Confused... Organic Latex Mattress buying

Hi Everyone!
I’m new to this forum and would like to get some information. We want to buy a new king size mattress. After spending several days to find out what would be the best for us, we are getting very close to deside on an Organic Latex Mattress. I think, I like the Talalay Latex the best but have problem to figure out what firmness/hardness to get. My wife likes a little softer than I. She has hip joint problem and beside that likes to sit and read in the bed average 3 hrs a day. (Want to make shure her side will not have an indentation from sitting too much, she is 135 lbs) She sleeps on her sides and her back about the same amount of time. I however, just want to go sleep and and sleep 1/3-rd time on my sides and on my stomack. I have some shoulder, neck and back problems but not too bad. We are in our late 60-s and are sleeping on a 13-15 year old OK spring mattress. I’m trying to make the right decision to buy a customized “select firmness” for both of us satisfaction. There are a couple of mattress mfgs who offer different layer choices, such as 3-3" or 2-3" and 1-2" on top. I understand the Talalay matterial comes max 40" wide and I don’t want to feel a seam at the middle if we get Different firmness on top and it is glued together. I was thinking to choose like Firm bottom, Soft and Medium on middle and maybe Medium on top. I also, would not want to have shifting problems for half size layers if they are loose. So, my wife’s side would have Firm bottom, Soft middle and Medium top. My side Firm bottom, and Medium middle and top layers. I know, they give you options to change layers out if they would not work for you but it is sort of a pain… Also, would be nice to have something you could flip. I don’t know how would work a Medium top and bottom layers with Soft middle on her side and Firm middle on my side?
So, I would really appreciate some input from anyone who has experience to resolve these problems and let me know.
Thanks in advance, Confused…

Hi Jeney,

I would first make sure you are familiar with what is organic and what isn’t if an organic certification is important to you. There is no organic Talalay latex for example (only 100% natural). There is more about the different types of latex (including organic) in post #6 here and more about the organic latex certification itself in post #2 here. At this point the only latex that is certified organic is Dunlop.

Post #2 here has more about how to make design choices (either personal testing or more detailed conversations with an online manufacturer you are considering are the only effective way to make a choice)

You can read more about mold sizes and glue seams in post #6 here and post #2 here.

This generally isn’t an issue and you can read more about split layers in post #2 here and more about layers shifting in post #2 here.

A two sided mattress is a very different design from a one sided mattress. A two sided mattress will be more durable than a one sided mattress because the comfort layers have a chance to rest and recover when they are on the bottom of the mattress. With a two sided mattress though the firmer support core is in the middle and the mattress is “finished” the same on both sides so this means that there is a little less design flexibility because if the comfort layers are too thick then thicker layers of soft materials on the bottom of the mattress can affect support/alignment.

With a one sided mattress the firm support core is on the bottom and then the layers can get progressively firmer on top of it so there is more design flexibility with the mattress because the softer layers will never be on the bottom.

With one sided designs that use more durable materials like latex then the greater design flexibility of a one sided design is worth the tradeoff of a two sided mattress for many people. In many cases if a mattress has individual layers then if the top layer softens or breaks down faster than the firmer deeper layers (which is the norm) then it can be replaced individually without replacing the entire mattress. With loose layers then the individual layers can also be flipped (instead of flipping the whole mattress) which can add somewhat to the durability of the layers but in most cases it’s the top layer that will soften or break down before the others.

Everything is a tradeoff and if a two sided mattress is more important then you would lose some of the design flexibility or the ability to re-arrange or exchange individual layers.

Phoenix

Hi Phoenix,

Thank you very much for the quick answer! First, I want to thank you for starting and having a great, informational web site like this one. I’ve been reading a lot of articles and honestly feel that finally I can trust someone and you are not out to get us.
I did read all the links you sent and hopefully we will be able to make the right decision. We are certainly very far from Serta and Sam’s where we started…
We have narrowed down the list to three mfgs and I wonder if you know anyone from them I should talk to. They are: Savvy Rest Mattress, Bella Sera and Sleep EZ. They all seem to have the layered type of mattress we are looking for. We live in the St.Louis, Mo. area and wonder if you could recommend some retailers we could go and try out the different combination of layers. Of course the price also helps since we also want the best value for our money.
Your help is much appreciated!

