Hello. My husband and I are getting ready to purchase a latex mattress. We are most likely going to buy Savvy Rest since they have a store in Chicago went and tried them. We have a temperpedic I cannot wait to get rid of.
but Iām not sure if we should purchase an all Dunlop mattress all 3 layers, since the Dunlop is all organic, or get one with a Talalay top layer? I am so confused as to what to do. I have read about the Talalay manufacturing and why it canāt be organic and that they use petroleum? Is this true? Is it possible to get a somewhat soft top by doing a soft dunlop layer on the top layer of the Savvy Rest?
I donāt want to look back in 3-4 years and say āoh i wish we didnāt get Talalayā like we are doing now with our temperpedic. When we bought our memory foam no one really talked about flame retardants etc. but now its all I hear about. I just donāt want the same thing to happen and later we find out that Talalay is toxic.
There is more about organic Dunlop latex in post #6 here and more about organic certifications in general in post #2 here. I would keep in mind that outside of the certification itself there is very little to no difference in the latex itself compared to 100% natural Dunlop.
The choice between Dunlop and Talalay latex is a preference choice not a ābetter/worseā choice and I would choose the combination of layers that your testing indicates is the best āmatchā for you in terms of comfort and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). You will always be the best judge about how soft or firm any mattress or layer feels for you regardless of how it may feel for anyone else. There is more about how Dunlop compares to Talalay in post #7 here.
All the latex you are likely to encounter (Dunlop or Talalay made with either natural or synthetic rubber or a blend of both) will all have been certified by either Oeko-Tex or Eco-Institut for harmful substances and VOCās (see post #2 here) and I would consider any type of latex to be a āsafeā material as well. There isnāt any ātoxicā or āunsafeā latex.
There may also be some other options in the Chicago area that are worth considering as well and the better options or possibilities Iām aware of in the area (subject to the quality/value guidelines here) are listed in posts #2 and #4 here
The tutorial includes a link to a list of the members here that sell mattresses online (in the optional online step) that compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency and many of them also make latex and latex hybrid mattresses that use different types and blends of latex that have a range of different designs, options, features, return and exchange policies, and prices that that would be well worth considering. Some of them are very similar to the Savvy Rest mattress but are in a much lower budget range and have a better exchange/return policy as well (Savvy Rest doesnāt allow returns).
You mentioned organic certifications would be in #post but didnāt link it. Can you please?
Also I have read in several places that Latex that is not 100% organic is mixed with petroleum based plasticizer like butadiene and styrene that creates synthetic latex. Isnāt this what the talalay in savvy rest mattresses as well as other non organic talalay would be? Life kind told me they donāt even use talalay because itās not organic.
Oops ā¦ sorry for forgetting to add the link :unsure:
It was post #2 here and Iāve corrected the link in my original reply as well.
Synthetic latex is a copolymer made from a combination of styrene and butadiene and petroleum is the most common but not the only source for both Styrene and Butadiene. There is more about synthetic latex in post #2 here and the posts it links to.
No the Talalay latex they offer as an option is 100% natural Talalay made by Radium in Holland. Their Dunlop is also 100% natural as well although it also has an organic certification. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here.
Phoenix, thank you for your comment. It was very helpful. I have two questions/concerns. I am so confusedā¦I am so tired of reading about latex!! I think I have read every post on this site at least twice!
My biggest concern is that we are switching to latex because my husband and I are trying to stay away from as much chemicals as possible. Thatās why we were looking at an all dunlop mattress.
With the natural talalay, everything I read says they add ammonia, zinc oxide, sulfur and soap. So with all those add-ins, itās not really a natural product anymore. Dunlop doesnāt have any of that correct? I see they say oh the zinc oxide and the ammonia washes out, the ammonia evaporates, just the sulfur is left. But how is that a ānaturalā talalay product with those add ins?
As far as I know from this site and research Iāve done on latex, itās essentially the same composition. So long as youāre comparing natural talalay to natural dunlop or blended talalay to blended dunlop with the same blend ratios of synthetic to natural (ie, both 70/30, 80/20 etc). The talalay and dunlop refer to the process of turning it into a latex slab where itās poured and cured. The talalay process has an extra step where itās poured, flash frozen (so the heavier portions of latex canāt settle to the bottom) making for a more even texture throughout.
Some of those chemicals canāt be avoided and are required to turn the liquid latex into latex foam for use as a mattress. Bread doesnāt consist of just grains, it has to have other ingredients to make it into a batter, make it rise and turn out as what we commonly think of as bread.
The sulfur is used as a vulcanization agent I believe. Having watched shows on the latex harvesting process, the latex sap is cooked down and typically dried into large brownish rubbery sheets (looks like a dried apricot sort of for lack of better description). Much too hard for sleeping on even though itās technically more āpureā. Those are what are shipped out on pallets for processing into other things.
I would keep in mind that āchemicalsā are not necessarily harmful. Anything that is not an element is a chemical and there are natural chemicals that are harmful and others that are safe and there are synthetic chemicals that are harmful and others that are safe. Even water and salt are chemical substances (see wikipedia here).
Since most people that are concerned with āchemicalsā are really concerned with āsafetyā ā¦ there is more information in post #2 here and the more detailed posts and information it links to about safe, natural, organic, āchemical freeā, and āgreenā mattresses and mattress materials that can help you 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 āhow safe is safe enough for meā or āhow organic is organic enough for meā so you can decide on the types of materials you are most comfortable having in your mattress. These types of issues are complex and are generally specific to each person and their individual sensitivities, circumstances, criteria, beliefs, and lifestyle choices.
[quote]With the natural talalay, everything I read says they add ammonia, zinc oxide, sulfur and soap. So with all those add-ins, itās not really a natural product anymore. Dunlop doesnāt have any of that correct? I see they say oh the zinc oxide and the ammonia washes out, the ammonia evaporates, just the sulfur is left. But how is that a ānaturalā talalay product with those add ins?
I am fairly certain that ammonia, zinc oxide, sulfur and soap are not added to natural dunlop though. Right? [/quote]
There is more about 100% natural latex (either Talalay or Dunlop) in post #7 here and post #18 here but all latex (including organic) use other ingredients and chemicals that are required to make foamed latex besides just the latex itself in their formulation.
The only reliable way to know whether there are harmful substances or VOCās in any material is based on its testing and certification and all the latex you are likely to encounter (Dunlop or Talalay made with either natural or synthetic rubber or a blend of both) will have been certified by either Oeko-Tex or Eco-Institut for harmful substances and VOCās (see post #2 here) and I would consider any type of latex to be a āsafeā material.
