Hello,
I have owned/used a 2" latex foam topper for about 8-10 years and it’s been great. I have not noticed a strong odor for years, until recently. It started to compress so a few months ago, I removed the cover that came with it. I turned/flipped the topper, and put the cover back on. In the process some small chunks came off of the topper and small pieces of latex foam released, which I vacuumed up. But, there was definitely remaining latex “sand” on the topper, that couldn’t be removed. Since then (which was several months ago), I have noticed the odor of the topper is much worse, even through the mattress cover and sheets. I have asthma but it’s controlled. Recently, after a virus, my asthma got really bad and even with various medications etc., it continues to be bad, especially at night/morning. It struck me that I might have developed a latex allergy, or be reacting to the odor or latex fragments/dust. Is it possible that because I disturbed the topper by removing the cover, that I released more latex that is now bothering me and/or I’m now allergic to? I was very focused on the virus causing the issues, but it started to strike me that maybe the topper is bothering me. I’ve ordered a new topper but am concerned the problem will continue as the new one will certainly have an odor. I will be experimenting with sleeping in another room in my house and see if that changes anything. But, my back has been so much better with this topper on a very firm, older mattress. So I really like the set up in that regard. I found that memory foam also smelled and then compressed so fast. I also didn’t like sleeping on the synthetic material.
My older mattress does have an allergy casing around it. Is it possible to purchase an allergy casing for my new 2" topper? Or would i put a Queen casing on it which will have a lot of slack. I could also have a seamstress alter/modify a Queen size casing. Would a regular seamstress be able to alter the casing or would regular sewing disturb the protective quality of it?
I loathe to go down the path of getting an entirely new mattress as I have loved my bed’s level of firmness and softness. I could get a memory foam topper again… really hated the odor though. Maybe the odor issue is better now? And btw, I purchased my topper from a retailer (Mancini’s Sleep World) that no longer sells toppers and the manufacturer or wholesaler doesn’t sell that topper now. So I purchased a new topper from a different company. No retailer near me has any to check out. I think my topic is quite different than any I’ve seen so I will post it. Thank you.
Hi Jesstobe and welcome to the forums! I’m not a medical professional by any means, and I don’t really have specific answers to your questions because this just isn’t something that comes up often / at all really. But if you like the feel of that latex topper, it might be best to try the new topper with an allergy casing and monitor your symptoms to see if anything changes. If you continue to have issues, you might want to talk to a doctor.