Sleeping With The Enemy: Why I'm Sleeping on a Straw Mattress

Your industrial mattress is disgusting.  Years of dead skin, dirt, dust mites and other nasties accompany you to bed every night.  When was the last time your mattress had a thorough washing?  Ok, you vacuum it sometimes, I hope that makes you feel better, really.

A new mattress costs several hundred dollars, some cost thousands.  You probably couldn't afford one so you bought it on your credit card or some retailer credit plan.  Or you got one second hand, now you snuggle up with someone else's years of accumulated body sweat.

Industrial mattresses are very carcinogenic.  "The place where you spend one-third of your life is chock-full of synthetic materials, some potentially toxic. Since the mid- to late '60s, most mattresses have been made of polyurethane foam, a petroleum-based material that emits volatile organic compounds that can cause respiratory problems and skin irritation. Formaldehyde, which is used to make one of the adhesives that hold mattresses together, has been linked to asthma, allergies, and lung, nose, and throat cancers." [1]

Industrial mattresses are extremely wasteful.  There isn't much to do with one that fell out of use other than putting it in a landfill.  These massive sleeping pads are such a pain to move most people opt to just leave them behind.  Take a look around the parts of your neighborhood where litterbugs like to dump stuff, chances are you will see many mattresses (some burnt), poisoning the ground and providing a perennial eyesore.

Ok, so I convinced you to hate your industrial mattress.  Now you understand why I chose to sleep on a straw mattress.  I needed a new bed and I needed something that fit this criteria

• Affordable
• Washable
• Biodegradable
• Non-toxic
• Local and hand made
• Movable

How many of these criteria does your mattress fit?  None.

I would love to report that I made my own straw mattress by hand.  However I'm not that good with sewing, and I needed something right away. I didn't want this to become another abandoned project due to lack of skills/motivation.  I contracted the services of Tamara Kimmerly,  a local sewing extraordinaire.  I purchased these supplies

• 5 meters of cotton canvas
• 1 meter of zipper
• 1 spool of thick cotton thread
•  An old wool blanket was added as an extra cover

Tamara did a great job putting it together.  Now its time to get stuffed!


It took two bails of straw to fill the mattress.

The important part about this step is evenly distributing the straw.  You need to really break up the bail or else you'll get lumpy spots.  I use a broom handle to push the straw all the way to the back of the mattress.
 

The mattress is almost fully stuffed.  I take care to make sure the corners get filled in nicely.

 Now the mattress is fully stuffed.  The straw is quite loose now and the whole things is quite puffy.  I need to tamp the hell out of it, compressing the straw to get it closer to its final density.  Many nights of sleeping will compress it even more.  I cover my nose and mouth for protection from all the dust in the air.

 

All done, here is the finished result!!

Now its time to put the sheets on and go to bed!  Its not memory foam, but the straw mattress has charm that cannot be mimicked with an industrial mattress!  In 6 months I will take out all the straw, compost it, throw the mattress in the washing machine, and start out with a totally clean mattress.  

The straw mattress is very comfortable and cozy.  If you don't believe me, just ask my girlfriend!

[1] http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2008/03/should-you-ditch-your-chemical-mattress