The mattress recycling program being carried out in Duluth is doing quite well. It is the only program, one of two in the country, that takes apart the components of the mattress which should eventually be re-used as something else. It brings in money for the town, too.

The foam is sent to Wisconsin, where it will serve as material for carpet underlay. Wooden frames from the mattresses become fuel for the paper mill while the cotton are sent to locomotive companies to use for their oil filters. The only thing they haven’t no use for so far? The fiber layer called or shoddy.

“One of the challenges that we’ve seen there is the steel springs - that they’re not compressible,” Hagen said. “We’ve looked at shredding the springs, but that’s cost prohibitive.”

Right now Goodwill just gives the springs to an auto recycler, which chews them up with the old cars. But that doesn’t return any money to the mattress project.

Via MPR

Luxury mattress company, Dormia, has filed a Chapter 11. But the stores remain open even as that is the case. Dormia has some 20 stores across nine states in America.

From its CEO and President Mike Zipelli:

“While some of the stores performed well over the years, we were never able to open enough locations to leverage the advertising and operational support in multiple markets,”

Dormia is a subsidiary of Classic Sleep Products of Maryland.

More details from the Baltimore Sun.

Mattress Giant has a newly promoted VP of Merchandising. The mattress company has announced the promotion of Errol Lebowitz this week. Lebowitz joined the Mattress Giant last year, after the company acquired Mattress Expo. In his new role, Lebowitz will serve as contact for bedding manufacturers.

Mattress Giant from Addison Texas is a fast growing mattress retail store with 340 stores all over America.

Danny Seo, the eco-stylist and magazine columnist, has just launched his new line of mattress products yesterday. The mattresses are available at any JC Penney outlet with a price tag of $1599 (Queen0. He’s been working with Simmons’ design team to come up with this eco-friendly brand, which features the following:

• Tencel fabric covering, which is biodegradable.
• Soy based foam, a renewable source.
• Wood frame from sustainable forest.
• 100% recycled materials for steel framing.

Via Danny Seo

With so many types of mattress available, in so many price ranges, choosing one is a daunting task. After you’ve done your research and comparison and you basically have an idea of what you want, you must also include the kind of store you’re purchasing this mattress from.

Where do you shop?

Some department stores carry mattress lines with good, affordable price tags but with limited range. A store that is specifically dedicated to just one product, like a mattress, should provide you the best possible deals available. They have dedicated staff that absolutely know what they have to offer, so that they can properly assist you in finding the mattress you want.

Bargain stores have great deals but a careful inspection may be required as the mattress may obviously not provide you best comfort a few years down the line. In the long run, deals from stores like this may cost you more money.

Major mattress stores have an extensive product line and what’s more, they do carry huge sales that may benefit you.

Lastly, a good mattress store should be willing to let you test the product by having you lie down on it.

In photo: Keetsa Mattress Store