Shikibuton- Organic thin cotton mattress

FAQs : Futons, Shikibutons

Aren't cotton mattresses inexpensive and used for sofa beds, why is this mattress highly priced?

A natural cotton filled mattress is not the same as what is popularly sold as shiki futon mattress. If you find a premium mattress that is not 100% natural fibers eg., coils, springs or memory foams- you are most likely overpaying for your mattress

Shikibutons are also traditional Japanese mattress and called differently in India, the most important part is these have been used by generations of families. The organic bolls of cotton are not the same as found on sofa bed futons that are encased by cheap polyster fabric. These shibuton cotton mattresses are high quality incomparable to spring and poly foam mattresses.  

Are there different types of cotton batting, is this the same as found in Japan and India?

Japanese cotton mattress are not normally made from organic cotton, we go a step ahead and fill ours with the highest quality cotton form Texas. The cotton layers are higher priced staple and lesser portions of mote, this ensures better indentation response along with the silky softness. A lot cotton mattresses use inexpensive linter cotton fibers that are not as long lasting and are harder in nature.

What is the construction of the 4” vs the 8” mattress?

• All our mattresses are filled by weight and not height.
• 4" Shiki-futon or thin cotton mattress:
  • Certified organic cotton fabric (0.5”)
  • Organic wool batting (~1")
  • 100% organic cotton batting (~3")

• 8" Organic Futon mattress:
  • Certified organic cotton fabric (0.5”)
  • Organic wool wadding (~1")
  • 100% organic cotton batting (~7")

How does one take care for the mattress?

Flip and rotate your bedding once every two weeks. This will discourage body impressions and increase the life of your mattress.

Put your organic cotton based mattress in the sun once or twice a year. Sunlight brings out the fluffiness of both the cotton and wool in a natural bed. Wool in specific gets its bounce back after a sunbath. The other important reason is it kills dust mites and bacterial growth, spores.

Put your mattress out on a sunny day with as much air circulating around it as possible (kept over deck furniture or patio chairs). Keep in mind that if you have pollen allergy, do not put it out when the pollen count is expected to be high so that it does not settle on your beautiful mattress.

Finally, never leave your mattress overnight as dew drops will form and increase any moisture trapped in it.

Why should I buy a mattress pad for our sleeping surface?

During sleep, humans tend to have a loss of body fluids. Having a mattress pad above your mattress helps absorb body oils and moisture loss, instead of it seeping into your mattress. With the required protection, a normal mattress can double in its longevity and really be dry and clean for a good number of years. Wash your mattress pad every other week or whenever you wash your sheets.

How to clean or address spillages?

Accidents tend to happen, this is more so if you have young ones or pets in the home. In such situations, the best thing to do is spot clean the case with water and mild detergent. Then liberally permeate the soiled area with rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl alcohol with no odor) and allow it to dry. The alcohol will sanitize the area, and it will help evaporate the spill faster than it can penetrate the mattress. Be careful with the chemicals you spray as sometimes that may damage your mattress or remove its natural feel

What type of cotton fabric or ticking cover is around the mattress?

Our soft and luxurious cotton cover is made from certified organic threads and is a weave made especially for sleeping comfort. This is a canvas type of fabric that is suited for tufting or stitches on the top. This ticking is different from natural latex mattress that uses a softer stretch material as the foams layers are more sturdier than cotton and wool batting. Most of our customers love this natural feel to the mattress elevating their organic experience.

What type of fire barrier does this mattress have?

These cotton filled mattresses use not just natural portland wool but Organic wool. We do not use hidden boric acid or other forms of fire retarding chemicals.

Do you manufacture overseas or in the US?

Our company is all about luxurious sleep handmade in USA. Your mattresses are made stateside and built after you have placed the order.

Can I get it a faster assembly of an order?

The mattress is stitched after the order and not stored/shipped from a warehouse. We keep our fiber and batting inventory minimal so that your mattress has the most recent fibers processed to ensure that fresh and clean look. We do have the ability to accelrate an order, please request in the order details text box that it is urgent and we normally charge 75$ extra for a faster construction.

Can we custom make a mattress?

Yes, we can work with you for a custom request. It is always more beneficial to order from stock as custom orders tend to be more expensive and pricing is determined based on request. 

If you are looking for a latex foam to be added, be sure you review our natural dunlop core latex mattress or our organic latex mattress with cotton fibers.

How easy is it to flip the mattress?

The mattress does not have handles like our latex mattress due to the layers inside, the reason is because cotton mattresses can be rolled. Rolling makes it more suitable for shifting and lifting though please ensure adequate care is taken as these can still be heavy.

How is the mattress packed in the shipping box ?

We ship ready to unpack and use mattresses in a rolled cylindrical manner like described above. We put the final stitches, seal it in a vacuum bag, roll pack into a white box with our branded tape. Inside the box is a jute bag that houses our care and thank you card, you can use this bag for other household items given its unique character.

