Hi khackett7,
You may need to “reset” how you are looking for a mattress.
I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site but just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
There will be a break in and adjustment period for any new mattress or sleeping system as the mattress loses any of it’s “false firmness” and the cover stretches and loosens a little and the materials settle and your body gets used to a sleeping surface that is different from what it is used to (see post #3 here). This would typically be a few weeks but it can be shorter or longer depending on the specifics of the person and the mattress (higher density materials like latex can take longer) and it can be surprising to many people how much their sleeping experience can change over the course of the first month or so. You may need to sleep on a mattress you purchase for longer than you have before returning it to give the mattress a chance to break in and to get used to a sleeping surface that is different from what you are used to.
The only reliable way to to assess the “safety” of different materials in more general terms is based on lab tests and the certifications they have for harmful substances and VOCs so that you have some assurance than the VOCs are below the testing limits for the certification (see post #2 here for more information about some of the more reliable “safety” certifications). If the materials in a mattress or the mattress itself has a reliable “safety” certification then for most people they would certainly be “safe enough” … regardless of the type of material or the name of the manufacturer on the label.
Simmons is on the CertiPUR list here so all the polyfoam and memory foam in their mattress would be certified so they would certainly be “safe enough” for most people and VOC’s and offgassing wouldn’t be an issue. Any initial smell wouldn’t be harmful and would tend to dissipate fairly quickly.
Having said that … the major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta all tend to use lower quality materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay which is why I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (and the major retailers that focus on them as well) regardless of how they may feel in a showroom along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here). It’s probably a good thing that you returned it even though it would make more sense because of potential durability issues than for any offgassing.
Loom & Leaf (Saatva) is also on the CertiPUR list so it would also be a “safe” choice even if it does have an initial smell that will also dissipate fairly quickly. You can see some comments about the Loom & Leaf along with many of the other “simplified choice” online mattresses in post #2 here in the simplified choice mattress topic and the first post in the same topic would probably be worth reading as well. There are also some more detailed comments in post #5 here. A forum search on Loom Leaf (you can just click the link) will also bring up more comments and feedback about it as well. It may also be a good thing that you returned this mattress as well.
SleeponLatex is one of the members of this site which means that I think highly of them and that I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency and they would certainly be a great quality/value choice.
They use 100% natural Dunlop latex in their mattresses but all the latex you are likely to encounter (either Dunlop or Talalay that is made with either natural or synthetic rubber or a blend of both) will have a reliable certification such as Oeko-Tex, Eco-Institut, and Greenguard Gold (see post #2 here) and C2C (see post #13 here) and based on actual testing I would consider any type or blend of latex to be a very “safe” material in terms of harmful substances and VOC’s.
Having said that … I’m sorry to hear that the mattress you chose was too firm for you. While they have a great return policy … it may also have been worthwhile talking to them about adding a softer topper to your mattress to provide the additional softness and pressure relief that you needed.
[quote]Next up: Looking at a SleepEZ 10" or 13".
Bio: me: 250lbs, wife: 185. We’re both about 5’11".
I’ve read a ton (including this forum), yet I remain apprehensive and a bit confused what layers we should get.[/quote]
SleepEZ is also a member of this site so they would certainly make a great quality/value choice as well. They also sell component latex mattresses with a zip cover so you have many options to customize the firmness of each individual layer and the mattress as a whole before a purchase but you can also fine tune the support or pressure relief of the mattress by rearranging layers or by exchanging a layer after a purchase as well. They also allow for side to side split configurations so a couple that has different needs and preferences can customize their own side of the mattress.
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress. There are just too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart (which would certainly include SleepEZ) and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
Phoenix