Do IKEA Mattresses Have Fiberglass?

If you spend a lot of time shopping for a new mattress, you’ll probably run across the fact that many mattresses contain fiberglass. This is especially true of mattresses marketed as affordable.

Despite the fact that quite a few mattresses on the market today have fiberglass in them, this material is actually dangerous when inside a mattress. This is why you should avoid buying mattresses that contain fiberglass.

You might be wondering if you’re safe from fiberglass when you purchase a mattress from IKEA. Generally speaking, the answer is yes. But you’ll need to pay attention to every mattress you consider when shopping at IKEA.

The IKEA Mattress Brand

On the whole, IKEA avoids the use of fiberglass products in its mattresses. Instead, IKEA mattresses have a polyester-rayon fire barrier around their foams to meet US fire safety standards. However, there is at least one model (the Amsosen) that lists glass fiber as an ingredient in its cover’s underside.

For this reason, we recommend paying close attention to all the materials in every mattress you consider when you’re shopping at IKEA.

SEE ALSO: IKEA Bed Sizes and Dimensions Guide

What is Fiberglass?

Fiberglass is a special type of plastic that is reinforced with tiny glass particles to increase its strength without reducing its flexibility. Fiberglass is an incredibly common material used in just about every avenue imaginable.

You might find fiberglass insulation inside your home’s walls. You’ll also likely find it under your car’s hood. And you’ll find it in many other items, such as sporting equipment, camping gear, and bathtubs and showers.

The type of fiberglass that comes inside mattresses is called glass cloth. This cloth is made by weaving glass fiber threads into a sheet of fabric. This fabric is then used as a sock that goes around the internal components of the mattress.

Why Would a Mattress Have Fiberglass?

It might surprise you to learn that many of the components inside various types of mattresses are actually highly flammable. Memory foam, especially, is very prone to bursting into flame because of its synthetic nature.

Due to this high fire hazard, government regulations specify that all mattresses made in the USA must take appropriate fire safety measures to prevent danger to consumers. The cheapest way to make mattresses legally fire-resistant is fiberglass.

Fiberglass will not burst into flame. Rather, it will melt. When it does this, it creates a melted barrier over the mattress foam that prevents it from bursting into flame.

You might think this is a good thing, and it is important for mattresses to meet flammability standards. But there are a couple of problems with using fiberglass in mattresses. One, it’s a threat to your health. Two, there are far superior alternatives that are not that much more expensive.

Drawbacks of Fiberglass

The main problem with fiberglass is that it is a threat to your health. There are many types of fiberglass that can release tiny glass particles into the air. These tiny glass shards leave microscopic cuts all over every part of your body they contact, and it is notoriously difficult to clean up fiberglass once it escapes.

If they come into contact with your skin, this will lead to rashes and more severe cases of dermatitis. If they come into contact with your eyes, it will lead to eye irritation and even eye damage.

If they come into contact with your airways when you breathe them in, they can cause lung infections and breathing problems. This is the main reason why it is best to avoid mattresses that contain fiberglass.

Benefits of Fiberglass

Fiberglass doesn’t have any benefits when it’s inside a mattress. It might help mattress manufacturers reduce the sticker price of their mattresses by a few dollars. But when you consider the health effects, it hardly seems worth the risk.

Fiberglass Alternatives for Mattresses

There are plenty of fiberglass alternatives that can go into a mattress. One of the most popular synthetic fiberglass alternatives is silica fiber. Silica fiber is just as fire-retardant as fiberglass, but it comes with much less risk to your health. Vegan mattresses often use some sort of cellulose fiber, such as thistle or viscose rayon, as a fire barrier.

One of the most popular fiberglass alternatives on the market is wool. Wool is just as flame retardant as fiberglass. It is very difficult to ignite and can often extinguish flame internally to prevent it from spreading. More than this, wool can also help increase the comfort of your mattress by making it more breathable and adding extra pressure relief.

Many of the best mattresses without fiberglass use these common alternatives:

• Amerisleep mattresses
• Saatva mattresses
• Puffy mattresses
• Novilla mattresses
• Purple mattresses
• Sweetnight mattresses

How to Tell if a Mattress Has Fiberglass

If you are trying to tell whether a new mattress you are considering buying has fiberglass in it, this should be fairly easy. All mattresses are legally required to come with a sheet or leaflet that lets the consumer know not only whether a mattress has fiberglass but also the percentage of the mattress that is made of fiberglass. You can also generally look up this information on the mattress’s website.

