“Lauren, do you still use and recommend intelliBED?”
I’ve received a couple recent emails asking this. Absolutely, I still do! I imagine this question may have arisen since it’s been a couple of months since I did a post about intelliBED. It must be time that I sing the praises of my favorite non-toxic mattress again.
In this review, I want to address the common questions I’m asked over email and in blog comments.
Which exact mattress do you have?
intelliBED offers various mattresses to cater to budget and support requirements. I have the Posture Perfect Lo-Motion, which is a firmer mattress designed to reduce motion transfer between partners.
How do you ensure the quality of intelliBED?
intelliBED reached out to me last year, telling me they had a non-toxic mattress which would resonate with my mission. Before sharing intelliBED on the blog, I slept on my new intelliBED for a month, and also spoke to the founder of the company about all aspects of the mattress.
In August, I visited the intelliBED headquarters to watch how the mattresses are manufactured. I toured the manufacturing room, where the intelliGEL is processed, molded, and fused with innersprings and cotton to create the final product. Due to the non-toxic materials used, the air quality in the manufacturing room is so clean that no employees wear gas masks. I am highly chemical-sensitive and spent an hour in the manufacturing room without getting the slightest whiff of a chemical odor.
The following is a Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) meter, which measures airborne pollutants. The measurement is taken in the manufacturing room, as the intelliGEL is coming out of the mold. It shows .08 VOC, and anything under .1 is considered excellent.
I believe in intelliBED so much that I was in a nationally-aired TV docummercial for them. The only reason I’m slightly hesitant to show you is because Wardrobe did an 80’s poof job on my hair. But if you promise not to laugh, here’s the docummerical.
What does it feel like to sleep on an intelliBED?
My first night on my intelliBED was both revelatory and slightly disorienting, as I experienced the comfortable support of the intelliGEL. Because the intelliBED offers unique support to eliminate pressure-points, it feels different than a traditional mattress. It could almost be described as a “push-back” from the mattress. It feel soft but firm at the same time. After switching to an intelliBED, no other sleeping surface feels nearly as comfortable.
How is intelliBED non-toxic?
I originally got hooked on intelliBED after a conventional mattress, due to the off-gassing chemicals, threw me into one of the worst flare-ups of my autoimmune disease. Now I know that conventional mattresses, particularly memory foam mattresses, are notorious for causing severe reactions to the off-gassing fire retardants and manufacturing chemicals.
When it comes to your mattress, you are spending 1/3 of your life with your face breathing in the materials. A safe mattress is an investment in your health.
Pressure-relieving intelliGEL – This proprietary component is made with mineral oil (also known as baby oil). I never would ingest mineral oil, I’d never put it on a baby, either. It is a petroleum-based product, after all. So why would I sleep on it? Because it is a non-toxic, non-offgassing mattress material that is neither absorbed or inhaled. Further, it won’t foster microbial growth, which can be a problem in humid and damp climates. Lastly, it creates a profoundly deep sleep experience, and improving my sleep quality has improved my health.
Safe fire retardants – Like all mattresses, intelliBED must meet fire-proof industry standards (that, corruptly, were put in place by the tobacco industry lobbyists). intelliBED uses silica, a fire-retardant mineral and the safest option available. This fire retardant is not bio-available through any contact and can’t be broken down through heat, pressure, or liquid. It is only activated when the mattress is in flame.
Steel springs and organic cotton – The springs are important to help provide the support of the mattress.
Non-offgassing polyurethane foam – PU foam is a safe and inert substance for mattresses, as long as it is not treated with chemicals to make it fireproof or to turn it into memory foam. The foam is free of toxins like phthalates, formaldehyde, and heavy metals. They are also low VOC, at .5 parts per million (.1 ppm is considered safe).
Why does intelliBED use CertiPur Certified foam?
I’d prefer to see intelliBED no longer say they use CertiPur Certified foam. Why? A reader notified me that CertiPur certification is partly sponsored by Dow Chemicals. While this certification does rely on independent testing to ensure low toxicity, this affiliation did raise a red flag for me.
This notification led me to a long discussion with intelliBED and intelliBED’s founder. I learned that intelliBED is not affiliated with CertiPur, but does mention it because it is one industry standard.
Here are some of the key aspects from our email/phone conversations:
We do not buy our foam from CertiPur. This certification is just one more step we are taking to show that we have the safest polyurethane foam on the market. If there are any certifications in this industry we want to show that our product passes those.
The off-gassing problems in mattresses started occurring when various companies added compounds to alter the properties of PU foam for various reasons. One was the additive that turns PU foam into memory foam. Numerous individuals over the years have complained about the “odor” of memory form mattresses when new, but more alarming is the number complaining of headaches and other neurological problems (see www.chemtox.com and search for mattresses). IntelliBED has not been able to determine that actual chemicals that are used to create the slow-rebound feature of memory foam but for the reason mentioned and to err on the safe side, IntelliBED won’t use any memory foam in our mattresses or pillows.
Foams treated with toxic fire retardants, the standard for conventional mattresses, creates additional off-gassing. intelliBED uses a natural, inert silica fire blocker to avoid using these treated foams.
Unfortunately, there is no governing body or organization that tests mattresses for off-gassing, so most of what we have is anecdotal evidence, such as that found on ChemTox.com. Foamers and the mattress industry in general has thrived for years on consumer ignorance, and that is likely not going to change in the near future.
The takeaway? As I know from my own chemical sensitivities, from the VOC meter readings in the manufacturing room, and testimonies from the most chemically-sensitive customers (see below), the foam is non-offgassing and safe.
Where can I find other reviews of intelliBED?
