On air mattresses | By Umbra Fisk | Grist | Ask Umbra

On air mattresses

14 Jul 2008

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Dear Umbra,

We live in a small house, and when we have guests, the bed situation is limiting. Convenience tells me that an inflatable bed would be ideal. However, the "no vinyl, that's final" rule reigns supreme in our household. What sort of options can you suggest for a sleeping surface that is easy to store, environmentally responsible, and comfy?

Sleepily,
Angie
Huntington Beach, Calif.

Dearest Angie,

The night I spent on an air mattress ranks high in the Bad Sleep Hall of Fame. It felt like sleeping on a giant egg carton, so I let some air out. Then it was too soft. My shoulder hit the floor when I lay on my side, and if either my sleeping companion or I so much as twitched, the whole tormentatious bed would undulate for a minute or two. Don't put your guests in this situation. Unless you wish them to go and ne'er return.

Don't let your guests down.

I can suggest a few alternatives to the evil, uncomfortable, cheap air mattress. It's possible to buy a good, comfortable air mattress made of rubber or latex. These not only avoid PVC but are also sturdier and more durable than their vinyl cousins. Or so I've read. Trouble is, you can't figure out which ones are actually comfortable without testing them out; you'll have to look around for reviews on the web, or just guess and be ready to ship it back if necessary.

A plain old piece of solid foam or latex might also work. In fact, I currently have a single foam mattress kicking around that I use for this purpose. It's incredibly lightweight. Your local foam store or an online supplier will happily sell you a large piece of firm foam -- unfortunately it is likely to be impregnated with fire retardant and health retardant polybrominated diphenyl ethers (like mine, which is a hand-me-down). IKEA, which is PBDE-free, sells foam and latex mattresses; some of the foam ones could be rolled up and left in the closet, and they aren't too expensive. If you don't have access to IKEA, look about on the web for latex mattresses. A latex (or foam) pad might be too hard and/or thin for some guests, so you could store a feather bed for use atop.

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My favorite idea is a traditional Japanese futon, the shikibuton. I confess up front that I have ne'er set eyes on an actual shikibuton, much less slept on one, just seen them in Japanese movies. That said, they look ideal for guest bed purposes. The futon itself is a thin, foldable, lightweight cotton mattress, stored folded in an S shape. Essentially it's a thinner, lighter futon than the American style. To me this seems ideal: it avoids the danger of inflatable discomfort, stores easily, can be placed in any part of the house, and can be hung off the balcony to air, and it looks super nesty. Sure, it's thin. But so are your other choices.

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I did look around a bit on the 'net for guest bed-cum-furniture, which you didn't mention as a possibility. I simply remind us all of the utilitarian sofa beds, futon sofas -- which are even available in organic cotton -- and daybeds. I have to mention one item I found through Treehugger: an incredible coffee table that unpacks to make a single bed. Wow.

As to all these various mattress materials I've mentioned, they each have their benefits and drawbacks, but every one of them is better than vinyl. Find the one that works with your house, and don't forget to inquire as to your guests' comfort. Pick a blunt yet kind friend who will tell the truth.

Sleeplessly,
Umbra

Yours is to wonder why, hers is to answer (or try). Please send Umbra any nagging question pertaining to the environment -- but first check out her FAQs!

The claims made in this column may not reflect the views of this magazine. Neither the magazine nor the author guarantees that any advice contained in this column is wise or safe. Please use this column at your own risk.

Umbra Fisk is Grist Research Associate II, Hardcover and Periodicals Unit, floors 2B-4B.

Comments: (9 comments)

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Futon

The traditional futon is quite comfortable. It is a very different feel thaan anything I can think of. At first, your guest might be a little taken aback because it does seem very thin, but when they lay down and get to sleep they'll realize that it's much more comfy than they thought....it also makes your back feel amazing. You could also through some thick comforters on top of the futon for some extra padding.

by kdallons at 9:33 AM on 14 Jul 2008

guest beds

Therm A Rest, Seattle, USA makes a very fine inflatable camping mattress (seems like impregnated canvas). We've had ours for 15 years and use them for emergency stay-overs as well as the great outdoors. Alternatively, have your guests bring their own - saves on decisions, storage space and responsibility for comfort. Now, what to do about extra bathroom capacity...

by shrekless at 9:43 AM on 14 Jul 2008

chair bed

My friends have various sleeping furniture that works very well. I don't know if its less hazardous than pvc since i know that was not their objective but its still pretty neat. They have a loveseat/big chair that folds out like a sleeper sofa and they have a large ottoman that folds out to be single bed. Both are pretty comfy and you would never know just looking at the furniture. Prior to these pieces they had what was referred to as the 'chair bed'. It was a chair that had a z-folded mattress like the above mentioned japanese mattress. It was quite old but I do have to say it was really uncomfortable as a chair and as a bed. But I think it was just realy really old. The places that they got the above mentioned furniture was from Crate and Barrel and Costco. I have seen z-folded foam foldout sleeper sofas and chairs in the LL Bean catalog. Don't know if they are chemical free though.

by mearph at 10:33 AM on 14 Jul 2008

Guest sleeping

Be careful with the latex foam. So people are allergic to latex.

I spent 4 years sleeping on Japanese futons. Most Japanese futons consist of a cloth covered z-folded foam piece on the bottom with the cotton shikibuton placed on top of that. The shikibuton was then covered with a sheet and blankets or heavier quilt thrown on the top to sleep under depending on the season. Very comfortable and it all fit nicely in the closet except during my bachelor days when it hardly got put up at all.

imjackhandy

by imjackhandy at 10:48 AM on 14 Jul 2008

Futons

We have three futons - two that live on the floor and one futon-couch (the fu-couch, as I call it). Thus we have lots of nice lounging spots and plenty of places to put guests. They're ideal in a house that has the shoes-off rule because they don't accumulate much cruft. We keep sheets on ours and shake them out once a week.

We do have a vinyl matress purchased years ago for those folks who are so sensitive to cat-ness that they have to have a pristine sleep surface. We've slept on it when car camping and when we were moving into our new place, and they have become much more comfortable recently - the state of the art has advanced significantly in air matresses. Too bad they're vile and evil.

Eat what you grow, grow what you eat

by PermieWriter at 11:22 AM on 14 Jul 2008

Air mattresses - often a bad sign

One thing largely unrelated to the above, but still worth knowing:

When a hostel has air mattresses instead of the ordinary sort, it is sometimes an indication that they are infested with bedbugs or other vermin. Any time I see them, I make sure to check around the beds for bugs or blood speckles, as well as poll people who have stayed a few nights about any bites or other unpleasant effects.

a sibilant intake of breath

by sindark at 11:36 AM on 14 Jul 2008

Canvas cots & down comforters

I like those camping cots with the canvas (think organic canvas!) and the X-folding legs. Some of them also fold in two after you collapse the legs and then they are about the size of a card table - easy to store. You can put a single foam pad on top if you need to and sleep up off the floor in comfort.

I also have a double bed sized down comforter that, folded over, makes a great overnight mattress. My grandson loves it. So cuddly . . .

http://goodwordswan.wildflowerstew.com

by swan at 5:05 PM on 14 Jul 2008

serendipity?; synchronicity?; conspiracy?

"Deflater House" is a simply astonishing pun that should not pass unnoted, while our own DR happens to be away doing the wine-women-and-song stuff in Austria. V.s.:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Fledermaus

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 11:17 PM on 14 Jul 2008

Hammocks

install some hooks in the ceiling. When sleepy, attach hammocks. Enjoy.

This is STILL not a Signiature!

by SamHec at 11:37 AM on 15 Jul 2008

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