I ordered a Spindle mattress that just arrived. When taking the cover out I noticed a strong smell - sort of a mildew/animal smell. Def could tell it was the wool. I called Neal (wonderful help, great customer service) and asked him if this would dissipate. He said it was indeed the wool I was smelling and some people are sensitive to the smell, most are not and notice nothing. He said that wool smells like that in general as a natural fiber and that it would most likely get worse in humid temps. He asked me to air it out a few days and see if it changes but he said his gut is telling me I am one of the few people that really can’t tolerate the smell and he would work with me on doing a special return on the mattress since I haven’t opened anything else up. He said he is also concerned that I may find the latex to smell and maybe their mattress just wouldn’t be the right fit for me.
I did extensive research on the internet and on Mattress Underground and decided that Spindle was a great company, great product, and really wanted a latex mattress without all the chemicals. They have great prices and service and I chose them out of everyone because of all of that.
But I dont want to be sleeping on a bed where the smell really bothers me. And clearly it is not Spindle but maybe just the wool is a problem for me.
So now I feel like if this doesnt work out, I’m back to square one - do you have any experience with people saying wool smells? I do not know what latex smells like to comment on whether that would be a problem with me or not. I would like a latex mattress that is free of harmful chemicals but perhaps need something without wool.
Do you have any ideas for me on other things to look at or possibly and all cotton cover or other beds that could work? I’m open to all suggestions. Very frustrated because I had made a great decision with Spindle and this is no fault of theirs!
[quote]I ordered a Spindle mattress that just arrived. When taking the cover out I noticed a strong smell - sort of a mildew/animal smell. Def could tell it was the wool. I called Neal (wonderful help, great customer service) and asked him if this would dissipate. He said it was indeed the wool I was smelling and some people are sensitive to the smell, most are not and notice nothing. He said that wool smells like that in general as a natural fiber and that it would most likely get worse in humid temps. He asked me to air it out a few days and see if it changes but he said his gut is telling me I am one of the few people that really can’t tolerate the smell and he would work with me on doing a special return on the mattress since I haven’t opened anything else up. He said he is also concerned that I may find the latex to smell and maybe their mattress just wouldn’t be the right fit for me.
So now I feel like if this doesnt work out, I’m back to square one - do you have any experience with people saying wool smells? I do not know what latex smells like to comment on whether that would be a problem with me or not. I would like a latex mattress that is free of harmful chemicals but perhaps need something without wool.[/quote]
There really isn’t much that I can add to Neal’s suggestions. The smell will get less over time but as he mentioned it tends to be stronger in more humid environments and I would reinforce his suggestion to air it out for a few days (unzipped) to see if the smell of the wool is reduced enough to be acceptable to you. As he also mentioned some people are just more sensitive to certain smells that others don’t seem to notice or at least doesn’t bother them at all.
Latex also has a smell that will dissipate over time to levels that most people don’t notice but once again there are a few people that are more sensitive to the smell of latex as well (see post #2 here).
Unfortunately the only way to know if you are more sensitive to certain smells that most people would be fine with will be based on your own personal experience and it’s good to see that Neal is working with you and going above and beyond to do a special return if it turns out to be necessary.
You certainly made a great quality/value choice but unfortunately there is little that can be done to avoid these types of sensitivities that only apply to a small percentage of people.
There are some good sources for alternative covers that don’t contain any wool that you could use to replace your current cover in the component list here if you decide to keep your latex layers and just replace the cover and there are also several manufacturers in the list of the members here that sell mattresses online that make all latex mattresses with unquilted covers or with covers that are quilted with polyfoam that may be worth considering as well. Some of them also have very low cost return policies that can reduce the risk of purchasing a mattress online just in case the latex also has a smell that you aren’t able to tolerate.
Thank you for the response! Very helpful as always!
I will look at the links you suggested.
What do you know about Essentia? A health blog I follow has their mattresses and raves about them. Do you know anything about their “natural memory foam”? Wondering if it truly non toxic. They use latex in their mattresses as well which I really want. I like a firmer mattress so not sure if memory foam in part of the mattress would be too soft but I will research.
I hope I can either keep my Spindle or find another cover or something - Spindle is a great company! Neal has been wonderful through the whole buying process and now this.!
There are some comments about Essentia and some of the misleading claims they make and some forum discussions with them (as well as some of the FTC issues they have had about their claims) in this thread and this thread and posts #3 and #4 here). I certainly wouldn’t treat the information on their website (or on some of the other websites I’ve seen that write about them) as a reliable source of “fact based” information. I would also make some very careful “value” comparisons before considering any Essentia mattress because they tend to be in a much higher budget range than other mattresses that use similar materials as well.
Some of the recent discussion in this topic may be helpful as well.
Ok thank you - I will read those links on Essentia!
Phoenix - I’m having trouble finding which manufacturers sell a non-wool quilted cover on the links you sent? Am I not looking at the right stuff? That could very well be!
And one more question - do you know anything about Intellibed? Again, bloggers I have read in the “health” arena have raved about this too, but I dont know if they make false claims too.
Brooklyn Bedding - how have I missed this?! Looks too good to be true - but might fit the bill because it has latex and seems pretty “healthy” all things considered. It would eliminate the wool smell problem for me!
I see they are a member on here - do you feel that they are a high quality mattress? The price looks great and it seems like it would be a healthy option with little to no off gassing. Do you have any links on things you or others have wrote on Brooklyn bedding?
I don’t keep a record of the specifics of every mattress that each of them offer (it would be more than anyone could keep up with in a constantly changing market) so it would be best to check their websites or talk with them and ask but off the top of my head I know that SleepEZ and Arizona Premium (mattresses.net) and Cozy Pure all make all latex mattresses that don’t contain any wool in their covers. Some of the others may also have cover options that aren’t specifically mentioned on their websites as well that they will let you know about when you talk with them on the phone.
Plushbeds and Foam Order and Pure Rest are a few others off the top of my head that also make some all latex mattresses that have cover options that don’t contain any wool although there would be others as well that don’t spring immediately to mind.
Some of the sources for individual stretch knit covers that are listed in the component list I linked in my last reply also sell individual latex layers as well that you can use to make your own DIY mattress although they are only sold as individual mattress components and can’t be sold or described as an actual finished mattress because their cover/latex combinations haven’t passed the fire regulations.
Some of the comments I have read from online bloggers about the Intellibed are somewhat “suspect” as well and they don’t appear to have a great deal of knowledge about mattresses and mattress materials.
Buckling column gel itself is certainly a somewhat unique material and is also very durable. It’s one of those materials (much like memory foam) that tend to generate strong feelings either for or against it depending on preferences but for those who like how it feels and performs it can certainly make a good choice. You can see some of my comments about the Intellibed (and other types of buckling column gel) in this topic and in this topic a forum search on Intelligel or on Intellibed (you can just click the links) will bring up more comments and feedback about them as well. A forum search on buckling column gel (you can just click this as well) will also bring up more comments and feedback about other types of buckling column gel as well.
Buckling column gel is certainly not a “natural” material although there are many synthetic materials that for most people would certainly be “safe enough”.
While it may be more information than you are looking for … there is a lot 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 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” that can help each person decide on the types of materials they are most comfortable having in their mattress or on the certifications that may be important to them. These types of issues are complex and are generally specific to each person and their individual sensitivities, circumstances, criteria, beliefs, and lifestyle choices.
