I’ve been reading (and learning) a lot on this site and the advice has led me to purchase an all natural latex bed from SleepEz. They had a special on an 8" bed, so I bit the bullet and bought it today. I’m very excited to get our new bed, however I’m nervous because we’ve never even tried a latex bed, so I’m hoping that all the positive attributes and comments about them are right. I was also concerned about going with the less expensive option- meaning if you’re going to spend that much on a bed, than maybe you shouldn’t be skimping on it. Shawn at SleepEz said that most people only use about the first 5" of a mattress, and that the thickness really doesn’t matter. I hope he’s right and that the 8" will be more than enough for us. We also purchased a St. Dormeir cover. I know a protector is recommended. Is this one sufficient to protect our investment? Will that layer take away from the benefit of laying right on the latex? Also, is there any truth to the rumor that sleeping on latex can make you susceptible to a latex allergy. We’re not currently allergic and I’m not expecting any problems, but I had just run into this statement while doing my research and was wondering if anyone else had heard the same thing. Thanks!
In terms of the quality of the materials and the value of the mattress … you made a great choice. In terms of how you feel about actually sleeping on the mattress or how you feel about latex itself … only your own experience will tell you this for sure because other people may have very different preferences or perceptions from your own so you will know when you have a chance to sleep on it … and then hopefully you can tell us how it feels for you
In a word … no. You can read more about latex allergies in post #2 here.
As you can see in post #89 here about protectors … the St Dormeir is a great choice as well.
So in quality and value terms you certainly did well. Because so many people like latex … the odds are also good that you will be happy with your choice.
So I hope you have the chance to give us your feedback when you’ve had the chance to sleep on it … and in the meantime … congratulations on your new mattress
Oops. You broke Rule #1 (and #2 and #3). However, you’re probably better off than 90% of the people who buy a mattress from a mattress store. At least you got a quality bed from a reputable dealer, and have the option of layer exchanges at a reasonable cost if you “guessed” wrong.
We got a SleepEZ bed too, and love it. The main difference of the “special” is the cover, plus the top layer is 2" instead of 3". The latex is the same quality. Shawn probably asked your weight, etc., so I would trust his judgement that 8" was reasonable for you. If 8" is enough, then 10" or 13" won’t make you sleep any better.
Everyone here says they’re the bomb. We have one on order now…waiting impatiently… Since you didn’t get the cotton/wool cover, at least with the Dormier you’ll have a little wool on top and it’s very nice for temperature regulation.
During the process of making the latex foam, almost all of the latex proteins are stripped out. I have a latex allergy myself; my hands turn bright red if I put on latex gloves, so I looked into that issue. Apparently you have to have the highest level of latex allergy–where if the person who made your sandwich was wearing latex gloves and you eat the sandwich you could die–to react to a latex bed. I’m way more allergic to dust mites!
Hope this helps. Phoenix will have more info for you.
Thanks again. All your information has helped, and I’m feeling better about my selections. I hope we like the feel of the mattress. From what I’ve read, I think we will. As for breaking rules, I figured I was breaking one of them, but 3??? Can you tell me where they are posted? :lol: I will definitely be back to tell you about my mattress experience. I received a lot of helpful advice here, and I’d love to help someone else make up their mind. I know it was a hard decision for me!
Sleepy1, Yes, your post did help. Thanks for your info about the latex allergy. I’m not allergic to it, but I am very sensitive to many things so it was a little bit of a concern for me. In the end, I figured it wouldn’t be as bad as some of the issues I’d heard about with the synthetic materials. I hope you get to enjoy your new cover soon!
I’m also very sensitive to chemicals, fragrances, etc. and a ton of allergies too. We got sick from a new memory foam mattress; not sure if it was the offgassing or the fire-retardant chemicals (FRCs), but it was very unpleasant. Once I learned a little about the chemicals in polyfoams and memory foam, and the new law requiring FRCs on mattresses, I decided I didn’t want to sleep on any of that stuff. Another reason to go latex with the naturally fire-retardant cover (either wool or the silica/rayon).
