the mattress is rolled inside the box, it can tear the glass fabric and may cause the glass particles to poke through the cover. This can leave your skin irritated after you sleep on the mattress.

Benefits of Fiberglass

There aren’t many benefits to having fiberglass inside a mattress. It’s true that it’s the cheapest flame retardant for mattresses, and this will translate into a more affordable budget mattress. But when you consider the fact that you’re a lot more likely to be breathing fiberglass than to have your mattress catch fire, it’s a lot better to just pay a little more for a safer fire barrier.

Fiberglass Alternatives for Mattresses

There are lots of alternatives to a fiberglass fire barrier. Many of these alternatives include natural textiles that are not flammable. Wool is one of the most common fire barriers in eco-friendly mattresses. Not only is this all-natural textile naturally inflammable. It also provides extra breathability and pressure relief to a mattress’s sleep surface.

Other common fire retardant options include thistle, other plant fibers, and silk. Silk is an excellent fire retardant because it is difficult to ignite and can self-extinguish flames if it does happen to ignite. However, mattresses that contain silk as a fire barrier may be more expensive than those that use wool or plant-based fabrics.

How to Tell if a Mattress Has Fiberglass

Most of the time, if your mattress has fiberglass, its label will say so, as mattress manufacturers are legally required to list the materials they use to make their products. The label will say the percentage of “glass fiber” (aka fiberglass) in the mattress.

If you can’t find the label or ingredients list, look at the care instructions. Mattresses that specifically tell you not to remove the cover likely contain fiberglass.

You can also do a quick online search to see if any consumer reviews come up, saying that a mattress contains fiberglass. Some brands and online sellers that have come into question for using fiberglass inside their mattresses include:

• Lucid mattresses
• Ashley Furniture mattresses
• Zinus mattresses
• Nectar mattresses
• Big Lots mattresses
• Amazon mattresses
• Vibe mattresses
• Olee Sleep mattresses
• Lull mattresses
• Linenspa mattresses
• Leesa mattresses
• Casper mattresses
• Puffy mattresses

Is Saatva a Good Mattress Brand?

The Saatva mattress brand makes some of the most comfortable mattresses. They offer lots of durable and high-quality options, ranging from the supportive and responsive Classic to the adjustable Solaire to the luxurious Zenhaven.

And the best part? No fiberglass! Saatva uses a combination of wool and thistle to prevent fires in their mattresses. These natural textiles are free from harsh chemicals and other potential health hazards, establishing some of the best mattresses without fiberglass.

More mattresses without fiberglass include:

• Amerisleep mattresses
• Novilla mattresses
• Sweetnight mattresses
• Helix mattresses
• Tuft and Needle mattresses
• Most IKEA mattresses
• Zoma mattresses
• Vaya mattresses

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FAQs

Is fiberglass dangerous?

Fiberglass can be very dangerous. As long as it doesn’t touch you, then you don’t really have to worry about it. However, if fiberglass is inside your mattress, then there are many different avenues for exposure.

If you wind up exposed to fiberglass, you could experience symptoms ranging from lung infections and breathing problems to eye irritation and skin rashes and blisters. Long-term exposure to fiberglass is also associated with permanent damage to the lungs or eyes, and some argue the fibers may be carcinogenic.

Are there alternative flame barriers better than fiberglass?

There are many fire barrier options that are superior to fiberglass in virtually every way. Wool is one of the most common and one of the best fiberglass alternatives on the bedding market, particularly in latex mattresses.

Unlike fiberglass, wool cannot melt. Instead, it is naturally resistant to igniting and can also extinguish flame internally. In addition, wool also adds to the comfort of your mattress by increasing its breathability and adding even more pressure relief.

Other alternatives to fiberglass include silk, thistle, and other plant-based fibers. With all of these superior options, the only real reason to use fiberglass is that it’s cheap.

How can I tell if my mattress has fiberglass?

Most fiberglass-containing mattresses will say they have fiberglass or “glass fiber” inside the cover or the mattress itself. You should also be suspicious that your mattress has fiberglass if its care instructions warn against removing its cover. If you’re in doubt, reach out to customer service and ask directly what they use for flame protection.

Should I replace my mattress if it has fiberglass?

If your mattress has fiberglass, the best thing you can do for your health is to replace it. This is especially true if it’s aging or has a worn cover. However, not everyone has the budget for an entirely new mattress. If this is the case, you have a couple of options.

If you can’t replace your fiberglass-containing mattress, the best alternative is to put an impermeable mattress protector on it. Waterproof mattress protectors have a thick membrane that prevents particles from seeping down into the mattress, but the membrane also works the other way. It can ensure that fiberglass particles do not travel through the cover.

What are some other materials to avoid in mattresses?

Lots of unhealthy ingredients can wind up in mattresses, especially if those mattresses are cheap. Things you don’t want to see in mattresses besides fiberglass include heavy metals and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which can cause symptoms ranging from headaches to nausea and sore throat. You should also avoid mattresses that have chemical flame retardants.

Bottom Line

If you want a great mattress that won’t irritate your skin or trigger breathing issues, avoid fiberglass mattresses at all costs. The good news is that’s easy to do if you get a Saatva, as none of the mattresses in their lineup contain any fiberglass.