Serta Simmons to Create First Antiviral Mattress with HeiQ Group

With COVID-19, anything anti-viral or anti-bacterial is catching attention among consumers.

Serta Simmons Bedding (SSB) has recently announced that it is partnering with Switzerland-based HeiQ Group, a leader in textile innovation, to create the U.S. market’s very first antiviral mattress.

According to a press release from Serta, the agreement gives SSB exclusive access within the U.S. bedding category to HeiQ Viroblock™ technology, which has previously been approved by the European Medical Device Directive for antiviral use in medical personal protective equipment such as N95 equivalent masks, and registered as an antiviral active by the German EPA.

The release further says that HeiQ Viroblock™ was recently independently tested as 99.99% effective in 30 minutes against SARS-CoV-2 by a leading Australian infection and immunity research institute.

SSB plans to pursue any necessary approvals for its line of Serta and Beautyrest HeiQ Viroblock mattresses with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency.

If approved, SSB plans to utilize HeiQ Viroblock across much of its industry-leading portfolio of brands, which includes Serta, Beautyrest and Tuft & Needle.

“We know that our partners in the hospitality and healthcare industries are doing everything they can to help provide the cleanest environment and reassure their guests,” said David Swift, chairman and CEO of Serta Simmons Bedding.

He added, “Antiviral and antibacterial mattresses will be an enormous asset in that effort.”
Several of the world’s largest hotel brands to bolster cleanliness and safety initiatives have already shared their interest to acquire HeiQ Viroblock-treated mattresses from SSB.

Elie Khoury, EVP operations resources at Aimbridge Hospitality, the global leader in hotel management services said, “As the largest third-party manager we are proactively searching for the best opportunities to add value for our owners and enhance the experience for our guests. We are currently testing the new antiviral bedding and accessories from Serta Simmons and eager to understand the impact in helping our properties deliver the highest level of safety and cleanliness for guests.”

The press release explains that “HeiQ Viroblock represents such a breakthrough for the mattress industry: Virus particles and bacteria are invisible to the human eye (SARS-CoV-2 is only 90 nanometers large) and they easily pass through sheets. They can persist and stay infectious for days on textiles, such as traditional mattresses. HeiQ’s Viroblock technology solves that problem by using microsilver technology that attracts virus particles, combined with vesicle technology that breaks down the viral membrane within seconds. Tests conducted at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity showed that COVID-19-causing virus samples concentrated on fabric treated with HeiQ Viroblock were 99.99% reduced.”

It was this past March that SSB also announced that it was donating 10,000 mattresses to hospitals in areas hard hit by the pandemic. It has additionally launched a platform in conjunction with Relief Bed International to facilitate further donations.