Info overload, plz help! Want latex, but don't want to spend a fortune.

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
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First off thanks to the creators of this web site and the contributors in this forum! I have learned so much about mattresses!! It’s such a confusing retail space.

Now onto my problem. I want a latex mattress because I do have a sensitivity to allergens. I don’t have an actual allergy, but the allergist said it’s “vasomotor rhinitis”. Basically my eyes just give me trouble every once in a while. I like the idea of latex for the dust mite repellent aspect. Currently I have a firm innerspring mattress with a thick memory foam topper. There’s no way I could sleep on the firm mattress by itself, it’s hard as a rock, but it was free so I didn’t complain.

My problem is I can’t decide on a mattress to get. Originally I was going to go with the “Ultimate Dreams Eurotop Latex Mattress” on Amazon by Dreamfoam Bedding because the reviews seemed good and the price was in my budget (I would like to stay around $1000). I also looked at American Sleep Organic Mattress at Sam’s Club by InnoMax [I think], but was unsure if the higher price was justified.

I prefer a medium-soft mattress, but my partner definitely likes the plush type. I’m 6’1", 180lbs; he is 5’8" and 130lbs. We are both side sleepers, I prefer the right side, I don’t think he cares; sometimes I do sleep on my back when it feels a bit tense. We spent almost 6 hours at a mattress store trying to find something I liked, but since they didn’t have any latex mattresses, I didn’t end up getting anything.

Oh, I already have a support system; I got the SULTAN LAXEBY from IKEA, convincing myself that it would be better than a box spring for allergy reasons. Of course now I wish I would have waited, as I would like a platform height type bed. I could do that if I got 10-12" mattress, but those may be out of my price range, and I really just want something good without having to spend a fortune.

One thing I haven’t found an answer yet is if the full latex is really that much better than latex over foam. Do they last the same amount of time? Would dust mites be breeding in the foam part? (Can you tell I’m a little freaked out by dust mites?) I like how the latex over foam is cheaper. And what about mattresses that use latex in part of the mattress? Like the W Hotels Extreme Signature bed? I mention it since there’s a 50% off code, and I have always slept really well when staying at W hotels.

I hope I covered all of the bases, and much thanks to everyone in this forum!

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Hi matthewsoft,

Most of your questions are answered in the tutorial post here which is where I would start your research and has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible and most suitable choice … and know how to avoid the worst ones.

Most “all latex” mattresses do best on a rigid non flexing slatted foundation with gaps that are less than 3" in between the slats but the Laxeby can also be a suitable choice as long as it fits your bedframe, is high enough for you, has good center support to the floor underneath it, and in combination with your mattress provides you with good PPP. It has the advantage of being able to fine tune the support under your mattress in different zones to improve alignment or pressure relief as long as your mattress isn’t so thick that the adjustable zones would make little difference you can feel or notice in “real life”. There is more about the types of foundations that are usually used in combination with different types of mattresses in the foundation post here and the two posts that are linked in the second paragraph.

You can read more about the differences between a latex/polyfoam hybrid and an all latex mattress in post #2 here.

Probably not because dust mites need a source of food (usually skin particles) and higher humidity. You can also use a dust mite encasement to control dust mites in any mattress, box spring, or foundation. There is more about controlling dust mites in post #2 here.

You can read more about hotel mattresses in post #3 here and the posts it links to. In general I would avoid them or any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the information you need about what is inside your mattress. One layer of latex in between lower quality materials really won’t make much difference and a thick pillowtop that has lower density foams in the upper layers is a very risky purchase in terms of durability. Hotel mattresses are also more costly and generally lower quality than an equivalent consumer mattress made by the same manufacturer (Simmons in this case).

Phoenix

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After you check out the tutorial, and you are still considering the Dreamfoam, look at this post. They use a less dense foam than their Brooklyn Bedding version. The BB polyfoam will last longer. Also, you may want to consider Spindle if you want 100% latex in your price range. I think that it might be a better longterm value than the Dreamfoam.

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Thank you Phoenix for the reply! I know answering all these questions over and over again must get tiring. I really appreciate your patience and great detail.

After doing some more reading, I’m assuming that given I already have the SULTAN LAXEBY from IKEA, I should probably aim for a 6-8" mattress to benefit from the more active slatted system. I guess since the distance between the slats are less than 3", I should be okay with most foam/latex mattresses. I do have a fear that I may degrade the performance since it’s not a “solid base”. I’ve already seen some latex mattresses specify using their foundation is a necessity. I would break down and just get the IKEA all latex mattress, but I found it to be a bit too firm, especially the thinner one. Now that I think about it, I don’t remember what foundation they used for the display model in the store. I’ve read in the past that as great as IKEA can be, typically their mattresses are not the best performers. I’ve also considered trying to sell the SULTAN LAXEBY, but I think that would be rather difficult given it would just be a foundation. I already have the BRIMNES bed frame from IKEA.

Of course now I’m also reading the benefits of a thicker latex mattress… Ugh, I don’t know how people make a decision. Maybe if I try to stick really close to 8", I will be good. I’ve never been heavier than 190 lbs on a 6’1" frame, so I don’t think I need something really thick. Although I would prefer something about 10" as it would be best for “extracurricular” activities in bed (yes I even thought and measured for that too – I feel like I have really over-thought this).

