Fiberglass in Mattresses: What I've Learned Tearing Them Open

Why My Crew Wears Masks

One of the first questions people ask when they see our recycling operation is why everyone's wearing respirators. There are a lot of reasons — dead skin cells, dust mites, mold, the occasional hazardous fluid. But fiberglass is a big one.

When you tear open mattresses for a living, you learn things about what's inside them that most people never think about. And fiberglass fire barriers are one of those things I wish more people understood before they bought a cheap mattress online.

I didn't always know fiberglass was an issue. Years ago, before any of the lawsuits or news coverage, I got a red rash all over my forearms and neck after moving a mattress that was breaking down pretty heavily. I didn't know what had happened. When you're moving mattresses all day, sometimes you get itchy — I just chalked it up to something gross on the mattress. It's not the cleanest job.

But once the fiberglass issue started making news, I connected the dots. All those times our team had gotten itchy, had red eyes, felt like something was irritating their skin — it made sense. We were handling mattresses with failing fiberglass fire barriers and had no idea.

Now we know what to look for. And I want to share what I've learned so you don't end up sleeping on fiberglass without realizing it.

What Fiberglass Fire Barriers Are (And Why They Exist)

Every mattress sold in the US has to meet federal flammability standards. Since 2007, mattresses must pass an open flame test — they can't exceed certain heat release limits when exposed to fire. This regulation exists because mattresses used to catch fire easily and contributed to house fire deaths.

The industry needed a way to make mattresses fire-resistant. At first, manufacturers used flame retardant chemical sprays. But those chemicals turned out to be toxic — some were actually more harmful when burned than just letting the mattress combust. So the industry moved to physical fire barriers instead.

A fire barrier is a fabric layer that wraps around the foam inside your mattress, sitting just underneath the cover you see and touch. It's designed to block heat from reaching the flammable foam core.

Here's where fiberglass comes in: it's cheap and it works. Glass fibers don't burn, and they're effective at blocking heat transfer. For manufacturers trying to hit a low price point, fiberglass fire barriers (often called "fire socks") were an easy solution.

The problem is what happens when those fire socks break down.

What I See When Fiberglass Fails

When you tear open a mattress with a fiberglass fire barrier that's started breaking down, it's obvious. The fiberglass clings to everything — little white particles everywhere, on the foam, on our gloves, floating in the air. It gets on your skin and you feel it immediately.

Fiberglass fire sock

Layers exposed

The tricky part is identifying a fiberglass fire sock before you open the mattress. Most fire socks look similar from the outside — a thin fabric layer wrapped around the foam. You can't always tell if it's fiberglass or something safer until you're already exposed.

We picked up a mattress from a woman who said she'd been itchy constantly and finally decided to get rid of it. It was a cheap Amazon mattress. When we tore it open, the fiberglass fire sock had completely broken down — it was essentially particles at that point. She had been sleeping on that, breathing it in, with no idea what was causing her symptoms.

That's not an isolated case. We see it regularly.

How Fiberglass Escapes

Fiberglass fire barriers are designed to stay contained inside the mattress. In theory, if the outer cover stays intact, the fiberglass stays put. In practice, it doesn't always work that way.

The cover gets removed. Many mattresses have zippered covers that look like they're meant to be washed. People unzip them, throw the cover in the washing machine, and suddenly fiberglass particles are everywhere — on their bedding, in their washing machine, spreading through their home.

The cover fails. Cheap covers wear thin, develop holes, or the seams start separating. Once there's any gap, fiberglass can migrate out.

The fire sock itself degrades. Lower-quality fiberglass barriers — especially on cheaper imported mattresses — break down over time from normal use. The friction and compression of sleeping on the mattress weakens the fabric holding the fiberglass in place.

Manufacturing quality varies wildly. Some fire socks are well-constructed with fiberglass fibers encased in a protective sheath. Others are basically loose fiberglass woven with synthetic fibers, and those shed much more easily.

The Health Effects

Fiberglass causes mechanical irritation — the tiny glass fibers physically irritate your skin, eyes, and respiratory system. It's not a chemical reaction or an allergy. The fibers are literally poking into you.

Skin: Intense itching, redness, rash, sometimes small blisters. The irritation usually shows up on exposed skin — forearms, neck, face. I know this from personal experience.

Eyes: Redness, pain, watering, feeling like something's in your eye. Because there is.

Respiratory: Coughing, sore throat, congestion. Breathing in fiberglass particles irritates your airways.

The good news is these symptoms are usually temporary. For most people, the irritation resolves within a few days once you're away from the fiberglass. The bad news is if you're sleeping on a mattress that's shedding fiberglass every night, you're getting continuous exposure.

Long-term health effects from fiberglass exposure are limited — it's not classified as a carcinogen. But "not carcinogenic" doesn't mean "comfortable to sleep on." Nobody should be breathing in glass particles while they sleep.

