How to Clean Latex? ILD Help for DIY Mattress

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Hi Phoenix Thanks for all your Help!,

  1. How do you clean latex foam? Can you steam it? What about use cleaners on it? How should you dry it? Will Water cause it break down? How would you disinfect it? Can you lay it in the sun?

  2. Does Soft Tallay or Dunlop get softer, than firm dunlop, I was told it Doesn’t if its 100% natural.

  3. Where can you buy just the pocket coils for a DIY mattress online?

  4. Can you help me determine ILD (see below) so I can shop online for a DIY mattress (toppers / layers). If I bought these exact layers from sleepez or brooklyn mattresses would it be the same as below?

The stores would not provide them. How do you replicate the mattresses I tried out if foam can be made with different densities depending on manufacture process and materials used?
I am 6’3" 180 bad back, back and side sleeper, and I do computer work on my bed.

Mattresses I Tried and Liked:

OMI: Flora
Wool and Cotton Quilted Encasement
2" Soft 100% Natural Tallay
3" Firm 100% Natural Dunlop
2" Soft 100% Natural Tallay

Savvy: Serenity w/ Harmony Topper
Wool and Cotton Quilted Encasement
Topper: 4" Soft 100% Natural Tallay
3" Soft 100% Natural Dunlop
3" Soft 100% Natural Dunlop
3" Medium 100% Natural Dunlop

Natural Mattress Store: Awareness
Wool and Cotton Quilted Encasement
3" Soft 100% Natural Tallay
3" Medium 100% Natural Tallay
3" Firm 100% Natural Dunlop

Natural Mattress Store: Awareness #2
Wool and Cotton Quilted Encasement
3" Soft 100% Natural Tallay
3" Extra Firm 100% Natural Dunlop
3" Medium 100% Natural Dunlop

Natural Mattress Store: Clarity
Wool and Cotton Quilted Encasement
3" Soft 100% Natural Tallay
6" Medium Pocket Coils
1" Soft 100% Natural Tallay

2

[quote=“passionate4nature” post=17532]

  1. How do you clean latex foam? Can you steam it? What about use cleaners on it? How should you dry it? Will Water cause it break down? How would you disinfect it? Can you lay it in the sun?[/quote]

why would you want to do any of that ? wouldn’t it be easier to just keep it clean in the first place ?

[quote=“passionate4nature” post=17532]

  1. Where can you buy just the pocket coils for a DIY mattress online?[/quote]

i was unable to find any, but if you could do it what would be the point ? for $300 including delivery you can buy 6 inches of 2.7 LB dense HD foam in queen size. i highly doubt you could buy springs that are more comfortable and if after a few years the foam fails for $300 you can just replace it.

3

Hi passionate4nature,

Water isn’t harmful to latex but solvents, ultraviolet light (like sunshine), ozone, some heavy metals like copper, and oils and fats can be very harmful. I would avoid any exposure to direct sunlight which can destroy latex. You can use water or very mild detergents or isopropyl alcohol to spot clean it (making sure you use a damp cloth to soak up any detergents or residual cleaning agents) and then let it air dry in low light before re-covering it. You can also sprinkle it with baking soda to help disinfect it and soak up any excess water and then vacuum it off. If you are looking for cleaning all the way through I would vacuum it first. I would then use only cold water and then like a sponge … soak and gently (the foam can tear) press out any excess water several times (or use a piece of dowel or something similar to roll over it carefully) and then soak up as much water as possible with clean absorbent cloths or a chamois so it is as dry as possible and then let it dry indoors away from any direct light sources or any other sources of harmful exposure (such as electrical machinery that produces ozone) until it is dry. Using a fan would speed up the drying process.

I would tend to be cautious with steam cleaning because high heat may further cure the foam and change it’s characteristics. Occasionally would probably be OK but I would not do this on a regular basis and only if the other methods weren’t enough.

Generally the latex itself wouldn’t need to be deep cleaned except with spot applications because it would be covered or protected with a mattress or topper cover or a mattress protector and bedding.

You can read about the durability and aging characteristics of different types of latex in post #2 here. Softer latex (Talalay or Dunlop or any material) is also subject to greater compression and mechanical forces and will soften more than firmer latex (which is also true with other foams as well). You can read more about the different factors involved in durability in post #4 here and the posts it links to.

I don’t know of any consumer sources for just pocket coils although Bay Beds sells component latex/pocket coils mattresses with pocket coils that can be exchanged. You can also buy a used mattress just for the coils and then tear it apart and clean the coils and use them for a DIY construction.

