While expanded polystyrene (EPS) beans are the most popular choice for filling your bean bags, due to their ease of access (sold in most major retailers) and affordability, there are also other options that you can fill your bean bags with …. that are incredibly comfortable.
Crumbed Foam Fill
Crumbed foam fill will take your bean bag to another level! The foam filling will make your bean bag chair incredibly soft, spongy like a couch. Crumbed foam fill is generally made from shredded foam, such as traditional foam or memory foam.
There are many benefits to foam fill, such as:
- Make less noise than polystyrene
- Foam can be friendlier to the environment – as foam is easier to recycle and will leave less of a carbon footprint
- Crumbed foam fill is more lfikely to retain its shape for longer
- In most cases, foam fill is less dangerous to children and pets
We have added the recommended requirements on our individual product pages to help guide you, but please note, crumbed foam fill will come down to your personal preference based on how full, hard or soft you would like your bean bags.
We recommend using a mixture of crumbed foam and polystyrene beans. The foam will eliminate the noise, while the bean filling will add a little firmness to your bean bag.
Beans, Rice or Natural Fillers
This is an interesting one, and to be honest, an alternative that we haven’t personally tried, however, we have heard of people filling their bean bags with dried beans, grains, rice or cedar shavings. This option will certainly add some weight to your bean bag, but it will certainly ensure your bean bag does not fly away. It will also be a firmer / harder alternative, but one that is much friendlier to the environment.
Soft Toys and Old Clothing
Another interesting choice and one that is much more friendly to Mother Nature, is to recycle old clothes and soft toys … stuff them in your bean bag and you will create one comfy bean bag chair. The only really con with this option is that your beanbag chair can end up quite heavy and if you are using soft toys, a little lumpy … but it is still a great option if you are cautious about the environmental factors.
Hay
We’re not sure how much we recommend this one, we haven’t tried it ourselves, but again, we have heard of people filling their bean bags with hay. It definitely falls under the eco-friendly category, however it could lead to a sneeze or two if you are like us! Obviously, it is essential that the hay is completely dry before using it as a filling, if it’s not, you may end up with one very mouldy bean bag.
Alternative Fillings – conclusion
The team at Mooi Living totally understand that many of our customers will want to make a choice that is comfortable, economical, practical and affordable. We have certainly covered the most popular alternatives above, but there are certainly other options too. Please just ensure you do you research prior to filling your bean bag covers.
And if you need help with filling your bean bags, read out article: Recommendations for Bean Bag Filling: How to Fill Bean Bags?
Additionally, we can give you some direction on where to purchase your bean filling, simply read our article: Where to get Bean Bag Filling in Australia
