Dr. Jim's Organic Favorites

There are so many organic product options out there in the marketplace, that one can easily contract a migrane just trying to sort them out!

I can tell you that when I started our organic bed/bedding company some years ago, it literally took me months to identify and screen qualified, legitimate vendors. With scammers and unqualified manufacturers pestering retailers like you wouldn't believe, it was a frustrating, grueling, but ultimately satisfying experience. Satisfying because I found some great suppliers with some excellent products, many of which are organics!

Here are my top recommendations, by category, with comments:

1. MATTRESSES -- LATEX:

For unsurpassed latex quality, I like the Royal-Pedic Latex Organic Quilt-Top Mattress with 7-Zone Dunlop latex. This Made-In-USA product features high quality imported ingredients (such as French wool) and excellent workmanship. Royal-Pedic is based in Los Angeles, with a high-end client base. The 7-Zone latex has different densities throughout, such as softer latex in the head/shoulder region and firm latex in the lumbar area. Downside is that this is a pricey mattress, although our company sells it for less than anyone (including Royal-Pedic itself).

I also like various latex offerings from Pure-Rest, such as the Pure-Rest Harmony and Atlantis. Very nice organic quality but without the 7-Zone feature. They have a single zone, mostly medium-firm. More affordable than the Royal-Pedic. If your budget is tight, buy the Pure-Rest Harmony and later, when budget permits, add an organic topper to give it a more plush feel.

2. MATTRESSES -- INNERSPRING:

Again, Royal-Pedic has a nice organic offering called the Royal-Pedic Organic Cotton Innerspring Mattress. High quality; excellent workmanship; pretty high price. To keep Royal-Pedic's lawyers happy, a doctor's note is required for this one unless you pay a little extra and have it made with a protective layer of wool, which Royal-Pedic describes as a natural fire retardant. We usually recommend that customers ordering this bed pay a little extra for the Double Diamond Box Springs upgrade, which means more coils and enhanced mattress support.

Pure-Rest offers a much more affordable organic innerspring mattress called the Apollo Innerspring Organic Mattress. Not as luxurious, but a fine bed, involving a wooden foundation.

3. MATTRESS TOPPERS:

We are fans of Natura's Organic Eco Haven Mattress Topper. This Canadian-made topper has latex, wool, and cotton construction. Good customer feedback. A more affordable alternative is Natura's Ultimate Topper, which is non-organic -- but it has no fire retardants and uses unbleached cotton, so it's a great choice if you're on a budget.

4. MATTRESS PADS & MOISTURE PADS:

Again we like Natura's offerings. I personally sleep on one of them, the Natura Comfort Plus Mattress Topper, available in organic or non-organic versions. I have the organic. These are nicely filled with wool and quilted so the wool does not bunch up at the foot or sides of the bed, as I have seen with some products.

Natura also manufactures a few other mattress pads, organic and non-organic -- and we like them all. They have one that is cotton-filled and fitted and another that is wool-filled and fitted. Our house brand is all organic, made for us by Pure-Rest, including a very nice organic wool moisture protection pad that is washable.

5. COMFORTERS:

There are so many great selections here! On those chilly nights, I sleep under the Natura Organic Wool-Filled Comforter, which I have placed in a duvet cover.

Natura also has some unique non-organic comforters, including an all-season comforter, cotton-filled comforter, washable wool comforter, summer weight comforter, winter weight comforter, a silk comforter, and even an aloe comforter! All of these non-organic offerings are free of fire retardant chemicals and use unbleached cotton, so they are close to organic and more affordable than the organic one that I use.

6. SHEETS:

No question here: I prefer the Natura Organic Sheet Set, which includes fitted sheet, flat sheet, and two pillow cases. It has 300 thread count and is quite well made. It comes in a little storage bag.

7. PILLOWS:

I sleep on a Natura Organic Latex Pillow. It's nicely supportive and supposedly hypoallergenic. We also like Natura's Wool-Filled Cloud Pillow organic version, which is great for those with latex sensitivity. And Natura's non-organic Ultimate Latex Pillow is a best-seller, as is Natura's Dream Mate Pillow.

COMING SOON: Dr. Jim's Favorite Supplements!

I recommend Natural Beds Direct for your consideration.