Help! Latex Mattress overload!

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Hi there,

I’ve been following your mattress forum for months as my husband and I have become increasingly unhappy with our current mattress (it was sold to us as a “latex” mattress… and has not held up…) We don’t really want to talk about why we decided to buy it-- because I really can’t remember why we did… :frowning: Point is, we don’t sleep well, there are major body impressions- it’s three years old, we haven’t woken up rested in years and we are tired of it.

So, the search is on.

We have one local latex bedding store in Houston- New Living, they carry a couple brands of organic bedding, most are latex. The brand we liked there is Omi, and my favorite mattress is Terra. It has a 3in firm core, with 2 in softer latex on either side- total of 7inches in the main matress part, all incased in wool and cotton. THen it has a kind of mini-mattress on top that is 3.5in of latex (each side has a different texture- two different feels). The downer to this lovely mattress is the price- a whooping $7400 give or take with the foundation. Whoa.

The saleslady suggested that I try the Flora, the exact same base mattress- without the topper mini mattress. She said that if it was too firm, i could always add a 2inch soft topper to soften it up. Well, when I did that, it actually felt too sinky-- too unstructured. All I can guess, is the extra wool, cotton, piping etc that is around both mattress and mini mattress really does make it feel a bit different when you are sleeping. The Flora is $5400 or so… more reasonable- but didn’t feel quite right.

Something I do love about the Terra, other than how it felt was the fact that the mini-mattress was reversible (so is the mattress for that matter) and I guess in a pinch or down the road, we could replace the mini mattress.

I guess it’s a good time to say that my husband and I are big people, he’s 6’6" about 220 pounds and I am 5’10" about 180 pounds. We are looking for a California King so that my husbands feet don’t hang off the bed. He’s mostly a back sleeper, occasionally a side sleeper, and I’m the opposite, mostly a side sleeper, sometimes I’m on my back. I mentioned before, but we live in Houston and don’t seem to have many stores to chose from here. I have found a couple in Austin- 3 hours away… but we haven’t made a trip up there to test beds out. I believe we suffer from environmental allergies- we have a hepa filter on in our bedroom 24/7. Living in Houston, it seems that everything bad for us grows here, (mold, mildew, pollen, weeds etc) so a bed that could cut down on any allergy symptoms would be much appreciated. The New Living store sells organic mattresses, which I’m sure we’d pay a premium for, I don’t know if we’d benefit from an “organic” bed compared to a “natural latex” bed (no chemicals, lower processing i think?). Any input you have on that would be appreciated as well.

Other than New Living, I’ve done some searching online, found many websites offering similar products.

Some that stood out to me are:
Savvy Rest:
This one has a separate mini-mattress on top, similar to the Terra, with the foundation, the price is $5504 Something else nice about this is that they can customize the layers.
http://thecleanbedroom.com/Organic_Mattresses/Natural_Latex/SavvyRest-Serenity-Pillowtop-Natural-Latex-Mattress-Dunlop.htm

Another is their 10 inch option, similar, customizable layers, I think we could even customize the different halfs of the mattress. And again, this is less expensive at 3954 with the foundation.
http://thecleanbedroom.com/Organic_Mattresses/Natural_Latex/SavvyRest-Serenity-Natural-Latex-Mattress-Dunlop.htm

Other online dealers I’ve looked into are Greenmattressfactory.com (Swan deluxe -about 2800 with foundation); habitatfurnishings.com sky bed 6in dunlop with 3in talalay, mygreenmattress.com Organic Dreams- 3layers x 3inch talalay latex= 2623 with foundation. This mattress is flippable, which I think adds value.

Question for you:
How much softening should I expect? I know this is a hard question to answer… but I like a softer bed than my husband, probably because I’m primarily a side sleeper. Should we err on the side of a little too firm for me, planning on the mattress to break in to a perfect compromise? I wouldn’t want to get a plush bed that’s comfortable for me and just on the edge of being too soft for my husband and then have it break in even more becoming too soft and unsupportive for him.

I was unable to find specifics that you cite so often in this forum, things like densities etc. Where would you suggest I go from here?

Thank you for your time, TxFox

2

Hi TxFox,

I think the first step when you are reaching a point of “information overload” is to put your research efforts into connecting with the best manufacturers, outlets, and people rather than finding the best mattress. In your case … there are some good options (including several that make or carry latex mattresses) in the Houston area in post #2 here. This way you only need to know enough to be able to tell who knows what they are talking about and you can trust instead of needing to learn all the complexities yourself and your efforts can go into testing rather than analysis.

