Coconut coir in a mattress: benefits and harms, reviews

The properties of coir from coconut, as well as the benefits and harms of a coconut mattress, are being actively studied. This is because the popularity of the material is growing every year. There are a number of proven health benefits that it provides, while there are almost no contraindications.

What is coconut coir

To find out what the benefits and harms of a coconut mattress are, you need to find out how they are made. What is coconut coir?

Earlier, when this nut was harvested for the sake of delicious pulp and juice, the husk was considered waste. The entire rough layer of the coconut shell was sent to landfill until people realized that it could have many uses in horticulture and home products.

The fibers of the intercarp of a coconut are called coir. There are two types of fibers that make it up: brown and white.

Brown coir is made from ripe, ripe coconuts. It is more durable but less flexible. White fibers are obtained from semi-ripe nuts. Here, the material is more flexible and at the same time less durable in properties.

How is coconut filling for a mattress made

To get coconut coir ready to use as a filler requires extensive processing.

First, you need to remove it from the coconuts. This is done by soaking the husk in water to loosen and soften it. This process is carried out in tidal sea waters or in fresh water. In the first case, the coir will absorb large amounts of salt, which must be removed later.

Then the nuts are removed from the water and dried for over a year. After the drying process, the coir is bound into bales, which are then shredded and processed in various formats (from crumb to coarse fibers). Such material acquires very useful properties.

Harvesting coconuts

How to produce coir so that the health benefits far outweigh the harm? For this, a pure organic product is used.

Coconuts that are ripe and have fallen from the tree on their own can simply be picked up. The fruits that remain on trees at a height of 12-30 m are collected by industrial climbers. If the nuts are picked by hand, they can be harvested from about 25 trees a day. If pickers use a bamboo pole with a knife attached to the end to cut individual coconuts, then 250 trees can be walked a day.

Soaking raw materials

The first step in making coconut coir is to harvest the fiber from the nuts. First of all, the oil is extracted, after which the fibers are soaked, curled and dried.

The only solvent used in this process is water. The use of artificial chemicals is excluded at every stage of production, and therefore the useful properties of the material are great, and there is practically no harm from it.

In addition, in other industries, these fibers are considered waste. Using them in mattresses helps to reduce waste and preserve the environment.Thus, the production of these products benefits the environment.

Drying and sorting of coconut fiber

Once the coconut fibers have been washed and processed, they are braided into thick, heavy ropes. This part of the process is critical as it gives the material its natural elasticity. The same property will be useful in the future for relaxing the back of the sleeper on the mattress.

Coconut fibers remain twisted into a rope for several months, so they dry to the desired state in a natural way, without chemical assistance.

Latex treatment

At the end of the production run, the coconut fiber must be flattened and coated with organic latex. Within a few hours, the material is sorted out and thinned out. This is necessary so that the mattresses created later do not become fragile and do not fall apart, but acquire elastic properties, with the help of which they begin to work like a metal spring.

After spraying latex milk onto the dried fibers, all preforms are placed under a press to form a base. Each layer is inspected to ensure the highest quality. The material is then cut into rectangular shapes and prepared for the production of mattresses. This process takes less than 1 day. The resulting coconut mattresses are so strong that they are difficult to bend.

Pros and cons of coconut coir

Many highlight the amazing benefits of using coconut coir. The main positive properties of the material are as follows.

• hygroscopicity can provide the wearer with a soothing and refreshing sleep: coir mattresses are designed so that they can easily absorb all the moisture that gets on them;
• coconut fiber not only has the ability to absorb a significant portion of moisture, but also constantly provides airflow that creates the ideal temperature for sleep;
• the useful properties of the material are also expressed in its resistance to fire: when a fire hits, coconut mattresses remain unharmed, so they are safer compared to other types;
• Coir mixed with latex is used to produce very durable products: they remain usable for a long time.

But the material also has drawbacks that can change the mind about buying a mattress. The benefits and harms of coconut fiber for mattresses are as follows.

Firstly, products with coir are too hard. For those who like to sleep on a very soft and flexible surface, this mattress will not work. The buyer will find the product inconvenient and even harmful instead of good.

Secondly, coir mattresses tend to sag. They can easily get dents because they don't absorb enough pressure from the sleeper's body. Therefore, in those places of the product where the owner lies most often, pits are formed: the coir is simply compressed and does not expand back.

The benefits of coir mattresses

Useful properties of coir mattresses are expressed as follows. They are well ventilated, so there is a maximum air flow inside the product. This keeps the bed temperature at the same level, which helps to promote more restful sleep.

The health benefits also lie in the fact that these mattresses are produced only with natural ingredients. They are naturally resilient, which provides great support for the sleeper's entire body. Thanks to this property, the product allows people with back pain to achieve an ideal sleeping position and to properly support the spine.

