# Talk to me about organic latex mattresses



## nukuspot (May 10, 2007)

We finally are taking the plunge...Getting rid of our toxic old conventional bed mattress and going for an organic latex one. Since we are doing it, we are going to finally get a king bed as well, so we can co-sleep for longer with dd and with future children too.

But...There are so many choices! And considering that I have never laid on a latex mattress (no dealers near me) I will have to order it blind online...It's so scary!

All I know is this: I want to get a latex one (no innerspring) and am looking at purerest mattresses since we have their organic latex crib mattress for dd and it looks very nice, I want to lay on it!

But to get "pillowtop" or not? And what thickness? To get the customizable onces with the latex plates with the zip off cover or a premade "standard mattress" style one?

They say that latex "pillowtops" are not like traditional pillowtops, not as soft and squishy...So would they be safe for co-sleeping? (Since you are not supposed to by SIDS researchers to co-sleep on squishy mattresses--We do sometimes on our traditional pillowtop and I hate it, I get so scared because it is so soft that she rolls into the indent made by my body.)

Can anyone talk to me about latex mattresses and help me wade through the choices?


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## nina_yyc (Nov 5, 2006)

I've never had a pillowtop mattress, so I guess I don't know what I'm missing, but our organic latex mattress is very comfy! Since the mattresses are so expensive I would go as simple as possible. Ours is like a standard mattress and we have a wool mattress protector overtop so we don't have to worry about laudering the cover.


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## Harmony08 (Feb 4, 2009)

We have a king latex from habitat furnishings. We went with the model that has 6 inches of the regular stuff and then 2 inches of the cushier stuff. It is fine for us. We honestly have not been able to figure out which side is which. shrug. I was super nervous about buying a bed online too. I had never had a latex before. I liked Habitat furnishings because they have a 180 day money back return policy. You just pay 75 dollars and the come get it. That put my mind at ease. As soon as we opened it up I was in love, however. I wish we had gotten it sooner!


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## KimPM (Nov 18, 2005)

I have a dunlop latex mattress with an organic cotton cover on it. The mattress came in three 3" layers (one soft, one medium, and one firm) and the cover zips on and off. There are NO inner springs or structure at all. It's not pillow top, but it's super comfortable. From my experience, I don't know why you'd need a pillow top on a latex mattress like this. It's already just right. Besides, you can adjust which firmness layer you want on top.

I can see how a person might want a pillow top if they get a really firm (non-latex) mattress underneath, particularly one with innersprings. The pillow top adds some softness where you directly lay.

The nice thing about not having a pillow top is that you can flip the mattress and use it on either side. The other nice thing about not having a pillow top is that you won't get the body impressions in the pillow top material after a few years. Not having a pillow top would also be safer for a LO.

I went to a local place and laid on a latex mattress similar to the one I ordered. I was able to test the different firmnesses: soft, med and firm in both 9" and 6" thicknesses. From that I figured out roughly what I wanted. FWIW, I thought that 6" might be okay for a sofa but not for everyday sleeping on, while the 9" was the perfect thickness. In any case, I ordered mine online and kind of blind about not trying that one specifically, but I had a really good idea of how a latex mattress felt after having tested one locally. It was handy they gave me one layer of each firmness so I could adjust a bit.

The only benefit to the "standard mattress" style one that I could see is that sometimes they give you edge protection in them. It keeps the edge from being so ... squishy. But if they do that, typically it's something that's not organic and natural...like high density polyurethane foam. I don't find the soft edges to be a problem at all. Other than that, the "standard mattress" style typically costs a LOT (the ones I've seen anyway), and you can't change the layers.

Latex is heavy, and it was nice to be able to move each of the three boxes upstairs separately, rather than try to lug one very heavy, thick latex mattress up the stairs.

If you get a latex mattress and are going to have a LO on it, be sure to get a waterproof cover! Otherwise you have quite a sponge there.


