Do Lull Mattresses Have Fiberglass?

Some mattress brands have come under intense scrutiny for their use of fiberglass due to the effects the material has if it escapes a mattress. Typically, fiberglass is found underneath the cover, and thin, cheap fabrics may release particles of fiberglass as the fabric wears down from use.

Lull mattresses are one such mattress brand that has attracted attention for using fiberglass in their mattresses. But is that a practice of the past, or do they continue to use fiberglass today? We did some investigating to find out for ourselves if we should be concerned about using a Lull mattress.

About Lull Mattresses

Lull is a fairly recognizable online mattress brand that aims to provide affordable-yet-comfortable models. Their mattress line-up consists of three options, all medium-firm mattresses:

• The 10-inch original foam mattress
• Their thicker Premium foam mattress
• The Luxe Hybrid mattress

Aside from their official website, Lull mattresses are also available on Amazon and Wayfair.

About Fiberglass

Fiberglass is the name given to plastic fibers reinforced with glass shards. There are many types of fiberglass, and the material is multipurpose. It’s used in home insulation, vehicle construction, and other common household products.

When used within mattresses, fiberglass acts as a flame barrier. Typically, there’s a glass cloth or glass fabric, woven like a giant sock, that slips over the mattress’s main materials and rests underneath its cover.

SEE ALSO: Softest Mattress in a Box

Why Is Fiberglass Used in Mattresses?

If a fire should occur in your bedroom, your mattress can quickly go up in flames—a disastrous event for anyone who’s fast asleep in bed. So in the U.S., mattress manufacturers have to meet flame safety standards, with their mattresses resisting an open flame for a set period of time.

So all mattresses made in the U.S. must have a flame barrier. Originally, chemical fire retardants were used, but their toxicity led to manufacturers looking for a replacement material. Fiberglass became popular as an inexpensive alternative. When exposed to fire, the fiberglass melts and encases the mattress, giving the flames little fuel to sustain themselves.

Why Avoid Fiberglass?

While fiberglass doesn’t have the toxicity of chemical retardants, it’s not without its hazards. Within the mattress, out of reach of the sleeper, it’s inert. But if it escapes the cover and comes into contact with the sleeper’s body, it can cause rash-like irritation and flaky skin. If it’s breathed in, it can cause temporary respiratory issues and digestive problems.

Many sleepers often don’t even realize the problem at first, as fiberglass particles are so minute. Plus, making the problem more complicated is how difficult it can be to clean up fiberglass from a mattress. In the worst-case scenario, fiberglass spreads throughout the home and requires a professional cleaner to get rid of it.

SEE ALSO: Best Mattress for Degenerative Disc Disease

Do Lull Mattresses Have Fiberglass?

Lull’s mattresses did once contain fiberglass, and they even openly said so on their website. They advised sleepers not to remove the cover fabric because “some Lull Mattresses utilize a fire retardant sock that contains small amounts of fiberglass, which makes the mattress fire retardant (the fiberglass allows us to sell a safe mattress without using harmful chemicals).”

However, we reached out to Lull mattress’s customer service team, and we were told that Lull mattresses do not use fiberglass anymore. Instead, the mattresses rely on inherently fire-retardant fabric to meet safety standards. The fabric is 90 percent polyester and 10 percent rayon, with a laminated fire retardant backing.

Lull still cautions sleepers against removing this cover, as it removes the barrier protecting their mattresses’ foam layers.

Are there any other safety concerns about Lull mattresses? When it comes to foam quality, they pass the test there as well. Their foam is certified by CertiPUR-US®, a third-party certifier that ensures synthetic foam is produced without harmful materials, such as heavy metals and toxic flame retardant chemicals.

Still, for many sleepers, a Lull mattress won’t be the most comfortable mattress they can sleep on. Their design is basic, their materials are streamlined for better affordability. People who can afford to splurge may want to look for mattresses with extra features such as targeted support.

SEE ALSO: Are Memory Foam Mattresses Safe?

How to Choose a Mattress without Fiberglass

Many brands openly advertise their models as mattresses without fiberglass, providing every detail of their mattresses’ constructions needed to reassure shoppers. But not all mattress brands and sellers are trustworthy, so how do you avoid the buyer’s remorse of purchasing a mattress with fiberglass?

There are signs of a fiberglass mattress to look out for as you shop, whether you’re looking at budget mattresses or more upscale options.

Misleading Terms

Fiberglass has developed a reputation for discomfort that has made shoppers wary of it inside mattresses. So some manufacturers and sellers will try to conceal that their mattresses contain fiberglass. Other ways to refer to fiberglass include “glass wool” and “glass fiber.”

Place of Assembly

Mattresses made within the U.S. are generally recommended over beds made overseas. They are designed to meet U.S. production standards that include flammability guidelines, while some mattresses made overseas may fall short of these standards or use cheap, potentially dangerous chemicals to reach them.

There’s also transparency of a mattress’s production. It’s often easier to understand and research the details of a mattress when it’s made within the country versus an overseas production that may have only the most vague information about its construction available.

