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You've come to the right place if a latex mattress review is what you are looking for. There is a long review in front of you, with plenty of information, guidelines and tips. This is something that will surely help you in finding the right latex mattress.
I want to talk about the advantages first. And the biggest one is that latex mattresses are comfortable. Over 85% of people who used them find them very comfortable, more then memory foam, air and water mattresses that score a bit below. Lets mention that an innerspring mattress is considered to be at the bottom here, with scoring only 60%. Besides comfort, you get a durable mattress that is not radiating heat and breathes quite well.
The main disadvantage is price. You will need to invest some money for a good quality latex mattress. The situation will probably remain the same unless some other type of bed appears. The latex is still new and this review will show it. There aren't many people who used them, but they are considered to lead the race when it comes to quality.
Now that we have finished with the basics, lets continue with the latex bed review. As you have probably heard by now, memory foam products have a lot of toxicity. The chemicals that are used are not always 100% safe and this is an issue that is still somewhat hidden. A bit like a public secret. But more and more people get the right information and start looking for a natural latex foam mattresses. There are different types out there and I'll give you some basic information on it so you can know what you are dealing with here.
The origin of the latex rubber is on Brazil, where the rubber trees were growing when the British found them and exported more then 100 hundred years ago. We get rubber from those trees from all sort of products, and one of them is latex mattress. There are two types of latex, man made latex and natural rubber. This leads us to two ways of processing latex, Dunlop and Talalay. Basically, first one gives us heavier, firmer product that is used in beds. The other is more airy, softer and has a use in other industries as well.
The benefits of latex mattresses is that they adapt to our bodies and give them support at any moment. The pressure to the body is reduced, 33% more than pressure we experience with memory foam mattress. You won't have that feeling of being swallowed with a latex mattress, since it will hold your body on the surface, tightly, but gently.
The other benefit is that there is more airflow with the latex made mattresses. So if you ever feel hot when sleeping on your bed, then you know that you need more airflow. Actually, you need latex.
Your circulation is better and your muscles are not pressed so hard so you will wake up fresh and relaxed. I know you had some bad nights, where you woke up more tired then you were when you went to bed. This is the fault of a bad mattress.
Another great thing we will talk about in this latex mattress review is the resistance to dust mites and microbes. The latex breathes and so there is no moisture being created. This is no place for dust mites, so they don't even care to come inside the latex mattress. The naturally healthy material will also degrade without damage to the environment.
Latex mattress buying guidelines
I'll try to keep this short, so you can focus on the most important factors.
1. Choose Talalay latex, blended or all natural
2. Do not use pillow tops with latex beds - they don't do you any good
3. The heavier you are, the firmer latex you need
4. You don't need to have thick latex mattress - at all
5. Check what is really inside the product - ask
6. They don't have to be expensive - the simpler, the better
7. Buy latex mattress from someone who knows them
8. Compare prices, browse online and find discount latex
If you are short on cash, there is mid solution. Buy yourself a latex topper and wait for the real thing. This will show you what kind of benefits you re going to get and may inspire you to save more. Latex topper will definitely show you the real value of a high quality, durable and healthy latex mattress.
I want to talk about the advantages first. And the biggest one is that latex mattresses are comfortable. Over 85% of people who used them find them very comfortable, more then memory foam, air and water mattresses that score a bit below. Lets mention that an innerspring mattress is considered to be at the bottom here, with scoring only 60%. Besides comfort, you get a durable mattress that is not radiating heat and breathes quite well.
The main disadvantage is price. You will need to invest some money for a good quality latex mattress. The situation will probably remain the same unless some other type of bed appears. The latex is still new and this review will show it. There aren't many people who used them, but they are considered to lead the race when it comes to quality.
Now that we have finished with the basics, lets continue with the latex bed review. As you have probably heard by now, memory foam products have a lot of toxicity. The chemicals that are used are not always 100% safe and this is an issue that is still somewhat hidden. A bit like a public secret. But more and more people get the right information and start looking for a natural latex foam mattresses. There are different types out there and I'll give you some basic information on it so you can know what you are dealing with here.
The origin of the latex rubber is on Brazil, where the rubber trees were growing when the British found them and exported more then 100 hundred years ago. We get rubber from those trees from all sort of products, and one of them is latex mattress. There are two types of latex, man made latex and natural rubber. This leads us to two ways of processing latex, Dunlop and Talalay. Basically, first one gives us heavier, firmer product that is used in beds. The other is more airy, softer and has a use in other industries as well.
The benefits of latex mattresses is that they adapt to our bodies and give them support at any moment. The pressure to the body is reduced, 33% more than pressure we experience with memory foam mattress. You won't have that feeling of being swallowed with a latex mattress, since it will hold your body on the surface, tightly, but gently.
The other benefit is that there is more airflow with the latex made mattresses. So if you ever feel hot when sleeping on your bed, then you know that you need more airflow. Actually, you need latex.
Your circulation is better and your muscles are not pressed so hard so you will wake up fresh and relaxed. I know you had some bad nights, where you woke up more tired then you were when you went to bed. This is the fault of a bad mattress.
Another great thing we will talk about in this latex mattress review is the resistance to dust mites and microbes. The latex breathes and so there is no moisture being created. This is no place for dust mites, so they don't even care to come inside the latex mattress. The naturally healthy material will also degrade without damage to the environment.
