How safe is POLY Foam to sleep on?

[phoenix]

Hi Jodebg,

Just in case you haven’t read it yet … the tutorial post here is the first place I would start your research.

I was told that the support poly foam is 1.8 density and 27 compression.
If we go with the 2" plush Bamboo cover on both sides, do we need to change
the density or compression of the poly foam core due to the thicker layer of soft
material under the mattress?

When you are testing a mattress locally then your own testing for PPP is much more important than knowing the comfort specs of the mattress (such as ILD). If you haven’t tested the specific mattress design you are considering then you would need to discuss any changes with the manufacturer who will be much more familiar with their mattresses, materials, and options and what may be suitable for different body types and sleeping positions than anyone else … including me (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

Also wondering if I should ask to have a zipper sewn on the cover?

If it isn’t a component mattress, if the layers are glued, or the cover isn’t washable, then there would be no reason for a zipper and a tape edge would generally be a better choice (see this post).

One of my concerns is what materials will actually be assembled into my mattress
after an agreement is made with a mattress factory. It would seem all too easy for
lower priced, lower quality materials to be inserted instead of what may have been
agreed upon.Your thoughts?

I think highly of Dave and Comfort Sleep Systems and while a “less than reputable” manufacturer may do this … it’s not something I would worry about at all with Dave or CSS. They are “good people”. You can read some feedback about them here and here and here and here.

I also spoke with Neil at Spindle Mattress in Acton, Ma. Neil was very knowledgeable
and helpful. We were discussing both Natural and Synthetic latex. Started reading on the
differences and seems like some varied opinions. Can you please provide some links where
I can read on this subject on MU.

Post #6 here and post #2 here have more information about the different types of latex.

Are you familiar with Spindle, their product, and reputation?

Yes … I think highly of Neal and Spindle and they are one of the members of this site which means I believe they compete well with the best in the industry. A forum search on Spindle (you can just click this) will also bring up much more information and feedback about them.

Lying on the beds, the smell was very obvious. I mentioned this to Neil
and he informed me that Comfort Sleep was buying their Latex from Latex Intl. and the ammonia
content in their product was twice as large as a his producer,Mountain Top in Pa., and that synthetic
vanilla extract was added, as well. Any information available on this matter, as well?

The ammonia as a preservative in the raw latex to keep it from putrefying and spoiling and is mostly removed when the latex is foamed and manufactured. I have never seen Latex International confirm the use of vanilla in their formulation (and I haven’t asked them) although I have seen it mentioned by others and Talalay does have a “sweetish” smell. You can read more about the typical smell of latex in this post. For most people it’s not an issue and dissipates fairly quickly to levels that aren’t noticeable although there are some people who seem to be more sensitive to the smell of either Dunlop or Talalay and there can sometimes be differences from batch to batch or manufacturer to manufacturer.

Phoenix