Thanks for reviewing. How firm is the mattress? Have you noticed any difference after it has been used compared to the first time?
Iâm considering trying one of these with various toppers for customization and exchangeability sake.
Itâs firm. Not unbearably firm - but clearly firm.
Scale of 1-10 (1 very soft, 10 very firm)?
I would say a 7.
I didnât sleep on it, only my two kids slept on it for the first time last night (they HAD to have a âsleepoverâ with the new bed and all).
Nobody complained in the morning about it being too hard, but neither did they say, âmom, I slept heavenlyâ.
Then again, they are 6 and 8, both light, they would sleep fine even on a rock. Plus, they just donât care that much about sleep technicalities.I do plan on sleeping on it this week-end myself.
I want to get something to set on top of it anywayâŚI just donât know what yet, except that it must be natural and breathable (no stifling, clammy synthetics like polyester).
I thought about having just a very plush mattress pad but 99% of those are filled with polyester and the very rare ones filled with cotton (such as the one Vermont Country Stores carries) are not that plushy.
To add a latex mattress topper seems kind of pointless since the mattress itself is latex. I am not sure a softer Talalay latex would be plush enough.
A feather bed? Kind of pricy and I think it might flatten fast anyway. After all, how can feather that you sit on and press all the time stay plush for long enough?
If anyone knows of a very plush mattress pad that is filled with something other than polyester (or maybe just a bit of that mixed with cotton), I would appreciate any clues.
It seems to me that when people want that cushy, plush, slightly âsink inâ feeling in their comfort layers at the top - the best material to achieve this is some kind of foam (some better than others).
The trouble for me is that foam doesnât breathe well and it heats you up.
So Iâm not sure what the solution is.
Sure, it can be done - after all this is just a basic, low profile mattress made of a big piece of latex, and based on the way it looks and acts, it feels as if it could last decades.
But for us, adding more layers just to make it plushier kind of adds to the price of the bed, which is already higher than what we wanted to spend for a 9 yoâs bed. Then again, he will have it for at least the next 10 years as we donât jump to change mattresses as soon as recommendations dictate. I just try to protect and maintain them really well.
An adult can play with layers on this mattress though.
Hi Syracusa,
The reason for adding a topper (or to use multiple layers of the same material in a mattress) is to change the feel and performance so itâs a better match for someone in terms of PPP. There are many latex mattresses that use multiple layers of the same material for this reason and it certainly wouldnât be pointless if some additional softness or pressure relief was important. Having said that ⌠given the feedback youâve had from your kids so far I would hesitate to make any changes. A softer sleeping surface may not be in their best interests (just like using too much sugar in a diet may be something they would be attracted to or âlikeâ but may not be in their best interests).
Foam toppers (either memory foam, polyfoam, or latex foam) in a suitable thickness and softness (lower ILD) would all add additional softness and additional pressure relief that would generally be more effective than fibers which tend to compress and become firmer as they pack down.
There are also many variables that work together to affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress outside of just the type of foam that is used although latex foam is generally more breathable than polyfoam which in turn tends to be more breathable than memory foam so the type of foam you use can certainly make a difference. There is more about the many factors that work together to affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress (including the softness of the mattress, the type of cover and quilting, any mattress protector or mattress pad you use, your sheets and bedding, and the bedclothes you wear) in post #2 here and the posts it links to and as you can see the type and breathability of the upper layers of foam are only one of the variables involved.
Phoenix
I agree with Phoenix, I wouldnât be so quick to add a topper just yet but if you decide later that you want to go that direction there are a lot of great options. You could do a 2-3" layer of soft latex in a cover, you could get a thick wool topper, you could look at memory foam toppers, there is even a topper called a lanoodle that is similar to a shredded latex pillow that you could consider.
Phoenix and hermy4,
You are probably right that we need to wait on the topper for now. We are in no hurry to add it with all of the upcoming expenses of our own bedâŚespecially now that, go figure, I want to have all natural bedding this time.
No polyester mattress pad, no polyester comforter - only cotton, silk or wool allowed in that bed. 
I know that in the not so distant past, doctors used to recommend sleeping on firm. Now they say about medium.
Growing up, I remember my grandmotherâs bed being so comfortable, but it was clearly on the firmer side, actually pretty close to this Morgongava.