Sincerely, George

Hi Jenney,

All of these use good quality materials and have adjustable layers but they also have a wide range of pricing for similar materials. SleepEz is one of the members here which means that I believe they are among the best quality and value available but they are sold online so you can’t test them first (although you can exchange layers).

The choice between them would really depend on the parts of your personal value equation that were most important to you and the importance of testing a mattress in person. Savvy Rest and SleepEz both have organic Dunlop and 100% natural Talalay (not organic) available. Sleep also sells 100% natural Dunlop along with blended Talalay and offers layer exchanges if your choice of layers is less than ideal for you. The Bella Serra site says that their latex is USDA certified but this would just be the raw latex and not the core itself (USDA doesn’t certify the final product, only the agricultural raw materials) so you would need to ask them if it was GOLS certified as well. There may also be a difference in the covers which can be a significant part of the feel, performance, and cost/value of the mattress.

the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the St Louis area are listed in post #6 here and this thread has some feedback from one of the forum members here as well.

Phoenix

Hi Pheonix,

Thank you for all the good information and help!
Yesterday, we went to the only retailer (small) who have latex mattresses. We wanted to try it out before ordering it online. Unfortunately, he only had the Savvy Rest and we decided to buy it from Sleep EZ but hopefully it still helped and will be able to come close. We tried a king size 3-3" layered mattress, one side had S-M-F and the other side M-M-F, all 100% natural Dunlop with IDL-s for soft 19-21, medium 26-29 and firm 32-34. To my biggest surprise, my wife liked the M-M-F better than the S-M-F. My preference is a little firmer since I sleep on my sides and 1/2 time on my stomack. The M-M-F worked fine for me as well. She sleeps on her sides and back and is 5’3" and 138 lbs and I’m 5’10" 194 lbs and are in our sixties. She has hip joint problem on one side and will have hip replacement soon, I have some lower back, shoulder and neck problems but not too bad. I want to get the 100% natural Talalay and trying to compare Sleep EZ’s material and combination to the one we layed on. Talking with Shawn from Sleep EZ, who is VERY knowledgeable and helpful, still did not help me to decide that the Organic 9000 Series would be eqal and a good choice (and $400 less expensive than the 10,000 Series) with 1.5"-3"and 3" layers v/s the 3"-3"-3" layers in the 10000 Series with different combinations for comfort and support layers. The 9000 I would get the S(1.5")M(3") and F(3"), IDL’s being 20, 30 and 40, for her side, what I could set up M-S-F and after her operation could change to S-M-F for more comfort. However, after trying the Savvy mattress in the show room with the 3-3-3 layers, she definitely did not like the soft top comfort layer. So, I think, the 10000 Series would have to be the same what we tried, M-M-F what does not give a softer comfort layer for after her hip operation… The question is how the two different Series and set up compares for feel, since when she is back to normal we will be using it for years to come. So, 9000 Series with M-S-F v/s 10000 Series with M-M-F set up?
I would really appreciate any experienced opinion what would help me to make my final decision…

Thank you in advance!

George

Hi Jeney,

Today seems to be the day for comparisons between SleepEz and Savvy Rest and I think that post #4 here should be helpful and apply to you just as much as to the previous poster that asked a similar question.

If you have tested a specific Savvy Rest layer combination in the store and it worked best for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) then I would choose something that was as close as possible in all respects because changing the layer thickness of the top layer will change the feel and response of the mattress and every small difference in the designs of two mattresses you are comparing would make a difference in how they compared in terms of “feel” and performance.

With thinner top layers the firmness of the layer below it would “come through” more and have a bigger effect on what you feel on the mattress. In most cases the sleeping surface would feel firmer in a mattress that had a thinner top layer but was the same in all other respects and this would in turn have an effect on the comfort and support qualities of the mattress (neither would be better or worse … just different … and more or less suitable for different people that have different body types and sleeping positions). A softer layer underneath the medium would “act” softer than M/M in the top two layers but the thinner layer in the middle would also offset the softness slightly (thinner layers “act” firmer). The only way to know with any certainty how any combination of layers will feel and perform for you would be your own personal testing or sleeping experience which is the reason that the ability to re-arrange or exchange layers can be an important part of the “value” of an online purchase.

Phoenix