I, personally, have a latex mattress (2in topper soft and 6in core firm) that I bought from foambymail(dot)com that is certified to be safe by eco-INSTITUT. I have only had it a week so I cannot recommend it 100% but I did A LOT of research before I bought it and so far I like it.
*Please note that there are some “brand” name mattress companies out there that sell latex foam mattresses that ARE NOT 100% top to bottom end to end latex. What they do is put an inch or 2 of latex on top of a block/foundation of some “other” type of foam and call it a latex mattress. This still may be better then having the latex buried in the bed above the springs BUT when the block/foundation of that “other” type of foam under the latex starts to break down and/or collapses you will need a new mattress. Unless you can find out what that “other” foam is be careful. If it is latex on top of something like HD36-HQ Foam that should work.
If you are going to buy memory foam only buy one that is CertiPUR-US® or Oeko-Tex® certified. Why? because when you buy a CertiPUR-US® memory foam mattress you can know, for example, that it is free of or is below harmful levels of toxic poisons and cancer causing ingredients like:
Low emission (low VOCS)
BPA-free
Phthalates-free
Made without ozone depleters
PBDE-free
Mercury, Lead and heavy metal free
Made without formaldehyde
BHT-free
Do a web search on CertiPUR-US®, Oeko-Tex®, & eco-INSTITUT for more information about their certifications.
Protection for you investment:
Whether you get a latex mattress or a memory foam mattress make sure you get a really good mattress protector because latex and memory foam will break down quicker from sweat, urine, dirt, spills etc. Protect-a-bed makes good mattress protectors but they can be pricey for some people so shop around online.
Considering a spring mattress? Forget it! Almost all of them that are made by the big brand name manufactures are made to FAIL. A lot of them are only one sided so you cannot flip them to get more life out of them. Some say they put some special foam boarder around the bed so you can have more support when you sit on the edge of the bed BUT it is really to give you less springs which makes it less expensive for them to make the bed. If you sit on the edge of you bed too much and/or for to long it will FAIL. Even if they put some latex, High Resiliency foam a.k.a. HR foam, High Density foam a.k.a. HD Foam, or Memory foam a.k.a. visco-elastic polyurethane foam in the bed it is almost ALWAYS buried deep down in the mattress so they can sell you on it and with a higher price. Then they put JUNK polyurethane foam on top of it (that is why people do “mattress surgery” and cut their mattresses open and pull out all the junk foam and replace it with a latex or memory foam topper). Those polyurethane junk foam top layers will start to break down on day 1 and if you can stand it the mattress will only last you 4 years at best even though it has a 10 year warranty. During those 4 years the mattress will (pick your word) dip, crater, canoe, hammock. Your back will hurt and you will have wasted your money.
Look for a company that is: Safe, Secure, & Accredited
-
They are Norton and/or McAfee secured to protect your information from hackers (click on their icons to verify their authenticity)
-
They have encrypted buying/purchasing like VeriSign (click on their icon to verify their authenticity)
-
Better Business Bureau Accredited OR some other internet company rating program (NOT ALWAYS A MUST)
If the company you want to buy from does not have at least points 1 and 2 above MOVE on and find another company online!