For some reason some of the trusted partners don’t have pages here and Sleep on Latex is one. I’m curious about people’s experiences with them. It sounds like they may have to smell issues with their toppers. I’m inclined to go with a make it myself mattress, but their price for mattress and a topper is very good. They say that their latex has the “best elements of dunlop and latex”. How can that be since they are manufactured differently? Any input is welcomed!
I’m just a new user here so take this with a grain of salt. So far I’ve ordered a medium and soft topper for my DIY mattress build from Sleep on Latex. I’ve been nothing but happy with the quick shipping and the toppers I received. I have callled them a few times and wrote once with questions and they have been very helpful and patient. I have no problem recommending them to anyone or buying from them again. They also have decent prices for GOLS certified toppers which is a plus.
I do still notice a latex smell from the toppers but to me it’s not annoying or irritating like a chemical smell. I actually kind of like the smell but I’m a bit weird. Also note that I didn’t have a spare room to air out the toppers before throwing them on my bed.
Greyling,
Thanks for inquiring about our company and products. It sounds like maybe you want the experiences of our customers but the forum moderator reached out to me and thought maybe I could help.
As far as our statement that our latex foam has the best elements of dunlop and Talalay foam… There are many different variations of Dunlop manufacturing and dunlop is by no means a single manufacturing set up. There are many different types of production lines that fall under the umbrella of dunlop foam, that includes our production line. I do think however that, for several manufacturing reasons, our foam has a consistency and responsiveness beyond what is typically seen in natural latex foam made through the dunlop process. The consistency is similar to what is seen in Talalay latex foam. While still not bouncy and closer to other dunlop foam than to Talalay, our foam is more springy than any other dunlop foam that I have seen.
With regards to the odor issues. This is something that we have always encountered to some extent, even when we worked with other latex foam manufacturers in the past. Natural latex foam has an odor. Some people don’t notice it and it does not bother most people but it is always there to some extent. While we do get people who comment on it, I’m not sure it is any more than other manufacturers who sell latex foam toppers. Odor is an incredibly tricky topic. People’s sensitivities are magnitudes of difference from each other. Also, it should be recognized that what smells good, is not always good for you and what smells bothersome is not always bad. Generally, I do think there is a subset of people that has issues with the odor of latex and latex foam products may just not work for them.
One other note with odor is that we often find that people complaining of odor have tried to “air out” their topper by placing it outside or in a room with sunlight. We would strongly recommend against this as this will lead to a huge increase in odor as the foam breaks down under UV exposure. This increase can last for a while but we have had people resolve odor issues by simply using it instead of continuing to air it out.
As you mentioned, we don’t have a page here but are always happy to help if you reach out to us directly.
Thanks again for your interest!
Karl
Thanks both to you Karl and to Toss and Turn. I am going to take another look at your page and see what other questions I may have. I hate ti be pestering everyone, including this Board, with question after question but this is a big investment and I’ve gotten it wrong twice in the past 4 months and want to have my mattress search successful and over!
Hey Greyling,
Thanks for your question:) .
[quote]For some reason some of the trusted partners don’t have pages here and Sleep on Latex is one. I’m curious about people’s experiences with them.
[/quote]
TMU’s business members have the option upon invitation to participate in the “Ask an Expert” forum and share their industry knowledge and experience directly with consumer subscribers. By virtue of committing to TMU’s strict vetting process, each participating trusted member, whether they have their dedicated forums for answering questions or not, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality products and of the most transparent and service-oriented manufacturers/ retailers in the mattress industry.
Thanks to Karl/ trusted memberSleep on Latex for the excellent responses to your latex questions. Greyling, since he has already discussed at length the varying reasons for latex odor as well as individual sensitivity response, there is no need for my further comment. Just thought I’d drop by and offer some insight to the first part of your question 
.
Sensei
Sadly, SOL, you have ventured onto my radar due to a friend of mine who purchased one of your toppers a few months back. As you mentioned in your post, not all odors are dangerous no matter their smell. I will say as someone with a strong chemistry background, I found the smell of her topper strangely consistent with that of CH2O. She has agreed to provide me a sample of their topper which I will be utilizing a GC-MS to further analyze the components. We have done this on a few occasions previously, and while most times it turns up nothing, we have noticed some newer adulterates with at least one other very generally reputable company. This is concerning.
I look forward to your test results. I hope you will report back.
On a smell scale of 1-10 (with 10 being the strongest) I had one piece I would rate at a 1 and another I ordered a 2. Nothing at all offensive. Memory Foam far, far exceeded any smell of latex.
Shipping speed and quality is most excellent. Their medium 3" is actually on the firm side somewhat (to me at least). So we added a second piece 2" soft on top.
I have ordered (2) toppers soft and medium in 2" and there fantastic. The speed of the shipping, the quality of latex and over all feel of the latex makes me recommend them time and time again. I have tried other dunlop latex and I feel Sleep on Latex has a very high quality product at a competitive price.
Both latex toppers I have received on two separate occasions did not have a strong odor at all, very faint latex smell that quickly disappeared after opening the package.
As a chemist, I am VERY interested in this!
May I ask what is your analytical method for the analysis of CH[sub]2[/sub]O in latex? Obviously, you can’t inject a sample of the latex directly into the GC. Are you doing headspace analysis using a headspace oven to volatilize the formaldehyde?
Thanks!
I think it would be important to verify the compound was in fact formaldehyde before accusing a manufacturer of including it in their products. I’ve bought quite a few SOL layers and while it definitely has a rubbery/latex smell if you put your face right into it, never once did I smell anything that was even close to formaldehyde. Memory foams on the other hand can be absolutely horrendous because they are a chemical reaction so if you don’t get the mixture uniform and the composition just right you can be left with high levels of unreacted compounds that can continue to outgas for years. Anyway I’ll be interested to see what your GC-MS testing comes up with.
Hi Jen,
We will be using headspace gas chromatography for the dissolved gas measurements. While CH2O is considered; more curious about adulterants possibly installed in the zinc oxide line (not SOLs fault). We have noticed a trend recently in contaminants featured in raw ZnO. These are often organically occurring; occasionally, adulterated, dependent on the sourcing…Hope this explains a bit.
The possible existence of adulterants in the ZnO is particularly interesting. Have you considered metal contaminants such as lead, cadmium, etc.? The metals obviously cannot be detected by GC, but they could be analyzed by ICP-OES (sample prep is another matter, as the latex will need to be digested somehow, and I don’t know if the usual acid digestion works). I don’t think anyone has studied how much (or how little) heavy metals are in latex bedding.