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## Elizabeth2008 (Nov 26, 2008)

I just recently ordered the Savy sleep latex mattress from the Natural Sleep Store. The serenity: http://thenaturalsleepstore.com/organic-mattress.html

I LOVE it. I got medium/firm and it's pretty firm. I like a firm mattress, but sort of wish I had gotten one layer of soft for the top. But it's still awesome. You can get it by itself (without a foundation) if you have a platform bed, or buy it with the foundation for a regular bed. The latex layers come separately and you put them inside an organic cotton/wool casing. The casing is HIGH quality and it actually smelled like sheep. You'd think that would be a turn off, but I loved it! it was just so clear that this was pure wool that hadn't been treated with a bunch of chemicals!


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## nukuspot (May 10, 2007)

NAK

When the mattresses are layered like that, that is what the latex people call a pillowtop! So in latex speak, you all have "pillowtops!"

So...My next question is; There are 2 mattresses I am looking at. One is all enclosed already like a "normal" mattress, the other has these latex layers that you put in the cover by youself. Is it difficult to put the layers in? Does it look like a "normal" mattress when you get it together?


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## nukuspot (May 10, 2007)

Kim. I see you answered some of my questons when I read the additions to your post. Can I ak what company makes your mattress? It sounds similar to one we are looking at.


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## KimPM (Nov 18, 2005)

My options were more limited because I am allergic to wool and so I have a prescription for the organic cotton cover - it's not flame resistant at all. Some of the companies that do these mattresses will not do a custom cotton cover, while others will. If you can do wool then you have more options.

That said, I got mine from thenaturalbedstore.com (parent company: Land and Sky) - but I do not necessarily recommend the company. The mattress is great, but I just felt the company gave me a bit of a run-around on the cover and the tagging of it (since I had a special request for the cover). There is a very similar mattress (in style and price) from SavvyRest.com, and they get good reviews. There was a local guy who had a sample of this one, and that's the one I got to test. The only problem I had with savvyrest is that they wouldn't do the custom cotton cover even with a prescription. Theirs has wool in it.

BTW, when it's all zipped together it pretty much looks like a regular mattress, except it has the zipper at the end of it. The cover is quilted, maybe 1/2" thick? (but it's NOT a pillowtop), so there is a bit of comfort/separation between you and the top layer of latex. It's very easy to assemble if you have a second person to help. It might also be doable by yourself, but I had DH helping. Each layer arrived in a separate large box. I'd recommend that you put the layers down on your platform/support, then put a blanket or toss (not zip) the cover on top and check the firmness. Adjust the layers now before you get the cover zipped on. I think I put mine in this order: FIRM (bottom), SOFT (middle), then MEDIUM (top), but each layer was not labeled as it came to me and I had trouble identifying the difference between soft and medium and they were so similar. The soft was a firmer soft and the medium was a softer medium.

Also, I'd be wary of a latex mattress they call "pillowtop". Who knows what they put between the top layer of latex and you. Sometimes they put memory foam on top and call it pillowtop. Caveat emptor.

Ask the company a lot of questions! Find out their layer exchange policy, in case you think it's really too soft or firm and want to exchange a layer. Find out their warranty. Find out if it's Dunlop or Talalay(typically is not 100% natural latex but a mix). Mine is Dunlop and it's perfectly the right firmness. Ask what firmess the layers come in and what the "ILD" rating of each firmness is. You can compare that to the ILDs of any that you try in person. The ILDs for each firmness vary with each company. The higher the ILD number, the firmer it is. The one I tried was soft=24, med=32, firm=40. Make sure it's natural latex and not synthetic. And make sure they don't use flame retardants in the cover. If it's a wool cover it's flame resistant anyway. Ask how much they charge for shipping and how they ship (UPS or special freight truck or whatever). Be aware that UPS may just leave those large boxes in front of your house if you are not at home. For special freight delivery you can arrange a time for delivery. Some places offer setup(white glove service), if you want to pay for that. I put together a spreadsheet of all the places I found, so I could take notes and sort them all out!

The waterproof dust mite cover I got was the one from National Allergy.

http://www.organicmattressreviews.com/


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## Elizabeth2008 (Nov 26, 2008)

Kim - it sounds like you got the Savvy mattress just like I did. I will say, it is VERY hard to put together by yourself (i did it and I tore one of the latex layers). Definitely should have someone help you. But I love the mattress now that it's put together!


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