Archive for the ‘ upholstery ’ Category

The Silver Anniversary for Memory Foam Mattresses

This year (2016) is the Silver Anniversary of memory foam mattresses. It was 25 years ago that Fagerdala World Foam put the Swedish Tempur Mattress on the market in Sweden. The popularity of this led the company to start selling memory foam mattresses in the United States, and Tempur-Pedic was established in Lexington, Kentucky. Since then, memory foam has changed the way mattresses are made. Memory foam mattresses quickly surpassed waterbed sales. It took longer to match innerspring...

Mattress Protectors: Protecting Your Mattress and Yourself

Protecting Your Mattress and Yourself So you are buying or have just bought a new mattress. The sales person at the store, customer service rep on the phone, or the website selling the mattress recommends buying a mattress protector, too. "Why," you ask, "do I need a mattress protector?" Good question. Why or why not? We don't like the idea. For one thing, it's one more thing to buy. For another thing, we may remember the uncomfortable plastic sheets our parents put on mattresses when we...

What Chemicals Are in My Bedding?

What Chemicals Are in My Bedding? The public, not only in America, but in Europe and the rest of the world, has become keenly aware of the use of chemicals in commonly used items. One major industrial firm1 used the slogan, "Better Living Through Chemistry" until dropping it in response to public concerns over the effects of many chemical compounds on health and the environment. It has become fashionable to deride or hold in suspicion anything labeled "chemical" or "synthetic." But this...

What Are Performance Fabrics?

What Are Performance Fabrics? John is looking for a lightweight jacket, one to keep him dry and cool on a rainy summer day. He finds a Windbreaker online "with performance fabrics." "Huh?" he thinks, "What's that?" Mary needs another jogging outfit. She wants to stay cool and dry, not soggy and itchy as in the old running clothes. Aha! Here on Amazon is a top-and-shorts combo made of "high level performance fabric." "Okay," she mutters, "They're throwing all these new-fangled terms at...

What Are You Sleeping On? The Ingredients List for Mattress Recipes

What Are You Sleeping on? The Ingredients List for Mattress Recipes What are you sleeping on? A few of the readers of this article may sleep in a sleeping bag or on folded blankets or quilts on a sleeping mat or an air mattress, especially if they are camping at the time and using a smart phone or tablet. Most of us, however, sleep on beds of one sort or another, also including sofas, futons, semi sleepers, and built-in beds. The most common configuration for a bed in North America is a...

Aloe Vera: The Succulent Ingredient

Aloe Vera: The Succulent Ingredient Aloe is a succulent plant which grows naturally in desert and semi-desert areas. Used for thousands of years as the source of medicinal and cosmetic products, this plant has been so widely cultivated that identifying its place of origin is a matter of educated guessing. It is also known by other Latin names, but the official one is Aloe vera. The three most active substances in Aloe vera are derived from hydroxyanthrone. Collectively they are called...

Horsehair: The Stuff of Early and Modern Luxury Mattresses

Horsehair: The Stuff of Early and Modern Luxury Mattresses With just a slip in pronunciation, "sleeping on air" becomes "sleeping on hair," and is not taken as a joke, because even today horsehair is the stuff (or stuffing) of several luxury mattresses. These include some of the most expensive mattresses in the world, made by high-class names such as ES Kluft and Aireloom, Hypnos, WJ Southard, Hastens, and others. Besides filling, horsehair is also used in the covers or quilting of a few...

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....

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...

Phase-Change Materials (PCMs)

Phase-Change Materials (PCMs) [caption id="attachment_521" align="aligncenter" width="277"] Ice Cubes (from BedTimes Magazine)[/caption] Consumers now occasionally see the terms “phase-change materials” or “PCM s” in descriptions of clothing or bedding. Each season, more manufacturers use PCMs in their products, some even making them a selling point. Even a casual reading tells us that phase-change materials have something to do with comfortable temperatures. More exactly, PCMs are...

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