Hello, and thank you for putting this forum together. I have been in mattress hell for some time now! I live in Charleston, SC. I’ve already done a lot of reading on this site about foams and how they are made. Falling into the trap you described in another post - of thinking that this brand was “the best” - my husband and I purchased a Tempurpedic Rhapsody in November, which stunk to high heaven and was too firm for us. We traded it in for the Cloude Supreme, which felt great. We were still hopeful that the chemical smell would air out, as we have been told it would. It has not. We kept it for this long becuause we really wanted to make it work. We’ve been airing it out for over a month now. I can’t sleep on it. We have it locked away in the back bedroom with vents closed, windows open. It is seriously that bad. Why aren’t more people talking about this!? (That’s not really one of my questions for you.) Luckily we bought from a store with a 90 day satisfaction guarantee, and that thing is getting picked up today. While sleeping in the guest room, I began internet research on mattresses, health hazards, etc. While I do have some health problems, I don’t consider myself to be SUPER sensitive to smells, etc. *I purchased a regular spring mattress new about 5 years ago, super cheapo from some store with big orange billboards - college! - and had no similar issues. The reason for not doing this again is needing the pressure point relief that the Tempurpedic (or foam in general) offers for back problems. I’m really conflicted bc I do have significant back problems and the FEEL of the Cloude supreme was perrfect. Here’s where we are now:
I read this article Tips for Buying an Eco-Friendly Mattress, which recommended Magniflex and Organic Mattresses, Inc.
OMI - I’m confused by the prices she mentions for the OMI mattresses, because I was not able to find any under 5 grand. The other big (bigger) issue with them is that the closest retailer is in Asheville NC, and there are no returns at all. If I am getting a great product, spending that much is not out of the question, but having the option to try at home and still return it is a must. All that said, do you know anything about this company? Are they legit?
Magniflex - I was not able to confirm on their website most of the great things that I read in the Oprah article. I did find a retailer in my area that carries this brand, so I’ve got a bit of hope when it comes to this option. Can you give me any information as to the accuracy of the information in the article I read? Are these mattresses Oeko-Tex certified? or just some of the textiles used in the mattress? Where can I find what it’s actually made of!? The salesperson frankly new nothing I have not laid on one yet so I have no idea what they feel like.
PureFit - Through a recommendation from a friend who also had Tempurpedic problems, I’ve looked into the PureFit, sold by Relax the Back, made by Anatomic Global. I’ve read some information on this site already about this bed and the larger company. I was able to lay on the bed in the store and liked it, although I would ideally like something a little softer on top. I was assured in the store that this bed would present NONE of the issues with smell that I had with the Tempurpedic. But of course now I’m thinking about all the things you can’t smell …?? since it is still made of foam, right? I was also told by the Relax the Back retailer that this company was not willing to refrain from the use of chemical flame retardents even with a note from a doctor, something I am interesed in doing. Do you know if this bed is sold directly from AG under another name? Now I’m wondering if I would get a different answer about flame retardents if I worked directly with them.
Naturepedic - seems great on the website but where can I get one!? (This actually applies to several brands I’ve encountered.)
One local source that I found is this place - http://palmettomattress.com, but the densities of some of the foams I read about have me wondering about the quality (based on some of your other forum posts). These seem to be in the same class as the PureFit in that they are still foam, with a percentage of the yucky stuff replaced by plant based materials. Is that correct? And the fact that they are planning to start carrying Tempurpedic makes we wonder how eco-minded they could really be!?
Other ideas!? I would love something in my area but at this point I am willing to travel a bit or even just order something, provided that I have enough information to think it’s a good choice, and it’s returnable. The huge issues I am running into are:
I live in SC.
I have been trying to use the Oeko-Tex certification as a shopping guide, but am having a hard time finding a list of mattresses that actually have this certification.
I want the FEEL of the foam, without the nasty chemicals that come with it. Does this exist!?
Thank you !!!