Should we remove the mattress immediately?

Your cotton futon or indian mattress needs to be removed as soon as possible. Cotton can damp down and this will make the height of the mattress appear smaller. Any cotton mattress when exposed to sunlight will support moisture evaporaton for natural fibers to stand out firmer. This can be a remedy if you need to store the mattress for a longer period.

How heavy are the organic cotton futon mattresses?

A 100% natural mattress will always be heavier than foam or coil based mattress, which is a factor of its high quality fibers. Approximate mattress weights in pounds (lbs) are below-

Cotton and Wool 8" - LBS
Size	L X W	Cotton	Wool
Twin	75 x 38	45	6
Twin XL	80 x 38	48	7
Full	75 X 54	62	8
Queen	80 X 60	74	10
King	80 X 76	93	12
Cal King	84 X 72	93	12

 

Cotton and Wool 4" -LBS
Size	L X W	Cotton	Wool
Twin	75 x 38	18	6
Twin XL	80 x 38	20	7
Full	75 X 54	25	8
Queen	80 X 60	30	10
King	80 X 76	38	12
Cal King	84 X 72	38	12

What is the return policy? Can I get a full refund if I don’t like it?

Our organic cotton mattress comes with a 90-day exchange gaurantee. We cannot offer free returns unlike foam based mattreses as the cost of manufacturing these is higher due to lack of mechanisation. The best way to avoid a bad experience is to get our sample mini cotton mattress that is refunded to your cost of the regular mattress, most of our customers who buy this go on to purchase a bed sized mattress. Our mattress come with a 5 year warranty against any manufacturing defect, please the complete policy also listed above.

Can I buy it on other online retail shops?

We do not have another retail or online presence at this time but are planning to open a store in Northern Virgina in 2018.

There are popular memory foam mattresses online with free trial nights, why should we buy a cotton mattress?

Any other type of foam mattress besides latex is mostly going to be from man-made synthetically processed or petrochemical bases. This is the primary reason for the bad rap it gets around toxic fumes, toxins and unpleasant gas. Your organic cotton mattress is a completely different sleep experience, it will elevate you high like coil or foam based mattresses. This surface is meant to provide you a great cushion but importantly support your spine, side and neck against the wooden hard surface underneath. Synthetic foams also lack the natural polymer structure of latex hence are known to not dissipate heat as efficiently. A cotton fiber mattress along with heat regulating wool is unparalleled in its comfort be it cold or warm months. If you have slept on a similar mattress outside of the US, you will probably be a bigger steward of these mattress than us.

We have allergies in our family, how is cotton and wool mattress for allergies?

Organic cotton is hypoallergenic and given its not filled with pesticides that normal cotton production uses, there is no chemical leakage. Cotton is unparalled in its usage for humans, the only fabric that is used globally for babies. The wool in the mattress is extremely clean, it is very minimally processed. Very few Americans have reaction to the lanolin in wool once they are in contact with it but that is significantly negated given the wool layer is beneath the cotton fabric. If you still want to be sure, connect to us via the contact us page for a sample of our wool balls.

Is this mattress cover removable for cleaning, how do we protect it?

While there is a zipper cover that runs across the mattress, it is not removable or washable. This is the reason why we reccomend getting an organic mattress pad to protect your mattress, if required you can add a water proof protection layer but it might remove the natural sleep experience.

How should the mattress be placed?

Our natural mattresses need to breathe hence have to be placed on bed with slats as a frame or on slatted foundation. The gaps in these frames help in the movement and circulation of air helping evaporation of any body fluids and for a more pleasant sleeping experience. Due to the presence of moisture not only do you have the risk of your premium mattress losing its fluffy nature but also the possibility of humidity based bacteria such as mold, mildew. Remember, there are no harmful chemicals in your mattress that coat the strands to inhibit such growth as you know your mattress is organic.

Where can I read more about cotton, wool and fire safety?

The CPSC is responsible for safety of mattress, the standards are stricter for childrens mattress.
There are multiple studies and research like this on on PBDEs that are used in mattreses.

How can we avoid any bacterial or mico-organism growth?

Mold and mildew normally follow humidity and unclean surfaces. These can cause allergies in normal people to severe illness in sensitive individuals. Mold or mildew can be avoided by properly aerating your mattress, like a slatted frame or foundation. Mattress pads are also required as they help absorb and mitigate moisture collection.

Given its a natural wool mattress, should we expect dust mite ?

These tiny creatures can start living in fiber or yarn based products (sofa, carpet, etc). Dust mites will get to your natural beds if the surface is warm, has a damp environment and offers food for its needs. Latex and wool are both unsuitable environments for dust mites, hence our mattress with our wool batting is naturally dust mite resistant. With cotton batting, do take the extra precaution of frequent vacuuming with a HEPA filter-equipped vacuum cleaner. Keep your home environment comfortable but not too humid, and avoid keeping cloth items on your bed. Finally, regularly wash your sheets in hot water.