I also like the feel of the Terra a lot. It is a soft latex mattress (and I like soft :)) and is great quality. Of course as you mentioned I would never consider it at the prices they charge when there are others that are roughly comparable that are so much better value. I’m not sure I should take the “risk” of focusing you more on specs like ILD but since the information is available … there is more about the Terra in post #6 here.

Mattress layering can be very counterintuitive and different people will also feel the same mattress differently depending on what they focus on the most and the layers (and areas of the mattress) that affect their perceptions the most. Sometimes seemingly less important details (like thicker layers of wool) can make a bigger difference than many people would suspect. It can take a lot of endless “analysis” to explain these differences but all of this can be bypassed if you are working with a knowledgeable and experienced manufacturer or sleep shop that has good quality and value mattresses available in the materials that you prefer.

Even with a material as durable as latex … having a two sided mattress is a “value bonus”. Other good options can be replaceable layers with a zip cover or having a local manufacturer nearby that can open up the mattress and change out a layer if one softens or wears out before the rest.

Organic is really a certification or a “process” standard rather than a “quality” standard. In other words it “certifies” that a product or material uses ingredients that were grown, produced, or manufactured using organic methods but the same material that doesn’t go through the organic certification process may be basically the same … except it isn’t certified. There is more about blended, natural, and organic in post #6 here. There is also more about the different types of latex in this article.

Outside of latex which is an excellent choice for your type of environment (it resists dust mites which is a leading cause of allergies and is breathable so it helps to control humidity in the mattress), I would focus on using highly breathable layers throughout your sleeping system. This means natural fibers in the cover and quilting layers (such as organic cotton/wool combinations) and in your mattress protector (the dormier wool protector would be a great choice) and in your bedding as well (high quality cotton such as Egyptian or Pima, bamboo, or linen (flax) would be good choices). It would also be important to use a slatted foundation. This way there are no “barriers” to overall ventilation of your mattress. Again though … a good manufacturer or retailer will know all this and give you good guidance.

Savvy Rest is a high quality manufacturer but they are very expensive compared to other manufacturers that use the same or similar materials and have the same benefits (such as some of the online manufacturers that are members of the site listed in post #21 here). There are many mentions of them on the forum and a search on Savvy Rest will bring up lots of posts and comparisons.

There is some “history” with Green Mattress Factory and before you consider them I would do a few hours of reading and research online to make sure you were comfortable with some of their past. You can start with some of the links in post #6 here.

My Green Mattress is one of the members of this site and are listed in the link I gave for online members. They and the other members here have some of the best quality, service, and value in the country and I think very highly of them…

As you mentioned … this is not really possible to quantify or predict because the reasons that a material softens has many variables and can’t be predicted on an individual level. there is more about this in post #2 here. Depending on where inside the range of your needs and preferences your mattress falls … different people will be affected differently by softening. For example if someone were to buy a mattress that was on the verge of being too soft for good alignment, then even a minimal amount of softening over the first few months could put them over the edge and their mattress may no longer be suitable. Latex though will soften less than other materials and if you choose a mattress that is not “on the edge” of the range of your pressure relief and alignment needs … then this shouldn’t be an issue. A good guideline is “just enough” softness and not more. Some manufacturers also offer a side to side split which means that each side of a mattress can be built differently for couples of differing needs and preferences although there are other ways to accomplish this as well.

If I was in your shoes … I would step back from “analysis” and my next step would be to talk with some of the better choices in the Houston area and then visit the ones that you best “connect” with.

Phoenix

3

Hi Phoenix,
Thanks for your information. I’m re-evaluating the Houston companies you have listed on your site, I had mentally crossed them off the list because most didn’t cite selling latex, but Houston mattress Factory deserves a phone call I think.

I wanted to read the specifics you alluded to regarding the omi terra, but the link in your response is not active, could you re-post that link?

Oh, I did read the discussion around The green mattress Factory…thanks for that heads up.

Txfox

4

Hi TxFox,

Several of the companies on the list make latex mattresses. Houston Mattress and AngelBeds/Tranquility are two but some of the others would as well and some of the wholesale manufacturers there would also make some latex mattresses or latex hybrids.

Oops … the link is fixed now :slight_smile:

Phoenix

5

Thank you!

6

You should search for a “discount mattress store” in your area. There is no reason to spend $7,000 for a mattress. You must be shopping at the wrong type of store. There are over 300 mattress manufacturers in the USA and alot of those are reputable and offer a great product. Stay away from the few name brands that you have heard of. They are mostly about profit and not quality. Look for solid dunlap latex laminated to a foam core. You don’t have to go over $2,000 for a great mattress!