PU Foam

Hello Phoeonix and all. Hope all are well and happy holidays.

Recently I purchased a 1.5" cut of foam from A1 Foam and Fabrics who’s info I found on this site. It feels very nice and has a little more density than the natural latex I’ve been trying to use, as I expected it would.

I’ve got chemical sensitivities and have to be careful with foams and determine what is “safe for me”. I once had my lips blow up scarily for a whole day after using a brand new memory foam topper from Target.

However my bed has an HR foam encasement and I’ve never had a problem with it and it doesn’t even really have an odor, so I thought I’d try a piece of PU foam as a topper.

This piece I got from A1 today I was told is not memory foam. It is called “Everlon” or “EM28” (it’s a 28 ILD). It had a strong odor when I unwrapped it and has begun yellowing a bit at the end on one side like memory foam does. Does it sound to you as though it could have the same properties as MF, this maybe not being as “safe” as I thought? Or could it be that it is “just as safe” as the HR foam encasement I have?

I don’t believe A1 imports from overseas but this is a question I can ask them in Monday, along with any others you think I might ask.

For now, I do have it airing out on the porch in fresh air :slight_smile:

Thanks

Hi LookingNow,

Polyurethane is generally less dense (not more dense) than latex but it would also depend on the specifics of the polyfoam and the latex you are comparing because there is some overlap in in the range of latex and polyfoam densities.

Everlon is a 1.8 - 2 lb density polyfoam so it would have very different properties to memory foam (and it would be significantly less dense than 100% natural latex). It is normal for polyfoam to yellow or oxidize with exposure to the air.

There are several certifications that test for for harmful substances and VOC’s but they only identify whether a material is under the testing limits for that specific certification and don’t “rank” them relative to each other or specify which are “best or worst” on terms of safety. The most common certification for polyfoam and memory foam is CertiPUR and most of the US foam pourers are CertiPUR certified which for most people would be “safe enough” (although some people may still be sensitive to some materials that are CertiPUR-US certified that most people would be fine with). There is more about the different “safety” certifications in post #2 here.
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Phoenix

Thanks, Phoenix.

I think I was focusing more on the ILD than the density. Once upon a time when I used to be able to use memory foam, density was something I used to look at.

If this PU foam seems “safe for me” and I want to go denser at some point I may see if A1 has that. They do have a lot of choices and information on their website. PU foam doesn’t just get “firmer” or “harder” as it rises in density if I keep the ILD the same - the way latex seems to do - does it?

Also, yes - I knew they weren’t CertiPur certified and understand that doesn’t always matter, and their foam is probably made in the US, but also other companies that had CertiPur were harder to order from for various reasons including requiring minimum $ that was too high for my purchase.

Best

Hi LookingNow,

Density is the single most important factor that affects the durability of a polyfoam material but any density of polyfoam can be made in a wide range of firmness levels so lower density polyfoam can be just as firm or firmer than higher density polyfoam (and vice versa) … it just won’t maintain it’s firmness for as long.

I would also keep in mind that ILD is also only one of several variables that can affect how soft or firm a polyfoam layer or topper will feel to different people although density does have some connection to the compression modulus of polyfoam which is also a variable that can affect how soft or firm a foam layer feels. There is more about the different specs that can affect the softness/firmness of a foam material in post #4 here.

In addition to this the ILD of different materials aren’t always directly comparable to each other (see post #6 here) so using ILD by itself as a reliable indication of how of firm or soft a layer or topper will feel compared to a different type of material or a different formulation of the same material can be somewhat misleading.

If a polyfoam is made in the US then the odds are high that it is CertiPUR-US certified (since most of the US foam pourers are CertiPUR-US certified) … even if the company that sells it doesn’t mention it on their site or isn’t certified themselves.

Phoenix

Thanks for all of this great info, Phoenix, and your continued service.
This will be a big help!
Be well.

Update:

Aired out my new Everlon foam piece in the porch for 48 hours and glad to report I had no reaction to sleeping on it! I had 1.5" of latex over it but it smells fine for me.
However the 28 ILD of the “medium” was too firm for me. I will go back to A1 and purchase something softer and denser if they have it.
FYI (and to remind mySELF - as sometimes over time as life goes on I forget past things I’ve tried).

Hi LookingNow,

They have many options available that would be either softer and/or denser and are available in any thickness that you may need (see here).

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Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix for going above and beyond as usual. Happy Holidays! :slight_smile: