Patent title - “An anti-dust mite mattress using a dust mite barrier by way of a microporous encasement cover with a permanently sealed flap covered zip system”
In May 2020 during the earth shattering covid19 pandemic we at least received some good news to help buoy up our optimism for our business going forward. Our Pure Zees baby mattress was granted its intellectual property patent. Our method of taking on the dust mite and its love of mattress dwelling without using chemicals was recognised as unique and worthy of being deemed patentable.
When we set about designing our baby mattress back in 2014 there were many factors we had to deal with that had us scratching our heads and asking ourselves if it was possible. It was an accumulation of factors from the various organisations we had to satisfy that made it seem impossible.
The asthma & allergy friendly certification program required that we keep the dust mites out of the mattress core without using chemicals while providing an exterior surface that could be wiped clean of them on a regular basis. Not only that, but this exterior surface was required to be also waterproof and skin breathable at the same time in order to protect the core interior from your normal everyday baby wet accidents while maintaining a high degree of comfort for the baby in that the waterproof surface they were sleeping on would allow their skin to breath and therefore they remain comfortable. Usually the waterproof covers or protectors used by many on top of mattresses can cause discomfort and sweating because the skin is not allowed transpire freely.
EU and US safety requirements added further complications. The baby mattress had to be flame retardant. Most baby mattresses use chemicals to make this possible. It is recognised that many of the chemicals used are carcinogenic. The AAFA certification program carries out a VOC chamber test for harmful chemicals that are known to be asthma and allergy triggers and our big concern was that any introduction of flame-retardant chemicals could jeopardise our design plans. Fortunately, the fibre core we use as well as the carefully selected covering components we use are inherently flame retardant and our mattress passed all the EU and American fire tests and 100% satisfied the AAFA certification tests. And the cherry on top was that the fibre core was able to be made firm and durable in order to pass new test criteria that was added to the EU baby mattress safety regulations in 2017.
It took us about 3 years to finally put together a baby mattress that could pass all the AAFA, EU & US tests that were thrown at it. Over 30 individual baby mattress tests by our count, a figure that does not include the separate OEKO-TEX® tests carried out on the individual components before they are even put together. That we were able to solve the many conundrums, and that we never turned a blind eye to any of them is something that we are extremely proud of at Pure Zees. We believe our baby mattress is the most tested in the world , whether it be for asthma & allergy triggers, harmful chemicals, as well as the physical safety requirements, it gives us a great feeling of achievement that it is now officially patented and recognised as unique.