My only gripe with the plush version is that it doesn’t have straps (the standard does, but I haven’t tested that). While it won’t slide off—it stays in place, thanks to the cotton cover—the corners do sometimes get bunched up when you’re changing sheets and need to be smoothed out.
Best Organic Bedding
It doesn’t really make sense to spend $1,000 on an organic mattress, then buy nonorganic sheets that will rest directly against your skin. Here are some of our favorite organic sheets to top your new organic mattress.
Soft Cotton Sheets
These are the best organic cotton sheets I’ve tested. They’re soft, but not overly silky, which is a feeling I don’t care for (if you do, check out the Avocado sheets below). The Brooklinen organic cotton sheets are made from GOTS-certified organic cotton. They’re also Oeko-Tex certified, which means they’re tested for and do not contain any known toxic chemicals. The 300 thread count makes this plenty crisp and soft but isn’t so tight that you end up sleeping hot. These are a great choice for summer or if, like me, you sleep on the warm side even in winter.
For a Silk-Like Feel
These 600-count sheets are like sleeping on silk or satin. Somehow they are actually 100 percent GOTS-certified organic cotton from India. The only potential issue here is that, because they are such a dense weave, they sleep a little warmer than what you might be used to. Avocado also has a 400-count version I have not tested, but that might be a better pick for warm sleepers.
Soft, Crisp Hotel-Style Sheets
I first tested Antipodean’s wool duvet (see the next section), which I loved, but I recently started sleeping on these sheets and am confident enough to say that they’re excellent. They remind me of the sheets you’ll find in high-end hotels — wonderfully crisp, soft, clean white sheets. As with any of the organic cotton sheets here, these are naturally hypoallergenic. They’re made of ultrafine, long-staple organic cotton, with a weave that’s on the heavier side giving them a bit of weight. Everything Antipodean makes is grown sustainably on low-impact farms that practice regenerative farming methods. These are breathable too. I haven’t yet slept in real heat with them, but so far they’re been fine on nights where the only bedding I needed was the sheet.
Linen Sheets
Organic linen sheets are a potential heirloom purchase—high-quality, well-cared-for linen will last years, if not decades. That said, if you are used to 600-count cotton like the sheets above, linen sheets are, well, different. They’re rougher, though they get softer with every wash (cold water, mild detergent, cool or hang dry). What doesn’t change is their weight. If you like heavy covers, these are the sheets for you. Linen is also more breathable and cooler than other fabrics, making it a good choice for those who sleep hot. It’s also durable. Avocado’s organic linen sheets are some of the heaviest I’ve tried and will likely last you many years. The bottom sheet is fitted (sometimes linen sheet sets are both flat), and there’s a matching duvet cover ($439).
A Great Organic Wool Duvet
To round out your organic bedding collection you need a good organic duvet. My favorite that I’ve tested is Antipodean’s organic merino wool duvet. As one of the authors of our merino wool guide, I was well primed to like Antipodean’s wool duvet, but even I was surprised by just how much I like it. Like most wool things, Antipodean’s wool duvet is capable of amazing feats that sound too good to be true, like keeping you warm, yet being breathable enough that you rarely get too hot. (I am a hot sleeper, and I can vouch for this.) Wool is able to do this because it’s what’s known as an active fiber—that is, it reacts to changes in your body temperature and the environment just like it did when it was insulating and warming and cooling a sheep. The result is a duvet that’s given me some of the best night’s sleep I’ve had. One thing to note, this duvet is much heavier than what most people will be used to. I don’t mind it, but it does sometimes feel almost like a weighted blanket.
Organic Pillows
We have an entire guide to pillows, but we’re going to be adding some more organic picks here, because if you’re trying to get away from the phthalates and other chemicals, your pillow is just as important as your mattress.
The top organic pick in our pillow guide, the best part about the Avocado Green Pillow is the ease with which you can modify it. For example, I hate fluffy pillows; I like nearly flat pillows. So I just unzipped the Avocado pillow, pulled out half the stuffing (my kids used it to make sock puppets), and finally had the pillow of my dreams. My son, who loves an overstuffed pillow, took some of the extra stuffing that Avocado gives you and overstuffed his pillow. Everyone wins. The fill here is shredded GOLS-certified organic latex and GOTS-certified organic kapok. The quilted organic cotton cover is nice and soft and doesn’t get too hot. I’ve had mine for four years now and it’s just as good as the day I got it.
How We Tested and What to Look for in an Organic Mattress
Mattresses are large, and testing them is time- and space-consuming. Members of the WIRED Gear team have been testing mattresses for many years, and we have slept on every mattress on this list for at least a couple of weeks, often longer—in many cases, years longer. That said, there’s no way for us to test them all. Here are a few general tips, tricks, and things to look for when shopping for an organic mattress online.
- Know What Kind of Sleeper You Are: Different mattresses are designed for different sleeping styles. Are you a side sleeper? Stomach sleeper? Back sleeper? Or are you like me, a little bit of everything (which they call a combination sleeper)? Knowing the answer to this question can help narrow down your search to mattresses that are a good fit for your sleeping habits. This is where mattress reviews like ours come in handy; we test for every kind of sleeper.
- Do You Like Firm, Soft, Medium? Mattresses come in different firmness options, often within the same model. Whichever one is right for you depends on which firmness you enjoy, as well as any issues you may have, like back pain.
- Innerspring vs. Foam: Organic mattresses come in two basic flavors: the traditional innerspring coil design and pure foam. We’ve primarily tested and recommend innerspring in this guide, though pure foam designs have improved in recent years, and we’re in the process of testing a few now. The big difference in my experience is the amount of heat that foam retains. It’s a good choice for those who sleep cold, while those who sleep hot are better off with a traditional pocketed coil design.
- Look for a Trial Period: Everyone makes mistakes; to avoid having to live with a potential mistake, make sure the mattress you’re considering offers a sleep trial. Everything listed here offers some kind of sleep trial period after which, if you’re not happy, you can return the mattress.
- More Expensive Doesn’t Mean Better: Organic mattresses aren’t cheap, but there’s no reason to spend a fortune just to get a good, eco-friendly night’s sleep.
- Check the Warranty: Lifetime warranties are rare these days, but most of the mattresses we’ve tested offer around 25-year warranties. Some companies cap it at 10 years, but view those with suspicion. A good mattress should last more than 10 years, and good companies are willing to stand behind their products for that long.
- Wait for a Sale: Mattresses go on sale all the time, usually every few months for most brands. Unless you need a new mattress right now, you’re probably better off waiting for the next big sale.
What Makes a Mattress Organic?
To help you make sense of the often bewildering world of organic mattresses, here are some terms and certifications to know.
The big name in organic certifications, and organic cotton certification specifically is the Global Organic Textile Standard, generally abbreviated as GOTS. It looks not just at how the cotton is grown and processed but also at ecological and social criteria, and it uses third parties to independently verify that standards are being met. If you’re curious, you can read version 6 of the standard online.
