Advice for first-time Latex mattress buyers
Jun 20, 2011 12:14 AM
Joined: Jun 19, 2011
Points: 2
Hi everyone - my husband and I are looking to buy a latex mattress after doing a lot of reading about VOCs and other harmful effects of non-natural mattresses.  From our research thus far, it seems like Dunlop process mattresses are usually 100% natural while very few Talalay process mattresses are.  Everyone here seems far ahead of us in the research process so we thought we would reach out to the community for some advice.  We are confused about who to trust and want to make sure we get something that is truly natural and free of harmful chemicals while still being something that will last a long time.

 

 

Just some quick background information on us:

 

1. We are both quite light and are side sleepers

2. We both like having a firm bed (my husband's bachelor mattress is a Sealy Posturepedic Breton Firm which is perfect in terms of firmness but we're now looking to go for a natural latex mattress - while I'm sure that most of the off gassing is now done given he's had it for 7 years, it's just not a big enough mattress for both of us so we want to get a King - I searched for the ILD rating of this mattress but cannot find it anywhere)

3. Having something that is comfortable and provides a good night's sleep is the number one priority but having something that is free (or as close to free as possible) of harmful chemicals is a close number two.  We would like to also find something that has no flame retardants added to it.

4. We are looking for a King Mattress.  Our budget is up to $2000.

 

Our Questions

1. Should we go with a Dunlop or a Talalay mattress?  (Initial research says Dunlop because (a) we're side sleepers and (b) it's 100% natural - is that correct?)

2. Are we crazy to just go for a 6" or 9" firm mattress?  Is that going to be too hard?  (Please note above on #2 regarding the firmness we currently have and are satisfied with - we find soft beds to be very uncomfortable when we travel).

3. Thoughts on where we should shop?  Here is what we've been looking at thus far:

a) GreenMattressFactory.com - Organic Radiance (2 - 3" layers, Firm & Firm) - http://greenmattressfactory.com/organic-radiance-mattress.html

b) 9" Geo Latex Firm from LatexMattress.com - http://www.latexmattress.com/Promo/Latex_beds.aspx?eid=1399

c) Habitat 6" - http://www.habitatfurnishings.com/latex_mattress.html - 26 ILD Rating (is that firm enough compared to our current mattress?)

We are totally open to other suggestions - this is just what we've found so far.  Thank you so much for your help!

4. Anything else we should consider?  We are planning to put our mattress on a platform, all natural solid wood bed with slats.  

This message was modified Jun 20, 2011 by midwestnewlyweds
Re: Advice for first-time Latex mattress buyers
Reply #1 Jun 20, 2011 12:30 AM
Joined: Jun 19, 2011
Points: 2
Thanks again :)
This message was modified Jun 20, 2011 by midwestnewlyweds
Re: Advice for first-time Latex mattress buyers
Reply #2 Jun 20, 2011 9:19 AM
Joined: Apr 20, 2011
Points: 65
You can easily find 100% natural talalay - it is usually the most expensive option. Talalay is softer than dunlop, so if you like a firm mattress, dunlop should work fine for you. The best way to tell is to try something out in person. You should search for a local store where you can compare.

The mattresses you list seem decent and have decent return/exchange policies - thats should be a major factor choosing where to buy. SleepEZ is also within your budget - they offer dunlop, blended talalay as well as 100% talalay. Their comfort exchange allows you to swap layers so you can get the right firmness.

I have found the following thread to be a great resource as far as other online sources:

http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/my-quest-new-mattress/16650-A-1.html

 

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