There is some generic guidance in the “putting the layers together” and in the “sleeping style, preferences, and statistics” sections of the site as well as the “tips and tricks” page but there are too many variables involved for me to provide any specific design recommendations because there is no way for me to know how anyone will feel on any material (and especially material combinations) that would be more accurate than your own personal testing and experience and/or more detailed discussions with the providers of the materials or mattresses that you are considering who will have (or should have) much more familiarity with the specifics of what they are selling than I would. You can see more comments about trying to duplicate another mattress in post #4 here and in an my earlier reply today in post #4 here.

Phoenix

4

Hi passionate4nature, I want to compare some notes with you concerning the mattresses you tried out at The Natural Mattress Store. I am trying to duplicate one of those myself. You can see my journey so far in this thread.

[quote=“passionate4nature” post=17532]4) Can you help me determine ILD (see below) so I can shop online for a DIY mattress (toppers / layers). If I bought these exact layers from sleepez or brooklyn mattresses would it be the same as below?

The stores would not provide them. How do you replicate the mattresses I tried out if foam can be made with different densities depending on manufacture process and materials used?

…

Mattresses I Tried and Liked:

…

Natural Mattress Store: Awareness
Wool and Cotton Quilted Encasement
3" Soft 100% Natural Tallay
3" Medium 100% Natural Tallay
3" Firm 100% Natural Dunlop

Natural Mattress Store: Awareness #2
Wool and Cotton Quilted Encasement
3" Soft 100% Natural Tallay
3" Extra Firm 100% Natural Dunlop
3" Medium 100% Natural Dunlop[/quote]

Do you recall which firmness levels you are referring to above? I liked the “Soft” level the best, the “Extra Soft” felt comfortable, but when laying near the edge I though it compressed too much. I will probably try them out again, just to make sure of my preferences. I want to ensure I’m not having a knee-jerk preference towards a mattress that softer than what I actually need (because my current bed is too hard and painful).

Anyways, I made several calls to The Natural Mattress Store to try and get the specs. The guy at the first store seemed the least informed (he said some downright inaccurate things about latex) and the least inclined to give me the info. He did tell me the “Soft” construction was exactly what you have listed above as Awareness #2. I thought it sounded it a little unusual (but not unheard of) that they would put the Extra Firm in the middle, over top of the Medium. I completely discounted what he told me after two other stores told me it was in the order of S/M/XF. Those stores also gave me the IDL, which you can see in my thread.

Based on what level of firmness you are referring to in your two models, and where you got your information from, I may need to reconsider whether or not what the first guy told me was wrong.

FWIW, I am also going to try and get more accurate information on the natural Dunlop that they use and I will post that information in my thread if I find out.

5

[quote=“g1981c” post=17533][quote=“passionate4nature” post=17532]

  1. How do you clean latex foam? Can you steam it? What about use cleaners on it? How should you dry it? Will Water cause it break down? How would you disinfect it? Can you lay it in the sun?[/quote]

why would you want to do any of that ? wouldn’t it be easier to just keep it clean in the first place ?

[quote=“passionate4nature” post=17532]

i was unable to find any, but if you could do it what would be the point ? for $300 including delivery you can buy 6 inches of 2.7 LB dense HD foam in queen size. i highly doubt you could buy springs that are more comfortable and if after a few years the foam fails for $300 you can just replace it.[/quote]

Because if you buy used foam sometimes you have to clean it and I would like to sanitize it, didn’t know if there was any way besides wrapping each layer in a polly encasement. Steam kills all bugs and germs and is used on mattresses to disinfect. Or What if I got a water resistant cover and encasement of wool and the liquid went through I would have to clean it. IF you buy a floor model they don’t clean the mattress hundreds of people have laid on and while you can get a different encasement…

I was surprised I tried a Naturepedic: Concerto mattress with 2x 6" pocket coils (2285 total) and one of soft memory foam and wool on top, it was the most supportive mattress I have ever been on. Even more supportive than latex. From sitting to laying on your side or back it hit all the pressure points and had more of a active feedback (springiness) They call it medium firm but it was rather soft as well.

Just thinking of my options I would rather use springs that last 10 years then something that breaks down in a few years and is made of chemicals if I go that route save money and not all latex.

6

Hi ehuesman,

The mattresses from The Natural Mattress Store were considered Soft and Extra soft. The way they make their latex must be denser because if you lay on a medium or firm they are very firm. After going to two other stores before them I was kinda a medium guy (I need the top layer to be soft so I can sink down into it a bit for pressure point help on my back). My parents also tried this store and many in the past and their reaction was the same they liked the softest models there. Then you go somewhere else and you may be a medium person so its subjective to the store. I knew alot from reading these forums when I went into the store so I grilled the guy and he is the one who confirmed my questions, we also opened it up. They always put tallay on the top layer for softness/feel then the lower layers can have a mix of tallay with dunlop being firmer on the bottom of most of them.

