Archive for the ‘ beds ’ Category

Natural or Organic?

  Natural or Organic? Many producers and sellers label or describe their merchandise as "natural" or "organic" products. "Organic" and "natural" food, clothing, bedding and many other goods are fashionable. Significant numbers of shoppers now ask, "Is it natural? Is it organic?" Two concerns drive this trend: health and the environment. There is also, for some, a philosophical or religious undertone, a belief that there is an intrinsic value to being as natural or organic as possible....

Sleep: How Much Is Enough?

Sleep: How Much Is Enough? Suppose someone taking a survey asked you, "Do you get enough sleep?" How would you answer? The answer to this depends on knowing the answers to two other questions: "How much sleep do you get?" and "How much sleep do you need?" How much sleep do you get? For most of us that means how long do we sleep in bed at night? That is, minus interruptions. New parents know all about this, waking up to check on the wee one, responding to a cry or a whimper in the dark,...

Nylon

[caption id="attachment_862" align="aligncenter" width="382"] Uses of Nylon[/caption] NYLON Nylon is a thermoplastic amide polymer.* Invented in 1935 by DuPont chemical engineer Wallace Carothers and first used for toothbrush bristles, nylon is the most used synthetic fiber. In 1940 it was introduced as a substitute for silk in stockings. Nylon is very similar to silk, and with Japanese occupation of China the supply of silk was restricted. Then in 1942, nylon replaced silk in parachutes....

Natural Plant Oils in Foam

[caption id="attachment_852" align="aligncenter" width="501"] Plants used as sources of oils for manufacturing foam[/caption] Natural Plant Oils in Foam Several manufacturers claim that some or all of the foams used in their mattresses are either partially or wholly made from plant oils. Terms used for these are soy foam, plant-based, botanical-oil, natural oils, etc. Plant oils used include those extracted from soy beans, castor beans, canola (rapeseed), palm kernel, coconut, peanuts, and...

Damask

[caption id="attachment_834" align="aligncenter" width="539"] Italian Silk Damask, 14th Century[/caption] Damask Damask is not a fiber, but a style of weaving, named for Damascus, Syria, where silk and linen were woven in this manner in the early Middle Ages. In damask weaving, patterns are created by longer warp threads on top (satin) for the foreground, and longer woof threads (sateen) for the background. This pattern is reversible, meaning the the negative image appears on the back side...

Cashmere

[caption id="attachment_823" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Cashmere Goat, Spring Gate Farm[/caption] Cashmere Cashmere is also known as cashmere wool, though it is not really wool (like that shorn from sheep), but a type of goat hair. It is considered a luxury fabric, more expensive than wool. Whether woven or knit, it is a fine fabric which becomes softer with use. Commonly used in shawls, sweaters, scarves and hats, cashmere is also used by some manufacturers in the covers of select...

Pocket Coils

Pocket (Marshall) Coils Pocket coils, also known as pocketed coils, encased coils, wrapped coils or Marshall coils, are light gauge open-end coils in fabric pockets. They were invented in 1900 by James Marshall, an Englishman who migrated to Canada. In Toronto, Ontario, Canada he founded the Marshall Mattress Company to make mattresses using his technology. The company is still in business, focusing solely on pocket coil mattresses. It was featured in a 2011 BedTimes Magazine...

Continuous Coils

Continuous Coils [caption id="attachment_719" align="aligncenter" width="347"] Looking down rows of continuous coils Image from Bedrooms & More, Seattle, Washington[/caption] Continuous coils are the least expensive type of coils used in innerspring mattresses. According to Seattle Mattress Company, this coil type was invented by Serta. Currently, Serta is the largest user of continuous coils. Serta's continuous coils are manufactured by Leggett & Platt under the trade name...

Offset (Karr) Coils

Offset (Karr) Coils [caption id="attachment_705" align="aligncenter" width="642"] Offset Coil System Image from Bedrooms & More, Seattle, Washington[/caption] Offset coils, also called Karr coils, were invented in the early 1900s by Frank Karr, who also started the Spring Air mattress company. They were developed from Bonnell coils, the original support for innerspring mattresses. Since the inception of offset coils, they have been used by many other mattress companies. The...

Polyester

[caption id="attachment_565" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Polyester Fiber (Wikipedia Commons [PD]), from photo by Edward Dowlman, taken at Strathclyde University[/caption] Polyester Polyester, sometimes just called “poly,” is a long-chain polymer. According to the Federal Trade Commission, a polymer has to be at least 85% esters to be classified as polyester. There are several kinds of polyester, but the kind abbreviated PET is made into fabrics. PET is also the substance of...

Subscribe For News Letter

Get New Post Notification via Email: