Allergy Problem

I’m having an allergic reaction to a new mattress. It has polyurethane foam and a little memory foam in it. It makes my eyes burn and causes breathing constriction. I don’t know what to do. The store where I bought the mattress will exchange it for a special order latex mattress that I have no way of knowing the quality of. Is there a cover of some kind I can put on the mattress to protect me from the effects of the foam? I just don’t know what to do! They won’t refund my money, and will only do a one-time exchange. I’m disgusted with the mattress trade, especially having to get locked into a dealer by their “exchange-only” policy. HELP!!

Hi nancymariec,

I’m sorry to hear about your situation and your reaction to your mattress.

Based on your previous posts … you purchased the PettyGrove mattress is that correct?

If that’s the case it doesn’t have any memory foam in it and only contains some polyfoam and latex. It’s possible that you have a latex allergy (see post #2 here) and it’s also possible that you could be reacting to the polyfoam in the mattress as well but it can be difficult to track down the source of these types of reactions except through a process of elimination. It could even be something else that is part of your sleeping system (including your sheets and bedding) or is in your sleeping enviorinment.

All of the mattresses at Parklane use good quality materials and there are no lower quality materials or weak links in any of their designs.

Post #3 here may be helpful but I would first try and determine the cause of your reaction because it would certainly be preferable to exchange for a mattress that didn’t use the material that you are reacting to.

Return and exchange policies are built into the price of a mattress so a manufacturer that provides a return/refund policy would need to add the cost of their expected returns to the cost of the mattress and this would need to be part of the purchase that you agreed to. You will need to replace the mattress anyway so a good exchange policy can be just as good if you are dealing with a high quality manufacturer like Parklane because they have a wide range of good quality/value mattresses to exchange for that would be better choices than most of the other mattresses that are available to you in the area.

Phoenix

I did purchase the Pettygrove and had to return it because it got unbearably hot. (The latex layer was immediately beneath the cover.) I didn’t exchange it because I would have had to pay another $210.00 delivery fee plus an exchange fee. They allowed me to return the mattress, but I had to forfeit the original $210.00 delivery fee. I didn’t want to dig the money hole any deeper! (I live about 20 miles outside their free delivery area, but they charged the full $210.00 anyway.) So I finally got desperate and purchased a Serta offshoot Five Star pillow top from a local dealer. This is my third night with it. I aired it out all day and am going to try sleeping on it again tonight. If I can’t tolerate it I will probably try to sell it rather than exchange it for a $2,000 latex mattress from the same dealer. Even if I could get another exchange with this dealer, the policy is that if you exchange for a cheaper mattress, they don’t refund the difference. I’m so discouraged by this whole experience. My old mattress was a double-sided pillow top about 20 years old. I wish I hadn’t given it away. I had no idea what I was letting myself in for when I decided to get a new one. They all seem to have potentially toxic components in them now. Anyway, any suggestions will be appreciated.

Hi nancymariec,

It’s unfortunate that you ended up returning your mattress (and buying a much lower quality and much less durable mattress) because there may have been some options that may have helped with temperature regulation (see post #2 here). You may also have been better off exchanging it for another mattress from Parklane that slept cooler for you.

In any case what’s done is done but you may now be in a very difficult situation because the store you purchased from may not have any good quality options to exchange for.

If you let me know which store it is I can look at their website to see what they carry but I would be very cautious about a “latex mattress” if it is made by a major brand because it may also have significant amounts of lower quality materials (such as polyfoam) that could be a significant weak link in the mattress. Hopefully they carry better quality latex mattresses that don’t have any lower quality materials or weak links in their design.

I would always try and make sure that to the degree possible you find out the type and quality of all the materials and components in any mattress you are considering as an exchange (see this article) so you can avoid a mattress that starts sagging or develops soft spots much too quickly after a purchase because of the softening and foam breakdown that is the result of lower quality materials in a mattress.

Post #2 here also has some suggestions about the two main strategies you can use when you are in the unfortunate situation where you need to exchange a mattress at a store when you are they may not have any particularly good quality/value mattresses to exchange for.

