Knitted mattress fabrics often have other comfort properties

Mattress fabrics help a bed tell a story on the sales floor. They offer visual cues that set a mattress' price point in relation to others in the collection.

Comfort

In addition to being soft and breathable, knitted mattress fabrics often have other comfort properties. Some are impregnated with aloe vera, ylang-ylang and tea tree oil to help promote a good night’s sleep. Others are infused with antibacterial, antimicrobial and antifungal treatments to reduce static and keep the bedding clean and hygienic.

Durability

The fabric used to encase everything else on a mattress, called the ticking, can play a big role in how your sleep experience and feel. The best ticking fabrics are durable and flexible, allowing the underlying layers to cradle your body without putting any strain on the fabric.

Woven fabrics are extremely strong and densely woven with threads that run parallel to one another, but knitted fabrics have interlocking loops that create a very soft texture and a good amount of elasticity. Knitted fabrics also have the ability to be patterned and woven with functional yarns to add things like moisture, heat or anti-static control.

There is a huge selection of specialist knitted fabric for mattresses, some impregnated with aloe vera, ylang ylang or tea tree oil to help you relax; others with climate control properties (Coolmax, Outlast etc) and others with health fabrics added such as anti-static or silver fleck to inhibit bacteria. There are even probiotic fabrics that claim to actively neutralise bed bug allergens and suppress noxious bacteria.

Breathability

Breathability refers to the fabric’s ability to absorb and release moisture without letting heat or odors get trapped in the material. This is important because a breathable mattress fabric will keep you cool when you sleep, preventing you from overheating. It also keeps odors at bay by not allowing them to linger in the material and smell up your room.