Hi dhcoupons,
I switched your post to a new topic with a different title so your questions wouldn’t get mixed in with another members questions.
They are correct that wool can be a natural and effective way to pass the fire regulations.
Their comments about wool are wrong. They are correct that latex is heavy and “sticky” and doesn’t tend to shift inside a mattress and a component mattress does have the advantage of being able to replace a single layer if one of the layers softens or breaks down before the others (usually the softer top layer) or if your needs or preferences change down the road without having to replace the entire mattress.
There is more about some of the factors that can affect the price of a mattress relative to different manufacturers or retailers in post #14 here. Both of the mattresses that you are considering use very similar materials except one has an inch more latex than the other and one has a wool quilted cover which would be more costly than a cover that doesn’t contain any wool.
I would also keep in mind that your own careful testing or personal experience will be the only reliable way to know for certain whether any mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences).
There is a lot of misleading information in the industry about fire retardants and “chemicals” ranging from significant “fear mongering” on one side to completely minimizing fire retardants as an issue at all on the other. Like most issues that arouse strong feelings or controversy the most reliable and “accurate” information tends to be in between both polar extremes so there is “some truth” that “some mattresses” may use some chemicals that some people would find questionable or wish to avoid. Some people may also wish avoid certain types of synthetic foams or fabrics as well even if they have been tested for harmful substances and VOC’s and would be considered “safe enough” by most people.
There are also many people in the industry that IMO exaggerate the risk (usually in an effort to sell some very costly mattresses) and seem to believe (or at least want their customers to believe) that every mattress except for an “organic” mattress (however they define this) is somehow “loaded with chemicals” to prevent them from catching fire which is far from the truth but this type of misinformation tends to scare people and lead people down a rabbit hole of conflicting and misleading information … and of course is exaggerated and somewhat ridiculous.
In this case what you are being told is nonsense.
There is also more about “safe” fire barriers in this article and post #2 here and the posts it links to at the end and there is more about purchasing a prescription mattresses that don’t have a fire barrier and don’t pass the fire regulations in post #4 here and the posts it links to.
The most common method used to pass the regulations in the mattress industry is the use of inherent, “non chemical” fire barrier fabrics that are either quilted into the cover or are wrapped around the inner materials of the mattress like a sock and foams that use fire retardant chemicals are much more common in the furniture industry than they are in the mattress industry.
I’m assuming that you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial (which is the first place to start your research) but two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase to exchange or return the mattress if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for … especially if you can’t test the mattress before a purchase).
Just in case you haven’t seen it yet the mattress shopping tutorial also includes a link to a list of the members here that sell mattresses online (in the optional online step) and many of them sell latex and latex hybrid mattresses that use different types and blends of latex (Talalay and Dunlop) that have a wide range of different designs (including component mattresses), options, features, return and exchange policies, and prices that that would be well worth considering.
There is also more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here but all of the latex you are likely to encounter (either Dunlop or Talalay that is made with either natural or synthetic rubber or a blend of both) will have a reliable safety certification such as Oeko-Tex, Eco-Institut, or Greenguard Gold (see post #2 here) and based on actual testing I would consider any type or blend of latex to be a very “safe” material in terms of harmful substances and VOC’s.
Phoenix