I have been to several stores looking for mattresses (a king for me and 2 queens for guests as I had a home fire and the mattresses were destroyed. Urban Mattress (local) has a mattress I like (Evo Sleep Bio-Temp Retreat Ultra Plush Eurotop) for the king and (Sherwood Stafford Luxury Firm) for the 2 queens but the king is a return (too soft according to the previous owners) but makes it more affordable for me! I went to a major department store and liked the feel of the Sealy Posturpedic Asbury station euro pillowtop which is significantly cheaper than the aforementioned king mattress ($1000 less). After reading what seems to be endless information regarding mattress construction and the chemicals that are used for fire retardation, I stumbled upon this site. I am at a loss as I need to make a decision and there are no members on this website located here in Austin (the closest is Ft. Worth) and I am not someone who can make a decision about a mattress without a “test drive”. My question is just how toxic is the Sealy compared to the Evo? I would prefer not to gas myself to sleep every night but don’t want to be overly concerned if there is not a significant difference. Thank you for letting me post here.
The first place I would start your research is the tutorial post here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choices … and avoid the worst ones (including major brands or any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the specifics of the materials inside it)
The better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Austin area are listed in post #2 here.
A mattress is only as good as its construction and the materials inside it so outside of testing a mattress for PPP … the most important part of any mattress purchase is making sure that you know the quality of all the layers and materials inside the mattress.
If you can find out the specific information about the Sherwood you need to make an informed buying decision (the thickness of each layer from top to bottom, the type and density of any polyfoam or memory foam, and the type and blend of any latex especially) and post it on the forum I’d be happy to make more comments about it or help youy identify any weak link in the mattress.
It’s not likely you will be able to find out the information you would need about the Sealy but they generally use lower quality/density materials and I would tend to pass them by unless you are willing to make a blind purchase where the odds are high that you are buying lower quality materials which will soften and break down faster than the higher quality materials that are used by many smaller manufacturers.
I’m not so sure that most people would call either one “toxic” but if you are more sensitive than most or have a medical condition such as MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity) or other reasons to avoid substances or materials that most people would call safe then it can be a real challenge to make some of the very difficult lifestyle changes that can be involved in eliminating chemicals from your home including in your mattress. In these types of cases post #2 here and the links to other posts and sources of information it includes can be a good place to begin to help you sort through some of the complex, contradictory, and misleading information that can help you answer the question of “how safe is safe enough for me?” when it comes to a mattress.
Well I have narrowed my choices down to the following:
EVO Bio-Temp Retreat Ultra Plush Eurotop King
Outlast Technology Cover
Natural Rayon Fire Barrier Fiber
7/8" Hyper Soft Soy - Based Foam
7/8" Hyper Soft Soy - Based Foam
7/8" Hyper Soft Soy - Based Foam
.9" 21 ILD Celsion Latex (form of Talalay Latex with “phase change” material built in to help sleep cooler)
.9" 19 ILD Talalay Latex
7/8" H.D. Super-Soft Soy-Based Comfort Foam
7/8" H.D. Super-Soft Soy-Based Comfort Foam
3" Layer of Natural Talalay Latex
3.5" Layer of Super H.D. Soy-Based Upholstery Grade Convoluted Foam
3.5" Layer of Super H.D. Soy-Based Upholstery Grade Convoluted Foam
Orig. $3999 My cost (product return) $2199.
OR
Latex King
Victoria
15 Inch Chemical Free Certified Organic Latex Rubber Plushest and Strongest
â– SleepWorld uses Certified Organic Latex Foam Rubber, 9 Inch Core
â– SleepWorld uses Certified Organic Latex Foam Rubber, 6 Inch Topper
â– SleepWorld uses 100% 8-Step Certified Organic Wool for Body Climate Control and Moisture Control
â– SleepWorld uses 100% Certified Organic Cotton Cover
â– 100% Sustainable Unfinished and Unstained Steel Coil Foundation
Price $4499 (w/out foundation as I have a platform bed)
The latex mattress is amazing but the EVO is very comfortable also. Any expert advice is most welcome. I believe both mattresses would be wise purchase.
To make any meaningful assessments about a mattress in terms of quality and durability or to identify any potential weak links in a mattress you would need to know the density of all the polyfoam and/or memory foam in the mattress. The specs on this mattress are missing the most important information which is the density of all the polyfoam (soy based or otherwise) in the mattress. The only quality information that is included is the 3" Layer of blended Talalay latex. The retailer should be willing to provide you with the density of all the polyfoam/soy foam layers and if they can’t I would pass the mattress by because it would be a blind purchase which can be very risky.
15 Inch Chemical Free Certified Organic Latex Rubber Plushest and Strongest
This mattress uses organic Dunlop latex and high quality organic wool and organic cotton in the cover so there are no weak links in the mattress. Latex is also a higher quality and more durable material than polyfoam.
There is more about the different types of latex in post #6 here (including organic latex) and I would make sure you are comfortable with the higher cost of organic latex when 100% natural latex is the same quality material but doesn’t have the extra costs involved with an organic certification. I’m mentioning this because for most people who are also looking at mattresses that include polyfoam the organic certification wouldn’t be all that important and it certainly doesn’t make any difference in the quality or durability of the material.