Frequently Asked Questions
The word FUTON is a Japanese word originally referring to any round mat our cushion filled with leaves. The traditional Japanese Futon is a group of three products making up a bed. The three products consist of a futon, which is a thin cotton pad, a shikibuton which is a three folding pad that sits under the thin cotton pad, and a Kakibuton which is a comforter that goes on top of the thin cotton pad. Learn more about What is a Futon?.
Whether you are building an organic mattress (futon) or a natural mattress (futon), the basic ingredients are the same. There are basically only a few ingredients considered organic or natural when manufacturing a mattress. Learn more about Should You Choose An Organic Mattress?.
Organic Cotton, Organic Virgin Wool, and Organic Dunlop Latex. Learn more about Mattress Ingredients.
We manufacture every one of our mattresses locally in our San Francisco Factory. The Futon Shop is a vertically integrated retailer that manufacturers chemical free and eco-friendly mattresses from start to finish. Tucked away in a 30,000 square foot factory located at 2150 Cesar Chavez St. on the border of the Potrero Hill Neighborhood in San Francisco, The Futon Shop dates back to 1976, led by Suzanne Diamond and her team of specialists dedicated to producing eco friendly bed furniture furniture and bedding. What does this mean for the consumer? Today it is not only “you are what you eat,” but "you are where you sleep" or in other words "you are where you live." Farm-to-bedroom brings locally made, natural and healthy furniture into America’s homes. In today’s fast paced world the bedroom is often overlooked, although more time is spent in bed then on any other piece of furniture in a home. Learn more about What Is The Mattress Manufacturing Process?.
Mattress covers that come with a case that use GOTS Certified Organic Cotton Fabric. Learn more about What Does It Mean To Be GOTS Certified Organic Fabric?
Mattress tufting is a traditional method of ensuring that the layers within a mattress stay where they are meant to be, preventing the materials from shifting. A tuft can be a quilted circle on the top of a mattress, a lace tie or button that goes completely through the mattress from the top of the mattresses completely through to the bottom of the mattress. Learn more about Tufted vs. Untufted Mattresses.
You do not need box springs for any of our mattresses. This mattress has been designed to work on a slatted platform bed as well as a convertible futon sofabed frame. If you would like a box spring we have designed an organic all natural coconut foundation. Learn more about Do I Need A Boxspring For My Platform Bed?.
For the first few months of use, we recommend you rotate your mattress head to toe and flip it every time you change your sheets to ensure the fibers settle evenly. After six months, you can rotate your mattress once per month and flip it every few months. Learn more about How Often Should I Flip My Mattress?
1. Mattresses that have been specifically designed for every night sleep on a platform bed frame for maximum comfort and will not bend on a futon sofa bed.
2. Mattresses that have been specifically designed for use on both platform bed frames and futon sofa beds.
3. Mattresses that have been specifically designed for use on a sofa bed frame and are not recommended for every night sleep.
Learn more about Sofa Bed Mattresses?
There are a few common sleeping positions with variables. Some of the most common are the side (we recommend soft to med firm), back (we recommend med firm to firm), and stomach (we recommend extra firm). Learn more about What Is The Best Position To Sleep In Bed?
Flame Retardants can be extremely harmful to one’s health. So it is best to reduce the exposure to these chemicals whenever possible. One such place you want to make sure is your mattress. This is where you spend nearly one third of your life. You do not want it to be filled with harmful chemicals that can lead to a host of health issues down the road. Typically, in the past it has been hard to guarantee the ingredients used in the creation of your mattress because most if not all mattress production is done over seas and then imported. No one can guarantee the use of organic ingredients done in another country with different laws. If you are not sure where your mattress was manufactured chances are, it was manufactured over seas and does contain fire retardants. The key is to find an American Company that manufactures their products on American soil and is eco-conscious. One such company is The Futon Shop. Not only does The Futon Shop manufacture all their products on American soil in San Francisco California, but they try to avoid the use of flame retardants whenever possible. They prefer to use the natural fire retardant Virgin Wool as a barrier fabric whenever possible. Learn more about Are there Chemical fire retardants in your mattress?
All manufactured products have odors based on their components. American Wool sometimes has a fresh odor. Because our materials have not been treated with harsh chemicals or bleaching agents, the materials may contain a slight odor, but will dissipate over the course of a few weeks. Natural Latex does have a slight odor as well. Learn more about Should A New Mattress Smell?
Long fiber wool and cotton resist forming balls or lumps and give futons a longer life expectancy. The Futon Shop uses the best quality long fiber staple cotton in most their mattresses. Dipping or lumping is generally caused by uneven wear on the mattress. By following in the flip and rotation instructions, you will insure that your mattress does not experience dipping or lumping. Learn more about Will My Mattress Lump?