Perhaps it is better for childrenâs development to sleep on somewhat firmer mattress than a fluff and puff, âsink inâ surface.
The sugar analogy makes a lot of sense.
Hi Syracusa,
[quote]Perhaps it is better for childrenâs development to sleep on somewhat firmer mattress than a fluff and puff, âsink inâ surface.
The sugar analogy makes a lot of sense.[/quote]
I would certainly agree with this
Phoenix
Just wanted to add that I am being driven crazy by the smell of this mattress.
We set it up right away after taking it out of its package as we had no place to let it sit and air, plus our son didnât have a bed anymore so he was looking forward to not sleeping on an air mattress anymore.
However, I did let it sit without any covers until the evening, with fans on and windows open, and then I took off the bedding and did the same thing for 2-3 days in a row. It hardly helped.
It still smells pretty badly and I wonder how long it will take until the smell will dissipate. Never mind that I canât fathom what could smell so badly if the latex is almost all natural, only a little synthetic in it, and no harmful Fr-s - supposedly.
We were convinced IKEA had a return policy on mattresses but it turns out there is only an exchange policy, no returns. So buyer, beware. Had we been aware of this âlittle detailâ, we would not have gone with them.
I wonder whether all of that Mountaintop latex that IKEA uses smells equally badly at first - or itâs just this IKEA mattress.
If
anyone has any other ideas as to what I should do to get rid of that new latex mattress smell, I would appreciate it.
Otherwise, the mattress is OK. It would still be a little too firm for me, but itâs probably the right kind of surface for a child to grow on.
Hi Syracusa,
Some people really donât like the smell of natural rubber and unfortunately some people are also much more sensitive to certain smells than others. The smell of natural rubber ⌠like any natural material ⌠can also vary from batch to batch as well. There is more about the smell of different types of latex in post #2 here and the smell of Dunlop can be a little stronger and more persistant than Talalay but it will certainly dissipate over time. There is also more in post #3 here that includes some suggestions that may be helpful as well. The smell of your mattress will diminish over the course of the first few weeks and if you visit Ikea and âstick your noseâ in a Morgongava that has been on the floor for a few months you will see that the smell is greatly reduced to levels that most people wouldnât notice which is where you will eventually be as well.
I agree that itâs always important to make sure that you are aware of and are comfortable with any return or exchange policy before buying a mattress and this is good advice for any mattress purchase.
Phoenix
All in all, thank goodness thereâs hope.
We certainly didnât notice any smell in the floor display Morgongava we tried at an Ikea store before purchasing.
I do hope it goes away fast as I hate the thought of my son sleeping in that smell.
Thing is it hardly smells like anything natural. It is a very chemical-ish smell but maybe my sensitivity to chemicals including the thought of chemicals being harmful - amplifies the whole thing.
One of the reasons we didnât want to go with a foam/ polyfoam type mattress was exactly because we wanted to avoid chemical smells. I had read natural latex doesnât smell - but I was obviously wrong.
I am planning on removing all bedding again tomorrow and just spread baking soda all over the mattress, let it sit like this all day, and then vacuum it off in the evening.
Would that be a no-no, before I do anything stupid?
Hi Syracusa,
No ⌠it would be fine
Phoenix
Syracusa,
Does your mattress still smell? I bought one 3 days ago and the smell is unbearable! I bought a Sultan Edsele mattress 2-3 years ago, which I figured was practically the same, and it had absolutely no smell to it. This Morgongava one smells terrible and it does not seem to be improving with time. I would like to know how yours turned out before I go and exchange it.
Thanks,
Nat
Hi nat2,
Your mattress is still very new so itâs very likely that over the course of the next few weeks the smell of your mattress will diminish to a level that most people would be comfortable with. Like any natural material though the smell can vary from batch to batch and it will also depend on how long itâs been since the latex was manufactured and of course some people are also much more sensitive to certain smells than others. The latex in the Morgongava is exactly the same type and blend of latex and manufactured by the same company (Mountaintop Foam) as the latex that was in your Edsele and the latex has been certified by Oeko-Tex so at least you can have some confidence that the smell isnât harmful but I know that doesnât really help much if the smell is offensive to you.