The Lawsuits Changed Everything

The fiberglass mattress problem became national news around 2020-2021 when class action lawsuits hit Zinus — the biggest bed-in-a-box seller on Amazon. Over 2,000 people across 40 states joined lawsuits claiming fiberglass from their Zinus mattresses had contaminated their homes.

The stories were bad. Families spending $20,000+ on professional remediation. Kids with visible scarring. Fiberglass getting into HVAC systems and spreading to every room in the house. People having to throw away furniture, bedding, clothing — anything the fiberglass had touched.

Videos went viral on TikTok. One showing fiberglass spreading through a washing machine after someone washed their mattress cover got 14 million views.

The lawsuits settled in 2023 with undisclosed terms. But the real impact was forcing the industry to change.

Where the Industry Is Now (2025)

The lawsuits and bad publicity pushed most major manufacturers away from fiberglass. Based on current data, roughly 87% of mattresses on the market are now fiberglass-free.

California Is Banning It

California passed Assembly Bill 1059 in October 2023, which bans textile fiberglass in mattresses starting January 1, 2027. Since California is such a large market, most manufacturers will likely eliminate fiberglass from all their products rather than make separate California versions.

This is good news. But it means fiberglass mattresses will continue to be sold for another two years, and older inventory will circulate even longer.

What They Use Instead

There are several alternatives to fiberglass fire barriers, and they range significantly in cost:

Silica-treated rayon is the most common alternative. The silica is incorporated into the rayon fibers during manufacturing — not coated on top — so it doesn't shed or wear off. This is what Zinus, Nectar, Leesa, and most mid-range brands use now. It adds some cost but not dramatically.

Wool is naturally flame-resistant because of its protein structure and moisture content. It self-extinguishes and doesn't melt or drip like synthetics. Premium brands like Avocado, PlushBeds, and Birch use wool fire barriers. The downside: wool is expensive, which is why you mostly see it in mattresses over $2,000.

Kevlar (aramid fibers) is extremely effective but also expensive. Some high-end brands use it.

Hydrated silica works by releasing water when heated, which suffocates the fire. Brands like Nest Bedding use this approach.

The cost difference between fiberglass and these alternatives might be $20-50 per mattress at manufacturing scale. That's why premium brands never used fiberglass in the first place — the savings weren't worth the risk. Budget brands made a different calculation.

How to Tell If a Mattress Has Fiberglass

Check the law label. Every mattress has a white tag listing its materials. Look for terms like "glass fiber," "glass fibers," "glass wool," or "fiberglass." Also look for "silica" — fiberglass is made from silica.

Look for warning labels. If you see "Do Not Remove Cover" on a mattress with a zipper, that's a red flag. The zipper suggests the cover is removable; the warning exists because removing it would release fiberglass.

Check the price point. Queen mattresses under $600 are higher risk. This isn't a guarantee — some budget brands have eliminated fiberglass — but it's a useful signal.

Look up the specific mattress. NapLab maintains a database of 348+ mattresses with fiberglass status. Search for your mattress before buying.

Ask the manufacturer directly. "What material do you use as a fire barrier to meet federal flammability standards?" If they can't give you a straight answer, be suspicious.

Certifications help but aren't foolproof. GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and GOLS (Global Organic Latex Standard) certified mattresses don't contain fiberglass. CertiPUR-US only certifies the foam — it says nothing about fire barriers.

If You Already Have a Fiberglass Mattress

Don't remove the cover. If the fiberglass is contained, keep it that way. The cover is the barrier.

Don't wash the cover. This is how many contamination disasters start. People unzip the cover, wash it, and spread fiberglass through their washing machine and home.

Consider replacing it. If you know your mattress has fiberglass, especially if it's an older or heavily used mattress where the fire sock may be degrading, replacement is the safest option.

What I Tell People

When customers ask me about mattresses, fiberglass is one of the first things I mention. Not because it's the most important factor in mattress quality — foam density, coil construction, and materials matter more for comfort and durability. But fiberglass is a problem that's completely avoidable if you know to look for it.

The industry has gotten better. Most mattresses sold today don't contain fiberglass. But "most" isn't "all," and the budget end of the market is still risky.

My Advice

Spend a little more, buy from an established mattress manufacturer, verify the fire barrier material before purchasing, and avoid the cheapest options on Amazon unless you've specifically confirmed they're fiberglass-free. If you're looking for budget options, I've put together a list of 7 affordable mattresses I've verified are fiberglass-free.

And if you're getting rid of a mattress that might have fiberglass, let the professionals handle it. That's partly self-serving — it's my business — but it's also practical. We know how to handle these mattresses safely. We wear the respirators for a reason.

Frequently Asked Questions