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Is There Fiberglass in a “Zinus” Mattress? (We Tore One Open to Find Out)

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In the United States, one of the most widely purchased, value-priced mattress brand is that of Zinus. They produce a variety of mattresses, several of which are ranked among the best sellers on Amazon. This means that they are selling thousands and thousands of products every month. 

When buying a Zinus model, you can either get a coil-based mattress, one with standard memory foam, or a model with gel memory foam.

There has been a lot of press around the fact that Zinus mattresses contain fiberglass. Is this true?

Perhaps this isn’t something that’s crossed your mind, but even though inhaling fiberglass can be very dangerous, many mattress companies use this as a fire retardant on their products.

That means that potentially thousands of people could be breathing in fiberglass every night. So do the Zinus mattresses use fiberglass in their construction? Keep reading to find out. 

Is There Fiberglass In Zinus Mattresses? 

Yes, there is some fiberglass used in the construction of Zinus mattresses. Specifically in the fire retardant “fire sock”, just below the cover.

When asked about it though, the company will say that they use “silicon fiber,” which is just another name for the same material. 

Many of the one-star reviews for Zinus mattresses on Amazon show images of this “sillicon fiber” breaking down after some time. 

Editor’s Pick – Best Fiberglass-Free Budget Friendly Alternative:

Best Budget Friendly Alternative Option
Dreamfoam Essential
by Brooklyn Bedding
What we love:
  • Budget friendly price point
  • High quality, supportive memory foam design
  • Made in the USA (Arizona Factory)
  • Available in custom sizes and thicknesses
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Why Is Fiberglass Used In Mattress Construction? 

According to federal law, a fire retardant must be used in the construction of every mattress that is offered for sale in the United States.

Within mattresses, fiberglass is utilized as a low-cost alternative to the usage of potentially hazardous chemicals. This is used to provide a barrier against the spread of fire. 

While we’re not saying that all mattress companies use fiberglass in their products, what is true is that this is a budget option for fire retardant, making it more common in budget mattresses. 

There was a period when chemical fire retardants were occasionally employed in mattresses. However, as it was revealed that some of these fire retardants were detrimental to human health, their use was phased out.

If for any reason your mattress caught fire, the fiberglass is designed to melt into itself without catching fire, creating a protective layer or “sock” surrounding the mattress. 

Because memory foam mattresses are produced utilizing chemical foaming techniques, they would quickly become raging flames if they lacked any fire barriers. Because of this, having a fire barrier is quite necessary and you should always have some form of fire protection on your mattress.

Where In The Mattress Is The Fiberglass? 

cutting-off-fire-sock

It’s necessary for the foam in a mattress to be encircled by a fire-resistant layer to prevent the foam from being consumed by a wave of fire occur. 

If you buy a mattress that has fiberglass in it, you’ll find that the fiberglass is woven into the cover of the mattress’s internal layer. This is where it is found inside of a Zinus mattress as well.

The stretch knit cover of the Zinus mattress is the surface that you lie on. Below that, there is a layer of internal fabric that is thinner and that encases the mattress foams. Fiberglass is woven into the relatively thin layer that covers and protects the foam inside.

Because the stretch knit cover on the exterior does not include any fiberglass, you will not be sleeping directly on it. Remember though, you mustn’t remove any cover from a mattress that has fiberglass integrated into the inside cover, as this is one way to spread fiberglass all over your room.

Is It Safe To Sleep On A Fiberglass Mattress? 

While fiberglass can be very dangerous if breathed in, that doesn’t mean that all mattresses containing this product are dangerous as well. Because of this, the answer is both yes and no. 

It’s Yes If…

Used as a fire retardant, as it’s excellent at this job. It’s an alternative that is friendly to the company’s bottom line and allows the company to make cheap, fire-resistant mattresses without having to use harmful chemicals in the fire barriers.

It’s No If…

If the fiberglass somehow gets out of the mattress, you will have very fine strands of it all over your bed, your bedroom, and your house.

This is because fiberglass is a very fibrous material. Itching, discomfort, and sometimes even minor wounds might result from this. Because the fibers are so minute, it will be quite difficult to completely clean up the mess once they have been released.

How To Sleep Safely

If you choose to purchase a mattress that contains fiberglass, you can be confident that it will serve as an effective fire barrier for your home. However, you need to be very careful that you never take off the mattress’s cover, as this is how fiberglass can spread around your home. 

Because fiberglass can sometimes be found in less expensive mattresses, you should give some thought to how long-lasting the cover is. Even if you make every effort, you could still end up with fiberglass contamination if the cover tears or otherwise falls apart. 

Putting a mattress protector on top of the mattress is the most effective measure you can do to protect yourself from this problem.

How Can I Tell If My Mattress Contains Fiberglass?

Have you bought a mattress second-hand and are now having a bit of a panic about whether it’s made of fiberglass or not? Unfortunately, it can be pretty hard to tell whether or not this material has been used. One good indicator that it does have fiberglass though is if it has a non-removable cover. 

Another tell-tale sign is if the mattress is from a budget brand, or is a cheaper/the cheapest option made by any mattress brand. 

When the price of your mattress becomes closer to one thousand dollars, that’s when you can expect them to switch to a different material for their fire barrier. You’ll also find that many of the cheaper mattresses sold on Amazon have coverings that are not removable. 

This, paired with their price range, is a dead giveaway that there is fiberglass within as the fire barrier. 

What Mattresses Don’t Contain Fiberglass? 

There are several mattresses out there that don’t use fiberglass or harmful chemicals in their fire barriers. Even while they typically come at a higher price point, you may still find an excellent mattress without fiberglass for around a thousand dollars. 

Best Mattresses Without Fiberglass

An in-depth review

As a kind of fire protection, these mattresses typically make use of materials such as organic cotton or organic wool, both of which are well-known for their relatively low rates of combustion, and are great at regulating your body temperature when you lie on them.

Here are some of the best mattresses that don’t obtain fiberglass. 

Summary

Zinus is constantly at the top of Amazon’s top-selling list because it’s a popular budget mattress that suits many people. We believe that it is a fantastic budget alternative if you are looking for something that you can use for a couple of years or for a spare room.

If you purchase it with the knowledge that it contains fiberglass and do not remove the cover, you should not run into any issues. It’s even better if you use a protector on the mattress, which is something you really should do anyhow.

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