Hi jodebg,
[quote]Is poly foam toxic to sleep on? I did not detect any odor coming from the mattress,
but have concerns about the safety of sleeping on this material.[/quote]
Most people would consider polyfoam that was made in North America and/or that has been CertiPur certified to be “safe enough” for them yes although there may be some people who have medical conditions such as MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivities) or other similar health conditions that are much more sensitive than the norm or who wish to avoid synthetic materials for personal reasons (that can sometimes be a result of misinformation they have come to believe) that may choose to avoid it and use more natural materials but they would be in a smaller minority.
[quote]They offered an upgrade to the mattress cover that we found both very attractive,
and comfortable as well. It was a stitched and quilted Bamboo cover with 2 layers of poly
foam-approximately 2" thick in total.
The up charge is $200. per side for a queen size mattress, adding an additional
$400 to the purchase price.[/quote]
If the upgrade makes a big enough difference for you in terms of PPP that it would justify the extra cost then of course it would be well worth considering although if there is more than “about an inch or so” of polyfoam in a quilting layer or in the upper layers of a mattress then I would want to make sure that it was good quality/density so that it doesn’t become a weak link in the mattress. Having a two sided mattress is also a plus in terms of durability (see post #3 here).
If it makes a big enough difference for you in terms of PPP to justify the extra cost then I would think so yes. If it doesn’t then it probably wouldn’t be"worth it" for you (although it may be for someone else). In other words it would depend on how much of an improvement there was with the upgrade. I would decide this based on testing and on how much you believe the upgrade will improve the quality of your sleep. When you look back on a mattress purchase in a decade or so you will remember much more about how well you slept and how long it lasted than you will about relatively small differences in the price per year of ownership and PPP is the most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase followed by the quality/durability of the materials and design followed by the other parts of your personal value equation (including cost of course) that are most important to you.
That would depend on how you define “better” and on the specific benefits you are looking for but in very general terms natural materials and fabrics (or semi-synthetic materials such as bamboo or other viscose type of fabrics) tend to be more temperature regulating and perform better than their synthetic counterparts yes. Like most higher quality components or materials in any layer of a mattress though … they are also generally a higher cost so there is always a tradeoff. There is more about the pros and cons of different types of quilting materials in post #12 here and the posts it links to. There is also more about different types of fabrics in post #7 here and the posts it links to (this is mostly about sheets but the information about different fabrics would apply to the fabrics used in mattress covers as well).
[quote]-Should I purchase the mattress with a less expensive cover (as shown on the sales floor)
and purchase a good quality topper?[/quote]
This would introduce a new variable and choosing a topper that works well with a specific mattress can be almost as difficult as choosing a mattress if you can’t test the specific combination in person. I would tend to choose a mattress that you can confirm with your testing is a good match for you in terms of PPP without any additions that you haven’t tested in person and use a topper as a “backup” in case you make a mistake rather than as part of a specific plan.
[quote]Then the question arises, who makes a good topper
with the ideal materials for comfort and health considerations? [/quote]
Ideal really depends on your own personal preferences. It would be like trying to define an “ideal” in terms of clothing when there are too many personal preferences involved. If you do decide to go in the direction of adding a topper then post #2 here and the posts it links to include some guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice for you and also links to some good sources for different types of toppers.
In almost all cases … “better/worse” types of questions are more about personal preferences and which of two “competing” choices are “better for you” … regardless of whether they may be better for someone else.
Phoenix