Latex Mattress: Van Line Movers and Temperature Questions

[phoenix]

Hi Harmonica,

I plan to purchase a latex mattress in the very near future. I have tried several local options and am now leaning towards purchasing online through either Sleep EZ or My Green Mattress. I have two questions.

As you probably know from your reading here … you are certainly looking at some great quality/value choices.

First, I move regularly for work using van line moving companies. I have read several posts about ways to move a latex mattress, but I have not found anything about experiences with moving companies. For example, if I purchase a Sleep EZ mattress, would it be better to take it apart as suggested in other posts or to have the movers address the mattress?

You could move it either way. You can disassemble it, roll up the layers (and optionally compress the latex if you wish to use smaller boxes) and move it in separate boxes (see post #5 here) and then reassemble the mattress in your new house. Alternatively you could move the whole mattress in a cardboard mattress box. If you move the whole mattress you may need to realign the layers if they shift during the move.

If I purchase a mattress from My Green Mattress, how should I move that mattress since I cannot take it apart?

Since you can’t disassemble it you would need to move it in a cardboard mattress box. There is less risk of any layers shifting if you move it flat rather than on its side but I would call My Green Mattress to see if it would be OK to move it on its side if it would fit into the van more effectively.

Second, I am a hot sleeper. At one of the local mattress stores, I tried the Tempur-Cloud Luxe Breeze Mattress. I really liked the coolness of that bed. However, I have had negative experiences with memory foam in the past and cannot convince myself to make that kind of investment in that particular bed. Since I am leaning towards an online purchase, do you have any recommendations for a really cool mattress set up comparable to the Breeze mattress?

There is more information in post #9 here about the different ways that one mattress can “match” or “approximate” another one. Every layer and component in a mattress (including the cover and any quilting materials) will affect the feel and performance of every other layer and component and the mattress “as a whole” so unless you are able to find another mattress that uses exactly the same type of materials, components, cover and quilting, layer thicknesses, layer firmnesses, and overall design (which would be fairly unlikely) then there really isn’t a reliable way to match one mattress to another one in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) based on the specifications of the mattresses (even assuming that you can find out all the specifications you would need for both mattresses you are comparing in the first place).

Mattress manufacturers generally try to differentiate their mattress from the mattresses made by other manufacturers and don’t normally try to “match” another mattress that is made by a different manufacturer so unless a manufacturer specifically says in their description of a mattress that one of their mattresses in the same general category is specifically designed to “match” or “approximate” another one in terms of firmness or “feel” and PPP and/or they are very familiar with both mattresses and can provide reliable guidance about how they compare based on the “averages” of a larger group of people that have compared them (different people may have very different opinions about how two mattresses compare) … the only reliable way to know for certain how two mattresses would compare for you in terms of how they “feel” or in terms of firmness or PPP (regardless of anyone else’s opinions of how they compare which may be different from your own) would be based on your own careful testing or actual sleeping experience on both of them.

If you are researching online memory foam mattresses … the mattress shopping tutorial includes a link to a list of some of the better online memory foam options I’m aware of (in the optional online step) and several of them make good quality mattresses that are designed and described to be reasonable approximations of many of the Tempurpedic mattresses (including the Cloud Luxe Breeze) and several of the other retailers or manufacturers that are on the list that don’t specifically describe their mattresses as being similar to some of the Tempurpedic models would normally be able to give you more information about which of their mattress would be the closest approximation to the Tempurpedic Cloud Luxe Breeze as well.

When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else and their guidance will give you the best chance of success.

At that same store, I tried the Latex Bliss Beautiful Mattress and preferred the spongy feel, but it was not as cool as the breeze.

While it’s also not possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on sleeping temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials … there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.

Latex in general is the most temperature neutral of all the different foam materials and memory foam is generally the warmest although there are many versions of every type of foam (latex foam, memory foam, polyfoam) that can vary in their temperature regulating properties. There is more about the general differences between latex and memory foam in post #2 here.

In very general terms … the layers and components of a sleeping system that are closer to your skin will have a bigger effect on airflow, moisture transport, and temperature regulation than layers and components that are further away from your skin and softer mattresses will tend to be more “insulating” and for some people can sleep warmer than firmer mattresses. Memory foam in general (with or without gel) also tends to sleep warmer for some people than other types of foam and while thermal conductive materials (such as some types of gel or copper) or phase change materials that are infused in the memory foam will generally make a mattress feel cooler when you touch it and can provide a temporary benefit when you first go to sleep at night … once temperatures equalize the temperature regulating benefits don’t tend to last over the course of the night. There is more about some of the ways that different manufacturers are using to cool down memory foam in post #6 here and while it would generally only involve a minority of people … it would be fair to say that there are a larger percentage of people that tend to sleep warmer on memory foam or gel memory foam mattresses than other types of mattresses.

Phoenix