Recommendation for a mattress with no foam or latex?

After much research, I am thinking about buying a queen mattress from ‘my green mattress’. Reviews say it’s very firm, and I like a plush bed, so I am thinking about buying a wool topper to soften it up, like a 3" wool topper from ‘holy lamb’.

Is this the best combo? Are there other mattresses I should consider? Will a 3" wool topper provide enough softness against a firm mattress?

Thank you.

Hi mattress_advice,

[quote]After much research, I am thinking about buying a queen mattress from ‘my green mattress’. Reviews say it’s very firm, and I like a plush bed, so I am thinking about buying a wool topper to soften it up, like a 3" wool topper from ‘holy lamb’.

Is this the best combo?[/quote]

There is no such thing as the “best” combo … there is only a combination that is “best for you”.

You are certainly looking at a great quality/value choice but I can’t speak to how any mattress or mattress topper combination will feel for someone else. While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

If you are considering a mattress that you believe may need a topper then I would tend to purchase the mattress first so that you can use your actual sleeping experience to decide on whether you need a topper and if you do on the type and thickness of a topper that has the best odds of success.

If the only issue with a mattress is that it is too firm and there are no soft spots or sagging in the mattress then a good quality topper can certainly be an effective way to add some additional softness, “comfort” and pressure relief to your sleeping system but the only way to know for certain whether a specific mattress/topper(s) combination is a good “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) is based on your own careful testing or personal experience on the combination. If you can’t test the combination in person then there will always be always some risk and uncertainty involved in adding a topper because the specifics of the mattress itself along with your own body type, sleeping position, and preferences can affect which specific topper would be a suitable choice on any specific mattress.

There is more information about choosing a topper in post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to which along with a conversation with a reliable and knowledgeable supplier (that can provide you with good information about how their toppers compare to each other or to other toppers they are familiar with that are available on the market) can help you use your sleeping experience as a reference point and guideline to help you choose the type, thickness, and firmness for a topper that has the least possible risk and the best chance for success. It also includes a link to a list of some of the better online sources for toppers I’m aware of.

A good exchange/return policy can reduce the risk of an online topper purchase so if you aren’t certain whether a topper will work well for you I would always make sure you are comfortable with the options you have available after a purchase just in case the topper you choose doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for.

There are no “standard” definitions or consensus of opinions for firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others so a mattress that one manufacturer rates as being a specific firmness could be rated very differently by another manufacturer. Different people can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that feels firm for one person can feel like “medium” for someone else or even “soft” for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, their frame of reference based on what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. There are also different types of firmness and softness that different people may be sensitive to that can affect how they “rate” a mattress as well (see post #15 here) so different people can also have very different opinions on how two mattresses compare in terms of firmness and some people may rate one mattress as being firmer than another and someone else may rate them the other way around. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science.

In other words … the only way to know for certain whether a mattress/topper will be a good “match” for you will be based on your own careful testing on the combination or your own personal experience when you sleep on it.

There is more information about wool toppers in post #8 here and the posts it links to but in very general terms … wool toppers will tend to be firmer than softer foam toppers.

Outside of any local manufacturers that may be close to you that still make innerspring/natural fiber mattresses … there are also some other innerspring/natural fiber options that may be worth considering in post #4 here but you would need to check their websites or call them to find out which of them have a retailer that is close to you and/or is able to ship their mattresses to you.

Phoenix