Odor of Wool Pillows and Mattress

June 19, 2007 by Debra Lynn Dadd

Question from Julie

Hi, 

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a natural latex mattress with wool batting, and wool pillows. They have been airing out since I got them, because they smell like little sheeps... 

The smell is pretty intense, especially for the pillows. I did many reasearch in the Internet and could not find any customers complaints about bad smell of wool pillows. 

I called the company and they said that the smell should be gone after 2 weeks, but it's not gone yet. They also offered to come and use some kind of "deionizer" process to get rid of the smell if it's not gone after a while. 

Do you know if this smell is normal and will go away eventually? What do you think of the process they suggest to get rid of the smell? 

(By the way, the company states that they use Texel organic wool, washed with only hot water and vegetable-based soaps (no detergents, chemicals, or chlorine bleach), certified to the Oko-Tex 100 standard.) 

Debra's Answer

Many natural materials do have natural odors that are not toxic--it's just the natural odor--and wool is no exception.

I've purchased several wool mattresses, about a dozen wool pillows, and a wool comforter over the years, and have never had a problem with a "sheep" odor that was too strong.

By the time the wool is cleaned and carded, it should be odor-free.

I don't know anything about the process they are recommending, but they should do whatever it takes to make this right for you, or accept your return and give you a full refund.