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Suzanne Roberts spends much of her day watching people lie down and stretch. She urges them to lie on one side, and then roll over onto the other. No, Suzanne isnt a yoga instructor. Shes the manager of The Clean Bedroom, a boutique store in Westport, Conn. that specializes in organic beds and bed linens.
Choosing the right mattress can be stressful. It's an expensive item and is supposed to last 10 years. And since we spend one-third of our days in bed, people are increasingly concerned about picking a mattress that is free of chemicals. The Clean Bedroom stocks a wide range of mattresses in all sizes, from crib to king. All are made from natural organic materials.
Roberts, a Wilton, Conn. resident, explains that the core of each mattress is built from layers of natural Dunlop latex. Latex comes from the rubber tree and doesnt emit toxic fumes. Each mattress has a firm layer on the bottom, two medium layers in the center and a top layer, which can be soft, medium or firm, or a combination depending on the customer. A moisture pad and a thick layer of cotton-covered wool finish it off. Wool is hypo-allergenic and a natural dust mite repellant, Suzanne says. Wool is also fire-retardant and complies with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) open-flame mattress flammability standard in effect since 2007.
The Clean Bedroom began as an online business two years ago and has quickly expanded to showrooms in Kittery, Maine , North Kingston, R.I. and Westport. A new store is opening soon in Santa Monica, Calif.
Richard Kingston, a builder specializing in eco-friendly, green construction, drove down to Westport from New Haven to shop for new Dunlop mattress. This will be my third one, he says, sighing as he lies down. I like a firm mattress. This is perfect. Kingston says the steep price (around $3,500 for the Green Sleep model) is worth every penny.
When did you last buy a new mattress?
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