Hi acoelho1,
The first place I would start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choices … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Each person can have a very different definition of what “non toxic” means and can have a different answer to the question of “how safe is safe enough for me?” so the first thing I would decide on is the type of materials you are comfortable with having in your mattress. Post #2 here and the posts and the other posts it links to can help with this.
[quote]I live in the Washington DC metro area and I visited Urban Mattress, which I liked the feel of their Ecoscape mattress (link below). Does anyone have experience with this mattress?
Also, comfort would be my 2nd concern, which I tend to lean on a more firm mattress.[/quote]
There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses.
The most important part of a mattress purchase is that it is a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) but nobody else can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone else to know which mattress is the best “match” for you based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” (see post # 2 here).
Outside of PPP … the next most important part of a mattress purchase is the quality of the construction and the materials inside the mattress (regardless of the name of the manufacturer which makes very little difference) and this is where you need to know the type and quality of the materials inside the mattress (see this article). The Ecoscape mattress uses high quality and materials (100% natural Talalay) which are very durable so there are no lower quality materials or weak links in this mattress.
Once you have confirmed that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP and that it uses high quality and durable materials that will maintain their comfort and support for many years … then you are in a good position to make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses based on the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
If you are open to an online purchase then the tutorial post includes this link to a list of the online manufacturers and retailers that are a member of this site that are among the better quality/value online options I’m aware of. Many of them make all latex mattresses that use different types and blends of latex and have a wide range of options, features, designs, return/exchange policies, and prices that would be well worth considering as a purchase or as a reference point to help you decide on the value of the local options that are available to you.
I’m guessing you’ve seen this as well but just in case you haven’t then the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Washington, DC area are listed in post #2 here.
Phoenix