Latex Durability

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

I recently visited Josh at the SleepStore in Bellevue, WA. My fiscally conservative wife was her usually guarded self. He introduced us to the Nature’s Embrace Unison mattress. My very curvy wife was blown away by the support and comfort it provided – I was probably easier to please. While the price was pushing her limits, to my surprise, she quickly concluded that that was the mattress to go with. So we are prepared to take the plunge, especially if the longevity is good.

That leads to a story that Josh shared to support his assertion that an all-latex mattress, such as the Unison, can last a lifetime if you take care of it. Recently he picked up an exchange mattress from a client where the mattress was made of latex and was seventy years old. :blink: Other than a little flaking in one corner that was probably exposed to drying effects, the mattress was still in good shape. If a latex mattress is indeed durable enough to last thirty years, I could easily justify its higher cost and commensurate value. Is his assertion reasonable?

2

Hi marcs,

You can read a little more about latex and its durability in this article (which has a video of an almost 50 year old latex mattress) and also in post #6 here. It is certainly a unique material in the world of bedding.

I would keep in mind that most of the stories you hear about latex lasting decades would generally be single layers of firmer latex (softer versions of any material including latex aren’t as durable as firmer versions) but latex as a category is the most durable of all the foam materials. A well made latex mattress that isn’t too soft can last decades yes. Even if you use softer latex in the top layers for pressure relief it will still last longer than other materials and you can just replace the softer top layer instead of the whole mattress because the deeper layers would still be fine.

Phoenix