I have been researching organic latex mattresses for what seems like months now and I feel like I have information overload. I have been looking mostly at Cozy Pure and Spindle but keep finding articles that state organic wool covers cannot truly be organic because they cannot sustain the current fire test which all mattresses without a doctor’s prescription are required to meet. Can someone help me discern this info? It seems like anyone can call a mattress organic if any component of the mattress is organic (i.e. just the cover) but I feel like these two companies are super trustworthy. We really like the all natural latex mattress at Spindle and Neil is extremely helpful but all of these other articles are making me feel like we will never know if a mattress is truly organic or not. I think my brain is just on information overload. I would love some help and advice from anyone out there! Thanks!!
Hi edgerlys,
You are getting some misinformation here that isn’t correct (see post #2 here).
You can read more about the different “levels” of organic mattresses and materials in post #2 here and the other posts it links to. I would make sure you ask yourself why organic materials are important to you and which of the materials in a mattress you prefer to have an organic certification (or if you are looking for an organic mattress that is certified as a complete mattress) because an organic certification doesn’t necessarily mean the material is any “safer” or performs any better than the same material that isn’t certified as organic.
Phoenix
Thank you, Phoenix! I’m going to look at those posts right now. I am not as concerned about an actual organic certification more so than I really just want a mattress free of VOCs and flame retardant chemicals. Thank you SO much for these links and for your quick response!! 
Thank you again for the links to the articles - wonderful information! I did actually get some of that information from the Strobel website you referenced. So good to know it’s not completely accurate.
I do have another question if you wouldn’t mind helping me. I read the post on your discussion with the lady who makes the buckwheat hull mattresses (I’m sorry I can’t attach a link - I’m on my cell phone and am not that savvy 
). From what I understand, the natural latex mattresses at Spindle Mattress are not actually certified organic but seem to be virtually chemical free from what Neil explained to me. The gal who makes the buckwheat hull mattresses seemed to feel like all mattresses may contain some type of chemical. Like I mentioned, I am not that concerned about an actual certification because I understand you can find products that have the same farming practices where the company didn’t seek certification due to cost. I really just want to find a mattress that I feel ok with my young children being on (which is a primary reason I don’t want a memory foam mattress). In your experience do you think it is necessary to completely forego a traditional mattress and make your own or do you think the latex mattresses that truly are natural are just as “safe” (for lack of a better term). I know each person has to determine what is safe for themselves but I would love to hear your take on it! I would love to have as few chemicals in our home as possible.
Thank you so much again - the information you provide is invaluable and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it!!
Hi edgerlys,
Yes she does believe that (or at least she did when she posted) but she isn’t correct and you can my thoughts about this in my reply to her here.
The most reliable way to assess the “safety” of a foam material would be based on the testing that is done for harmful substances and VOC’s and all the latex you are likely to encounter (Dunlop or Talalay made from synthetic or natural rubber or a blend of the two) would either be Oeko-Tex or Eco-Institut certified which would generally be considered to be very safe. For those who are in more challenging circumstances and believe they may be more sensitive than the large majority of the population or have medical conditions such as MCS (multiple chemical sensitivities) then post #2 here and the many posts and sources of information it links to can help answer the question of “how safe is safe enough for me” but this can be a very frustrating and difficult area of research when you are trying to research the specific composition of every material in a mattress that in many cases you may not be able to find out (such as the specific chemistry or compounding formula of a foam).
Post #2 here includes many links to most of the better forum posts about mattresses and children.
You can see my thoughts about making your own mattress in post #15 here and the posts it links to in option 3 but it’s certainly not necessary in terms of safety.
While I would tend to avoid memory foam with mattresses that young children sleep on … whether a material is “safe enough for you” based on a particular certification would be an individual judgement. Just like there are some people who believe in organic food and others aren’t quite so stringent about their diet … each person may have a different set of priorities that are important to them. There are many parents that are fine with polyfoam that is either made in the US or is CertiPur certified and others that wish to avoid primarily petrochemical foams such as polyfoam completely even if the testing appears to indicate that it is safe and they may be more comfortable with materials like innersprings, natural latex, and natural fibers along with “safe” fire barriers such as wool or viscose/silica inherent fire barriers (or possibly even boric acid) just as an additional measure of “safety” or for the sake of their own peace of mind. You will often see scare tactics on one side of the “safety” argument and you will also see arguments on the other side that tend to minimize the risks of some of the more questionable materials or the chemicals that may be in some mattresses but if you stick with materials that have been certified and avoid the materials that are known to create issues with some people that may be more sensitive then you will likely be fine in terms of safety.
Phoenix
Natural latex is mostly natural. However it is a foam, foams are not natural. Obviously then chemicals, called foaming agents, are used to stabilize the foam. Without them, rubber would melt on a hot day and shatter like ice on a cold day. The stats say the the end product of natural latex foam is 96% rubber and only 4% foaming agents. To quote one of my favorite authors, “That’s a whopping fine number.” Not bad for a concentrated tree serum.
Examined more closely, we realize that there are some numbers we will never know. Each density of latex must have its own percentage of final count of rubber, at least in Dunlop process, perhaps so in Talalay also. If the firmer the density equals more rubber (which also equals more durability), then the percentage of rubber should be higher in a 45 ILD piece (hard) than in a 21 ILD (soft). However, if each manufacturer shared their actual rubber percentage for each different density, then they would be sharing a key to their secret formulas and encouraging competition and there we have a whole other discussion.
All that to say natural latex is mostly rubber. The denser the piece, the more rubber it is. How much rubber is a little bit of a guess.