I’ve also been emailed by two readers asking about negative online reviews of intelliBED. If you google “intelliBED reviews,” you will likely landed on HighYa’s page. That site offers only a handful intelliBED reviews, and a few are negative. I discussed this at length with intelliBED, as it both surprised and concerned me to read these reviews. This is what I learned:
I discussed this quandary at length with intelliBED, since I wanted to clear confusion for those who feel conflicted between my recommendation and online reviews. Here are things to keep in mind:
Three of the five negative reviews on HighYa are from customers who were upset because they wanted a refund after the refund period. intelliBED prioritizes clear communication with their refund policy. Customers who purchase in stores sign the agreement stating that they understand there is an exchange only policy, and online and direct sales customers are explained the trial terms, have the explanation on the website, and have customer service contacting them throughout the trial as a reminder.
intelliBED followed-up with the customers who posted negative reviews. I asked for, and was given, a summary of all these interactions, which fulfilled my faith in intelliBED’s customer service.
intelliBED recently began using TrustPilot to follow up with customers, asking for their feedback via email. TrustPilot ensures honest reviews are gathered from real customers. intelliBED has an excellent rating of five stars from their customers.
intelliBED has an A+ rating with the BBB
Why intelliBED over an organic mattress?
Organic mattresses break down quickly. This means that organic mattresses often lack adequate support, and that they are not worth the investment. The intelliGEL is a long-lasting, durable material with the longest warranty in the industry.
intelliGEL creates a superior sleep experience, to which I can testify. The main feature of intelliBED is the pressure-relieving intelliGEL. Because this patented gel re-distributes pressure so well, it’s used in hospitals for bed-ridden patients to prevent bedsores. The reduced pressure on joints creates a deeper sleep, as the body is not triggered to toss and turn to alleviate the pressure. Quality of sleep is as foundational to intelliBED as non-toxic sleep. The pressure relief is shown in the images below:
I’ve seen advertisements for other natural mattresses on your website – why?
Do you know the experience of googling a product, and then seeing it in an advertisement on another website later that day? That’s how Google ads work, and the vast majority of websites that host ads use this platform. Those are ads you see above my posts and in my sidebar. As I share below every post:
Some of the ads on this site are served by AdChoices and, as a result, I do not necessarily recommend the advertised products. The revenue from the ads makes it possible for me to continue blogging, so I appreciate your understanding.
If you’ve seen an advertisement for Satvaa or another mattress on my site, that is an automated ad. It likely appeared because you read about intelliBED on my website, and Google determines that you must be in the market for a new mattress. I’m working to block these other mattress ads to clear up confusion, as a couple of readers have asked me about this. The only mattress I recommend is intelliBED.
Is intelliBED suitable for extremely sensitive individuals?
The adjective chemically sensitive is used to describe a wide range of thresholds to fragrances and off-gassing chemicals. As evidenced by my reaction to a regular mattress, and my mild symptoms when I’m around fresh paint or synthetic perfume, I’m chemically sensitive. But, compared to a small fraction of the population, my sensitivity is mild.
intelliBED tells me that I refer the most chemically-sensitive customers to them. These are individuals who must take extreme precaution in their life, because their systems are too over-burdened to handle environmental toxins.
One woman, her system to compromised, rarely left her house without a gas mask, to avoid reacting to pollutants and chemicals in the environment. She decided to try the intelliBED and was elated and astounded that it she had no symptoms to the fresh mattress. The delivery team went above and beyond, in this situation. They put the mattress in her home and stood by for an hour, ready to remove the mattress immediately if she had a reaction.
As another example, one reader emailed me, explaining the extreme severity of her chemical sensitivities. She ordered an intelliPillow first, to ensure she would not react to the materials. She had no reaction to the intelliPillow itself, but the protective pillow cover (made from cotton) didn’t agree with her. To ensure that her body would be with their mattress, intelliBED sent her a sample of the wood used in the bed frame (and that was A-okay). Now, she knows she can get the mattress, sans the protective cover, with the bed frame. She told me intelliBED customer service went above-and-beyond to support her.
Why are the pillows not refundable?
I wanted to clarify this, as one reader wrote to me, upset that she couldn’t refund her pillow. I’ve asked intelliBED to make this obvious on their website: the mattresses are refundable for 60 days when purchased online. The pillows are not refundable, due to industry standards (which makes sense… I wouldn’t want to purchase a previously-used pillow). Likewise, the frames and mattress protectors are not refundable. This is also explained over the phone, when orders are placed. I mediated between this reader and intelliBED and everything was resolved to her satisfaction in the end.
Limited time: Get Free Re-Timer Glasses with intelliBED!
I collaborated with both intelliBED and Re-Timer, the company which offers those sci-fi glasses I’m wearing above. Re-Timer glasses naturally balance melatonin levels and are my secret weapon against jet-leg. These glasses also come to my rescue during dreary Seattle winters, to keep the Seasonal Affective Disorder blues away!
I’m no fan of melatonin supplements, as I discuss in my Re-Timer review, and instead use Re-Timer to support my body’s circadian rhythms.
From March 15th through the 31st, you will get 10% off your mattress, plus a pair of Re-Timer Glasses, a $300 value! This applies to purchases of a Queen mattress or larger, in the Therapeutic line. Call intelliBED to place your order (to ensure you are ordering the correct mattress for your sleep needs) and tell them Lauren sent you, to get the Re-Timer and 10% off. (Just interested in the Re-Timer? Use coupon Empowered30 at Re-Timer.com for $30 off your purchase – available through March 31st.)
The post Everything you’ve asked about intelliBED appeared first on Empowered Sustenance.