Mattresses: Latex, wool, experiences?
jasper77
I've always had innerspring mattresses and it's time for a new one.
I'm considering a latex mattress for the following reasons:
1) Longevity
2) Relatively affordable, if bought from online dealers
3) Configurable firmness levels (can layer medium over firm or switch
layers, for example)
4) Could have different firmness levels for hubby and me
5) Separation of movement between hubby and me
I'm looking for first hand experience with latex mattresses,
especially over a good number of years.
If you've tried a latex mattress before, can you tell me:
- How has it held up over the years? I can't find much (even in this
group) about 5+ years experience. If it's formed body impressions, and
you don't mind answering, do you consider yourself a heavy person? My
husband and I are each about average.
- Did you find it retains body heat more than an innerspring mattress?
My husband sleeps hot. If you've found latex to be hotter, does your
latex foam have the pinholes in it? Do you know if it was made with
the Dunlop or Talalay process?
If you've tried a wool mattress topper, does it really keep you cooler
in the summer? Bonus points for if you've tried a wool topper over a
latex mattress or mattress pad. I'm concerned a latex mattress or
topper would make my husband sleep hotter and wonder if a good wool
topper could negate that. Wool could also be a more comfortable
surface to sleep on, under sheets of course. I believe buying latex
mattress components online plus a good wool mattress topper would
still save us money over buying a name brand mattress from a
traditional source, while potentially giving us better sleep and for a
longer period of time.
Thank you,
JP
m...@privacy.net
>I've always had innerspring mattresses and it's time for a new one.
>I'm considering a latex mattress for the following reasons:
I'm glad you posted the question as I'm thinking abt
doing the same thing!! Hope we get some good
discussion on it.
I'm thinking abt not using box springs period anymore
and just using a mattress of foam or latex on a
platform type bed. That what you have in mind as well?
val189
2 cents worth ----I tried a Tempurpedic in a hotel for two nights -
felt like sleeping on hot sand.
Marsha
> 2 cents worth ----I tried a Tempurpedic in a hotel for two nights -
> felt like sleeping on hot sand.
Tempurpedic and some memory foam clones have changed, from what I
understand, such that they do not hold in heat.
Marsha/Ohio
jasper77
Similar! I'm considering keeping my old boxspring and putting a piece
of plywood on it, plus a sturdy/cheap blanket to keep the plywood from
tearing up the mattress. I've read a suggestion to cut the plywood so
it's not under the top 1/4 of the mattress for some kind of firmness
reason. That detail probably doesn't have to be decided ahead of time,
anyway.
One option I'm thinking of is buying a basic innerspring mattress and
then topping it with 1-3 inches of latex, and maybe wool. But then
we'd have to rotate and maybe flip the innerspring mattress regularly
to prolong its life, and we would still be able to feel each other's
movement... so why not just forgo the innerspring and get foam
instead? (I surmise this is also what you're thinking). Online, 6" of
latex would cost just a bit more than a new innerspring mattress but
last a lot longer. I found an old post (2001) on this group from
someone who used as his bottom layer not latex, but 8" of soft (open
celled) upholstery foam, which can be had very inexpensively if you're
near a distributor because it's a commodity product for upholstery. He
topped it with latex and then wool, and said he and his wife thought
it was far more comfortable than the high end expensive mattress
they'd just tried out and rejected. I'm sure that doesn't last as
long as latex, but perhaps it can be replaced many times over for the
same cost as latex. Unfortunately he used a made-up email address, so
unless he still reads this group, we can't find out how that worked
for him in the long run.
I like the suggestion I saw on one website to get three different 3"
latex layers, and each can be a different firmness. Then you can swap
the order of the layers until you find what you like.
When I read the online reviews of commercially made latex mattresses
and they complain about body impressions, I suspect the mattresses are
not *all* latex, but are latex cores topped with something softer
(like convoluted polyurethane foam). It's the non-latex part that
compresses. But since that's sewn into the mattress, you're stuck with
it. If I find I like latex topped with something fluffier, I could
essentially make my own mattress (foambymail.com is one source of
zippered mattress covers) and replace the cheaper compressed layer as
desired. Plus I would spend a small fraction of what the pre-made
mattresses cost. The tricky thing is trying to figure out what me and
my husband would like *before* spending the money!
Wool: I ordered two clearance wool blankets from Sierra Trading Post a
week ago. They just arrived. One is a merino wool throw, so it's small
enough to put under the sheet and sleep half on it, half off it. I
want to try it this weekend. The other is an unlabeled kind of wool
and is a full sized blanket, but smells of mothballs so it needs to be
washed (it's washable). These are both blankets I can use otherwise so
they're not wasted money.
Memory foam: We've tried a memory foam mattress topper. It definitely
made us feel warmer. A slick-haired salesman at a mattress store told
us Tempurpedic is different because it's open celled instead of closed
celled, and the open cells (think a foam of bubbles where the walls
between the bubbles have holes so air can move through them) breathe,
while many knock-offs are closed cells. I've also read that terry
mattress covers retain/reflect heat a lot, and the Tempurpedic
mattresses we've seen in stores have terry covers. However, our mind
is made and we are /not/ going to go with memory foam. I've heard of
too many heat problems with Tempurpedic specifically, and how
difficult it can be to get them to replace mattresses that have deep
body impressions, that there's no way we're going to risk that kind of
money. Also since it's temperature sensitive, that foam is harder in
the winter and softer in the summer. We'd prefer to have consistent
firmness.