Phoenix

I’m going to get rid of this toxic mattress, either by selling it or exchanging it for a platform bed frame. I called Parklane this morning about latex mattresses and found out some good news: They are in the process of developing a foam-free latex mattress. It will contain only talalay latex and cotton. They have had many requests from other allergy-prone folks like me. The salesman said it will be ready for sale within the year. It will no doubt be less expensive than the other pure latex mattresses I have looked at. So I’m going to wait. I have an older twin bed in my guest room that I can sleep on in the meantime.

The store where I bought the current “toxic” mattress is the Sleep Center in Corvallis, Oregon. The latex bed they want me to buy is made by Lady Americana. I would be interested in knowing about this bed if you find out anything about it, just out of curiousity.

Also, another question: My guest room bed gets hot. Can you tell me what remedies there are for beds that get too hot? Pads or covers? Thanks.
, O

Hi nancymariec,

I’m guessing you mean this mattress?

Unfortunately their description is very incomplete but if if you can find out the information listed here and post it on the forum I’d be happy to make some comments about the mattress and the quality of the materials inside it. Without this information it’s really not possible for me to make any meaningful comments about any mattress.

Post #2 here has more information that may help you track down the reasons you are sleeping hot and some suggestions that may help.

Phoenix

I don’t know if that’s the mattress; they only said it cost about $2,000. I would make a bet that it has foam in it somewhere. I’m going to wait for Parklane to market their foam-free latex mattress. Thanks very much for your help. This whole process has been an education for sure. It appears that the toxic mattress revolution has brought about a whole industry of products to make them more comfortable and cooler. It is nearly impossible to find a mattress without some kind of foam in it. I’m glad I called Parklane this morning, and it will be worth the wait to get a pure and nonallergenic mattress. The salesman guessed that it will cost under $1,000.00.

Hi nancymariec,

[quote] I’m going to wait for Parklane to market their foam-free latex mattress.

It is nearly impossible to find a mattress without some kind of foam in it. I’m glad I called Parklane this morning, and it will be worth the wait to get a pure and nonallergenic mattress. The salesman guessed that it will cost under $1,000.00. [/quote]

There is some information in post #4 here about mattresses that only contain natural fibers and an innerspring (no latex foam, memory foam, or polyfoam) but you are correct that almost all mattresses contain some of one of the three main types of foam materials and the ones that don’t can be very costly.

There is also much more information about organic, natural, chemical free, green, and “safe” materials in post #2 here and the other posts it links to that can help you decide which materials you are comfortable with having in your mattress and that can help answer your questions about “how safe is safe enough for me?”. These types of issues are complex and are generally specific to each person and their individual sensitivities and circumstances so their cause or the specific types of materials you are sensitive to can sometimes be very difficult to track down

They already make some latex mattresses that don’t use any polyfoam or memory foam but if they make an all latex mattress that is under $1000 (in queen) then it would certainly be a very good price and I’ll be very curious to see the details.

Phoenix

I don’t know all the things I could be allergic to, but I do know that I’m not allergic to cotton or latex. (I’m temporarily sleeping on an older Englander latex twin bed in my guest room, with no ill effects.) Parklane has 3 latex mattresses: The Alameda has a top layer of 4lb Gel Foam (isn’t this a petroleum-based foam?) The Macadem has a silk cover, which I could possibly be allergic to, don’t know. The Overton also has a silk cover and contains something called “Talatech Latex.” (Do you know what this is? I’m guessing it might contain foam.)

I can’t afford to buy mattresses just to try them out to see if they are comfortable and/or if I’m allergic to them. Most dealers, including Parklane, will exchange a mattress one time only, for a fee. And in my case there is also a $210.00 delivery charge for each trip because I live about 20 miles beyond the edge of their free delivery area. I’m a senior citizen on a modest fixed income, and every dollar I lose in these transactions is problematic.

So all in all, I probably should wait for Parklane’s cotton-and-latex-only model, unless I can find a comparable one somewhere else; but there are no other such places near me that I know of.

Hi nancymariec,

Yes … most of the chemicals used to make memory foam or gel memory foam (or polyfoam) are petroleum based yes although in some cases a small percentage of the polyols used are derived from plant oils (see post #2 here).

It’s very unlikely that you would be allergic or sensitive to silk.

Talatech is a trade name for Talalay latex made by Latex International. I would keep in mind that all latex (including the latex you are sleeping on) is a “foam” material. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here. If you don’t have a latex allergy then latex (of any type or blend) is the least likely of all the foam materials to cause any sensitivity issues.

Phoenix