There is no single mattress style or type that works for all people. Although any mattress that helps someone sleep without pain and stiffness is the best mattress for that individual. A good mattress should provide back support for the natural curves and alignment of the spine. Learn more about What mattress is best if I have back problems?
The best way to reduce or eliminate motion is to use materials that are good at absorbing and isolating the force of movement. Memory foam and latex are the best materials as they can absorb a tremendous amount of motion without dissipating it throughout the material. Individually pocketed coil springs achieve the same result by minimizing the motion area. Natural Fibers will also provide some degree of motion isolation, but to a lesser degree. Learn more about Which Mattresses Are Best For Motion Isolation?
Our mattresses are designed to last anywhere from 5 to 20 years depending on the ingredients inside your mattress and how well you care for your mattress. Learn more about How Long Does A Futon Mattress Last?
Our futons and mattresses are sitting in homes all through New York state. Since 1976 our customers are sitting and sleeping on our healthy non-toxic mattresses and futons and we are proud it. Learn more about shipping to New York City.
Futon mattresses can be made just like traditional mattresses, but there can be differences.
- Most futon mattresses bend in the middle to fold on a futon couch.
- If your futon needs to fold, the mattress cannot use springs that contain a border wire.
- Most mattresses have a taped edge as they are made on a table and most futon mattresses utilize a stuffing machine and have a zipper (better so you can see what is inside nothing is hidden).
- Any futon mattress or traditional mattress with more than 4 inches of latex is too heavy for a futon frame and will not fold
- Coconut Coir over 2 inches thick will not fold on a futon frame
- Most mattresses are not made with as many comfort layers of garnetted cotton and wool as futon mattresses are. This is why they are tufted, to keep the natural fibers together.
Learn more about What Are The Most Comfortable Futons?
Dunlop Latex For Superior Support
• Chemical Free
• Adds Support and Structure Organic Latex is GOLS certified
• Soft Dunlop Latex - density is 70-75 18-22 ILD great for soft latex toppers for other mattresses
• Medium-firm Dunlop Latex - density is 80-85 28-33 ILD
• Extra-firm Dunlop Latex - density is 95-100 45-49 ILD
Supportive Pure Dunlop Latex Mattresses, custom-designed to conform to your unique body type, Naturally hypoallergenic with perfect airflow, latex adds support while maintaining consistent weight distribution, providing superb pressure relief to all areas of your body.
Coconut Coir and Hemp Coir
• GOLS Certified Organic Coconut Coir
• Extra Firm 6” Inch Core Of 100% Natural Coconut Fiber Coir
• Tested At 41 ILD
• Infused With 100% Chemical Free Latex
• Flawless Motion Isolation For Superior Joint Relief
• Breathable– improving airflow and promote better circulation inside of beds.
• Durable– Coconut coir or Hemp fibers have less cellulose than other natural fibers that make them much stronger
• Sustainable– Coconut trees are considered slow growth and can produce coconuts throughout its long life.
Each Coconut Mattress offers a relaxing and comfortable sleep, with firm and extra firm support. Our Coconut layers of coconut coir, , provides extra firm support for your body’s weight and provides a supportive and firm base.
Pocketed Spring Coil Mattresses For No Motion Transfer
• Individual Pockets For Reduced Bounce & Motion Transfer
• Recycled Double Tempered Steel
• 720-1300 coil count
• 2 inch 4 inch or 8 inch high
• Made in USA
Our micro coils or Pocket Springs are pre-compressed, individually encased coils, with each encased spring to adjust independently of the others to perfectly support your body in any sleeping position. Our micro coils provide more points of support and a bed that is more responsive than any other spring mattress. 733-1333 per mattress ensures that every coil works independently, creating superior flexibility and natural body contouring while dramatically reducing motion transfer.
Soy Gel
• Cools As You Sleep
• Corrects Deformation From Heat Sensitivity
• Fire Retardant Free
• Partially Derived From Soybeans
• Controls Temperature To Eliminate Inadequacies Of Regular Foams
• Provides Better Air Circulation
Hybrid Soy-Memory foam and Soy-Gels ads pressure relief for stiff muscles and joints as well as spine and bone support. Viscoelastic memory foam is highly energy absorbent and soft evenly distributing support to your particular body weight. It returns to its original shape once you remove the pressure. Soy memory gel has an ability to stay cool and not overheat while you sleep enabling you to get longer and deeper sleep.
Soy Memory Foam and Soy Foam
• Conforms To Body Shape
• Emission Free manufacturing process.
• Superior pressure Relief.
• Reacts to Body Weight and Conforms to shape.
Made partially from soybeans just like our Bioflex mattress foam.
