I've tried every mattress out there...help!

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
41

Jewels, are we related someway? I too have tried about every mattress out there! I too have a bad reaction to any type of memory foam (the offgassing makes me nauseated and dizzy and YES, I can detect the odor even though others can’t). I too have a type of fibromyalgia! Finding a bed with comfort, support, and pressure relief is like an endless search!

We have a PLB Beautiful mattress (have issues with the defective foundation which is getting resolved) and for me… it is the perfect bed (so far). It didn’t have quite enough pressure relief, so we bought a PLB 2" topper and that made it just right.

We ordered a second one for a 2nd home in July and it took over 3 weeks for our mattress company to get it in but as I understand it, it was out of pre-fire inventory. As Phoenix said… maybe they are trying to get production up.

We will probably have to replace the mattress which was damaged by the defective foundation so I’ll let you know what happens since we’d be in the same boat as you.

Otherwise, it might be worth the wait if you, like me, have tried all kinds of mattresses. Our last bed was a Simmons pillowtop which ALMOST gave me enough pressure release, but at the time, it had mostly latex in the top… now latex isn’t offer by Simmons and I’m reluctant to try a new one with memory foam in the comfort layers.

I’ve had no sleeping issues with the PLB Beautiful - if there’s glue in it, it doesn’t bother me.

They sure don’t make beds like they used to! :frowning:

42

Scubamom,

What a coincidence, I just finished reading your posts! I think we could be related :slight_smile: Right not, I’m not sure I want to even try the PLB Beautiful. I’ve contacted them and received no answer so far. One retailer told me not to get their foundation as they are poorly made, but I had already ordered both. I can’t believe Latex International charges such high prices and then gives customers poorly made boxes. Did your mattress off-gas or was the smell okay when you first received it? Would you keep it if you could find a long lasting version of the Beautyrest you had?

My Beautyrest Recharge was so comfortable, but it became a sink hole in one month! I think that a pocketed coil mattress works great for me and it sounds like it works for you too (as you liked the Beautyrest, but it failed). Therefore, I am considering the purchase of a Restonic Belvedere mattress made by Clare Bedding in Michigan. However, I’m concerned about off-gassing, which just makes me sick. I’m also concerned it won’t last and they don’t offer exchanges or refunds. I’m even considering keeping the sleep number I have, rather than returning it.

I am shocked by the lack of quality in mattresses today. I used to be able to go out, lay on a mattress, make the purchase and it would last for years and have no smell. Please keep me posted on what happens regarding your PLB Beautiful mattress. Also, if you find something else that works for you, let me know!

Thank you Scubamom,

Jewels

43

Hello Phoenix,

What do you think about the boxes that are being sold with the PLB mattresses? As you likely read, I was told not to get the PLB box. I was told by a retailer that the boxes PLB uses don’t support the mattress well. I would love your opinion.

I am reconsidering the Restonic Belvedere double-sided mattress that I wrote about previously. It is made by Clare Bedding and I noticed you seem to support their work in some other threads. Any opinion on Clare Bedding ( I am so sorry if I’m spelling their name wrong)?

Thank you,

Jewels

44

Hi Jewel,

You can see some pictures of it here and here. I’ve made quite a few comments about them in the forum but the comments I made here …

… probably says it best.

Clare Bedding has always been helpful and transparent when I’ve talked with them on the phone and I think they are “good people”. This means that your chances are good that a retailer you are dealing with will be able to find out the type and quality of the materials inside one of their mattresses you may be considering (if they don’t already know them) so you can make sure they don’t have any weak links and so you can make more meaningful comparisons with other mattresses.

Phoenix

45

The PLB had NO odor… maybe a faint rubbery whiff the first night or two… and Latex does not offgas. As I said no problems until the foundation became THE problem!

We have been through 2 Simmons in 3 years!!! These were the Beautirest World Class Plush Pillowtops comfort level 8. Yep, sink hole city! Which people like you and me can REALLY feel. We moved one to our guest room and can sleep on it in a pinch but I always keep waking up thinking “where did that nice comfortable soft top go”.

IF we were going to try another, I’d go to the top of the line Simmons Black Kate Pillowtop plush - comfort level 8 to 8.5 and hope it still gave plenty of support. Like Phoenix predicts… no doubt all the foams in the top and comfort layers will start sagging, but at that point if I just LOVED the bed, I’d probably just keep moving the newest reject to the guest room and get a new one. Yeah, rather spendy that way, but I’m at the age that I can’t take it with me, so I may as well be comfortable!