After checking many local retailers, I have yet to find a real latex mattress besides the two at IKEA. I am going to be taking a trip up to Madison, WI on Sunday – so hopefully I can stop at the Beloit Mattress Company just to be able to try out another latex mattress. Maybe I can convince myself to just get the IKEA one as it is a really good price.

Decisions, decisions. Phoenix, can I ask you which model of latex mattress you have personally? And if you were to make an online recommendation based upon what you hear from people, what would it be? The list of 14 you have is so overwhelming for me. I know everyone is unique, so you probably don’t have the answer I want, but I think I’m just exhausted by this endeavor.

One final question, a friend sent me a link to the Night Therapy Elite 13" MyGel Prestige Memory Foam Mattress. I don’t think I’ve seen too much about the memory foam and gel combos on here yet. The price and reviews are definitely enticing! I am in love with latex tho…

Thanks again Phoenix for this great site! Will definitely be sending a donation in!! I wish you worked at a mattress store near me, as I know I would get the perfect mattress for sure. And you definitely would deserve a big commission!

Also, jankdc, thank you for the reply too! I will definitely check both of those out!! Hopefully I will have this decision made after this weekend!

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Hi matthersoft,

I would prioritize the mattress over the support system because that’s the part of your sleeping system that will have the biggest effect on PPP. The Laxeby will be fine with any foam mattress in terms of support (as long as the manufacturer doesn’t insist on their own foundation for warranty purposes) but I would rather use it under a mattress which is too thick to take full advantage of the adjustable slats but otherwise works well for you than use it under a mattress that is thinner but doesn’t work as well for you just for the sake of being able to use the base for fine tuning. It will have some effect on PPP but with a thicker mattress the effect will be much smaller.

I would treat the thickness of your mattress as less important than how well the mattress works for you and the quality of the materials inside it.

Beloit would certainly be well worth visiting and they are a member here which means that I believe they compete well with the best in the industry. If you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know of any of the other options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.

My mattress was custom built specifically for us and wouldn’t likely be suitable for someone else. You can see the details here. There are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved in a mattress choice for anyone to be able to make specific mattress suggestions for someone else unless it is an online retailer or manufacturer who is helping you choose one of the models they make that your conversations indicate has the best odds of success (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). I’m happy to help with “how” to choose but the specifics of “what” mattress to choose is should always be based on your own personal testing or more detailed conversations with an online retailer or manufacturer.

I would want to know the quality/density of all the layers in a mattress so you can identify any weak links in the mattress and make more meaningful comparisons to other mattresses. The only layer in this mattress where the density is listed is the 1.5" of 3 lb memory foam which is a low quality material which in combination with the other unknown layers (some of which are also very likely to be lower quality/density as well) would mean that I would avoid it (see guideline #4 in the mattress shopping guidelines). You can read more about Night Therapy mattresses in post #2 here and the links it includes but in general I would tend to avoid them because of the lower quality/durability materials they use.

Phoenix

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Wow, thanks so much Phoenix! You definitely put me in the right perspective with thickness.

My zip is 60504.

I’ve been talking to a friend about this process and he was wondering how his fairly new mattress rated. It’s a Sealy Comfort Series - Cedar Point. He’s a big guy, 320 lbs and 6’1", so I’ve mentioned to him all I’ve learned on this site, especially durability of materials. He now wished he would have waited, but he felt rushed to get something bigger when moving into a house. I haven’t seen anything specifically about the Cedar Point model, but I have certainly read a lot of bad things about Sealy Comfort Series. I don’t think he will get much life out of it given his weight. Is there anything he can do to extend the life of these more poorly built models?

Thanks again for all the links, I’ve done many hours of reading today on your web site, I hope it stays around forever!

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Hi matthewsoft,

The better options I’m aware of in the Chicago region are listed in posts #2 and #4 here which includes two sister companies (My Green Mattress and Quality Sleep) which are both members of this site and are probably the first place I would visit. They make a wide range of mattresses including all latex.

The Sealy Cedar Point has 3" of 4 lb memory foam which is medium quality over a 7" polycore which I believe is 1.5 lb density. I would tend to avoid both of these materials in the weight range that your friend is in and foam softening and breakdown will probably lead to the relatively rapid loss of comfort and support. A forum search on “Cedar Point” (you can just click this) will bring up a few more comments about it.

He may be able to extend the life of the mattress by adding a topper which will absorb some of the compression forces of sleeping on the mattress and may extend the life of the mattress but with 3" of softer memory foam already in the mattress thicker layers of softer foam on top of the mattress may also have a negative effect on support and alignment and can affect the response of the memory foam underneath it so the results of a topper may be somewhat unpredictable in terms of PPP. A fairly thick mattress pad may also have some effect on improving durability for the same reason (and the “feel” of the mattress as well) but with weights that high he will also “go through” the topper or a mattress pad into the memory foam comfort layer below so it may do more to extend the life of the support core underneath the memory foam than the memory foam itself and if the memory foam softens then it would be time to replace the mattress anyway because a topper will still “follow” the soft spot in the layers underneath it.

Whether it’s worth adding a topper would depend on how well the mattress “fits” his needs and preferences and if there is any “room” for adding further softness and the potential alignment risk of adding more thickness and softness to the comfort layers of the mattress.

Phoenix