I have done some reading here and am impressed with the wealth of knowledge available here, so hopefully I can get some suggestions.
My husband and I bought the organic Katherine from Sleepworld in Austin. We live in Dallas-Fort Worth so it is not totally local. I mention the name because I see that some posters have specific knowledge of this place.
HOWEVER, I requested a custom bed in that I did not want latex due to concerns of developing a latex allergy. I should note that my fear is of developing an allergy to latex over time, and perhaps this is unfounded, but I know research is lacking. I also am concerned about the offgassing and air quality issues with mattresses. Perhaps synthetic latex alleviates the allergy issue, but I am not sure of the offgassing issue? So the bed is made with innersprings, cotton, and wool to my knowledge. We also added a wool topper from Cuddle Ewe.
Two issues are: 1) My husband thinks it is too firm, not comfortable, and contributes to back pain 2) There is a hump in the middle where no one sleeps, presumably due to shifting. After reading here, I am aware that special construction techniques are often required to prevent this, and perhaps these were not used since Sleepworld does not seem to make innersprings without latex typically.
We are talking to the owner to see what options we have, and in the end we may decide to purchase a new mattress. My husband likes the Natural Form beds at Hilton Garden Inn. I am aware there are some pros and cons, but I am not fully educated on airbeds. He also likes the Westin beds, which are Simmons Beautyrests.
I want to get a bed that he likes, but I would also like to get something that is fairly “safe” in terms of offgassing and air quality. I have recently become aware of CertiPur certification. I know that Simmons is a big name, and they use CertiPur foam, but what about the flame retardants? Would like to avoid those, and doesn’t that mean a mattress involving wool (or getting a prescription)? I also read on here that some beds are tested by Greenguard (TempFlow?). I am somewhat familiar with that certification.
If we purchase we want to spend less than $3000 and ideally less than $2000. I am thinking I would rather avoid flame retardants than latex, but am open to suggestions. Given our concerns, any recommendation of where to start? Or what could be done to our existing mattress? Thanks in advance!