Just to clarify this … SleepEz doesn’t use borate in their non quilted covers but use a silica/rayon inherent material that is a safe and non toxic fire barrier. This would also be my preference in a mattress that didn’t use wool. You can read a little more about fire barriers in post #2 here.
That is good news. I did the same thing- the more I learned about all the chemicals in foam mattresses, the more I didn’t want to be laying on them for a good part of every day. However, I hadn’t considered the cover containing FRC’s, (I don’t know why) so I’m glad to hear that it will be OK. Thank you both again for the information.
We received our bed from SleepEZ today! Set up was very easy. We followed the steps on the SleepEZ website and two of us had no problems putting it all together. It seems very comfortable- a little more soft and springy than I thought it would be. I can’t wait to go to bed tonight to really try it out!
Hope that you have a fabulous night’s sleep! We are really leaning towards ordering from SleepEZ as well by the end of the weekend. Have to check out a few more places first, but they seem like a great place to buy from.
I don’t know if this is the right forum, but I just talked to Joe at Electropedic beds. He was the most knowledgeable helpful person I have spoken to about latex beds. He explained why talalay is better than dunlop in terms of the reliability of the process, and how to choose the firmness of the mattress.
The bed was a little more than I want to spend, but they have a great return policy, and have been in business with Latex International forever. I suggest if anyone is in Southern California talk to him before you make a latex purchase. I am glad i did.
Thanks, Phoenix, for providing us with reliable retailers.
Our first night in our new bed was very nice! It was a great feeling waking up and not wanting to get out of bed because my back hurt and I felt the need to straighten myself out. It will take a little bit to get used to though. I woke up a few times- not because I was uncomfortable, but because it was different. I didn’t realize how hard our old bed was. This one is a lot more squishy, and the pillows that came with it are much higher than our old ones. However, I’m looking forward to getting used to it. It is really comfortable and I like that it feels like it supports my entire body. My old bed felt like I was only touching it with my shoulders and hips when I slept on my side, so I’m sure the rest of me was curving down to meet the bed instead of being aligned straight. I also like that it was easy to move around in. I heard stories about some of the memory foam feeling like you’re stuck in a hole in the sand and that it takes awhile to bounce back, making it feel like you will roll right back into the hole!
Would you mind commenting on the mattress wool/cotton cover? Does it seem to be constructed with good quality? Is the topper nice, not too flat but not too puffy?
We’re just on the brink of about to order a SleepEZ, and I want to make sure we make the right choice.
Hi adriennej726,
We didn’t get the wool topper. We bought the 8" latex bed that is on special this month. It has the same amount of latex as the 9" bed we were considering, but doesn’t come with the wool topper which adds another inch. The stretch cotton cover that it comes with is nice and seems to be decent quality. It’s soft and quilted on the top, but not very thick, adding less than 1/4". It’s sturdy and we had no problem stretching it over the layers of latex and zipping it up. I believe the material is all natural, not synthetic. I did order a St. Dormeir Wool Mattress Protector from Flobeds because a lot of people recommended this product. Unfortunately, it hasn’t arrived yet.
I know it can take some time to adjust to a new “feel” and type of mattress … and from the sounds of it, it’s “quite” different from what you were used to sleeping on. So far so good though
Congratulations Aimee. I was wondering what layer configuration you ordered.
We’ve had our SleepEZ bed for a month now and absolutely love it. I agree latex feels very different from any other type of bed but in a good way. I hope you enjoy yours as much as we love ours.
BTW, you mentioned being on a budget–aren’t we all–so I thought I’d mention the sheets we ordered go with the awful memory foam mattress but which turn out to be perfect for the latex bed. They’re modal, which is made from bamboo, very thin and stretchy and just baby soft. Best part is, they were quite inexpensive–around $26 for a queen set. I haven’t spent that little on sheets in a long time–and they came from Walmart too–but they’re wearing extremely well through heavy washings for 6 months with no pilling. Apparently the nature of the fabric is that unlike cotton it won’t pill. They really do put the final touch of luxury on a latex mattress.
