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Cotton and Foam Futon Mattress

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In the beginning, there was cotton. The original futon mattresses were made only of cotton. But, as futons became popular and traditional mattress makers began to produce them, futon mattresses benefitted from industry advances.

Cotton had a tendency to age, just like every other fabric. To combat the tendency of 100% cotton to pack down and become firm and heavy, manufacturers began to incorporate foam into their mattresses. They kept layers of cotton, used as a padding component, to enhance the feel of the surface nearest your skin, but added foam layers for loft. If you like a softer futon mattress, you may wish to choose a combination of cotton and foam.

The cotton is both breathable and allows the futon mattress to conform to the body without the spongy or bouncy feel of foam. The cotton component appeals to those who prefer a natural fabric next to their skin.

Adding the foam layers to a futon mattress ensures that the futon mattress will stay softer and more plush over time. The foam adds a more plush feel without all the additional weight of cotton. Though foam can lose it's shape over time, it does not become as compacted as does cotton.

Foam comes both in flat slabs and convoluted sheets that resemble egg-cartons with their alternating hills and valleys. Flat, slab foam gives a smooth feel to the futon mattress, while convoluted foam provides more loft. With cotton layers on the top and bottom, the futon mattress manufacturers add many layers of foam to the middle and in differing orientations and densities of foam to achieve different effects in a futon mattress. Some futon mattress manufacturers put a flat slab in the middle and surround it with convoluted foam. Other futon mattress manufacturers orient the convoluted in opposite directions. The pictures below demonstrate how varied this can be.

The main idea is that the combination of cotton and foam will provide a plush feel with a smooth, soft surface that both conforms to body contour and provides adequate support.

We should also mention that futon mattress makers are also developing new types of lighter-weight and less compressable cotton. Wolf Aerolife (TM) mattresses contain this new version of cotton. Other manufacturers combine cotton with polyester, so you will see cotton/poly blends that combine the best of both the natural and synthetic worlds.

Check out our cotton and foam mattresses. We have a variety of styles and prices ranges that should suit all budgets. We do recommend that you purchase as much mattress as your budget will allow. A good night's sleep is worth a lot