About our Products

How We Make Our Products

• Our Futons, pillows, comforters -- all the products we make are handmade with the purest and best materials available. This means cotton that has been grown and processed without pesticides and other chemicals. Our wool is shorn from sheep who have the good life -- grazing in pastures free from pesticides. We then wash the wool in hot water and soap, and process it into batting on our own machines without oils or mothproofing -- pure as one can get. The 100% cotton fabric is also organic, unless specified, and is tightly woven for durability. Our futons are hand-tufted with linen thread to ensure the right amount of pre-compression and to prevent the stuffing from shifting. All our products are sewn with 100% cotton thread and T.L.C. right here in the Heart of Vermont. Call 1-800-639-4123

• Conventional Cotton - Cotton grown using chemical pesticides, fertilizers, defoliants, herbicides. Conventional cotton occupies only 3% of the world's farmland, but uses 25% of the world's chemical pesticides and fertilizers. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 800 million pounds of pesticides are used on cotton each year. In addition, conventional cotton textile manufacturing involves bleaches, formaldehyde and other chemical finishes, as well as other chemical processes.
  
  
• Untreated, Unbleached Cotton - "Green Cotton" Conventionally grown cotton but processed without bleaches, dyes and other chemicals like formaldehyde finishes.
  
  
• Carbonizing - Most commercial wool is cleaned through a process called carbonizing, which uses hydrochloric acid - this eats all vegetable matter but not the wool. Please note that our wool is washed in hot water and soap, which cleans dirt and grease, but can leave bits of vegetable matter in the wool. Pieces of vegetable matter in the wool are normal, and are a sign that the wool has been processed in a natural way.

Safe & Healthy Sleep

• At HEART OF VERMONT, we are committed to providing you with the healthiest, most comfortable sleep environment you can buy.
  
  
• Many brand name mattress fillings contain formaldehydes and fluorocarbons found in polyurethane foams, which can deteriorate rapidly. The life of your mattress and the life of your back may suffer as a result.
  
• Pure and natural is the Heart of Vermont way. Natural fibers breathe easier and help dissipate body heat so you won't wake up with a cold, clammy feeling that synthetic fibers can create. The increased air circulation means you'll sleep cooler in summer and warmer in winter. This is particularly important in extremely hot climates because you can sleep 10-15 degrees cooler on natural fiber mattresses. Natural fibers conform to your body movements naturally. And, natural fibers last longer than synthetics. In fact, research has shown that cotton outlasts synthetic materials by a 2-to-1 ratio.
  
  
• So, your dollars can last longer with a HEART OF VERMONT mattress or box spring set.

Facts about our Fabrics!

• Organic Cotton is by definition, Cotton grown with no chemical pesticides, defoliants or fertilizers. We strive to find fabric manufacturers who are certified with the largest, most stringent certification boards (SKAL, TDA, , and who are closest to us to cut down on our global footprint. This means that we use a lot of US manufacturers, not just US suppliers, and we are always looking for more ways to reduce that footprint.
  
  Fertilizers that are used include compost, manure, naturally derived mineral and plant fertilizers, and crop rotation. Insect controls involve the use of beneficial bugs and natural pesticides certified for organic crops. It is also processed without oils, chemicals, and pesticides. Transitional Cotton has been grown organically but for less than three years. Certified Organic Cotton has been grown organically for over three years.