Tips for Buying the Best Mattress for Asthma and Allergies

Confession: I’ve never bought a brand-new mattress before.

I’ve always taken extras from my family, slept on weird futons, or moved into rooms that already had beds. My partner and I needed to upgrade our mattress, so we began our search online. Something about shopping for a mattress makes you feel like a real adult!

The mattress search

Since we were splitting the cost, our price range was between $200-$500. No luxury mattress for us! We obviously care about feeling comfortable and sleeping well, but we are not extremely picky. I personally did not want a coil mattress, and he wanted a mattress at least 7 inches thick. We both agreed we wanted something like memory foam, but without the high prices of brand-name products.

Aha! On one website we searched, we found a mattress that was on sale for 40 percent off. It was a 10-inch memory foam model. What a score! It had free shipping and, if we didn’t like it, we could return it within 120 days. This seemed like the perfect mattress for us, so we quickly skimmed the reviews before clicking “purchase.”

Check the reviews

I very quickly realized that purchasing this mattress would have been a massive mistake. According to some of the reviews, this mattress contained fiberglass. What?! Why would you use fiberglass to make a mattress?

In one review, an upset parent had purchased this mattress for his son. After his son slept on the mattress, he started to break out in a skin rash and suffered multiple asthma attacks.

Another person accidentally cut the mattress's exterior netting and woke up covered in fiberglass. They had to go to the doctor immediately. One woman shared that the mattress off-gassed a terrible fume that smelled like formaldehyde; she then experienced migraines and nausea from the mattress smell.

Dangerous materials within a mattress

Exposure to fiberglass can be hazardous to the respiratory system. According to the Washington State Department of Health, “High levels of exposure to airborne fiberglass may aggravate existing asthma or bronchitis-like conditions.”¹ I understand that fiberglass within a mattress is not necessarily airborne, but I was definitely not going to take the risk.

Off-gassing of chemicals is, unfortunately, a normal thing for brand-new furniture, bedding, and mattresses. However, it is definitely not asthma-friendly for some. This is something that both my partner and I need to be mindful of. Strong chemical smells give me terrible migraines. His asthma is well-managed, but a chemical smell could still cause him to experience an asthma flare-up or attack.

Asthma-friendly mattress certifications to look for

I felt quite stupid for not considering my partner’s asthma and allergies when I first started my search for a new bed. Luckily, there are certain certifications you can look for when purchasing a new asthma-friendly mattress. Keep an eye out for these labels:

• CertiPur-US®: Ensures that foam in a mattress does not contain compounds such as ozone depleters, flame retardants, mercury, lead, other heavy metals, or formaldehyde. It also guarantees low VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions.²
• STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®: According to their website, seeing this label on a mattress means, “Every component of this article, i.e., every thread, button, and other accessories, has been tested for harmful substances.”³
• GREENGUARD Gold Certified®: Their website states that their certification “helps manufacturers create—and helps buyers identify—interior products and materials that have low chemical emissions, improving the quality of the air in which the products are used.”⁴

Finding an asthma-friendly mattress

Continuing my search, I kept an eye out for these certifications. As I had predicted, the mattresses that had these certifications were more expensive and definitely outside our budget. These mattresses appeared to be of high quality and were often made from organic cotton and non-toxic foams.

We finally found an asthma-friendly mattress that fit our requirements and our budget. We landed on an 11-inch foam mattress certified by CertiPUR-US. The total is $350, with free 2-day shipping, and we can return it within 100 days if it doesn’t work for us. The mattress has a nearly perfect 5-star review. None of the comments mentioned terrible smells or hazardous materials.

Key takeaways for asthma-friendly mattress shopping

If you have asthma, it is in your best interest to always read product reviews! Many furniture items, bedding, mattresses, and plastic products contain toxic compounds that can off-gas once inside your home. Additionally, a new mattress, bedding, or household item can contain hazardous materials, such as fiberglass.

A high-quality, asthma-friendly mattress can be expensive, but it is certainly worth it for your health. Many mattress companies actually let you finance a mattress for a monthly fee of only $30/month. If cost is an issue for you, this is an option you may have.

What has your experience been with purchasing an asthma-friendly mattress? Share in the comments below!