I am in Sydney and am looking for a 100% Natural Latex Mattress x 2. One of my options is The comfortshopâs Euro Latex made by Stella Rubino. http://www.thecomfortshop.com.au/mattresses_pillows/mattresses_euro_latex.php
I have tried this mattress and it seems quite good, it is a single piece of latex with a removable cover, its not to hard, not to soft.
According to the Stella Rubino website above, they are:
âMade of 96% natural latex and 4% synthetic latex, Stella Rubino mattresses have the unique elasticity of natural latex while maintaining a consistent quality and durability.â
I have been told this is one of the highest % around.
I am a little wary about a Latex mattress as I have never used one and have heard some people complain about them being to hot. One of the mattresses will be on a electric base which does not have any slats or ventilation that I see. The other will be on a older standard ensemble base from a previous bed. Do you guys think this will pose any problems?
Speaking only to the comment of being a high percentage or natural latex⌠96% isnât 100%, and for anyone wanting 100% natural latex itâs pretty easy to find. Since 100% natural latex usually sells for a premium, Iâd be curious as to why theyâd âpolluteâ it with only 4% synthetic. Itâs not like that must save them a huge amount of money, and it denies them the ability to say 100% natural. That said, maybe itâs their âsecret sauceâ to making a better mattress.
Latex is a high end material in any event, and 96% natural latex is very close to 100%.
Iâm more curious about the business rational they used as to why 96% - theyâve got to deal with all their prospective customers, like yourself, asking âwhy not 100%â
@dn
Thanks for the reply. I have been to several different mattress stores in Sydney, Australia and apparently anything above 85% can be labeled 100% Latex here in Australia.
I was told the because the law in Australia is that mattresses must have fire retardant in them (or on them) this will always make the mattress less than 100% Latex. However I donât think that is the 4% in the Stella Rubino.
â100% natural latex usually sells for a premiumâ this translates in Australia as totally overpriced, as this country is ripoff central.
There are only 4 stores that I could find in Sydney that are selling Natural Latex, unless you want to buy of the internet without trying the mattress which I would never do, they were:
Latex Mattress Australia (Sydney) http://www.latexmattress.com.au
The Comfortshop www.thecomfortshop.com.au
Latex Bedding co www.latexbeddingco.com.au/
Rockdale Mattress Factory www.rockdalemattressfactory.com.au/
Latex can be either man made (SBR) or natural from the rubber tree (NR), and can be blended. So on the assumption they havenât put a bunch of fillers into it, it is true that itâs 100% pure latex. Their advertising appears clear and doesnât seem to ever call it 100% natural latex.
What I donât know is why itâs blended in such a fashion. I some ideas, none based in fact or knowledge. Itâs got the business man inside me curious though.
Itâs largely irrelevant, especially at such a low percentage. To those shopping for a 100% natural latex, 4% is too much. For those just buying latex, so long as the bed works (PPP), then itâs a fine material.
When I bought my Dunlop latex mattress last month, the store owner claimed that his latex was 98% natural - and when I checked his website, here is what he says about why it isnât 100% natural . . . it actually does make sense to me. Theyâre not adding anything like a filler to keep it from being 100%, itâs the curing process that adds small amounts of other things.
"Below is a detailed breakdown of the exact ingredients used in the manufacturing of our Natural Dunlop latexâŚ
Natural Latex Rubber 90-95%
Zinc Oxide 2-3%
Fatty Acid Soaps 1-2%
Sulfur 1-2%
Sodium 1-2%
Items 2 through 5 are essential to the vulcanization, foaming and curing process that all latex must go through. The finished core is then washed a minimum of three times to remove any residuals that may be left over after curing. The finished product is then 98+ percent pure natural latex rubber."
@Claudia, I had thought that, but I checked the website. It specifically says 96% natural rubber, 4% synthetic rubber.
The stuff you mentioned are all vulcanizing, foaming, and curing as you said. And specifically your list doesnât include synthetic rubber SBR. The list you have is consistent with someone trying to show how they only use 100% natural rubber. So just imagine your list, but with a 4% SBR component. It makes no sense to the business man in me.
My best guess is that they have variation in their natural rubber which causes undesirably quality issues, and they use SBR to add/remove something to their batches to make the cores they produce more consistent. Some companies seem to process at the plantations, and they seem to fare better, somehow⌠But thatâs pure guesswork.
The properties of natural rubber like any natural product is subject to many variations based on weather, growing conditions, and seasonal variations. Synthetic rubber on the other hand is a much more consistent material and can be chemically formulated to have specific properties.
My best guess would be that they use 4% synthetic rubber as one way to fine tune their compounding formula to help make the natural rubber more consistent batch to batch and year to year.
I would also be a litle wary of buying a mattress that used a material that I wasnât familiar with so I would at least test a mattress with similar materials and design so you have a sense of how the material feels and performs. In a perfect world you would be able to test a specific mattress but if you are buying online then the options you have available after a purchase to change or fine tune PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) may become one of the most important parts of your personal value equation.
