What Is a Batting Bed or Bare Quilt Bed?

"Batting bed" is the name we settled on for the bed we made about five years ago out of cotton batting. We also call it a "bare quilt bed."

It is a floor bed or mattress similar to a Japanese shikibuton or futon that is made of all cotton, washable, and can be any size you want.

It is not like a regular bed or mattress. Looking at it, you might not even think it's a bed at all. We didn't consider it particularly nameworthy at first; it was just a sleeping solution that solved several problems we had with traditional beds.

We have slept exclusively on this simple floor bed, in various conformations, for a number of years now. In the years before that, we lived like normal people and used conventional beds complete with box springs and mattresses or just used plain mattresses, futons, and shikibutons on the floor. We kept looking, futilely, for a sleeping solution that would be comfortable for both of us, that would allow us to control mold and dust mites and potentially bed bugs, that would be easy to move, and that would last for years and years.

For us, this solution blows them all away in flexibility and simplicity. It is washable. It can accommodate as many people as needed. It can be rolled up during the day if you like. It is comfy (if you like firm). It is the most modular, adjustable bed in existence short of the bare ground.

Of course, it is not a fancy bed. When visitors come over and peek into our bedroom, they look a little startled. We don't talk about it much, because we know they won't understand why we love it so much.

I started this blog because of a request. A reader from my article on shikibutons was interested in knowing how we did it. I thought that perhaps other people would also like to know. So here it is.

I hope I've included enough information on this blog to help you decide whether this bed idea is a good one for you or not. I recommend checking out this page that helps you figure out whether a bare quilt bed is for you.