Let me first say thanks for the wealth of information provided on this site! Who knew mattress shopping could be so painful?
I have been researching for months, finally decided an all natural latex mattress was the route I wanted to go. We live in Columbus OH & I was surprised to find not one store in the Capital offering natural latex mattresses. I tried TOMF’s latex mattresses first to see if it was something I wanted to explore further. I found that I liked the feel, but decided I could get an all natural for the same price they were selling their synthetic blends for.
I found Natural Bed Co in Akron, and decided to take the 2 hour trip to see what they had to offer. Jerry was very helpful in determining firmness levels for both my husband & myself. I am 5’6" 115 lb back/side/occasional stomach sleeper & my husband is 6’2" 205lb back/stomach sleeper. Jerry recommended (hubby’s side, top to bottom) talalay 3, talalay3, dunlop 4, (my side) talalay 2, talalay 3, talalay 4. After a few months of negotiating I got him down to $1715 with a 2" wool topper. (He originally quoted me $2175 for a king)
I’m all set to pay & pick up Monday, but after doing more research, I came across Brooklynn Bedding on this site. My questions are regarding the poly foam base. What type of longevity should I expect from material like poly foam vs latex? I’m all about being budget conscious, but don’t want to have to purchase another mattress in 8 years. Also, I’m not sure on choosing a firmness level with something like a poly foam. Is it going to give me a sinking feeling like a tempur pedic or traditional memory foam? I tried the tempur pedic & absolutely hated it, wouldn’t want to make a mistake like that with a poly foam core. I have read plenty of reviews on amazon regarding Brooklyn Beddings mattresses, and really like what I have seen. I feel like maybe I’m over thinking this, but really want to save the extra $ if possible. Also, how safe is the poly foam? Should I expect harsh fumes upon unpackaging? I have two little boys that occasionally sleep in our bed, and am concerned with harsh chemicals being involved in the manufacturing of such foams.
Also, if I do chose to go with Natural Bed Co, what are your thoughts on the importance of the wool topper? I’m thinking I could save a few hundred if I chose to go without it. Thanks so much for your advice!
Some of the better options I’m aware of in the Columbus area are listed in post #2 here.
This article and post #6 here about the different types of latex may also be worth reading before you decide which type of latex may be better for your needs and preferences. There is a great deal of misinformation online about the differences between natural and blended latex and all of it may not be accurate.
They are a little far away to be included in the Columbus thread (they are included in the Cleveland list) but they would certainly be worth the drive because they do have good quality and value.
Post #2 here talks about the differences between a polyfoam/latex hybrid and an all latex mattress. Good quality polyfoam is very durable and in most cases the “weak link” of a mattress is in the upper layers so the difference would be more about performance although in durability terms a latex support layer would still have an edge over polyfoam but less than the same two materials used in a comfort layer which is much more subject to repeated compression and mechanical wear and tear.
You would be choosing the firmness level of the latex comfort layer not the polyfoam base layer which is the same in al their mattresses. The mattresses section of the site has a lot more information about the different types of materials and mattress construction and designs that will help you understand how mattresses are put together and which types of materials are used in different layers but in basic terms memory foam is a slow response foam that is only used in comfort layers which is the biggest part of what you “feel” and sink into on a mattress and the support layers are the part of the mattress that “stops” your heavier pelvis from sinking in too far. Latex is a fast response foam that is not temperature sensitive so when it is used in a comfort layer (like in the Brooklyn bedding latex hybrids) you will feel the latex which has a more “on the mattress” feeling instead of feeling the slow response of memory foam which has a more “in the mattress” feeling. Both latex/polyfoam hybrids and memory foam mattresses (like Tempurpedic) use polyfoam in the support layers but you will feel more of the material that they use in the comfort layers. Memory foam is too soft to be used as a support layer.
By most people’s standards … polyfoam is “safe enough” if it is manufactured in North America or has been CertiPur certified. Of course “how safe is safe enough” is a question each person needs to answer for themselves. While it may lead you down a rabbit hole of conflicting and confusing information … a good place to start for those who want to do greater levels of research into what is really green, safe, natural, and organic would be post #2 here.