That’s why we switched to Latex… no off-gassing, plenty long lasting, shouldn’t sag or fall apart anytime soon! I grew up on one and slept on it for over 20 years! Been waiting another 40 years to get another one… this is my chance! :slight_smile:

Plus, a latex bed is so uncomplicated… several layers of various ILD foams as opposed to Simmons… 1" of this foam over 2" of that foam over 1 1/2" of microcoils, over etc, etc, etc… No wonder they sink and sag! too complicated! :slight_smile:

46

Like both of you, I had a Simmons Beautyrest Black which went to crap within a couple of months. I loved it for the first month or two. After that, sinkholes and alignment issues galore. And I’m only ~155 lbs, so not a heavy person! Unfortunately, I purchased it as a floor model (it was only on the floor for about a month and the date on the law tag proves this), so it doesn’t seem like I’m going to be able to make a warranty claim.

Scubamom, I definitely would not recommend purchasing another Simmons!

47

They hopefully will replace the PLB Beautiful. I forgot to mention that I do not get hot on this latex bed! I always ran hot on our last three Simmons!

Our daughter replaced her 14 year old Simmons with a Black… we’ll see how long it lasts. She too is VERY sensitive to memory foam (as is her son)… they bought a 2" memory foam topper with the Black and she woke up at 2am dizzy and sickish - they gave the topper away and evidently the foams in her Black aren’t bothering her… guess that’s a good thing!

48

Hi Scubamom,

I’m not sure what to do. I called the store and the rep for latex international told the store he would try to find out when they can actually make and deliver the mattress. It sounds like I’m looking at at least a two month total wait. I just find this type of service unacceptable. Anyway, do you actually like the Beautiful mattress or do you regret the purchase? Are you now comfortable in it or does it still cause pain? I can’t afford to go out and buy another box (due to the price of the mattress) and that also causes concern. Please let me know how you feel about the Beautiful mattress at this point. I’m so glad we found one another here.

Thank you,

Jewels

49

I’d be interested to know what the rep says since hubby thinks PLB is a lost cause at this point. We are about to take our “free exchange” on a Simmons Black Kate pillowtop plush which I tried out this afternoon (like you, we don’t have a lot of choices with an exchange). Our 2011 Simmons is very much like it in terms of comfort levels, but this one felt “stiff” and not really soft, soft. That said, the salesman said it had only been on the floor 2 weeks and had not had enough people on it to soften it up and break it in. It DID seem to have plenty of support which we want and need.

As for the Beautiful - we liked the one here before it had problems, however our 2nd home one felt far softer and was starting to give me a backache. We figure both would need to be replaced, but which one is the “real feel” Beautiful? The firmer one we liked, or the softer one that seemed too soft! The idea trying to replace both and wondering what we might get next is a little un-nerving.

The other thing is that latex does not feel anything really like a spring mattress or memory foam, or any other kind of foam I’ve laid on. It is sorta like memory foam… you’ll either love it or hate it! You float on latex and sink on memory foam. Latex can feel really good in the store, but it takes some getting used to. It can be soft in one way and firm in another way - VERY hard to explain.

You may have to be like us… maybe stick closer to something you’ve been sleeping on that can actually be delivered SOON.

50

Hi Scubamom,

I’m so glad you found me on here. I do have some additional questions (no surprise, I’m sure):

  1. Did the indentations in the Beautiful mattress go away once you replaced the foundation?
  2. Was it only comfortable for about 4-6 weeks? Did you ever really love it?
  3. Did it feel like it was pushing you back (the push back effect)? I noticed the model seemed to push on the small of my back and it didn’t feel good.

The store owner called me and told me he talked to someone at Latex International ( a higher up) and that person said the store would get the mattresses next week. The owner told me he has already paid Latex International and he is also losing faith in them. He spent hours on the phone and still isn’t sure the mattresses will really arrive. He’s also concerned, as I am, about their quality control (for example, your mattresses feeling different even though they were the same Beautiful.) I’m fortunate in that the store owner is offering me a 60 day trial and if I don’t like it, I can return it less a 10% restocking fee. He’s also giving me a much better box spring (I talked to him about that yesterday). Nonetheless, I still may cancel it. I’ll keep you posted.

