From Sheep to Sleep: The Wooly Tale of Your Organic Mattress & Bedding

Why Wool, Why Now?

Ever wonder where the comfy, cozy wool in your organic mattress or bedding began its journey? It's storytime!

But first, let us remind you why we use wonderful wool in the first place. Wool is a key component in our products, for good reason. Wool is:

• Non-toxic and healthier to sleep on than many synthetic materials

• Able to promote better sleep by regulating body temperature and wicking away moisture

• Hypoallergenic and dust mite-resistant, making it ideal for sleepers with allergies or asthma

We only use organic wool sourced from sustainable farms with humanely treated animals. Keep reading to follow our wool's journey from sheep to sleep!

Life on the Farm

Envision a flock of sheep roaming freely about green, open pastures. This is the beginning of our wool's story. 

Sheep are social creatures, and they feel safe and happy when with their flock, which is like a family. The flock may graze together, act playful at times, and huddle close when they want warmth. The sheep know and bond with each other individually, recognizing each other's faces.

To guarantee that the sheep are treated with tender loving care, our products only contain wool that's certified by GOTS, or the Global Organic Textile Standard.

 Every step of the farming and wool-collecting process is monitored by GOTS, ensuring practices are healthy for the sheep, the farmers, and the earth. Harmful practices, like pesticides and routine antibiotics, aren't allowed. Also, farm workers are treated ethically and given safe working conditions, making it easy for them to enjoy their work and treat the sheep well.

We believe that the more the sheep enjoy their lives, the more you'll enjoy the products made with their wool, which is collected during shearing season.

Shearing Season

Myth: Shearing wool causes sheep pain or harm.

Reality: When done correctly, shearing wool from sheep feels similar to a haircut.

Wool acts like a coat to keep the sheep warm in cool temps, but when it grows too long, it can harm the sheep. That's why shearing is necessary. That shearing also provides wool we can use is a bonus, like a gift from nature.

Just as you might go to the hair salon or barbershop periodically to get a haircut, sheep have appointments with farmers to be sheared. A sheep lies back in a farmer's arms to be sheared, which is their version of a barber's chair. Their coat is gently removed with electric clippers.

Shearing benefits sheep by promoting good health and hygiene. The practice of regular shearing protects sheep from the risks of too much wool, like limited mobility, overheating, and poor hygiene. The sheep farmers who produce GOTS-certified wool understand the importance of timing, ensuring the sheep won't be sheared either too often or not often enough.

Washing & Preparing the Wool

After the wool has been sheared from the sheep, they return to their fun lives, frolicking through fields with their flocks.

The wool continues on its journey, which involves washing it to prepare it for our needs. Washing the wool is important because, as you can imagine, it usually contains oil from the sheep's skin, along with elements picked up from the environment, like dirt, sand, or grass. 

Prior to being cleaned, wool is called greasy wool. The cleaning process is called scouring. All wool used in our products undergoes a completely natural scouring process. That means harsh or harmful chemicals, like toxic detergents commonly used on non-organic wool, aren't involved in cleaning the wool. 

Instead of scouring wool with harsh cleansers, the wool used in our products is cleaned with water and biodegradable detergents that meet the strict ecological and toxicological criteria of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). In alignment with GOTS standards, excess water and any waste produced during the scouring process is disposed of in eco-friendly ways. 

Once the wool has been rinsed clean, it's then carded, which is also called being combed. The wool is vigorously brushed using wire brushes, a process that thins and fluffs the wool, preparing it for your mattress or bedding.

Wool Meets Craftsmanship

After the wool has been scoured and carded, it's ready to be used in our products. Hooray! 

The next stage of our wool's journey combines expert craftsmanship with a deep care for details. Organic wool is finely integrated into our pillows, toppers, and comforters in one of the oldest family-owned, micro-craft wool processing facilities in the US.

Skilled artisans craft our products in small batches, hand-layering or quilting organic wool into each. This intentional approach allows us to offer you high quality, GOTS-certified organic and non-toxic final products. 

When wool is sewn in, no toxic chemicals, like glues, are required to keep it in place. You can rest easy on our wool products, like our organic wool pillows, knowing they pose no risk to the air you breathe during sleep. 

Why Wool Works While You Sleep

Now you know how our cushy wool travels from sheep to your bedroom. But, do you fully understand the benefits of having wool in your mattress and bedding? 

• Wool regulates body temperature. It's an excellent fill regardless of your local temperature. That's why we offer summer, winter, and all-season wool comforters. 

• Wool is naturally flame-resistant. Because we put wool in our mattresses, we don't include potentially toxic flame retardants, like the synthetic chemicals or fiberglass found in many of our competitors' beds. 

• Wool is exceptionally long-lasting. Fluff wool and it'll regain its shape, unlike synthetic foam, which degrades and develops permanent indentations. That's why the wool in our mattresses and organic wool toppers remains comfortable and sturdy, and stands the test of time. 

The bottom line? Not only is wool natural, it's better. 

Conclusion: From Pasture to Pillow Top

When you sleep on wool, you're supporting your health and well-being in multiple ways. You're also supporting ethical farming practices, skilled artisans, and happy sheep. Explore our organic wool products today, so you can sleep easy knowing your mattress and bedding are clean, kind, and well-crafted.