Let’s get straight to the reason you’re here: do Leesa mattresses have fiberglass? Yes, they do. Leesa are transparent about this, unlike some other brands, so kudos to them for that.
You’re left wondering though: is Leesa fiberglass a problem? Is the Leesa mattress toxic? What else should you consider?
I’ve been across the fiberglass in mattresses issue for a while now and I’ve covered everything you need to know in this article. Here’s what we’ll go through together:
- Where is the fiberglass in a Leesa mattress?
- What is Leesa made of?
- Is the Leesa mattress non toxic?
- Why does the Leesa mattress have fiberglass?
- Is it okay to buy a mattress with fiberglass?
- How can I tell if a mattress has fiberglass?
- What are the best fiberglass free alternatives to Leesa
Where is the fiberglass in a Leesa mattress?
Leesa mattresses have two components to their covers. There is an outer cover which is, obviously, your first point of contact with the mattress when you lie on it. This fabric is stretchy, breathable, and designed to protect the foams inside the mattress from stains and odors.
The second internal component of the cover is where you’ll find the fiberglass. This second cover is called a “fire retardant sock”; you’ll find a fire barrier under the cover of all mattresses. The fire sock inside Leesa mattresses is made of a blend of fibers, and glass fiber is a part of that.
Here’s exactly how Leesa explains it on their website:
“To get a sense of what that means, imagine a pool noodle. The central empty space of the pool noodle is where the glass would be in the FR thread. The other thread components would be the outside ‘shell’ of the pool noodle. Glass plays a crucial role in the fire retardant properties as it will not combust, it helps to maintain the integrity of the fire barrier during the test of the 16 CFR Part 1633 Open Flame Standard.”
Basically, the glass fibers are fully encased inside other fibers and should not be able to escape your mattress, unlike some other brands where a cheaper fire retardant layer is just sprayed onto the inner cover surface.
Why does the Leesa mattress have fiberglass?
As you’ve just seen, it’s all about fire protection. The USA has stringent federal laws about fire barriers in mattresses, and it’s estimated that these rules save 60+ lives a year.
The foams inside mattresses are extremely volatile, providing a great fuel source if they encounter fire. A fire barrier inside a mattress is there to put a physical barrier between the flame and the fuel, slowing or stopping a potentially catastrophic mattress fire.
Fiberglass has (until recently) been a popular fire barrier for mattresses because it’s
- Cheap
- Very effective
When fiberglass is exposed to flame, it just kind of melts onto itself without igniting. So from a fire safety point of view, it’s really good.
Is it okay to buy a mattress with fiberglass?
While fiberglass is a great fire barrier, it comes with other problems, which I’m guessing you’re aware of since you’re looking up fiberglass in your mattress research.
Fiberglass can cause issues if it somehow gets out of a mattress. This may be because you unwittingly unzip a cover you shouldn’t, or the cover somehow rips or breaks down, letting fiberglass out.
If fiberglass gets out of a mattress it can cause major contamination problems. It can get all through your home and soft furnishings. It’s virtually impossible to clean up. It can cause health issues too, like skin irritation or even breathing problems.
My personal opinion is that I don’t think it’s okay to buy a mattress with fiberglass. To me, it’s just not worth the risk and ongoing worry.
There are so many great alternatives on the market now that you can easily avoid fiberglass when choosing your next mattress.
What can mattress brands use instead of fiberglass?
The mattress industry is really turning away from using fiberglass as consumers hit back at the issues they’ve seen it cause. Here’s a list of fiberglass alternatives that can be used as a fire barrier inside mattresses:
- Rayon batting
- Thistle pulp (a blend of wood pulp with a little polyester)
- Wool
Truth be told, fiberglass is probably the most effective fire barrier, but all these alternatives pass the federal safety tests and are perfectly adequate and safe.
How can I tell if a mattress has fiberglass?
Sometimes it’s easy to tell, others it’s not.
Here are the definitive ways to be certain a mattress has fiberglass (or “glass fiber”) inside it:
Check the mattress tag. Every mattress has a tag that has an exact run-down of each material inside that mattress. You’ll often find that fiberglass is listed in the cover components. You’ll see words like “XX% glass fiber”, like in the image below.