Youâve probably read this since itâs in the same thread as you are posting in but some of the information and links in post #15 here may also be helpful.
I hope the smell of your Morgongava will reduce to a level you are comfortable with soon and I also hope you have the chance to update us about what happens.
Phoenix
Thank you for your response Phoenix.
I will give it a few extra days but I donât think I can stand this smell much longer. I will keep you updated on what happens.
Thanks again,
Nat
We took the top cover off and then unzipped the wool cover, sprinkled baking soda, and let it air out all day that way. It still has a faint odor but I can tell if I can do that one more time with the window open it will air out completely. This was after trying other suggestions for a few weeks and feeling sick from the smell. It was so much better after we opened both covers.
Hi⌠We also bought the Morgongava back in september⌠we are coming up towards the end of the 90 day return period and reaching a bit of a crisis about whether (and how) to return it (huge expensive, heavy, king size, a long way away ;-( ⌠i could do with some helpâŚ
In short my wife hates the odor. Even after two and a half months of trying to air it out day after day she says she feels like sheâs âsleeping in a toxic soupâ. Personally i donât especially notice the smell but i guess folks have different sensitivities. she says sheâs willing to live with it if she can be assured that the smell is nothing toxic⌠but like, really assuredâŚ
Whats perplexing us is the identity of that 15% synthetic latex component. Iâve read on these forums (mostly from Pheonix) that the latex in the Morgongava is Oeko-tex certified. However when weâve asked Ikea to confirm to us that there is nothing toxic in that 15% and to ask what its composed of - theyâve been unable to give us anything more than very vague assurances and no details - and theyâve never mentioned Oeko-tex which is kind of odd. Can anyone (Pheonix?) give us more details on how this works⌠Oeko- tex certifies the full blend of teh latex? or just the natural part? what specific latex chemicals does an Oeko-tex certification ensure are not present (butadiene?) also where is there some proof that the Morgongava uses oeko-tex certified latex?
Iâm really not looking forward to trying to carry that hunk of rubber down the stairs, into the car and back to ikea but it seems like it might come to that given the persistent offgassing unless someone can help explain why that 2.5 months of offgassing is assuredly not a âtoxic soupâ (just a smelly one)âŚ
and any tricks for getting rid of the smell when just uncovering teh mattress with teh window open has failed to work for 10 weeks (did i see a mention of baking soda�?)
cheers
Hi jimsnail,
[quote]In short my wife hates the odor. Even after two and a half months of trying to air it out day after day she says she feels like sheâs âsleeping in a toxic soupâ. Personally i donât especially notice the smell but i guess folks have different sensitivities. she says sheâs willing to live with it if she can be assured that the smell is nothing toxic⌠but like, really assuredâŚ
Whats perplexing us is the identity of that 15% synthetic latex component. Iâve read on these forums (mostly from Pheonix) that the latex in the Morgongava is Oeko-tex certified. However when weâve asked Ikea to confirm to us that there is nothing toxic in that 15% and to ask what its composed of - theyâve been unable to give us anything more than very vague assurances and no details - and theyâve never mentioned Oeko-tex which is kind of odd. Can anyone (Pheonix?) give us more details on how this works⌠Oeko- tex certifies the full blend of teh latex? or just the natural part? what specific latex chemicals does an Oeko-tex certification ensure are not present (butadiene?) also where is there some proof that the Morgongava uses oeko-tex certified latex?[/quote]
Synthetic latex is a copolymer of styrene and butadiene (see here and here). The latex in the Mogongava is made by Mountaintop Foam who make various types of latex that range from all or mostly synthetic rubber to all natural rubber. All of them are certified by Oeko-Tex for any harmful substances or VOCâs. There is much more information about Oeko-Tex Standard 100 on their website here and the list of what they test for and the testing limits for each substance are here.
