Habitat Furnishings

Anyone who has had children understands this one… How do you protect your mattress from the inevitable messy spills that come from little ones or those having a problem where wetness could ruin a mattress?  The answer, as spelled out in this blog by Fran Sloan, is to get a waterproof mattress pad. 

One little urine or vomit incident can ruin a mattress.  A waterproof mattress pad is a way to protect your mattress investment.  In our house, we have personally experienced everything from urine to vomit to the occasional bloody nose and our waterproof mattress pad has saved the day every time.

This blog also mentions waterproof mattresses and their disadvantages over a waterproof mattress pad.  Since there is usually a small window of time that most people require protection for their mattress, I can’t imagine buying a mattress for the sole purpose of handling life’s little wet emergencies.

If comfort and quality is what you seek in a mattress, make sure you check out our custom designed air bed or our 100% natural latex mattress.

Furniture Today announces that the Las Vegas Market will salute our industry, the mattress industry, with a day of special activities.  The World Market Center is calling the events Kickoff to Bedding 2010.

The day of events will start Tuesday, February 2, at 8 a.m.  There will be round table discussion of bedding trends and what companies will be offering for 2010.

Later that day there will be a discussion presenting research on consumer views on “green” bedding.  At Habitat Furnishings, we are proud that our green 100% natural latex mattress is 100% botanically derived and completely natural.  This is in stark contrast to many other “natural” latex mattresses, 80% of which contain petrochemical synthetic latex.

To read more about the Las Vegas Market, go to http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/440994-Las_Vegas_Market_sets_Bedding_Kickoff_events.php.

All of our products feature removable and dry cleanable outer covers, and we constantly receive inquiries from customers as to where to take your cover for “organic” dry cleaning. Our natural latex mattress line has a zippered cotton and wool cover which cannot be machine washed. The wool vissle fabric layer underneath the cotton, which allows us to meet all Federal flammability standards without the use of such harsh chemicals as Boric Acid, (did you know that Boric Acid is also the main ingredient in many insecticides?) will shrink if machine washed. The quilted top on our Air Bed systems will also shrink if machine washed, and should be dry cleaned…many of our natural latex customers, concerned about toxic hydrocarbons used in dry cleaning, can find a dry cleaner who uses a non-solvent method of dry cleaning, so that you are not exposed to PERC, the hydrocarbon compound known as perchloroethylene. PERC is a highly toxic compound that has the typical dry cleaner smell, very volatile, and has been classified as a probable human cancer causing chemical by the EPA. Beware of so-called “Organic Dry Clean” services offered at your local dry cleaner. In our research, we found that many operations still use hydrocarbon chemicals in their process, and since hydrocarbon are a carbon based chemical, the term “organic”, which includes all carbon string compounds is very deceiving…Many dry cleaners are using DF-2000, the newest toxic version of dry cleaning solvent, considered safe only in comparison to what it hopes to replace…PERC. So, if your dry cleaner is offering “Organic” dry cleaning, you need to ask…are you using PERC or DF 2000?, because if they are, you are not receiving “all natural” or “organic” non-toxic dry cleaning at all. In fact, Organic Dry Cleaning technology in our country generally uses one system that really is safe. It takes extra time and skill on the part of your dry cleaner, and the use of special equipment, so expect to pay more.

The method uses liquid CO2 under high pressure, which acts the same way biodegradable soaps act, removing dirt and cleaning almost all fabrics more effectively than even solvent based dry cleaning. At the end of the process, the liquid CO2 converts back to a gas, leaving behind only clean, dry clothes. Clothes cleaned in this truly “organic” fashion, using the CO2 technology, are cool to the touch and have absolutely no odor. Better for the consumer and even those who have work in the dry cleaning environment. Added benefit: there’s no shortage of carbon dioxide in the world, and these machines operate at lower temperature, saving energy.

Many of our customers who are interested in our natural latex mattress program are becoming increasingly concerned about buying a bed that consists of eco-friendly, “green”, and non-hazardous materials. Certainly, a natural latex mattress that contains only 100% botanical latex, such as our lineup, is a huge leap in that direction. The trend in the bedding industry to use terms like “natural” and “organic” is very confusing, first of all, because no one really knows what that means..Does it mean that your bed is completely free of nasty chemicals that can cause me harm? Does it mean that my bed is edible? The fact is, there are many stores where you can buy a mattress that may have some natural materials in it, such as botanical latex, wool, cotton, etc., but you will also find other, non-natural, noxious compounds such as formaldehyde adhesives used in the construction of the mattress. More and more, customers are asking for a completely “green” bed. Is that possible? The answer, we think, is yes…if you can get a certified organic cover. The concept of certified organic material is universes apart from a so-called “natural” cover. A certified organic cover contains materials that can be proven to be free of pesticides, herbicides, fire retarding chemicals such as boric acid, formaldehyde compounds, and other hazardous materials. With such documentation, a botanical latex mattress with a certified organic cover (ours will be organic cotton, perhaps some bamboo fiber, and a thin layer of wool vissle as we currently use, would be truly a “green” bed. Watch our video on the green, sustainable qualities of natural latex, by the way… very helpful. How close are we? Well, our current covering on our natural latex mattress has organic cotton in the covering, but the wool and other materials are not certified-documentable, in other words. But soon, within a few months, our new cover program will be all certified organic.. and we are very excited about this. Best part is, it will not affect the price of our factory direct program, so you will save money buying a truly eco-friendly, all natural latex mattress, a truly healthy bed.