Latex is the most breathable of all the different types of foam but all foam is an insulator compared to natural fibers or springs so the sleeping temperature of a mattress really depends on how well the materials in the mattress work together to allow ventilation and wick and transport moisture away and on the overall insulating properties of the mattress. There is more about the factors that can affect sleeping temperature in post #2 here.
While most of the research on the forum is North America based ⌠post #9 here includes a link to a list of some Australian manufacturers and retailers and to some of the Australian threads on the forum that may be useful.
The foundation post here includes guidelines and links to more information about a suitable base for different types of mattresses and post #10 here has more about the choice between a solid surface base vs a more breathable slatted base.
The main reasons I want 100% Natural Latex is to have a mattress that is long lasting and not too hot in summer. These are two of the things that I am told can be the difference between Natural and Blended.
I liked the fact that the cover on the above Euro Latex can be removed which is not the case in the other options I have found. Unless I want to jump to the next price range, which I think is too high.
In your opinion do you think I will loose much quality (ie. longevity) and increase temperature with a 96% natural latex and 4% synthetic latex as opposed to a 100% natural latex and what other disadvantages can the blending of synthetic have (in such small %)?
I doubt there would be any perceivable decrease in quality or feel - though having said that, each latex manufacturor is different so it stands to reason some people might perceive differences between different manufacturers latex. People do buy, and enjoy, blended latex (usually with far more synthetic). That said, I have 2 ways I could see it being a problem:
Itâs all in your mind. If you wanted 100% natural, and bought 96%, depending on your personality type you might agonize over it. Some people would persistently wonder if 100% natural would have been better. If youâre one of those types, then 96% isnât going to do it, no matter what anyone else says.
If they are using the synthetic to even out the natural variation in their natural latex, as Phoenix and I speculated, then itâs conceivable they have quality / consistency problems with their natural rubber. Or, it could mean they expect consistency to a higher degree than other companies. Given that some businesses sell 100% pure natural latex, it can clearly be done. So either they arenât doing 100% natural because they cannot or donât know how (in which case, thatâs kind of a negative thing), or alternatively they arenât doing it because they chose not to because they feel their approach is superior (in which case thatâs kind of a positive thing).
Many people might say it doesnât matter⌠But since youâre asking, it probably matters to you.
You have teen told incorrectly. Natural latex has different properties than synthetic latex and while the overall properties of natural latex are superior in many if not most ways to synthetic latex ⌠synthetic latex also has its own strengths that are superior to natural latex in some ways. There is more about the difference between natural and synthetic latex in post #2 here.
I would also be careful believing statements that are overly general because ventilation and airflow are more important in regulating sleeping temperature than whether a material is natural or synthetic and the method used to produce the latex will have more effect on temperature than whether it is natural or synthetic. In general Talalay latex is more breathable than Dunlop regardless of whether it is natural or synthetic or a blend of the two because it allows more airflow through the material. There are also other factors involved in the sleeping temperature of a mattress (such as using wool in the quilting layers) that may be even more important than just the type of foam used which you can read about in post #2 here.
There would be no real reason for a manufacturer to add 4% SBR to their latex other than as a method to improve itâs consistency because the difference in cost, performance, safety, or durability in using such a small percentage of SBR would be insignificant IMO.
I went to the last of the shops on my list in Sydney today and got the best of my information there.
The beds are made on site and you can see the factory as you walk in the door.
Funny thing is he said exactly what you said above in regards to temperature.
He has the latex mattress that I require but was pushing me towards a Micro Pocket Spring mattress with 40mm Latex Comfort Layer and Cotton Cover Quilted to latex. (Spring beds which I have done no research on as I thought latex was a better option.)
He says its one of the the coolest beds they have and the price is very close to the 100% Natural latex. $2,500 Latex $2,420 sprung/Laltex
Hereâs the info:
SPINAL DESIGN LUXURY
Contents:
Micro Pocket Spring Unit - Zoned, Pre-Stressed and Oil Tempered
40mm 100% Belgian Latex (Perforated) Comfort Layer
Aerated â3D Fabricâ Border
New 450g Organic Cotton Cover Quilted to Perforated Latex and Australian Wool
One of the beds will be sitting on an electric adjustable base and I was worried about a sprung mattress on this type of base but he said it wonât be a problem as he can make the mattress to work with a electric base.
My question then is will a spring bed with good latex and good quilting last as long or longer (as he told me that springs will last longer than latex) as a high quality full latex mattress.
The weak link of most mattresses is in the comfort layers not in the support layers of the mattress (a mattress will soften and break down from the top down).
Good quality innersprings and latex are both very durable components and in practical terms both will probably outlast the comfort layers of your mattress and both would be a very durable choice.
I would make the choice between them based on PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and treat them as equals in terms of durability.
@phoenix
Thanks for your help.
In the support layers if latex is equal to good quality innersprings then I guess I will have to go for springs as it will provide better air flow and should be cooler in the hot Australian summers.
Thanks again for your great site.