Help with choosing a mattress

Hi lkirik2000.

For the vast majority of people, any smell of latex would be below their sensitivity threshold after a few days to a few weeks although if you put your nose right into the bare material you may still notice a slight smell. There is more about the smell of latex in post #2 here or odor of new materials in post #3 here but in most cases latex smell is reduced to levels below what people will notice in a few days to a few weeks but this can also depend on how acute your sense of smell is and on how sensitive you are to a particular smell. There can also be some differences between different batches of Dunlop.

It’s very unusual though that someone would develop headaches, irritated/swollen eyes in the morning, and nasal congestion with any kind of latex (this is a more common symptom with memory foam) so this may be an indication of an unusual sensitivity or even a possible latex allergy (which would be rare but is the case for a very few people). There is more about latex allergies in post #2 here. It may even be something that has nothing to do with the latex itself but I don’t know what that could be and it may take some detective work or a process of elimination to find out for sure.

SOL does use 100% natural Dunlop latex, organic certified cotton and organic wool in their mattresses as well, I wouldn’t know if this “smell” would be from the latex or from the wool itself as the more “natural” the material, the more variation there can be in the odor.

The materials, layers, and components of a sleeping system that are closer to your skin will have a bigger effect on airflow, moisture transport, and temperature regulation than materials, layers, and components that are further aw, in general,r skin. Your bedding and the wool pad would have the most impact on how warm you’d sleep. Wool is among the best temperature regulating materials and it generally doesn’t feel “hot” and it helps regulate moisture too (which can trap heat) and reduce the perception of temperature that comes from higher humidity levels (similar to how temperatures feel cooler on less humid days than they do on more humid days).
Latex in general is also the most breathable and “temperature neutral” of all the different types of foam materials (including polyurethane) but the firmness of a mattress and how much you sink into it can also affect sleeping temperature as well. While it’s also not always possible to track down temperature regulation issues for any particular person on a specific mattress because there are so many variables involved (including your room temperature and humidity, your sheets and bedding and bedclothes, your mattress protector or any mattress pads you are using, and where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range) and some people can sleep warmer on mattresses that most people are generally fine with … there is more about tracking down a potential cause or causes for temperature regulation issues (at least to the degree possible for a specific mattress) in post #2 here and the posts it links to that may be helpful.

Ultimately I’d suggest that you contact SOL directly with your concerns should the odor continue to be obtrusive to you and gather their feedback, as I do think highly of the advice that they provide their customers.

Phoenix