Hybrid Soy-Memory foam and Soy-Foam adds pressure relief for stiff muscles and joints as well as spine and bone support. Viscoelastic memory foam is highly energy absorbent and soft evenly distributing support to your particular body weight. It returns to its original shape once you remove the pressure you to get longer and deeper sleep.
The Futon Shop began in 1976, manufacturing every one of their mattresses locally in their San Francisco Factory. Today, our operation is tucked away in a 30,000 square foot factory located at 2150 Cesar Chavez St., between, Dogpatch, Potrero Hill, and Mission Neighborhoods, of San Francisco. With so little manufacturing in northern California, The Futon Shop is one of San Francisco's oldest and largest manufacturers of mattresses and high-quality futons. The Futon Shop is a vertically integrated retailer that manufacturers chemical free and eco-friendly mattresses from start to finish. They purchase raw cotton and wool from local farmers and process it on site.
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Flame retardants are a requirement for many home furnishings, including draperies, carpets, couches, and mattresses. The short sighted effectiveness of non-flammable furniture did not take into account the negative impact to the health of the environment and your health. It all started in 1974 with the creation of the Fire Prevention and Control Act which was set up to oversee fire safety.
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Mattress tufting is a traditional method of ensuring that the layers within a mattress stay where they are meant to be, preventing the materials from shifting.
Learn more.
Federal regulations 16 CFR § 1632 and 1633, administered by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), require all mattresses, and futon mattresses sold in the United States to meet flammability standards. California was the first to introduce an open flame safety requirement for residential bedding with bulletin TB603. The mattress industry has worked with the CPSC to set an effective and practical national standard. The Consumer Product Safety Commissions had a big part in creating (CPSC) 16CFR Part 1633 mattress Open Flame Standard.
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If a mattress or futon is made with ingredients that do not shift around like latex, springs, coconut coir, polyurethane foams and gels, you do not need to tuft the mattress.
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The processes is 100 percent toxin-free at certain companies like The Futon Shop. Wool is a magical product with many positive properties. Think of wool as a thermostat. It regulates temperature warming up in cold weather and cooling down in warm weather. It is a jack of all trades in such markets as mattresses, fashion, flooring, and so on. It is a multifaceted, practical and dependable fiber because of its high resilience to last for years of use. Wool’s strong fibers can withstand years of compact while sleeping because of its strong ventilation and wicking ability.
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Because synthetic latex is made from petroleum, it contains toxins that breaks down and becomes airborne in your home. Our organic and natural latex is made strictly from the sap of the Hevea brasillinsis (rubber) tree. The rubber tree originally came from the Amazon jungle in Brazil and was discovered and developed by Mr. Dunlop for bicycle tires in the late 1800s. Rubber tree today are grown naturally on plantations throughout Asia where the atmosphere is similar to that of the rain forests of Brazil. Latex is available in many densities, which can make a mattress firmer or softer. We utilize 65 extra soft,75 soft,85 medium, and firm 95 density latex with ILD of 21-49. These represent the soft to firmest of each latex core. Mattresses contain different layers of cores creating a customizable sleeping surface.
There is no mattress maker or assembler or manufacturer in America who manufactures the latex that is inside of the mattress they sell. For that matter there is no mattress maker that grows their own wool or cotton. So let’s break down natural latex mattresses and what is inside and how they are different. I am only speaking about 100% natural GOLS certified latex
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Picking a good firm mattress all depends on what ingredients you choose. Foam breaks down and after a while become a lumpy
mattresses that feels uncomfortable. A few ingredients like Coconut fiber is a great choice when choosing a quality mattress that will last a long time and give you the comfort you deserve.
Learn more.
Organic latex is made from the sap of the Hevea Brasiliensis Tree. The trees are planted on certified organic earth that has been certified organic for 3 years prior to planting....
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Natural and organic palm coir (coconut fiber) from recycled coconut husks. The rise in demand for coconut water has left huge amounts of coconut fiber waste in the form of discarded husks (85% of each coconut is the husk). These coconut husks are now recycled instead of being thrown away. The process of creating coconut coir pads from raw coconuts begins with turning the husk into rope. This recipe has been used in Asia and Germany for centuries and now available in America.
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Dunlop Latex is the Natural, ideal choice for those with chemical sensitivities who want to sleep better. In addition to its high durability (lasting up to 20 years), resistance to heat and high elasticity, it does not off gas, is also naturally Hypoallergenic, Anti-fungal, Anti-Bacterial and dust mite resistant. As if the natural properties retained in this product were not enough, the way in which it is manufactured is also eco-friendly. Dunlop Latex...