All polyfoam and memory foam (which is a type of polyurethane foam) will have some degree of offgassing when it is new. While they certainly use “harsh” petrochemicals to manufacture the foams (memory foam more than polyfoam) … when it is cured these chemicals are “mostly” stabilized and inert. If it has been CertiPur certified then any VOC’s have been tested for harmful content (and smell isn’t the same as toxicity). Some people choose to avoid polyfoam and memory foam completely (just like some people choose to eat more natural foods or more organically than others) and others would choose not to expose their children to memory foam (which in general has more odor and offgassing issues than polyfoam) but what is OK for each person would depend on how important these issues are and the level of research and life changes that seems justified (eliminating polyfoam involves a great deal of effort because it is everywhere not just mattresses). All of the Talalay latex and most of the Dunlop latex you will find also has been certified … usually through Oeko-Tex (which is very similar but a little more stringent than Certipur).
I can’t tell you “what” to choose when it comes to choices between polyfoam and latex because there are too many individual preferences and variables involved (including budget) but I can help you with the information that can help you know “how” to choose between them and the things that you may want to take into account to decide on your own personal value equation and what is most important to you.
Wool is a great material and can add significantly to the temperature regulation, humidity control, and microclimate of a mattress. It can also provide some “point specific” cushioning that can help with pressure points if this is necessary. The only way to know whether it is worth it for you is to ask yourself if it adds enough to the feel and performance of the mattress to justify the cost and your own personal testing with and without the wool topper will go a long way to answering this. Some people would say yes and others would say no. I would make sure you can answer “why” you are considering adding a wool topper to the mattress (so you aren’t just adding it based on someone else’s opinion regardless of any benefits that are important to you) and your mattress may already have wool in the quilting (many latex mattresses use wool quilting as the fire barrier). If you can answer this “why” and you know how the mattress will feel and perform with and without the topper … then you are a long way towards answering whether it is worth it to you.
I think you may be correct and you may end up talking yourself out of a very good quality/value mattress
Thanks so much for the feedback, Phoenix! After delving even more into this site after my post, I was able to find the pertinent info regarding poly foam. It certainly helped reinforce my decision to go with the all natural latex, in terms of durability & being more chemical free. I did, however check mattresses.net website last night & found the king eco sleep latex mattress w/ bamboo cover. Do you know anything about this particular mattress regarding the layers? I’m thinking since its so cheap it must contain a poly foam base, but was unsure since it was listed under the all natural category. Thanks again for the help, everything I’ve found on this site really takes some of the guess work out of mattress buying.
I can tell you that based on my own personal “value equation” (which may not be the same as someone else) and if I could comfortably afford it … I would certainly go in the direction of an all latex mattress vs a latex/polyfoam hybrid … particularly if what I was looking at had good quality and value (which yours does).
One last question for you…we are all in on our budget with this mattress. The “box spring” we currently have I took apart to see what was underneath. It’s actually the newer type, which from what I’ve read is more of a foundation. The metal slats are about 6" between, we are planning on using it until we can afford to purchase a platform bed. My question to you is, would you recommend putting plywood over the foundation until we can buy the new platform, or just use it as is? From what I’ve read the fabric layer over the metal slats should protect the mattress & disburse the weight. Is that true?
If the box spring you currently have is a wire grid type something like this or like this … then it would probably be fine for the short term (and some people would say for the long term as well) although as you can see from this post I have some mixed feelings about them.
If your box spring has actual slats that go from the side rails to a midbeam and they are 6" apart something like this or the support surface has similar gaps, then I wouldn’t use them even for the short term without a foundation or other type of supportive surface over it because they are not close enough together IMO to prevent the latex from sinking into the gaps.
Plywood would also be fine in the short term although it’s also not a good long term solution IMO because it doesn’t allow ventilation between the mattress and the support surface which increases the risk of moisture buildup and the dustmites, mold, and mildew that can go with this.