What I found out is based on my trials at the store and opening up the mattress and knowing when he told me 3" that it was probably that etc. He looked in some black notebook to confirm what I typed here. Let me checkout your posts for IDL’s that would be helpful :wink: What store are you going with online (Sleep EZ /Brooklyn, etc?) to duplicate this mattress DIY?

7

Unfortunately, one of us is getting conflicting information. The guy that told me the Awareness “Soft” was layered from the top down as soft talalay/extra firm dunlop/medium dunlop was telling me this off his memory. The two that told me the “Soft” was layered top down as soft talalay/medium dunlop/extra firm dunlop were looking it up in a book (at least that is what they said while they were on the phone with me.

You didn’t specify, but based on the layering you listed, I would guess that the one you labeled in your original post as just “Awareness” was the “Extra Soft”, and the one you labeled as “Awareness #2” was the “Soft”. Is this accurate?

I am not sure yet, especially because I do not know if I can do the exact duplicate (based on what Phoenix told me about the variables in determining Dunlop IDL). I am considering doing all three layers as blended Talalay, if I can get comfortable on how to duplicate the Awareness “Soft” with those materials. If I go in that direction, I could get the Talalay from Brooklyn and buy the sleep cover from mattresses.net. The price would be somewhere between $1264 and $1107, depending on a couple options. Significantly cheaper than the $2800 plus tax from The Natural Mattress Store.

I also sent a PM.

8

[quote=“passionate4nature” post=17560]Because if you buy used foam sometimes you have to clean it and I would like to sanitize it, didn’t know if there was any way besides wrapping each layer in a polly encasement. Steam kills all bugs and germs and is used on mattresses to disinfect. Or What if I got a water resistant cover and encasement of wool and the liquid went through I would have to clean it. IF you buy a floor model they don’t clean the mattress hundreds of people have laid on and while you can get a different encasement…

I was surprised I tried a Naturepedic: Concerto mattress with 2x 6" pocket coils (2285 total) and one of soft memory foam and wool on top, it was the most supportive mattress I have ever been on. Even more supportive than latex. From sitting to laying on your side or back it hit all the pressure points and had more of a active feedback (springiness) They call it medium firm but it was rather soft as well.

Just thinking of my options I would rather use springs that last 10 years then something that breaks down in a few years and is made of chemicals if I go that route save money and not all latex.[/quote]

ok it makes sense now. sounded weird at first.

9

I think our layer descriptions from The natural mattress store of the Awareness are quite close. My guy looked in the book for all of them. I went to the Walnut Creek Store. Yes they are probably the soft and extra soft I just don’t use those terms because its more about layering for me and thickness of the pieces. Even if the extra firm and medium were ordered differently the nice thing is you can swap them around if you need to :wink: I thought it was weird too with the extra firm being in the middle and I questioned him but he said that’s how the factory chose to get that feel. The mattresses from that store seem on the firm side to me so even the extra soft is a medium elsewhere. I suspect their firmer layers are more dense are hard compared to others.

Interesting choice, I am avoiding blended latex because of them chemicals. Can’t you get the 100% natural online for about 300ish a piece and make a 9" mattress? I was told by someone that if you use a poly base or buy some pocket coils then that saves money as it gives support and uses less foam. The Clarity at the Natural mattress store was close for me to the awareness and uses 6" of pocket coils (3" tally soft, 6" pocket medium, 1" dunlop firm) which is cost savings if I can find the pocket springs somewhere.

Let me know your progress I am looking on ebay, sleep ez, Brooklyn and foamorder to for discounted 100% tallay natural foam.

10

Absolutely right about being able to switch them around, I just think it is important to know what order they are actually using if I am trying to duplicate the feel as accurately as possible.

I’m purposely choosing the blended Talalay because it is more durable and resilient. This was born out in Latex International’s own studies, and they sell both types of Talalay so I would consider it a trustworthy study. Albeit, the differences weren’t huge, but it could end up making a difference years down the line - especially in the softer comfort layer up top. The chemical angle doesn’t bother me, I’m comfortable with the information I’ve obtained. Any harmful chemicals are either used up, neutralized, and/or washed out during the manufacturing process. I’m pretty convinced you are potentially exposed to more chemicals in the “latex” paint on your walls. To each their own though…

Though I would like to know where you’re finding a queen-sized 3" 100% natural Talalay shipped for around $300ish. I don’t think I’ve seen it shipped for less than low $400’s.

11

Used pieces, seconds, returns, etc… you can get for a cheaper price :wink: