Advantages and Limitations to Sleeping on a Wool Mattress

Our Wool Mattress – A Simple, Elegant Solution to the Natural Lifestyle.

If you follow our blog, then you know we’ve been discussing popular wool bed configurations. Check out our previous posts for some of our more popular setups:

Today we’re diving into the advantages and limitations of sleeping on the 5” Wool Mattress without any other layers.

organic wool mattress on wood bed frame — Shepherd’s Dream All Wool Mattress

5” All Wool Mattress

Inspired by the traditionally handmade Japanese cotton futons, our wool mattresses were developed in response to the lack of all-natural, synthetic-free beds in the United States. Shikifuton is the term used in Japanese culture, synonymous with minimalist lifestyle, to refer to a style of mattress that lies directly on the floor and can be easily rolled up and put away.

Eliana, the founder of Shepherd’s Dream, began her journey towards a pure natural mattress in 1984. Years of experience and development have produced our most unique product: the 5” Wool Mattress. She was appalled by the trend towards mattresses made with polyurethane materials that were toxic, poorly made in dirty factories, and contaminated landfills where they eventually ended up.

While a shiki-futon mattress rests on the floor, Eliana found that the best practice for her products was for allowing air circulation around the wool mattress in conjunction with using a pure all wood frame with slats.

This configuration also allowed for extra durability, thus providing her customers with a huge return on their wool bedding investment. In fact, 30 years later, we still get calls from some of her original customers who have followed her protocols for keeping their wool bedding clean and have been able to pass down some of these beautifully constructed pieces down to family members starting out on their own. How lovely is that?

The Benefits of a Wool Mattress

Support: This futon-style mattress is designed for extra-firm support. Adding layers like wool-filled toppers on top and latex pads underneath softens the bed.
Design: On its own, this 5” mattress exemplifies minimalistic style.
Sustainability: Wool is completely biodegradable. Whereas 50,000 conventional mattresses are thrown out daily in the United States, this wool mattress need not contribute to our growing landfills.
Temperature Regulation: Despite common misconceptions about wool making you hot, the wool fiber actually helps to keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
Mildew Resistant: Due to the wool’s ability to wick moisture, the fiber allows moisture to pass through without retaining it, effectively creating a less-than-ideal environment for mold and mildew.
Naturally Fire-Resistant: Rather than adding fire-retardant chemicals to our mattresses, the protective lanolin coating found in wool makes it naturally resistant to combustion.

Wool Mattress Limitations

While we’re very enthusiastic about the wool mattress here at Shepherd’s Dream, we’re also aware that this style of bed is not for everyone. Realistic expectations about a new mattress are helpful for a smooth transition to a new bed.

A few things to consider when contemplating a wool mattress:

Are you comfortable on a firm sleeping surface?
Do you have the time and energy to be mindful of wool compression?
Are you open to seasonally sunning and airing out your wool mattress?

Sample Bedding Kit

If you’re curious about what a wool mattress looks and feels like, check out our Sample Bedding Kits!

Stay tuned to learn more about different ways to configure your all-natural wool bedding!