I would be careful regarding Simmons Black pillowtop. If the price is reasonable and you acknowledge that it may not last long, it may be worth it. Just remember you may have to replace it at the one year mark or so. It will be really helpful to see how your daughter’s mattress holds up, as that may answer your questions. Do you have to do an exchange at the store or can you get a refund? The Simmons mattresses all have a pocketed coil which really feels great on my Fibromyalgia. However, since I’ve tried the Beautyrest repeatedly in the last year, I’m looking into a mattress made by a different company that has the same type of pocketed coil. I’ll let you know if I go through with the purchase and how it works as it may be an option for you in the future. Okay, please keep me posted and good luck!

51

Phoenix,

Thank you for this great site and for allowing the open exchange of information. You’ve been so very helpful and I’m grateful for all that you do. :cheer:

Thank you,

Jewels

52

Hi Jewels,

Thanks for the kind words … I appreciate it! :slight_smile:

Phoenix

53

The Beautiful is still not quite right, but after being on a few slats almost 2 1/2" months, it is no surprise! The center of the mattress was draped over sharp center supports 1/2" above the few slats and much of the mattress was bulging through open spaces 10" x 18" (plus the weight of our bodies sinking into the holes). I think Phoenix was right… somehow the layers are shifted after being contorted in so many different ways.

We DID really like it before it started falling through the cracks. If we could get it quickly replaced, we’d probably do that, but can’t wait “forever”. At this point, our only choice is to replace with the Simmons Black that they offered as exchange - they do not do refunds and it sounds like they may be stuck with defective foundation and mattress if PLB never answers their calls or honors the warranty. This really upsets me since this is not their fault or ours. That said, we don’t want to get stuck waiting on a new one… and IF we must replace the second PLB, go through this again. Plus if this outfit was truly going to “reorganize”, the number 1 goal should be to hold and take care of your customer base!!

To answer some of your questions, the latex molds to your body without letting you sink into a “hole” like memory foam. Probably the best description is latex is “fast response”… you move, it moves. Memory foam is “slow response”… you move (or try to) and it has to remold itself around or under you. We felt like we were moving through mud on memory foam… whereas Latex makes it easy to move, roll over, etc. That said… the important thing is to be sure the layers match to what your body needs. With the Nature that had firmer latex, I sunk right through the soft layer and bottomed out on the harder layers… this put a LOT of pressure on my shoulder, hip and leg as a side sleeper. Couldn’t stand it. So we went to the Beautiful PLUS the 2" PLB topper on it. Problem was that made it almost too soft, losing spine support, but without the topper, I had too much pressure on me.

If we ever try latex again, I’d probably go with the “build it yourself” idea - being able to build the layers that felt right. My husband cringes at this idea because I might NEVER find the right layers and amount of softness and firmness. Our other latex option someday if we decide to try it again is to go with the Natura brand. Our mattress company used to carry that brand, but it took a long time between ordering and delivery, but at least the mattress WOULD come! We are pretty limited in latex choices in South Texas, unfortunately.

If the owner will give you a 60 day trial, then you might want to see if you can receive the Beautiful in the next week or so. It WOULD be well worth a try. If it doesn’t work out, then you’ll at least know what a latex bed feels like. And start your search again.

In our case, we’ve slept on Simmons for years and years. We know the thing will probably sink or swim in a few years - sure don’t make them like they used to!!! But we also know we CAN sleep well on them. At least maybe these replacement mattresses will last long enough for us to search other options. Or perhaps in a few years, more latex brands and beds will be more readily available.

We truly want to keep the latex, but you know… I really don’t want to shell out more $$$ to PLB - they’ve gotten enough of it as is. :slight_smile:

54

Phoenix and I want to thank you too for all the help!!! I’ll probably stay around the forum some while I plan ahead and get ideas on what we’ll (no doubt) have to replace the NEW Simmons Blacks with! I’m determined to have latex again someday… but at the present we need a quick solution to replace the two PLB mattresses without waiting weeks or months to get it all sorted out.

I keep looking at the layers in these spring beds thinking if they ONLY had latex instead of mystery foams! :slight_smile: Oh well, maybe in a few years, some will.

I’ll keep y’all posted on our Simmons Blacks and also our daughter’s new one too. We can be the “latest” in guinea pigs for that! :slight_smile:

55

Hi scubamom,

I also appreciate all the information you’ve added to the forum as well and it’s unfortunate that both of you were caught up in some of the difficulties that some retailers are having with PLB … especially with your foundation issues which are clearly a significant problem. They are high quality mattresses but some of the other challenges that they are facing will certainly cost them business … and some of their reputation as well.

