Trying to find a mattress with no off-gassing, please help!

[phoenix]

Hi Tim,

1) is certipur memory foam “good enough” or are there still chemicals that could be affecting my health? I gather from your other posts that this may, indeed be the case.

It would be “safe enough” for most people criteria but there may be batches of foam that have a stronger odor than normal or weren’t fully cured and there may also be some people that in some cases seem to be more more sensitive than the Certipur testing (or could be reacting to some of the non foam materials in a mattress) so it’s still possible that some people may still have some sensitivity issues. The same is true of latex because even though issues with latex would be very uncommon, some people may still have a latex allergy (type I latex allergy) or react to some of the chemicals or substances used to make the latex foam (Type IV latex allergy) or may even be sensitive to the smell of some types of latex (Dunlop has a more “rubbery” smell and Talalay has a “sweeter” smell) even though it isn’t harmful based on some very stringent OekoTex testing.

2) Can I trust in the observation that a mattress on the showroom floor does not have a detectable odor, even if one right from the warehouse does, that in time it will not emit anything that will make me ill? It seems like every store clerk, no matter which store, when I ask how long a given mattress has been out, says 4 mos. I am suspicious of the apparently stock answer, but I can’t help but wonder-- how long would I have to air it out before being able to use it?

In most cases any odors are usually gone to levels below most people’s detection within about 2 weeks but different batches of foam can take longer or shorter and may be left to air out for longer or shorter before being used in a mattress and there are also some people with conditions such as MCS (multiple chemical sensitivities) that may let a mattress offgass and air out for a year or so before they are comfortable using it. Some people are not comfortable using any polyfoam or memory foam at all, some people are not comfortable with memory foam (which is a more common issue for more sensitive people) but fine with polyfoam, and some people wouldn’t even consider latex that contains any synthetic rubber even though it has passed the same testing protocol (usually OekoTex) as 100% natural latex. Each person is different so there is no standard answer that applies to all people or circumstances.

3) If the Talalay latex was too springy for me, is there another type of latex mattress, which I assume is healthier than even the certipur memory foam, that “feels” more like a traditional mattress?

There are two main types of latex (Talalay and Dunlop). Talalay can be made with either all natural rubber or a blend of natural and synthetic rubber while Dunlop is made from either all natural rubber, all synthetic rubber, or a blend of the two. You can read more about the different types of latex in post #6 here.

Dunlop is a little less “springy” than Talalay (see post #7 here about the difference between them) and synthetic Dunlop would be a little less elastic and less dense than natural Dunlop so it may be the closest of all to regular polyfoam although there is a wide range of differences in each latex category in terms of “feel” and firmness.

Finally, I would appreciate suggestions for local retailers that might help me choose a mattress that does not aggravate my health condition in North Central Florida, primarily Gainesville and Jacksonville.

Some of the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Gainesville area are in post #2 here and in the Jacksonville area are in post #7 here. I don’t have a list of the specific mattresses carried by each manufacturer or retailer on the various forum lists (which would be outside the ability of anyone to keep up with in a constantly changing market) so I would call the ones you hope to visit and talk with them about what they have on their floor in your budget range and about whether they carry mattresses that have the materials that you want to test and meet the criteria that are important to you.

Phoenix