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Pressure Relief, Breathability, HypoAllergenic, Independent Support, Firmness, Durability, Sustainable, Chemical Free
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The producer or handler of a production or handling operation intending to sell, label, or represent agricultural products as organic, must ensure that production practices must maintain or improve the natural resources of the operation, including soil and water quality. The producer must develop an organic production or handling system plan that is agreed to by the producer or handler and an accredited certifying agent, such as USDA for organic cotton fiber. An organic system plan must meet the requirements for organic production or handling. Natural Cotton Production Handling Requirements: Do not have to be certified by a third party.
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The Different Densities of natural latex mattresses: While shopping for different mattresses, it is important to know that there are different levels of firmness with different ranges for foam, memory foam, and latex.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Federal Trade Commission require that any article of clothing or fabric advertised as "organic" be made with fibers from USDA-certified organic crops, such as cotton or flax (used to make linen), but the regulation pretty much ends there. Any manufacturer can take that organic cotton, dye it with a bright blue dye that contains cancer-causing cobalt, and finish it with a chemical treatment that may emit formaldehyde. And the item doesn't even have to be made from 100 percent organic fibers; it can legally contain a mix of organic and nonorganic materials and still be labeled "made with organic cotton."
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USDA Certified 100% Natural Organic Cotton, Chemical free, organically grown, Eco-Friendly Natural bedding, Hypoallergenic, Grown in America
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Wool is one of the most ancient fibers used for thousands of years, all over the world. Sheep comes in many varieties, just like people from black, to grey, to white and beige, long fiber short fiber, crimps or straight. The micron is the thickness of the wool fiber. Most mattress manufacturers use lambswool from New Zealand. This wool is fine baby hairs with no crimp or body from the slaughter of the lambs for meat. Our wool comes from mature sheep raised for wool, not meat. Our wool is a thick micron from 17-32 micro denier. Our wool is thick natural crimped for loft and softness, from sheep that are gauchos in a natural herd in the hills of Uruguay and also from America. Benefits of sleeping on wool cannot be compared to any other fiber. Wool breathes like a pine cone, it breaths, and opens and closes, that is what helps wool absorb and release moisture so rapidly that you never feel wet. Wool supports the relaxation of your muscles and nerve endings.
Cotton is a natural, renewable, biodegradable and sustainable fiber. Cotton breathes, so it stays cool. It is also a great conductor of heat. In other words, it draws heat away from your skin to keep you cool. Cotton is hypoallergenic, Cotton absorbs moisture easily and can take up to one fifth of its weight in water before it actually feels damp. Cotton is never itchy and its an outstanding insulator which allows it to provide warmth in the summer & heat in the winter.
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When wool absorbs moisture, it produces heat, keeping you warm. The reverse occurs as well. If you are hot, the wool wicks the moisture away from your body keeping you cool. Tiny pores in the cuticle cells allow water vapor to pass through the wool fiber. This makes wool comfortable in both warm and cool conditions.
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Comfort - Cotton is widely regarded as an excellent choice when it comes to comfort. It is soft, smooth and feels amazing to the touch., Hypoallergenic - All
organic mattress materials are hypoallergenic because they haven't been infused with Chemicals and cotton is the best material for those with allergies.
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Wool regulates body temperature - natural moisture-wicking properties,
Wool is hypoallergenic – it is resistant to bacteria, mold and mildew,
Wool is Resistance to Flame - Because of its unique chemical structure, wool is difficult to ignite,
Wool is resistant to dust mites.
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The processing of raw organic wool from shearing to baling is controlled by GOTS Global Organic Textile Standard. GOTS prohibits the use of dyes and chlorine pre-treatments for scouring and descaling and requires the treatment of wastewater discharge from the scouring process. The scouring process removes the lanolin from the wool and cleans the dirt and debris attached to the sheared wool. In wool processing, both third-party certifications must work in tandem to ensure complete transparency and movement of the sheep to the finished bale.
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Sunlight & Air Is All You Need To Clean!
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Mattress Sizes
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Whether you are building an organic mattress (futon) or a natural mattress (futon), the basic ingredients are the same. There are basically only a few ingredients considered organic or natural when manufacturing a mattress.
Learn more about Should You Choose An Organic Mattress?
Organic Cotton, Organic Virgin Wool, and Organic Dunlop Latex.
Learn more about Mattress Ingredients
Mattress covers that come with a case that use GOTS Certified Organic Cotton Fabric.
Learn more about What Does It Mean To Be GOTS Certified Organic Fabric
Pressure Relief, Breathability, HypoAllergenic, Independent Support, Firmness, Durability, Sustainable, Chemical Free
Learn more about benefits of Latex
Picking a good firm mattress all depends on what ingredients you choose. Foam breaks down and after a while become a lumpy mattresses that feels uncomfortable. A few ingredients like Coconut fiber is a great choice when choosing a quality mattress that will last a long time and give you the comfort you deserve.
Learn More
