What Are Bamboo Mattresses?

/ Article / By
hypoallergenic mattress with bamboo charcoal in a cozy bedroom
Source: Amazon

The complete guide to bamboo mattresses

Bamboo is an incredibly eco-friendly material that is gaining in popularity this last decade. From clothing to bedsheets, we’re starting to see manufacturers use bamboo fiber in more and more products every day.

And for great reasons — it’s naturally anti-bacterial, anti-fungus, and anti-mold. It’s also an incredibly fast-growing tree, some varieties used for production can grow to full-size in under two years.

Faster growth equals the less land required, the less land used for manufacturing, the more land can stay in a natural state.

Compare that with 10–20 years for other kinds of material made from trees, and you can see why bamboo is a better product for the environment. 

So what do manufacturers mean when they talk about bamboo mattresses? It’s probably not what you think.

What is a bamboo mattress?

Firstly, you won’t find mattresses completely made of bamboo. At least, not in the traditional sense of mattress.

Bamboo mattresses currently come in three different forms — so keep your eye out for your own preference.

  1. Bamboo mattress toppers — These are thick sheets strapped to your mattress that add a bit of padding, cooling properties, and anti-odor effects if made from bamboo
  2. Charcoal infused bamboo memory foam mattresses — These thick pads are usually placed on top of a bedspring and can be anywhere from 3 inches to 12 inches in width. They’ll usually be blended with materials that have been infused with bamboo charcoal to add a strong anti-bacterial and anti-odor effect.
  3. A combination memory foam mattress — Sometimes you’ll find a two-part combo that includes a traditional memory foam mattress, which is often especially malleable. This is then placed on top of a much thicker bamboo charcoal-infused memory foam that helps with airflow and odor.

Notably, bamboo mattresses do not typically include any springs or coils. They exist as a form of memory foam or mattress toppers. 

Is a bamboo mattress good?

Sleeping is one of the most important stages of the day for many of us, and what it takes to make each of us comfortable at night differs between us. People that like sleeping on bamboo mattresses, whether its toppers, covers or infused memory foam, usually like it for the following reasons:

  1. They care about the environment — products made from bamboo tend to be much better for the environment due to natural production methods and a super-fast growing tree
  2. They care about bacteria and mold — bamboo as a material is naturally resistant to mold, bacteria, and fungus growth, which makes it a great material to make textiles and similar products
  3. They care about smells — bamboo charcoal is used to infuse foam mattresses as the material is naturally absorbent and removes many of the unwelcome bedrooms smells we try to avoid

Product reviewers will often mention they’re surprised at how cool the sleep was, as many other types of materials can make sleepers sweat, which none of us wants.

How long does a bamboo mattress last?

Many of the top brand bamboo mattresses come with a 10-year warranty. While most people think warranties are a bit of a gimmick (hint: they kind of are), when companies first create them they make sure to put a lot of math behind their calculations.

Sleep Foundation estimates most varieties of mattresses have a life-span of between 7 to 10 years. Their estimates include spring and coil mattresses, which tend to wear down faster than pure memory foam varieties.

It also strongly depends on how you use your mattress. Do your kids like to jump on your bed for 5 hours a day? Does your entire family sleep in your bed in perpetuity? Do your daily habits include pouring different forms of liquid on your bed to see which ones get absorbed the quickest?

All of these can drastically affect how long a mattress lasts. But for the most part, a bamboo memory foam mattress should last you in the same range — 7 to 10 years.

How to clean a bamboo mattress?

While it is a bit of a hassle cleaning any type of mattress, cleaning memory foam ones (even bamboo infused) are slightly more work than usual.

You’ll need a vacuum, hardwood or tiled floor, and a spot-cleaner you’d normally use on your laundry.

  1. Remove the mattress from all seals, covers, and the bed itself. Place it on a non-carpet flooring so you can vacuum any foam ‘crumbs’ that fall off later
  2. If the foam mattress has any odour, start by lightly dusting the top of the mattress with baking soda. Leave this for roughly 8 hours to absorb any bed-smells you or your guests may have donated in your sleep.
  3. After de-odorizing, take your vacuum — preferably with a soft-brush attachment placed on it — and lightly track it over every edge of the mattress (at least top and bottom).
  4. If you have any spot stains, use a non-foam (no soapy suds!) clothes cleaning solution and lightly apply it to the area. Any of your standard brands should do the trick, just try to avoid bleach and foam-producing varieties. 
  5. Once you’re done all of the above, air the mattress out for a few hours. If you applied a cleaning solution or detergent to the mattress, be sure to leave it until it completely dries (8+ hours).
  6. Done! Now go back to sleep!

Who makes bamboo mattresses?

Since using bamboo as a material is a relatively new thing in North America, there aren’t yet a huge amount of brands producing mattresses with the plant.

Some of the more major brands making bamboo mattresses are:

How much are bamboo mattresses?

Since there are a few varieties of bamboo mattresses as well as many different bed sizes and mattress thickness levels, the prices can range a bit.

Some of the most popular and highly reviewed bamboo charcoal-infused memory foam mattresses cost between $120 and $200.

For bamboo mattress toppers and covers, the prices are a bit cheaper. These tend to fall in the range of $20 (on the cheap end) to $90 for recognized brands. 

Fortunately, the products are popular enough that most major retail platforms (like Amazon and Walmart) have plenty of reviews to double-check which ones might be suitable for you.

What are the most popular bamboo mattresses?

For charcoal bamboo-infused mattresses, there is a wide range of selections available on Amazon. All of the below products have thousands of reviews with at least a total 4.5 star rating (out of 5).

The most-reviewed bamboo memory foam mattresses with high ratings are:

  1. Zinus — 12 Inch Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress
  2. LUCID — Inch Memory Foam Firm Feel — Gel Infusion — Hypoallergenic Bamboo Charcoal 
  3. Brentwood Home — Cypress Classic Cooling Charcoal Infused Hybrid Mattress

For bamboo mattress toppers, the most-reviewed highly rated products are:

  1. LUCID — 3 Inch Bamboo Charcoal Memory Foam Mattress Topper
  2. Zen Bamboo — Mattress Pad Cover, Cooling, Waterproof Bed Topper with Deep Pockets
  3. Bed Story — 2 Inch Memory Foam Mattress Topper

Takeaway

Bamboo is an amazing material that is thankfully becoming more and more popular in a huge variety of products in our home. It’s eco-friendly, bacteria-resistant, and naturally absorbs odors we don’t want to smell (like our non-showering cousin, Frank).

Bamboo mattresses are just one of the most recent innovations and are a wonder to sleep on. I know I sleep better at night passed out on one of these memory foam mattresses. 

The only remaining question is, do you too?

J.J. Pryor

Looking for information on other bamboo products such as bamboo straws, bamboo toothbrushes, or bamboo pillows? Check out our blog.

Scroll to Top