We may be onto something here!
I love days I just get to experiment with mattress fillings and to discover new ways to make your own organic, chemical free mattress.
Yesterday I was working with hemp fiber. The one thing I don't like about hemp fiber is that when you pull it apart the fibers become airborne and well, it just feels dusty. Not something you would think to fill your mattress with.
We sell hulls infused with tree rubber (aka natural latex). This encapsulates the hulls so they never can get dusty. You can even machine wash them once they are coated. So I thought "hmm, could I do the same with hemp fiber?".
Turns out the answer is yes! But the result was unexpected. It felt springy and bouncy, just like foam. The pods compressed into discs that gripped to one another but could still be pulled apart if needed.
I ended up making loose balls of fiber and rolling them around in natural latex. You can buy natural latex in small bottles as non toxic, Bish's Tear Mender. Each pod used just one ounce of hemp. That is pretty economical!
I thought if I made a pile of these quick and easy "natural latex and hemp pods" I could simply fill a mattress cover and make my own Natural Latex mattress.
The beauty of individual latex and hemp pods is they can rotate and your mattress would never wear out in the main sleeping zone. It also would solve the problem with it being hard to move heavy latex mattresses.
Latex does have a distinctive smell and there are some people who are highly allergic to latex.
I think this may make a great base layer for a hemp sand mattress that needs a forgiving base layer. That would be an affordable organic mattress!