You can often find images of mattress tags in the question and answer sections of Amazon listings, or sometimes on Reddit forums.
Ask the brand. Mattress brands are hyper-aware of the fact that their potential customers know about fiberglass. It’s in their best interests to be honest with you if you ask them directly. It pays to ask them about both “fiberglass” and “glass fiber” to make sure you get a really clear answer.
I had a difficult time getting a straight answer out of Tempurpedic about the issue, and they never actually told me why they think “glass fiber” is different from “fiberglass”, so watch out for that.
Other red flags to look out for: these are not sure signs a mattress contains fiberglass, but they’d make me very suspicious:
- Very cheap price (under $600 for a Queen size or larger). Remember, fiberglass is a cheaper fire barrier material, especially if it’s sprayed onto the internal cover and not woven in. Add to this the fact that a cheaper mattress may have a less durable cover that is more likely to tear and expose the internal mattress components, including any fiberglass.
- Made in China. I don’t want to bag products made in China, a lot of great stuff is made there. But when it comes to fire barriers in mattresses, the simple fact remains that a USA made mattress is more likely to use an alternative fire barrier like rayon or wool, while a mattress made in China is more likely to have a fiberglass containing fire barrier.
- Brand won’t give you a clear answer when you ask them. If you encounter this I advise you to run a mile. Buy something else. If they’re going to be shady and difficult before they even have your money, can you imagine what they’ll be like after they’ve taken it? Not good.
- Mattress cover is not removable. Since the fire barrier is under the external cover, you can expose it if you take the cover off to wash it. You don’t want to expose the fiberglass so mattresses with fiberglass inside them often have nonremovable covers. Don’t make the assumption that just because a mattress cover has a zip, it is removable. For some highly nonsensical reason, some mattresses have a nonremovable cover WITH a zip, because it’s part of the manufacturing process. Check mattress instructions before removing a cover, don’t assume a zip means it’s safe to do so.
What are Leesa mattresses made of?
Leesa makes two types of mattresses: all foam and hybrid. All Leesa mattresses have a breathable stretch knit cover and an internal fire sock, which we have already discussed.
All Foam:
The Leesa foam mattresses are made of comfort foams and support foams. The comfort foams are what you know as memory foams. These are the foams that contour to your body and give that cushioning supportive feel.
The support foams are very high-density polyurethane foams that are NOT memory foam. Their job is to support the memory foams to do their job, and provide a stable durable base for the mattress.
Hybrid:
The Leesa hybrid mattresses have memory foams in the comfort layers, just like the all foam mattresses.
The support base of the mattress is made up of pocket coils (individually wrapped springs). These allow for more targeted support as they move according to the pressure you put on them when you lie down.
As the coils are each wrapped in their own bit of cloth, they don’t squeak against each other, and they don’t move with each other.
A hybrid mattress gets its name from the fact that it contains a mixture of foams and coils.
Is the Leesa mattress non-toxic?
Since you know that Leesa mattresses have fiberglass, you’re also wondering if that means they’re toxic.
Apart from the fiberglass issue we’ve covered, is there other bad stuff inside Leesa mattresses? Luckily the answer is no, the foams are perfectly safe.
The foams you find inside Leesa mattresses are CertiPUR-US Certified.
As per the Leesa and CertiPUR-US websites, CertiPUR-US approved foams are:
-Made without ozone depleters
-Made without PBDE flame retardants
-Made without mercury, lead and other heavy metals
-Made without formaldehyde
-Made without phthalates regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission
-Low VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions for indoor air quality (< 0.5 parts per million)
This means they are not toxic.
However, if you’re still concerned about what your mattress is made of, a natural or organic mattress like a latex mattress will be a better choice for you than memory foam.
What are the best fiberglass-free alternatives to Leesa?
I have researched a ton of mattress brands for you, and since Leesa is a memory foam mattress, you’ll find a great Leesa alternative in this list of fiberglass-free memory foam mattresses.
These mattresses cover a range of budgets and are suitable for every type of sleeper. The closest in design to the Leesa mattress is either the Bear or Tuft & Needle Original.
