Looking for Talalay Mattress Advice and Criticism of my Two Potential Options

[phoenix]

Hi TamingDebt,

Do you have a source for this? I actually do have a cotton hypoallergenic cover I use on my current bed, but I still find it harder to breathe when going to bed than otherwise. Perhaps getting a dust-mite-resistant pillow (latex) and blanket (wool) would make a bigger difference than the mattress itself.

There is more information about dust mites and allergies and methods that can be used to control dust mite populations or other allergens in post #2 here and in post #3 here. There is also more about allergy encasements in post #2 here.

[quote]I read the OEKO-TEX guidelines here: www.oeko-tex.com/en/manufacturers/test_c...es/limit_values.html

However they don’t differetiate between natural and synthetic latex. They certainly allow a certain amount of a large number of toxic compounds (Formaldehyde 300 mg/kg for example). I would imagine that a natural latex mattress would have a lower amount. Would I be wrong?

Also I’ve found a lot of conflicting info indicating that synthetic latex offgasses toxic chemicals.

Consumer Mattress Reports seemed like an unbiased source: “Synthetic Latex – Synthetic latex is made using styrene which is derived from tree resin, although a different variety. It is combined with the petroleum-derived butadiene which comes from dehydrated butane to make latex which is similar to natural, although with slightly different properties. This is NOT a natural or eco-friendly product. It may release some gasses (“new” smell) and can contain potentially harmful materials.” (source: www.consumermattressreports.org/unbiased...tex-mattress-report/)[/quote]

The only way to know whether there are any harmful substances or VOC’s in any material is based on actual testing regardless of whether a material is natural or synthetic. This is why reliable and “scientific” certifications don’t differentiate between natural or synthetic materials because it’s not relevant to the safety of a specific material.

I would keep in mind that in spite of the word “chemical” causing concern … chemicals are not necessarily harmful or even synthetic. Anything that is not an element is a chemical and there are natural chemicals that are harmful and others that are safe and there are synthetic chemicals that are harmful and others that are safe. Even water and salt are chemical substances (see wikipedia here) and even if the individual elements of a chemical substance can be harmful (salt for example contains chloride which is a form of chlorine which can certainly be harmful in certain concentrations) the chemical itself where the individual elements are chemically bound together may not be. Even chemicals such as formaldehyde are natural chemicals that are abundant in the environment or in ambient air in relatively low concentrations and the formaldehyde concentrations in many homes (see here) are higher than the testing limits for formaldehyde in mattress materials.

Since most people that are concerned with “chemicals” are really concerned with “safety” … there is more information in post #2 here and the more detailed posts and information it links to about safe, natural, organic, “chemical free”, and “green” mattresses and mattress materials that can help you sort through some of the marketing information and terminology that you will encounter in the industry and can help you differentiate between them and answer “how safe is safe enough for me” or “how organic is organic enough for me” so you can decide on the types of materials you are most comfortable having in your mattress. These types of issues are complex and are generally specific to each person and their individual sensitivities, circumstances, criteria, beliefs, and lifestyle choices.

You can see my comments about the Consumer Reports mattress ratings and recommendations in post #2 here and in this topic. While they may be a good source of information about more “objective” purchases … as you can see I would consider them to be an unreliable source of information or guidance about purchasing a mattress. My thoughts are also shared by most of the more knowledgeable people in the industry (see post #5 here for an example).

This part was really interesting to me, and I went back to check both of the mattresses I had selected. Neither mentioned what their method of flame-retardant was. Is it safe to assume both are using toxic chemicals in this regard? In that vein, do you have any latex mattress recommendations with wool or silica flame retardants?

Both of the mattresses you linked specify that they use wool as a fire barrier (see here and here).

Most of the latex mattresses in the previous link I mentioned ( for the online members here) also use wool or inherent fire resistant fabrics that don’t have any added chemicals (if they don’t use wool quilting) as the fire barrier.

I’m in Syracuse, New York, and my ZIP is 13210. As you can probably tell by now, I’m not too concerned with the relative pressure/firmness of the mattress. I can sleep on almost anything. I’m more focused on minimizing environmental toxins and dust mites. I would definitely check out a mattress store if they had latex mattresses that fit all of my specifications though.

The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Syracuse area (subject to making sure that any specific mattress meets the quality/value guidelines I linked previously) are listed in post #2 here.

Phoenix