Hi Gang,

I am in the final stages of planning and need to know where to find a great price for a Mattress Cover. I need an Eastern King size, and approximately 8 or 10".

I have looked on Ebay, Flobeds and SleepEZ and I am just not sure what it is they are selling.

I am looking for a quilted, and preferably an Organic Cotton.

Any thoughts?

Jazzsinger

foamsweetfoam.com has two types of covers in various sizes however they're not inexpensive.   King size is listed at $499.  I had a flobed for a short time and loved the cover, but could not tolerate the latex.

If you're looking to go inexpensive then you could go with a zippered mattress cover. These are pretty much on the order of zippered pillow protectors--thin cotton in a few standard sizes. Some of them are lined with vinyl to protect the mattress from liquids. I don't know about you, but I hate the idea of vinyl. I was once a guest in a home that covered all their mattresses with waterproof mattress pads because they had a cat with a tendancy to pee on the beds, and I could hear it crinkling every time I moved. Ugghh! Unless you spill stuff on your bed or have leaky pets or babies, forget it!

Some people just cover all their layers with a standard mattress pad. While I was between mattresses I slept on a do-it-yourself mattress composed of a 3" layer of firm PU, an eggcrate topper and 2" of memory foam. I just put a regular mattress pad over it all. The elastic sides held everything in place just fine and once the sheets were on you really couldn't tell that it wasn't a real mattress. That would certainly be the most inexpensive approach.

The zippered cases from places like SleepEZ, Flobeds, Foam Sweet Foam, Foam Order aren't cheap. They will cost about $200-$400 depending on what size you get, but they do look like a "real" mattress when they are zipped shut.

Thick or thin--what's best? I'm afraid it really is a matter of personal preference. As I said before, some people felt that the thick, wool padded covers of the expensive mattress cases interfere with the feel of the latex. I had no complain with it. Since I always recommend the use of a mattress pad why not try that approach first? If you're not satisfied with it then you can explore other options. Just be sure to get one with deep enough sides to cover the latex. it should be protected from UV light and accidental tearing--latex is fragile.

One more little tip on the mattress pad approach--I find the pads with tight quilting produce a weird drum top or trampoline effect over latex and feel very hard and uncomfortable. I returned two of them before I discovered that the looser the quilting the softer and more natural the latex underneath feels. I like the kind with 3" horizontal ribbed quilting.

Cloud9,


Thanks for the great post!

I tend to think you are right regarding the thinner mattress cover ... similar to a pillow cover. Yes, I agree with you regarding the vinyl thing as well. My wife would like to get some sort of waterproof thing as we will be having our 1st baby in June 09. I would rather have something else.

As for a mattress protector/pad, I think this could be an interesting alternative over the cheaper mattress zippered cover. I think the quilted zippered cases do decrease the amount of softness from the mattress but it probably wouldn't be much different from this mattress pad.

I agree the zippered cases are priced to be a barrier from others trying to get around the "mattress racket". Really, $400 or in Canada ... $600 for a cover is just nonsense.

I have seen mattress toppers that stretch to the four corners and have elastic corners to pull the ends down and prevent it from slipping and shifting.

I found the following comment interesting ... wondered what you meant by the looser quilting? .... How can one tell? Is it just .... looser to the touch?! (LOL)

One more little tip on the mattress pad approach--I find the pads with tight quilting produce a weird drum top or trampoline effect over latex and feel very hard and uncomfortable. I returned two of them before I discovered that the looser the quilting the softer and more natural the latex underneath feels. I like the kind with 3" horizontal ribbed quilting.


Thanks for your great thoughts Cloud9.

As mentioned, we are new expectant parent's and need to find a sleeping system that will help us rest deeply as we get the chance in the up coming months.

Jazzsinger.

Congrats on the new baby. You may actually NEED that vinyl liner! Now and then I've come across a microfiber mattress pad that is supposed to be water resistant. Since you seem to feel the same way I do about vinyl you might want to look around and see if you can locate one. And just so we're on the same page, by mattress pad, I'm referring to the kind of mattress protector that pulls over the top and sides of the mattress like a fitted sheet.

What I meant by "looser quilting" is the kind of stitching the pad is quilted with. Most mattress pads have a diamond pattern or similar to the stitching that holds the filling in place. The closer or smaller this pattern appears to be the less give the pad has when you lie on it. Horizontal (or vertical) ribs produce more give for a softer less taut feeling.

cloud9 wrote:
Thanks on the Congrats regarding the new baby. It is all new as I will be a first time dad.

I think we might need that liner ... I have seen some that repel water but also breath ...

As for the mattress cover, I did see one yesterday that made sense from your post yesterday ... and much more after the above post.

I have been looking at a mattress company in Canada ... www.foamite.com

They have a very interesting product made of soy oil instead of petro oil ... it still have the chemicals used in making foam like PU but they claim it is 60% cleaner. I tried sitting on a mattress with the Koosh product only at a 32 ILD and found it VERY comfortable making me reconsider the latex.

They use Dunlopillo latex imported from England, and it adds quite a bit of cost to the mattress. Perhaps, I might order from www.foambymail.com for the latex and get everything else from them. VERY NICE people.

A concern is that I am a back and side sleeper and 6'5". As a result, I have very large shoulders, and a big length from shoulder to neck/head. So I need something supportive throughout the back but has a bit of give in the shoulder ... the Euro slat might help with this .... but they said they could put a different ILD in that area to give more give. Also, I need to consider a pillow that will allow me to have support for my head while on the side but not too think that it is uncomfortable while on the back ... does this exist?

They do have a "green pillow" which was REALLY comfortable http://www.foamite.com/pdfs/pillow_biodream.pdf It has corn fiber and Koosh (soy foam) and is REALLY comfortable, almost feels like down. Dust mite repellent, hypo-allergenic etc...

I have to go back ...

Jazzsinger, I would just try a think soft latex topper to cushion the areas that need it since then you will still have the support below if you choose firm enough latex cores.

Lynn2006 wrote:
Hi Lynn,

Yes, I agree with you regarding the topper ... I just need to get back to that store to figure out how I like the feel.

My wife liked the medium soft, and their height weight thing said that I was a 32 ILD or a medium firm ... but I felt it was a little too firm to be sleeping on the side.

We do like the non-motion transfer of the latex/foam for sure.

Jazz

The topper makes the firmness not too hard for sleeping on the side so you need to try the bed out with the topper on it.  My topper is 1" thick and perfect for side sleeping with a 37 ILD under it and under than a 37 ILD and a 46 ILD.  I could not handle a thicker topper and without the topper, everything was too firm for me or too soft for me for side sleeping.  I am small so that is why a 1" topper was thick enough for me.

Lynn,

Thanks for your response.

I am 6'5" tall so I think I should consider a deeper piece of latex for cush ... perhaps the 3".

Also, while I sleep on my mattress on my side I will need a thicker pillow as there is quite a bit of depth between my head and my shoulder/arm ... if you know what I mean.

Cheers.