The forum will still be here whenever you need it … or feel like posting :slight_smile:

Phoenix

56

Hi Scubamom,

Thank you for all of the information you’ve provided. I agree that it’s unfortunate that retailers (at least the ones we are dealing with), seem to be taking a hit regarding the Pure Latex Bliss mattresses. If they are able to get the mattress in this week, then I’ll go ahead and give it a try. Again, I feel very fortunate that I’m dealing with a great store and a very kind mattress store owner. It will be helpful to see if the foundation I will receive makes a difference regarding the stability of the mattress. I will certainly let you know what happens.

I agree with you regarding going with a latex mattress, like the ones by Sleep Ez, that allow you to customize the layers of your mattress. I am considering that option as well.

It sounds like you’ve made the best decision possible, given the circumstances. I loved how comfortable and conforming the Beautyrest was for me. It would be wonderful if it lasts a decent amount of time. Please keep me posted as to how you like the Black mattress and if it seems to have staying power. I really do miss the mattresses that were made, say fifteen years ago. I remember going into a store, trying a mattress, and then loving it for over ten years! This last year of searching for a well-made, comfortable mattress has been a real nightmare. Hopefully, we will be off this mattress merry-go-round very soon. :woohoo:

Best of luck to you,

Jewels :slight_smile:

57

If your poor store owner has already paid for the PLB mattress, I’d give it a few weeks if you can wait that long. I doubt he’ll get his money back and the mattress may well be worth the wait if you like it as much as we did. A few weeks might solve your search problem - wish I had that option! :slight_smile:

58

Hello!

I finally received the PLB Beautiful mattress. Unfortunately, I don’t plan on keeping it. Here are the pros and cons related to my personal experience:

Pros: I really do believe this is a non-toxic mattress. The smell was strong the first few days, however it didn’t affect me. In the
past with other mattress brands, I would feel sick and literally blow the chemical smell out of my nose every morning for
about one week. I think this mattress could be comfortable for someone young, with no back issues whatsoever.

Cons: It took over six weeks to receive the PLB Beautiful mattress. It isn’t cut correctly. I had read other reviews of this mattress on
a variety of sites and found the same complaint. My mattress was supposed to be a full-size but it hung over the box spring
by one inch one each side. It doesn’t give enough in my upper back, shoulders and head resulting in major pain in those
areas. When I tried the store model, it appeared that I was properly aligned. However, after a few hours of sleep on my
mattress, I lost alignment. I sent an email to Pure Latex Bliss (Latex International) three weeks ago and I’ve heard nothing,
which I find unprofessional. Generally, because it took six weeks of work to finally get the mattress from the company,
combined with the lack of response to my request for information, along with the poor cut of the mattress and the cheap
box springs that come with it, I can’t recommend this company or its’ mattresses. Just my opinion. I do hope this helps.

Thank you Phoenix for this amazing site. I would be lost without the information you’ve provided. I’ll keep you posted on what I end up with.

Thank you,

Jewels

59

Jewels… are you saying it seems a bit firm for you? (ignoring the oversize problem). We put a 2" PLB topper over ours and it was just right. It DID cost us more to do that, but it worked. Also, it took me about a week to get used to it after sleeping on Simmons springs for the last umpteen decades!

I’m in the middle of trying to get another Beautiful somehow, someway… since I still have the topper and hate the “newest” Simmons.

Keep us posted…

60

Hi Jewels,

Thanks for the update … I appreciate it :slight_smile:

Did you happen to measure your mattress? I’m curious whether the difference in dimensions are a result of the mattress or the foundation. There is no “exact standard” for a full size and in some cases they can be 54" (which is the case with PLB) and in others they can be 53" (see here for an example). Foundations are often a little smaller than the mattress to make sure that they will fit inside a bedframe.

This would be a “comfort issue” and could be a matter of the mattress needing to break in a little or it could be a pillow issue as well (a new mattress will often needs a new pillow as well too keep your head and neck and upper body in good alignment). It could also be that the mattress is “on the edge” of being too soft for you because in some cases if you are just outside of your “natural” alignment in a particular sleeping position it can be OK if you are only in that position for a short while but over longer periods of time your body may start to “complain”.

Regardless of any of this … your experience was certainly unfortunate or at the very least a matter of bad timing with some of the issues that PLB is currently facing.

Now that “part 1” of your search is over … I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up choosing next … and of course any comments or questions you have along the way.

Phoenix