If you want to tell whether your existing mattress has fiberglass in it, this may be a little harder. Try searching online for your mattress’s brand name and model. If this doesn’t work, look at the care tag. Most mattresses come with a tag that lists care instructions. If this tag prohibits removing the cover, it’s likely because there is fiberglass underneath.

You can also take a few minutes to research brands known for fiberglass inside their mattresses:

• Lucid mattresses
• Zinus mattresses
• LinenSpa mattresses
• Nectar mattresses
• Casper mattresses
• Vibe mattresses
• Ashley Furniture mattresses
• Leesa mattresses
• Olee mattresses
• Allswell mattresses

Is IKEA a Good Mattress Brand?

For shoppers on a budget, IKEA offers many different options to fulfill your mattress needs without breaking the bank. IKEA features a wide range of innerspring, memory foam, and hybrid mattresses – all at fantastic prices.

That being said, if quality and comfort are what you’re looking for, IKEA may not be for you. All their mattresses feature lower quality and decreased durability in comparison with more expensive offerings. And there’s also the issue of fiberglass.

While most IKEA models contain their polyester-rayon blend for fire protection, there is at least one model that contains fiberglass. This means you should suspect that others do, too, and pay careful attention to the ingredient list of every IKEA mattress model you consider to ensure you are getting one of their fiberglass-free offerings.

FAQs

Are there other fire-retardant materials that are safer than fiberglass?

There are several fire-retardant materials that are much safer in mattresses than fiberglass. If you’re only interested in an affordable mattress, a fiberglass-free and low-cost mattress will likely contain silica fiber. This is still a synthetic material, but it’s much less hazardous to your health than glass cloth.

You can also look at mattresses that contain cellulose-based fabrics like thistle or rayon. Wool is potentially the best fire barrier in mattresses because it not only protects you from flames. It also enhances the comfort of your mattress by adding an extra layer of breathability and pressure relief to the sleep surface.

Can I remove the fiberglass in my mattress on my own?

It is never a good idea to try to remove the fiberglass sock inside your mattress on your own. The first issue you will encounter is fiberglass exposure. Opening your mattress cover and trying to pull out the fiberglass sock inside it almost guarantees fiberglass exposure. This, of course, is the thing you’re trying to avoid by having a mattress without fiberglass.

The other big problem with removing the fiberglass inside your mattress is you remove its only flame barrier. This means your mattress is no longer fire-retardant and is unsafe for you to sleep on because it could combust.

Do I need to use a mattress protector if my mattress has fiberglass?

You always need an impermeable mattress protector for every mattress that you use. This is because these protectors help prevent moisture and dirt from getting down to your mattress. But they’re especially important for mattresses containing fiberglass because they can work the other way around.

Mattress protectors are not nearly as easily penetrated by fiberglass particles as sheets and mattress covers. This means a mattress protector will actually provide a strong barrier between you and the fiberglass in your mattress.

If you are not going to replace your mattress containing fiberglass, using an impermeable mattress protector is the best way to ensure you do not experience fiberglass exposure.

How much should I pay for a mattress free from fiberglass?

Generally speaking, types of mattresses that do not contain fiberglass are more expensive than mattresses that do. But this is not just because of the difference in their fiberglass content.

Mattresses containing fiberglass are often all-around lower in quality than mattresses that don’t contain fiberglass. They may feature lower-quality foam, poorer-quality fabric, and more slipshod construction than higher-quality mattresses.

This may make it seem like it costs a whole lot more than it does to avoid fiberglass. But this is not true. If you take two comparable mattresses, one without fiberglass and one with it, you should only expect to pay around $50 to $100 more for the one with a fiberglass alternative.

Will a mattress topper help protect me from fiberglass exposure?

If you cannot get rid of your fiberglass mattress, a mattress topper can help protect you from fiberglass exposure. Two to four inches of foam make a much more difficult barrier for fiberglass particles to penetrate than a mattress cover alone.

Just remember you should never use a mattress topper in place of a mattress protector. These two items were not built with the same purpose in mind, and you will still need a mattress protector to protect your mattress topper from dirt and moisture. Also, remember to avoid mattress toppers that contain fiberglass.

Bottom Line

If you’re looking for affordable mattresses that contain no fiberglass, it is possible to get one at IKEA. Just make sure you are looking at the mattress ingredients before you buy. Also, keep in mind that if you want high quality and luxury comfort, it may be best to shop elsewhere, as IKEA mattresses are generally created for affordability over quality.