The start of our search for mattress comfort....

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
21

Got the mattress in yesterday!!

We decided on a 6 on his scale for the talalay layer… 1 being a rock and 10 being a cloud. It was an actual 24ILD

My first impression of the mattress was very good. That’s after I killed myself dragging all 120lbs of it in and unwrapping it by myself because I didn’t have the patience to wait for help…

It actually felt a little bit more firm than I expected. After I went to bed for the night I felt that it wasn’t really that firm at all. It’s just that It was pressing back in places that aligned my spine which I hadn’t really experienced before. This is actually exactly what I asked for anyway. It had great pressure relief and very good alignment.

I did have a bit of a sore back this morning, but I realize that your body has to get used to a new sleeping surface. It also didn’t help dragging the mattress inside in the first place.

Thoughts?

Anyway, overall… I’m very happy. I’ll just have to see what happens over the next few nights…

22

Hi rockscreation16,

Latex has a somewhat unusual combination of softness and firmness and for most people it’s noticeably different from the mattresses they’re used to sleeping on and can take some time to adjust from what you had and the “body memory” that has developed. I still remember how strange it was at first when I could feel much more support under my waist (on my side) and lumbar curve (on my back) than I was used to. I liked it but it was different from what I was used to and in the first couple of weeks I was always trying to “notice” everything that could be noticed about my mattress.

I also have some personal experience with lugging a heavy latex mattress up stairs (in my case the core was latex too) although in my case I had another person to help. It’s not only heavy … it can be pretty floppy as well.

I think you made a good choice in terms of your ILD and I tend to go a little firmer than softer if I have “equal” choices between two ILD options.

I’m looking forward to your feedback after a few more days … once you’ve recovered from the delivery :slight_smile:

Phoenix

23

I, too am new to mattress research and am very happy to find this site free to consumers. Also, I’m a total Newbie when it comes to chats, forums, etc., though I’ve tried in the past & have really messed up as to where I’m supposed to post a comment or start a new “thread,” so please bear with me if I goof up & please don’t yell at me! Gentle guidance, however is encouraged.

This site offers an overwhelming amount of info, & I see that specific brands are mentioned… I don’t know how I would do a search on this site to find info on specific companies, so am putting my question here.

I am looking at an online retailer called The Habitat Furnishing. Is anyone familiar with their product, & if so, what’s your opinion?

My husband & I have been sleeping on a standard king Select Comfort bed that was top of the line when we bought it 11 years ago. But, besides the fact that we have moved several times & apparently it hasn’t been reassembled properly (bulges at sides, makes sound and “waves” when we turn or thrash about, which it didn’t do when first bought), we find it is no longer firm enough and we are always too hot. Also, since I am a recent breast cancer survivor, I don’t want to be exposed to any unnecessary chemicals, & I don’t know the material of the many layers on the bed.

My research thus far has me thinking that the safest product for me would be 100% latex, with a minimum of glued secondary layers. The Habitat Furnishing latex appears to be a good candidate, but I can only go by their information. Because my hubby & I both want a firm bed, their 6" mattress sounds right. But 6"?!? That hardly seems much more than a cot!
And their prices are significantly lower than other 100% natural latex mattresses I’ve come across, so I can’t help but wonder why.

We also need a mattress that is cooling; we are both too warm at night. I was considering one of the new gel memory foams, like the Serta one. But memory foam doesn’t seem as safe for me as the pure latex. And we’ve used some little cooling gel pads that you can put on your pillow; and while they start out nice & cool, they absorb our abundance of body heat & end up feeling as warm/hot as any heating pad I’ve used! I’m concerned that may be the case with cooling gel mattresses… The Habitat Furnishing people claim that their genuine latex (from Sri Lanka, btw), is a cooler sleep than memory foam or synthetic latex.

So, we need minimal chemicals, coolness, and good support. Input from anyone who reads this is gratefully appreciated! Thank you.

24

Hi Cyd,

the first place to start is post #1 here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines you will need to make the best possible choices. As you will see … a mattress is only as good as its construction and the quality or the materials inside it so shopping by brand is among the worst ways to choose a mattress. having said that … there are many smaller independent brands across the country that either sell factory direct or through better sleep shops that tend to use higher quality materials and have better value than the major brands and most of the mainstream industry.

A forum search on Habitat (you can just click this) will bring up many comments and feedback about them but in general they are not in the “best value” group as some of the other online options you have available to you IMO (which have a link in the “read first” post). To search the forum you just click the “search forum” tab just under the main menu (not the “search main site” window which doesn’t search the forum), change the “find posts from” setting to “any date” (unless you only want to search posts for the last year), enter your search words, and click the search button.

Post #2 here also has more information and links which can help you answer the question “how safe is safe enough for me?” but this a difficult topic with no clear answers (in spite of what many people would have you believe) and for those who are more inclined towards natural materials then some combination that includes latex and/or innersprings and/or natural fibers is usually the best choice.

Many of your basic questions are answered in the “read first” link but if you have specific questions that aren’t answered there then feel free to post them here.

I would also make sure that you include some local testing in your research and once you get to step 3 if you let me know your city or zip I’d be happy to let you know of any of the better options I’m aware of in your area.

Phoenix