What is the Best Type of Bean Bag Refill for You?

Type of Bean Bag Refills in Singapore

It is a known fact that bean bags have become an increasingly popular item to own in Singaporean homes. Comfortable, funky, and pretty, what is there not to like about them? While the records of Masons Home Decor does show that there is actually a substantial market of Singaporeans who purchase a bean bag solely for home decor purposes, there are many others who would actually love to snuggle in one on a daily basis!

Being so light and easy to carry has resulted in some users bringing their bean bag to every part of their home or office they go to. Do this for 5 to 7 years and you may realise that the beads or filling in your bean bag will start to lose its volume. When this happens, do not panic!

There has also been much debate on EPP vs EPS bean bag refills. We have here today in detail, the types of bean bag refills available in Singapore, so that you may determine which would suit you best!

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) beads are the most popular option when it comes to selecting a  bean bag refill, especially in Singapore. It is a man made plastic processed to be in the form of tiny beads in the diameter of 3 to 5 mm. Known for its durability and good heat conducting properties, they are also commonly used to cushion fragile hardware and contain piping hot food takeaways (as Singaporeans would say, ‘dapao’).

Pros:

• Being a man made plastic, EPS is highly resistant to heat and moisture, ensuring the bean bag user a comfortable rest.
• Odourless
• Very lightweight and would definitely fly uncontrollably in the presence of wind. 95 to 98% of the composition of EPS is actually air.
• Despite its light weight, it is extremely rigid. It is able to withstand human weight without losing its shape through compression for at least 5 to 7 years. The EPS Bean Bag refill from Masons Home Decor is known to last for at least 10 years.
• Environmentally friendly because it is recyclable.

Cons:

• Non-biodegradable and has to be recycled in order to remain environmentally friendly

Expanded Polypropylene (EPP)

Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) is another plastic material that is easy to reshape when introduced to a certain degree of temperature. Upon solidifying while it is being cooled, it becomes extremely strong, durable, and resilient. While it has many benefits over the earlier talked about EPS, EPP bean bag refills are avoided due to some worrying issues.

Pros:

• Extremely strong and durable. Definitely capable to handle any sort of human mass, and would even pop back into shape when intentionally crushed. It is highly unlikely that EPP will lose its volume, even when used over a period of more than 10 years.

Cons:

• It is indeed true that EPP is a tougher material. This also means it is more dense. Your bean bag will be at least a third heavier when filled with EPP (as compared to EPS).
• Being tougher and denser, EPP beads are going to be much more firm than EPS beads. As you take your seat on your bean bag, you may not feel that moving around within your seat is that easy anymore. This is due to the fact that the EPP beads are going to be extremely rigid. Comfort may be compromised.
• EPP beads are proven to be a fire hazard.

Other possible types of bean bag fillers

Compressed Foam

Compressed foam has evolved into memory foam over the years, due to the emergence of technology. This material is used mainly for bean bag chairs or loungers to provide a very firm yet comfortable experience. It is a type of Polyurethane Foam that reacts to body heat to provide the user with optimum comfort.

Pros:

• Memory foam molds to a warm body to accommodate to the shape of the body.
• High ergonomic properties that are perfect for maintaining preferred body posture.

Cons:

• Not suitable for bean bags of irregular shapes.
• Unsuitable if you wish to snuggle and move within your seat along with the beads within your bean bag.
• After a period of 5 years, memory foam may not recover to its original shape. Therefore, it is more suitable for individual use only.

Micro-Beads:

Micro beads are made from the most common type of plastic in the world – Polyethylene. They are manufactured to be no more than 1 mm in diameter, and can be comfortable to fill bean bags that are meant to be extremely firm.

Pros:

As mentioned above, it is ideal for bean bags if you want them to be firm, rigid, and hard.

Cons:

Micro-beads are really tiny, having them compacted into a bead bag would result in it to be much heavier than when filled with any of the bean bag fillings discussed above.

If you are looking for a rigid bean bag, you would have found your solution. But if you would prefer a bean bag to be something you can snuggle into, this option of filling is not the one for you.

Thank you!

We do hope you have enjoyed this informative article about bean bag refills! Do share this post if felt it was helpful! Stay tuned for more tips regarding home decor!

Love,

Masons Home Decor