We purchased a Natura 6" EcoRest Organic (talalay) Latex Mattress with wool topper all in an organic zippered case 14 years ago. The mattress is still completely comfortable for us, fairly even, soft, and supportive. We have slept on it on a wood platform bed with drawers. The platform is plywood and I drilled some holes in it 14 years ago. The mattress has been encased completely in an allergy cover, (cotton/poly).
In the past year, I have noticed a rubber/latex odor from the mattress. We then saw the. orange spots on the bottom of the mattress cover. Today we unzipped the cover to check the actual latex, and it looks ok, with a few subtly discolored spots on it, and some crumbling along the outside edge toward the top. There is no mold smell.
Questions:
Does this, or a new replacement latex mattress, require slats, or could we drill a lot more holes in the plywood to get enough air flow?
Is it ok to encase a latex mattress in an allergy cover, or does that restrict air flow too much?
What are those orange spots?
I’ll attach photos.
Thanks for any information you can provide.
We are trying to figure out if we can replaced the plywood with slats, so that we don’t have to get a new bed. We don’t want to put in a slat platform, as that would make it too high, but are hoping we can attach slats to the inner frame after removing the plywood.
Thank you for sharing images of what you’re experiencing.
Latex needs air circulation, as do other natural fibers in a mattress. Latex is mold resistant but it can get mold in a damp environment without air circulation. In this case, it sounds like the issue is more with the cover, and not so much the latex itself. If the mattress is still providing adequate support, you probably do not need a new mattress (keeping in mind that the lifespan of a quality latex mattress varies between 10 and 20 years). This article on natural discoloration in latex may be interesting to you.
Ideally, a latex bed should be placed on a slatted base with up to 3" of space between slats for adequate breathability.
On a proper base, the cover shouldn’t make too much of a difference.
I can’t say for sure what the spots are, but they are eerily indicative of mold. I would suggest a new cover, to err on the side of caution.
Thanks Nikki, for your quick reply. The latex smell diminished after all the airing out the mattress got. To my surprise, the tag on the mattress cover says it is hand washable. However, it seems it would be quite a production to remove it and wash it~~ in the bathtub, get it dry, and back on tape mattress. We’re not up for that right now, though I’d like to give it a try.
The spots are a mystery. My first suspicion is mold, something I look out for, and yet there is no mold smell.
We will get some more air flow~~ probably drill more of the bigger holes for now, and see about putting slats in to replace the plywood.
Thanks for the help,
Crone
