Do Saatva mattresses contain fiberglass? We take a closer look
Thinking of buying a Saatva mattress but worry about fiberglass? Here’s what you need to know…
Saatva mattresses are luxury beds made to order in America, but one question we’re commonly asked is do Saatva mattresses have fiberglass inside them?
While fiberglass in mattresses isn’t dangerous as long as it’s properly contained beneath a sealed mattress cover, it can have respiratory and skin health implications if accidentally leaked from a mattress into your home, where it becomes airborne.
Saatva, the luxury bed brand behind 2024’s best mattress for every sleeper, goes to great lengths to invest in natural and organic materials in its mattresses. Here’s where the brand stands on the use of fiberglass…
Do Saatva mattresses have fiberglass inside?
Fiberglass is a composite material made from glass and plastic and is regularly used as a fire retardant in mattresses. It used to be a lot more common in mattresses, especially memory foam beds, but now it’s out of vogue, with many bed manufacturers seeking healthier alternatives.
If you’re shopping for the best Saatva mattress but want to know if Saatva mattresses have fiberglass inside them, we have good news for you: Saatva beds do not contain fiberglass.
In fact, Saatva has gone on the record a few times to explain that none of its mattresses have fiberglass inside, and that fiberglass can pose a risk to your health unless it’s contained by a barrier or cover.
What do Saatva mattresses use instead of fiberglass?
If fiberglass is commonly used as a flame retardant in mattresses, what does Saatva opt for as an alternative to fiberglass? Saatva uses natural flame retardants in its range of hybrid, memory foam and latex mattresses and these materials range from plant-based thistle to 100% GOTS-certified organic New Zealand wool.
The best-selling Saatva Classic, our best hybrid mattress recommendation of the year (read our Saatva Classic mattress review to learn why), has a natural, plant-based thistle flame retardant made of pulp bonded with polyester. You’ll also find this natural flame retardant in the Saatva Loom & Leaf, the Saatva HD and Youth.
The Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid and Saatva RX, the brand’s best mattress for back pain (read our Saatva RX mattress review to learn why) uses this thistle treatment plus wool.
100% GOTS-certified organic New Zealand wool is also used as a natural flame retardant in the Saatva Zenhaven Latex, the Latex Hybrid and the Saatva Crib mattress, while the high-end Solair Adjustable Air smart mattress uses Paladin, made from flame-retardent rayon and polyester fibers.
Saatva also talks a lot about how its mattresses are also free from harmful chemicals and sprays, and instead has developed a botanical mattress cover treatment called Guardin to ward off mildew, mold, bacteria and more from.
Should you buy a new bed if yours has fiberglass?
If you have a new mattress and have discovered that it contains fiberglass, there’s no need to panic as long as there is a sufficient barrier between the fiberglass and you. This is normally a mattress cover that should not be unzipped or removed, otherwise fiberglass will escape and cover your entire room – it’s very hard to remove without a professional deep clean.
However if you’d rather not sleep on a mattress that contains fiberglass, then we’d recommend buying one of the best fiberglass free mattresses instead. These include top recommendations from brands including Saatva, Bear Mattress and Helix Sleep, among others.
Our feature on how to know if your mattress has fiberglass inside walks you through the process of how to check and when to switch to a new bed. We normally recommend switching if your current mattress with fiberglass is old and shows signs and wear and tear as it’s then at huge risk of shedding fiberglass.
Are Saatva’s fiberglass-free mattresses worth the price?
Saatva mattresses are handcrafted in America and sold online, with 12 Viewing Rooms located across the States. If you were to buy these luxury beds in store, they’d cost a lot more than what you pay for them online.
We’ve reviewed a range of Saatva mattresses, including its flagship bed, the Saatva Classic, and have awarded each of them very high review scores. We spent a year testing the Classic and gave it a near-perfect score, so yes we think that Saatva mattresses are worth the price.
There are monthly Saatva mattress sales and deals to ensure you never pay full MSRP for a Saatva mattress, but we also want to point out that there are certain times of the year when it’s better to buy a Saatva mattress.
These include Labor Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, where we normally see the cheapest Saatva prices of the year, as well as the Presidents’ Day mattress sales and the Memorial Day sales in May.
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Claire Davies is Tom's Guide's mattress expert and main sleep product tester with over 15 years' product review experience, and she is responsible for all mattress and sleep coverage on the site. A qualified journalist, Sleep Editor and Certified Sleep Science Coach, Claire writes about all things related to sleep, from mattress reviews to the latest sleep techniques and research. Claire has interviewed a wealth of experts, from mattress designers and innovators to neuroscientists and doctors of sleep medicine. Before taking on the role of Sleep Editor, Claire worked as Health & Wellness Editor at Top Ten Reviews, and before that was a Senior Content Editor at T3. Claire is super-passionate about how consistent, good quality sleep can boost our physical and mental wellbeing, and would love to hear from PRs and brands regarding sleep products, services and research that can help our readers sleep better than ever.