Hi all-
My question for your opinions:
Would placing an organic latex topper over a less healthy mattress make a difference for or do chemically processed mattresses need to be completely removed?
(After radiation for lymphoma - we want to sleep more pure but can’t afford the latex mattresses. I’m avoiding wool toppers/mattresses as we bought a pillow from it and it was too hard.)
thanks
Hi Zana,
I hope your treatments are going well and your health is improving.
Placing a topper, organic certified or not, on top of an existing mattress won’t change whatever VOCs or off-gassing might be happening from that product upon which it is placed. You’re not in direct contact with any of the existing foams in your current mattress, so using a new topper would only put you a few more inches away from your existing mattress, but it wouldn’t act as a “filter” or “scrub” any potential VOCs from your existing product. With your specific concerns, only the replacement of your current mattress would result in the minimization/elimination of any of the products with which you have a concern.
I certainly understand your concerns with your specific health issues, and I’m not a doctor of course so I’m not qualified to determine the potential cause for any health issue that someone may have (I’ll leave that to the health professionals), but if a polyfoam material is made in North America and/or is CertiPUR certified for harmful substances and VOC’s then I personally wouldn’t have any concerns about toxicity or other health issues (polyfoam is the same material that is used in most furniture foam). For those that may have unusual sensitivities or health conditions such as MCS (multiple chemical sensitivities) and wish to avoid synthetic materials that most people would be fine with then there is more information in post #2 here that can help answer their questions concerning “how safe is safe enough for me?”
I know I listed much of this information in a reply to a post of yours which was a bit similar a year ago, but for those who may be reading this for the first time…
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 you 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 you decide on the type of materials and components you are most comfortable having in your mattress or on the certifications that may be important to you. These types of issues are complex and are generally specific to each person and their individual sensitivities, circumstances, criteria, beliefs, and lifestyle choices.
There is also more about the benefits of an organic certification in post #3 here and there is more about the different levels of organic certifications in post #2 here and about organic and safety certifications in general in post #2 here.
Phoenix
Thanks for your answer and previous answer! Didn’t buy a good mattress when you answered earlier because it’s so costly for a professor.
I don’t know if this 3 yr. old mattresses has VOC issues or not - or when the bad would dissipate, if ever. I will now research which of the healthier mattress companies allow monthly payments.
This site is invaluable! Appreciate you!
Meant to say thanks for the good wishes! 5 Years since the radiation stopped it, and it’s not returned! That is exceptionally good! (and a good reason to care about what we eat, breath and sleep on 
Hi Zana:
Thank is excellent news!
[quote]I will now research which of the healthier mattress companies allow monthly payments.
This site is invaluable! Appreciate you![/quote]
If you’re considering a latex product (with or without an organic certification), you may wish to look at some of the members listed in post #21 here who are all very experienced and knowledgeable and specialize in providing the type of help and guidance on the phone that can help you make good choices about a more “natural” option. There are a wide range of latex options included in the choices there and I believe that all of them compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency. I’m not sure about what they offer for finance plans, but you can always ask or peruse their websites.
Phoenix
Hi Zana:
Thank is excellent news!
[quote]I will now research which of the healthier mattress companies allow monthly payments.
This site is invaluable! Appreciate you![/quote]
If you’re considering a latex product (with or without an organic certification), you may wish to look at some of the members listed in post #21 here who are all very experienced and knowledgeable and specialize in providing the type of help and guidance on the phone that can help you make good choices about a more “natural” option. There are a wide range of latex options included in the choices there and I believe that all of them compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency. I’m not sure about what they offer for finance plans, but you can always ask or peruse their websites.
Phoenix
Ok! wow So cozy pure has a seemly cheap sale right now on 100% natural latex I think it’s a good deal? (link below)
You might remember was looking only at Organic due to serious health issue but simply cannot afford it.
It seems from the research that the difference between 100% Natural and 100% Organic Latex is certification.? Am I understanding correctly?
Would you say from looking at this deal that I’m working with a good company (as you’ve connected to them) who wouldn’t fudge the pureness and I’d be buying a very natural product without chemicals?
My other question is if a mattress is too hard - would %100 natural talaway topper solve the issue? If I understand, 100% natural talaway also without chemicals?