There are also some suggestions that may help reduce the odor in post #3 here.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and research on the IKEA Morgongava mattress. Weâre shopping for a mattress, and are interested in the Morgongava (85% natural latex, 15% synthetic latex) but have yet to be able to confirm for ourselves that this mattress is indeed sufficiently non-toxic. This is especially important in our case as our infant will be co-sleeping in the bed with us. Itâs been difficult to find much information about the mattress. IKEA themselves, who we called, are rather tight-lipped. The most they were willing to say by phone is that Dunlop is the supplier of the synthetic latex they use in the mattress. This thread has been the helpful detailed source of online info, but weâd love to have some further clarification if youâd be willing. In particular, weâre wondering whether the synthetic latex used in the Morgongava is SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber), which is said to be toxic. It seems that most synthetic rubber is SBR, but not all. If this mattress is indeed tested by Oeko-Tex, then perhaps this indicates that the Morgongava synthetic latex is some other, non-SBR type.
A few quick questions: Are you able to provide any further confirmation that this mattress is indeed produced by Mountaintop Foam and that it is indeed Oeko-Tex certified? One of the links you provided (back in 2014) directs to a Facebook post from Mountaintop listing IKEA as a client (but makes no specific mention of the Morgongava) and the Oeko-Tex links you provided happen to now be dead. We read on an online review that IKEA âdoes internal VOC testing but does not have third-party VOC certification,â although this claim was made without any substantiation. (https://nowtoronto.com/lifestyle/ecoholic/sleep-on-it-the-mattress-guide/)
Thanks very much!
HI Celcius,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum!
The only reliable way to assess the âsafetyâ of different materials in more general terms is based on lab tests and the certifications they have for harmful substances and VOCs (regardless of whether they are organic or natural or synthetic) so that you have some assurance than the VOCs are below the testing limits for the certification. If the materials in a mattress or the mattress itself has a reliable âsafetyâ certification, then for most people they would certainly be âsafe enoughâ, regardless of the type of material or the name of the manufacturer on the label.
You may have read this already but just in case you havenât, there is more information in post #2 here and the topics it links to about mattresses and children and âsuitableâ and âsafeâ materials including a link to some general guidelines for children in post #2 here. It also includes a number of links to the better forum posts and topics about mattress and children as well which have more information about many good options children which would be well worth considering.
To be fair to the people at Ikea, youâre probably phoning a call-center where they are reading, quite often, from the same information you see online, and theyâre not experts in the componentry contained within their items. Dunlop would be the production method of the latex they use, not the supplier. Their latex is a blend (85 %NR, 15% SBR), not synthetic (which would be 100% SBR).
Any version of latex (Dunlop or Talalay made from natural or synthetic latex or a blend of both) is a safe material and they are normally all tested for harmful substances and VOCâs with the same or similar testing protocols (Oeko-Tex or Eco-Institut). Post #2 here and the posts it links to talks more about testing form VOCs and harmful substances.
You can see more information about SBR and NR rubber in post #2 here. You can also read more about synthetic continuous pour Dunlop latex in post #2 here and there is more about natural rubber and synthetic rubber in post #2 here.
Both synthetic latex and natural latex are equally ârubberâ or âlatexâ except natural latex is primarily isoprene rubber that comes from a tree (which can also be synthesized) and synthetic latex in the case of latex mattresses is made from Styrene Butadiene rubber (or SBR). Both natural and synthetic rubber are stable and inert materials when they are cured. This is similar to tires which also uses various blends of synthetic and natural rubber depending on the specific qualities that the tire manufacturer is looking for. Both natural and synthetic rubber used in mattresses ⌠unlike tires ⌠is foamed rubber which means that there are several other compounds that are needed in addition to the rubber to make the foamed latex core. These include curing agents, gelling agents, antioxidants, mold release agents, and other compounds that are used to make both natural and synthetic foamed rubber. These also become inert when the latex is cured or in some cases are washed out when the latex is washed after manufacturing (which also removes the excess proteins that can be a cause of latex allergies in 100% natural latex) which is why both 100% natural and blended latex will both pass the same safety testing for VOCâs and harmful ingredients, such as Oeko-Tex standard 100, and I personally would have no concerns with the safety of a natural or blended latex.
I donât have access to the information of who is currently pouring foam for Ikea, but if you were near an Ikea store you could look and see if you could find the law tag on the Morgongava and that information should be present there (I donât have an Ikea near me to do this). If Mountain Top is still producing their foam, all of their products are Oeko-Tex or TFI-Germany certified. You could phone Mountain Top at 570-715-7200 or message them from their facebook page to ask as well.
Phoenix