Non-Removable Mattress Cover

Manufacturers are aware that fiberglass particles can spread if the mattress cover isn’t securely in place. So they typically ask shoppers not to remove the mattress cover without saying that the reason is that it may allow stray fiberglass to escape.

This isn’t the only reason you may be asked not to remove the mattress cover, as many manufacturers do not want to risk damage to their mattresses’ inner materials. Doing so may even void your mattress warranty.

Plus, try to imagine how difficult it would be to slide the cover back on, wrestling with a mattress that may weigh around 50 to 100 pounds. It’s much simpler to take a mattress cover off than put it back on.

However, it is a good idea to give any mattress with a “do not remove cover” label extra scrutiny. If you do not understand what material the manufacturer uses for flame protection, reach out to customer service and ask.

Look for Alternate Materials

Fiberglass isn’t the only substitute material for toxic chemical flame retardants, so you don’t have to settle for one or the other. There are other natural and synthetic materials that meet U.S. flammability standards for mattresses. If a brand denies using fiberglass inside their mattress, it’s a necessary follow-up question to ask what material they use instead.

Wool is one of the most common flame-resistant materials and is commonly found inside latex mattresses. Wool is also temperature-neutral, pulling away absorbed heat and moisture for more comfortable sleep.

Flame-resistant plant fibers, such as the thistle used instead of fiberglass in Saatva mattresses, are another natural material. So is silk, though it can be quite expensive as a flame barrier compared to wool.

Then there’s silica, a synthetic material that stifles the oxygen needed to feed a fire in an emergency. Polyester and rayon fabrics can also be made to limit the spread of fire.

Do the Research and Read Reviews

Customers and third-party review websites may note online if a particular mattress model has fiberglass inside it. Many manufacturers have begun to switch from fiberglass to other materials, so an older review may not accurately reflect a mattress’s current design, though.

There are even a few manufacturers that are facing class action lawsuits for their use of fiberglass. Some mattress brands and sellers to be cautious of when it comes to fiberglass mattresses include:

• Big Lots mattresses
• Amazon mattresses
• Wayfair mattresses
• Lucid mattresses
• Ashley Furniture mattresses
• Zinus mattresses
• Nectar mattresses
• Vibe mattresses
• Olee Sleep mattresses
• Linenspa mattresses
• Leesa mattresses
• Layla mattresses
• Some Helix mattresses

Other Considerations

Of course, finding a fiberglass-free mattress model isn’t the same thing as finding the best mattress for your sleep needs. You need to also consider how a mattress firmness will feel in relation to your preferred sleep position, along with what type of mattress will feel most comfortable for you.

If you have a medical condition that causes discomfort consistently, such as arthritis or disc degenerative disease, you may need to look at some of the top mattresses for pressure points.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can mattress off gassing make you sick?

While many sleepers will only find the smell of off-gassing mildly unpleasant, a few sleepers can experience temporary symptoms from a new mattress. Sensitive sleepers may deal with nausea, headaches, or dizziness. Plus, sleepers with prior breathing issues from asthma or allergies may find that off-gassing aggravates their bodies, irritating their airways and leading to coughing or wheezing.

What are Lull mattresses made of?

Two of Lull’s mattresses are made with CertiPUR-US® certified foams, both options relying on three foam layers. Their Luxe Hybrid model has two top foam layers, a pocketed coil layer, and a base foam layer. As we mentioned earlier, the cover fabric is 90 percent polyester and 10 percent rayon, with a laminated fire retardant backing.

What should you avoid in a mattress?

The simplest way to sum up what you should avoid in mattresses is to say that you should discard any mattress with an uncertain or unclear construction. If a mattress retailer seems too vague about their bed’s inner workings, it might mean they use lackluster or even potentially harmful materials.

It’s also best to look for certified materials, as these certifications mean that an outside organization looked at the material’s production and judged its safety and overall quality.

How can you tell if fiberglass is in the air?

You’re unlikely to see fiberglass particles in the air, so you’re likely to be unaware until you see the effects of inhaling and ingesting fiberglass. Breathing in fiberglass will irritate your respiratory system and cause wheezing-like symptoms. Fiberglass particles can irritate the stomach and cause temporary stomach irritation, bloating, and acid reflux.

If fiberglass hangs in the air, it may be sucked up by your air conditioning unit, spreading throughout your home.

Do all mattresses contain fiberglass?

No, fiberglass isn’t used inside all mattresses. The most likely types of mattresses to contain fiberglass are budget memory foam mattresses or low-cost spring mattresses, as fiberglass is an easy way to maintain an affordable design while meeting safety standards.

Manufacturers designing mattresses for marginally higher price points may use synthetic fabrics that suffocate flames with too-little oxygen or flame-resistant natural fibers.

Conclusion

Lull mattresses do not contain fiberglass within their construction anymore. However, their simple budget-friendly design with medium-firm feels isn’t for everyone. Sleepers who aren’t living on a restrictive budget may want to look around and consider the full range of the best mattresses available on the market.