I read latex is "the coolest" of the foams due to the pinholes it is
made with. I also read it's "4% hotter" than an innerspring mattress,
with nothing to back up that precision.
Any more experiences?
Thanks!
JP
JP
jasper77
> On Jul 10, 6:50 pm, m...@privacy.net wrote:
>
> > jasper77 <jeanne.petrang...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > >I've always had innerspring mattresses and it's time for a new one.
> > >I'm considering a latex mattressfor the following reasons:
Update:
I'd been to a local really big furniture store where my husband and I
selected a
latex mattress and saw what was inside it. I felt confident I could
duplicate the
exact mattress for much less $$.
I ordered separate latex mattress toppers from sleeplikeabear.com, a
SnugFleece wool topper through a good summer sale at
TheCompanyStore.com,
and a cover from silkroad.com (plain unbleached cotton). I like that I
can get
the same 20 year non-prorated warranty on the latex layers as the
mattress
at the store. The latex layers did have an odor when I opened them,
and
I'm glad it's summer because with the windows open and fans blowing
across
while we ate dinner and played with the kids, the odor was diminished
enough that once the sheets were on we didn't notice it. My husband
has
a sensitive nose too. I've read synthetic latex has less of an odor
than
natural, and I believe this (made by Latex International) is a mix if
not all
synthetic. The layers came vacuum packed for shipping and sprang to
full size immediately.
Lesson #1: The core of the store mattress was 6" of Dunlop latex (32
ILD)
and what I bought is Talalay latex. It seems 32 ILD of Talalay
actually feels
softer than 32 ILD of Dunlop, so the mattress came out more plush. Our
first night of sleep on this new mattress was miserable. If we were
more
cautious, we would have taken the time to assemble the mattress
earlier
in the day when we'd have time to try it out and make changes before
going to sleep. Fortunately all the layers are separate, so for the
next night
we removed the softest (top) layers and have a firmer, albeit thinner,
mattress, that we've been able to sleep well on. It is not a final
solution
yet because, at 7" of latex foam, when my husband sits on it he feels
like
he's "bottoming out" (feeling the boxspring underneath) and he
doesn't
like that. He's about 195 lbs. I plan to order some layers of firmer
latex
within the 30 return period so we can piece together what works for
us;
even after paying shipping on returns we should come out well ahead of
the store price.
Lesson #2: The cover I bought only has a zipper on one side; the
smallest.
It's tricky-to-impossible to slide all the separate layers of foam
into this
cover and preserve how nicely they lay flat and how well they are
lined up
relative to each other. I would dread having to remove this cover for
cleaning and replace it. It also provides no protection against
spills, as it's
just plain cotton cloth. Now I intend to buy a futon cover, which zips
open
on three sides so it will open like a book. I found what looks like a
good
one at futonscovers.com for less than the cost of just buying the
fabric.
Lesson #3: Definitely do get separate layers so you can re-arrange
them
to your comfort.
Lesson #4: The wool topper is great in summer! I haven't had a single
sweaty night on it in the week we've had it, although there has been
some humid weather. I intend to keep this topper outside the case,
so we can easily remove it for cleaning, as it's washable wool and
provides protection the case does not. A more frugal alternative may
be to buy a layer or two of wool batting and layer it inside the
cover, if you can find batting wide enough or deal with seams
appropriately.
Lesson #5: Encasing all the layers in a cover adds to the firmness.
I think 6" of latex foam would make a comfortable sleeping surface for
those of light to average weight, and 8-9" should probably do for
most
everyone. Getting separate layers of different firmnesses is a good
idea so you can re-arrange them to your comfort.
Lesson #6: Sleeping on a foam mattress feels different from an
innerspring mattress. If you don't like change, you may not want
to try this. For one thing, we're used to the edge of the be holding
up when we sit on it (our innerspring had stiff foam along the edges).
Sleeping on the foam feels different, although adding the wool
topper helps, and adding the case helped again. I think this is why
many mattress stores insist you wait 30 days before you can make
any exchanges; you probably have to adjust to any new mattress.
It's nice to not have to wait the full 30 days. For the record, the
latex mattress in the store felt and looked a lot more like an
innerspring mattress than what we've assembled at home. It
was 13" thick, including almost an inch of high density foam at
the bottom (because it's intended to be on slats?) and wool
in the top.
-J
Ron Peterson
> I've always had innerspring mattresses and it's time for a new one.
> I'm considering a latex mattress for the following reasons:
> 1) Longevity
> 2) Relatively affordable, if bought from online dealers
> 3) Configurable firmness levels (can layer medium over firm or switch
> layers, for example)
> 4) Could have different firmness levels for hubby and me
> 5) Separation of movement between hubby and me
> I'm looking for first hand experience with latex mattresses,
> especially over a good number of years.
> If you've tried a latex mattress before, can you tell me:
> - How has it held up over the years? I can't find much (even in this
> group) about 5+ years experience. If it's formed body impressions, and
> you don't mind answering, do you consider yourself a heavy person? My
> husband and I are each about average.
My spouse and I have been using a polyurethane mattress for several
years. It has held up well.
We are of average height and weight but got a firm mattress to make it
easier to shift sleeping positions. In a way, I think a medium
firmness mattress might be better.
We use a wool pad under the bottom sheet to wick away moisture.
Latex may cause allergy problems and is expensive.
I don't like the extra thick mattresses because I think they are a
safety hazard.
We liked our air mattress until a leak developed we couldn't find.
--
Ron