Whitefish Women Invent Washable Mattress

What do you call a problem without an already-invented solution intermingled with environmental and hygienic concerns? Some might call it a guaranteed headache, but Whitefish residents Anne Paschen and Jeanne Reichstadt called it something else: Opportunity.

This was essentially the scene upon which Paschen and Reichstadt set about their plans for developing the world’s first machine-washable and -dryable mattress.

It struck the two, who are best friends, as odd in this day in age that our houses are as clean as they’ve ever been, thanks to modern invention, but our mattresses are left to gather skin, fluids, and whatever else happens to land there.

“It’s really gross that you can’t wash your mattress,” Paschen said.

Being able to wash a mattress would solve the problem, they reasoned, but that in itself presents another problem. Once Americans started their great love affair with memory foam, it wasn’t possible to wash such mattresses.

Raising kids often makes parents wish for such a possibility, though, especially during potty training or any other period of bedwetting.

“Most parents solve that problem with a plastic cover,” Paschen said. “And those are noisy and super warm. We’re trying to provide a breathable, comfortable solution for parents.”

The solution is Washabelle, a new kind of mattress built from layers of washable memory foam. The foam, which took about a year to create and is now called Washafoam, is a new invention from Reichstadt’s company, Future Foam.

“It’s a new kind of foam,” Paschen said.

Washabelle is made from a base layer enclosed in a breathable but waterproof fabric. On top of those are two, thinner layers of Washafoam, each enclosed in its own netting.

The result is if a kid has an accident during the night, parents can grab a new ticking – the strong, durable material covering mattresses – and throw the soiled one in the wash, or, if the accident calls for it, the mattress piece itself can fit into the washing machine.

Currently, the prototype for Washabelle is available at Wright’s Furniture in Whitefish. Paschen and Reichstadt said they hope parents will bring their kids to check it out and provide feedback for the product. The price is usually $489, but they offered $50 off for locals through the end of this week.

Another driving factor for developing the product is the sheer number of used mattresses sent to landfills around the country each year. According to ABC News, about 20 million mattresses are thrown out annually in the United States.

They can’t be burned, due to chemicals that would escape in the smoke, and otherwise just take up space, Paschen said.

“Our feeling is don’t dump it, wash it,” she said. “It’s a much more ecofriendly solution.”

So far, the Washabelle model is only available for children’s beds. Paschen said that instead of taking a mattress made for an adult and cutting it down to size, the Washabelle is built with American Pediatric Association guidelines for supporting young, growing bodies in mind.

Paschen and Reichstadt acknowledged the potential for the mattress’ use in many other markets, such as assisted-living facilities and college dormitories. There would also be a market for people who would just prefer to keep their mattress clean, Paschen said.

The pair intend to have their website up and running soon, and in the meantime, plan on listening to reviews of the product from its set up at Wright’s.

“Come in and test it out with kids,” Paschen said. “We want the hard truth about this.”