Let me explain. We'd been sleeping on this mattress for 10 years... but its history goes back further. Before we shared it, it was Chris's mattress from high school. By 2017, it was old, it was unsupportive, and it had developed a pronounced lump at the center that had become a sort of third entity in our marriage. This lump was uncomfortable, but even worse, it acted as a separator. Which is funny... but only in retrospect. No one wanted to lie on the lump, and even if you tried to, you'd sort of just end up rolling into one of the human-shaped divots on either side of the lump. It was problematic... at best. The final nail in the gnarly mattress coffin was that we were both exhausted all the time, despite getting a decent amount of sleep each night. This alone was a sign is was time for a new mattress. But neither of us knew where to start. After sleeping on the mattress we had, we weren't thrilled with the chemical-laden, super pricey options out there (most mattresses are made with formaldehyde, a chemical I'm absolutely not down with inhaling every night, and most traditional mattresses are so expensive they require financing). Knowing we'd be moving in with my mom for a few months, it was the perfect opportunity/excuse to say farewell to our nightmare mattress and search for something new. On moving day, I don't think I've ever been so excited to kick something to the curb.
But of course, we still didn't have anything to sleep on. Until I connected with Avocado Green Mattress. Avocado Green Mattresses are made with natural Dunlop latex rubber, harvested in Asia with zero trees harmed in the process. The final product is anti-microbial, resistant to mold and mildew, and a natural barrier to dust mites (all very important qualities when you consider how close your face is to that mattress every night!). These mattresses are also VOC-free (volatile organic compounds), meaning there's no off-gassing – once your mattress is set up, you can sleep on it 30 minutes later. Finished with New Zaland wool and organic cotton, and strategically-placed steel coils, the final product – which is made to order mind you, not sitting in a factory waiting to be bought – is majorly supportive, firm-yet-extremely comfortable, and the perfect temperature whether it's hot or cold (we had fist-hand experience with this in my mom's home of constantly fluctuating temperatures!).
We chose the pillow-top option for a bit more support, as we're side and back sleepers and I tend to have some pain in my knees and legs after running, and also picked out two of their pillows. After a bit of wait time after ordering (remember, they're made to order), two big boxes appeared in the front yard, containing our mattress and pillows. Time to set up! These mattresses are no joke. I recommend getting some strong friends to help you get your mattress set up, because this ish is heavy. Even the pillows are heavy. The mattresses are vacuum-packed and arrive in quite a bit of plastic, but as we recently learned when we moved our mattress from my mom's to our new place - they need to be (I'll get to that more below). It's also tall. The pillow top adds a few inches, and it's actually recommended for platform beds, so until we figure out a solution for our beloved bed frame (not the one pictured here, which was our temporary bedroom), we're sort of Princess and the Pea-ing it.
But let's cut to the chase and answer the big question: How are we sleeping? Like freaking babies, folks. Freaking babies. You know that Cinderella song that goes, "you don't know what you got, 'till it's gone"? Well our version goes, "you don't know how crappy your old mattress is, until you replace it with a new one." I think we've got a hit single. I've had virtually zero post-workout pain, and we both have an easier time getting out of bed in the morning (a sign of a restful night).
Pros:
- Truly eco-friendly, with no harm to trees and no off-gassing.
- Supportive and will keep you warm in cold weather and cool in warm weather.
- Made to order, not sitting around in a factory waiting to be shipped out.
- Affordable (especially when compared to traditional mattresses) and financing is available for those who choose it.
- Certified sustainable.
- Greenguard certified to ensure rigorous emissions standards are met.
- Just extremely comfortable, soft but not too soft, firm but not too firm.
Cons:
- Extremely heavy. Just be prepared to enlist several friends or hire a couple of circus strongmen if you have to move your mattress. There are handles on the sides, which are helpful, but it still took five people to very awkwardly transport ours from a moving truck and up five stairs and into our new place (not flights of stairs, just five stairs). This isn't so much of a critique as it is a heads up – just be prepared.
- The pillows aren't the most comfortable, especially if you're a fan of softer pillows. I use mine as back support if I'm reading or working in bed (they're great for this purpose), otherwise it sort of gets shoved aside.
- Not the friendliest to traditional bed frames. But that's also not the end of the world. If you don't have a platform bed, just know you may have to make some adjustments.
Would I recommend Avocado Green Mattress? Yes, absolutely. In fact I already have to a friend and a co-worker. We're so pleased with ours, and finally feel as though we're getting adequate rest. I also love knowing we're not breathing in fumes or dust mites at night, which helps me sleep even more soundly.