Who is the coconut mattress for?

Coconut mattresses are great for kids and seniors. Made from natural material, they are completely safe for health, even in the presence of any disease: absolutely anyone can use the product without worrying about possible harm.

The product is also useful because it does not accumulate dust and is especially recommended for people with allergies. Allergy to a coconut mattress is extremely rare.

Coconut mattress in a baby cot

Children's coconut mattresses are the most recommended for normal and good bone development, therefore they are indicated for young children. Their benefit is that they reliably fix the correct body position. Therefore, a coconut mattress in a crib will be an extremely useful accessory.

Harm of coconut coir in mattresses

No harm has been identified as such from mattresses with coconut flakes. However, some imperfections in the product may impair sleep. For example, a mattress does not provide sufficient relaxation. Because the product is very hard, the owner who is not used to resting on a hard bed may complain of tossing and turning at night and not getting enough relaxation from sleep.

It is known that the best sleep occurs when body weight is well balanced and distributed over the bed surface. Coir mattresses cannot fully provide this. Their strong properties are in maintaining temperature and air circulation. And at the same time, the mattress increases pressure points instead of decreasing them for those who like to sleep on their side, which can cause the wearer to eventually wake up with body aches, especially in the shoulder and back areas. It is in this that harm to the body can be hidden.

How to care for a coconut mattress

A coconut mattress does not require any maintenance, in contrast to spring products that require a lot of maintenance. Its service life is very long, and its useful properties are not lost over the years. In the absence of serious deformation, it can be used for a long time without harm to health.

You can clean your coconut mattress at home using a brush and soapy water.

How to choose a coconut mattress

Before you buy a mattress, you should determine the requirements for it and compare them with those offers that are available on the market. These factors are subjective and individual, but most often include the following parameters:

• the size;
• softness or hardness;
• sleeping position;
• warranty.

As a rule, the length of the product should be at least 10-15 cm longer than the height of the person who is going to sleep on it. In addition, the length and width of the mattress depends on the size of the room and the number of people who will use it: you can purchase a two-bed product or individually order the desired sizes.

Firmness is an indicator of how much a person "sinks" into his bed when he lies on it. If anyone is comfortable sleep on the floor with a small pillow, then he will surely like a coconut mattress. For those who like to "drown" in bed, this option will not seem useful.

The choice of mattress also depends on the sleeping position. For those who prefer to sleep on their side, a product with a coir is unlikely to work, since in this position there is pressure on the hips and shoulders. For those who sleep mainly on their backs, a coconut mattress will be most useful.

A high-quality product must have a 5 to 10 year warranty. A longer warranty means high quality and pronounced useful properties of the products.

To get the most out of your coconut mattress, it's best to carefully consider and test it before purchasing. It is highly recommended to lie on the mattress and spend five or ten minutes on it in various positions (lying on your stomach, back and side). If the manufacturer offers to use the product for free for some time, do not miss this chance: this way the benefits and harms of the product will become evident.

Make sure the store offers a full warranty refund or replacement.These return periods range from 2 weeks to 120 days: during this period, you can decide whether the product is individually beneficial, so that, otherwise, it can be returned to the seller, or exchanged for another. Some merchants may charge a 15 percent exchange fee, so you need to study all the conditions in advance.

The warranty can be extended for a long period, even 10 to 25 years: in such cases, it usually only covers manufacturing defects such as slack, thinning or fiber breaks.

When delivering online, you should never accept a purchase without checking it for stains or other damage. You should also make sure the mattress has a label that says “all materials are new”.

Which is better: felt or coconut coir

Both of these materials are natural and healthy. Choosing one of these can be tricky. It is worth noting that felt is much cheaper than coir, and in the case of it there is less risk of encountering a fake. However, it is also more prone to deformation and compression. Other disadvantages of felt are that it accumulates odors and liquids, as well as dust, which can cause harm to allergy sufferers.

The disadvantages of coconut fiber include only too high hardness and high cost.

Buyers' opinion

Coir padding is said to be very beneficial for asthma and allergy sufferers: the benefit is that the mattress supports easy breathing due to its dustproof properties.

Other reviews report that the product has natural elasticity and strength. The explanation is simple. Coir in nature plays the role of protecting the nut when it falls from the tree. Such beneficial properties have recently been used for the production of bedding. Among other things, the products are durable and breathable, which is why most buyers talk about their health benefits.

Conclusion

Having studied what are the benefits and harms of a coconut mattress, the following conclusions can be drawn. Coira is an excellent alternative to metal springs and polyurethane fillers. A product made from it will be useful for many years. The probable harm from such bedding is very conditional. Rather, it is just an individual intolerance.

Reviews