We might get rid of me on this website then
Here’s why I want to buy now: Queen is $799 !
ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: cozypure.com/liquidation-clearance/7-clearance-mattress-made-with-100-natural-latex?zenid=c9cc134177d243006c082bf01bef4102
thanks again!
Hi Zana,
This is a closeout on a 7" latex mattress with two 3" pieces of medium-firm 100% NR Dunlop latex. The cover is organic cotton quilted to wool. There are certainly no “weak-links” in this product. As Cozy Pure mentioned on their web site, this is a popular style for children or guest rooms. Some adults might want to add a topper after testing out the product for a while. And as you’re probably already aware, Cozy Pure is a member here, which means I think highly of them, and a phone call to them will be one of the best things you can do to get a better “feel for the feel” of this mattress.
[quote]You might remember was looking only at Organic due to serious health issue but simply cannot afford it.
It seems from the research that the difference between 100% Natural and 100% Organic Latex is certification.? Am I understanding correctly?[/quote]
I linked to some information about the differences between “organic” and “safety” certifications earlier, but here is a bit more detail for you. Most people who are looking for an “organic” mattress or materials are usually concerned more with “safety” than whether the materials have an actual organic certification and they usually aren’t aware that an organic certification isn’t the same thing as a safety certification. There is more information about the three different levels of organic certifications in post #2 here and some of the benefits of an organic certification in post #3 here and there is more about the different types of organic and safety certifications such as Oeko-tex, Eco-Institut, Greenguard Gold, C2C, and CertiPUR-US in post #2 here and more about some of the differences between organic and safety certifications in post #2 here and there are also some comments in post #42 here that can help you decide whether an organic certification is important to you for environmental, social, or personal reasons or whether a “safety” certification is enough. There are quite a few links in the articles that I link to, but they don’t take too long to read and they will help you have a better understanding of “safety” and "organic’ certifications and what they actually describe and represent.
“Certified organic” can mean a more expensive product that may not have a significant benefit in terms safety, or even “purity”, over 100% natural latex. There are a large number of consumers however who will willingly pay for the “certified organic” label because they prefer to support more organic and sustainable farming methods (see post #3 here ).
So it’s up to each person to decide whether the “organic” label is worth any premium it may have over an equivalent but non certified material and this would be a personal and lifestyle choice. Wool can be the same and some of the best and cleanest, most “natural” wool made from the “happiest sheep” in the country and using all organic farming methods is not certified organic because of the expense of the certification process itself.
I personally would lean towards 100% natural Dunlop without the certification as being better value (it is usually a lower cost) but that’s just my own “personal value equation” and there is also a good argument that the extra cost of “certified organic” materials is worth the peace of mind that the certification brings with it.
A latex topper, either using Talalay or Dunlop latex, of a soft enough ILD, will certainly be a common and effective manner in which to “soften up” the feel of a mattress that is too firm. All latex foam (including 100% natural Dunlop and Talalay and organic latex) uses a small amount of chemicals to manufacture the latex (see post #18 here) but the manufacturers don’t release the specifics of their compounding formula which is a closely guarded secret. While I’m not a chemical engineer so I can’t speak to all the differences in their chemical formulations … the two main “chemical” differences between Talalay and Dunlop is that Talalay latex uses carbon dioxide gas as a gelling agent while Dunlop latex uses sodium fluorosilicate. Natural Dunlop latex is also often manufactured closer to the latex plantations so in many cases it needs less ammonia or other stabilizing agents to stabilize the latex and prevent it from coagulating or putrefying before it’s used while Talalay is made in Holland (Radium) or in the USA (Talalay Global) so the liquid field latex they use may contain higher levels of ammonia or other chemicals to stabilize it before it’s used to manufacture the latex. Most of the ammonia is removed during the foaming process either way.
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 also have a reliable certification such as Oeko-Tex, Eco-Institut, Greenguard Gold or C2C and based on actual testing I would consider any type or blend of latex (regardless of whether it is synthetic, natural, or blended) to be a very “safe” material in terms of harmful substances and VOC’s (offgassing).
No worries! 
All of your questions are good ones and they’re answered in the paragraphs and links I provided above. It’s a little bit of reading, but as you become more familiar with these certifications I think you’ll come to a level of comfort with your impending decision.
Phoenix
THANKS greatly!!