Buying online

I have read the buying guide plus various posts. I live in zip code 30907. There are several Serra factories and a rest master in my area. So these are what are prevalent for sale in area. In order to buy a mattress that won’t put out off gases looks like I may have to buy online. That is fine as my last bed was a select comfort. It seemed to be so comfortable and I never hurt upon waking. I am disabled due to chronic pain from rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. This puts me in a financial bind. I have put aside money just for the purpose of finding a good mattress. My son is also a liver cancer patient although in remission now. Another forum warned me of the dangers of the foam beds and their gases. He still often sleeps close by when feeling bad plus don’t want to expose myself to harmful fumes. I would like any type of guidance in buying a good mattress online since local the quality isn’t what seems adequate for us. Like I said select comfort did great almost 18 years until I dropped the attached remote in water. Then foolishly stacked heavy items on the deflated side ruining the pockets that held air. Was fixing to just replace with another select comfort or now called sleep number queen. Since buying online what is my best way to find a reasonable hybrid that won’t send off gasses. Latex preferably. Some of the earlier posts said finding one in price range. I have 1500 but hopefully can find one less as I need new pillows too. Any help and guidance will be appreciated. I plan to use a foundation headboard type set so although set would work it’s mainly the matress I need help with. Thanks in advance. Augusta Georgia is pure Serta territory and almost bought the icomfort. But I always research large purchased. So thankful I did as I learned so much here and another kind mans blog

Hi Thanks59300,

That’s great to hear :slight_smile:

Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure that you’ve read (and that are relevant to the questions in your post) 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” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) 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 is also more about the pros and cons of an online purchase vs a local purchase in this topic.

I would keep in mind that all foam materials (including latex) have “some” offgassing and VOC’s so it’s really a question of knowing whether any VOC’s are at “safe” levels. 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 VOC’s so that you have some assurance than the VOC’s 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”.

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, or Greenguard Gold 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.

While it may be more information than you are looking for … there is a lot more information in post #2 here and the more detailed posts and information it links to about safe, natural, organic, “chemical free”, and “green” mattresses and mattress materials that can help sort through some of the marketing information and terminology that you will encounter in the industry and can help you differentiate between them and answer “how safe is safe enough for me” that can help each person decide on the types of materials they are most comfortable having in their mattress or on the certifications that may be important to them. These types of issues are complex and are generally specific to each person and their individual sensitivities, circumstances, criteria, beliefs, and lifestyle choices.

You can see my thoughts about airbeds in general this article. While any mattress can be a good match for a specific person because each person’s needs and preferences or the criteria that are most important to them can be very different … in general terms I would tend to avoid them unless there is a very compelling reason that an airbed would be a better choice for you in “real life” (outside of the many “marketing stories” that you will hear about them) than the many other options or types of mattresses that are available to you.

If you are committed to an airbed and you are convinced that there are no other types of mattresses that will meet your criteria then there are some other airbed options that are listed in post #3 here that may be much better quality/value choices than Sleep Number/Select Comfort.

While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … I don’t 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 and there are 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” or PPP 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).

If 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 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.

The mattress shopping tutorial includes a link to several lists of the better online options I’m aware of (in the optional online step) including link to a list of the members here that sell mattresses online and many of them sell latex and latex hybrid mattresses that use different types and blends of latex that have a wide range of different designs, options, features, return and exchange policies, and prices that that may also be well worth considering and many of them are well inside your budget range.

The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Augusta, GA area (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked earlier in this reply) are listed in post #41 here.

Phoenix