Latex mattress buying guidelines
I'll try to keep this short, so you can focus on the most important factors.
1. Choose Talalay latex, blended or all natural
2. Do not use pillow tops with latex beds - they don't do you any good
3. The heavier you are, the firmer latex you need
4. You don't need to have thick latex mattress - at all
5. Check what is really inside the product - ask
6. They don't have to be expensive - the simpler, the better
7. Buy latex mattress from someone who knows them
8. Compare prices, browse online and find discount latex
If you are short on cash, there is mid solution. Buy yourself a latex topper and wait for the real thing. This will show you what kind of benefits you re going to get and may inspire you to save more. Latex topper will definitely show you the real value of a high quality, durable and healthy latex mattress.
17 comments:
I have read that latex mattresses off gas quite a bit so are a problem for people with asthma. Can you address that?
This article contradicts itself. Says "we use Dunlop" in "Our" mattresses. Then recommends Talalay.
Also, since there is an "our" mattress, this is not an objective review article.
Taints the entire website.
I agree that this website is clearly biased. The articles are not even well written, and pretend to be "objective" and then touts "our beds" and says "we use..."
Clearly, this is just a retailer trying to skew buyers with deceptive crap.
I believe there is a problem in understanding here. I used words Ours when it comes to us, consumers, and how the soft or firm surface affects "our" muscles.
And I never said "we use Dunlop". I said there are two different types of latex being produced where Talalay is better.
I think this is enough to clear the misunderstanding. And how can I be biased when there is no company I am promoting here. I am just talking about latex mattresses in general within this post.
Cathy
We purchased a Simmons Natural Care plush mattress about a month ago. The mattress is comfortable, but it sleeps very warm. It is interesting that all of the official reviews of latex mattresses state they are cooler than traditional innerspring mattresses; however, individual consumer reviews state over and over again these mattresses do sleep warm! It makes sense (even with the ventilation holes) how can air move out of the dense material faster than an innerspring mattress? We are going to try adding a 2" cotton mattress topper to see if this will help with the temp problems before exchanging it at the store. Beware, if you don't like to be warm at night, latex may not be for you.
I slept on a latex matress for 10 years in the late '60s-'70s, until a doctor of some sort told me mine must have deteriorated and I needed a new mattress for my degenerated disc. By then, it was impossible - for some reason - to buy another one. I now realise it was baloney.
Anyone who wants to try one, it was the best 10+ years of sleeping I ever had, and I have a nice, apparently-toxic memory foam mattress now. (I don't find it hot, but I have a thick wool mattress pad on it.)
I'm hoping, now, to get another latex mattress. Thanks for this blog!
We have had a Select Comfort bed for the last 15 years and have hated it for about 14 of them. Even the memory foam topper didn't help much.
We recently purchased an all natural latex mattress from MillionDollarMattress.com. This one has a 6" Dunlop (firm) base with 2" of all natural Talalay on top. This was just the right amount of cushioning. For the first time in 15 years, I don't feel my wife turn over/get up.
We recommend this mattress highly -It's model 308-L.
ALL Simmons latex beds are mostly polyurethane. That's why its warm. Its a shame but its the truth. And Simmons still uses dunlop. Dunlop is good for tires not beds. You shuolda bought a serta. I have a full talalay latex bed from serta and its cool as can be. I live in Hawaii too where its always hot. And I dont have AC in the bedroom and DONT NEED IT :)
I've been sleeping on a latex mattress for 10 yrs now and the mattress is still in perfect shape. It is not hot at all and very, very comfortable. I am a big girl and my husband is a big guy and we love sleeping in our bed. Comfortably supports us both & no pressure points or pain in the morning from a bad night of tossing & turning. We will ALWAYS sleep on a latex mattress.
I have slept on latex mattresses since I was a child and highly recommend them. They are antibacterial, dust mite resistant - good for persons with allergies.
Despite what you may have heard, the best latex mattress (either Talalaya or Dunlop) is a solid core of latex with a simple cotton cover. Natural latex does not off-gas. Synthetic latex does. So be sure what you purchase is naturally processed.
There is no need for a mattress topper with a latex mattress. However, Latex for some can sleep hot. To compensate for this, manufacturers recommend a 100% cotton washable mattress pad - no wool, polyester - just 100% cotton. Not a pillow top but a thin quilted removable pad usually held onto the mattress with elastic.
The best pads have no sides, the elastic slips under the mattress to hold it in place. The pad not only lets you sleep cool, it protects your mattress from soil and is a necessity whatever type of mattress you purchase. A good quilted cotton pad can cost $100 - 150. An insignificant cost to protect the life of your mattress.
A natural latex mattress is top of the line as far as mattresses go. The old ones, manufactured after WWII, had a life of 50 years. The newer ones today 10-20 years. They are available in medium to firm weight and although some offer a soft weight, it is too soft for comfortable sleeping and is normally used for latex pillows.
I hope this answers some of your questions about latex. I am not a dealer, just a contented latex mattress sleeper. I can honestly say, once you have slept on a good latex mattress, you won't ever wish to sleep on anything else!
Maybe already said but Talaley is the type of Latex and Dunlop is the method of manufacturing.
About 12yrs ago I had gone thru about 6 different spring mattresses in a couple of years, all giving me backaches. Tried an Englander laytex which I slept in just fine, 2yrs later it was cratered
bought a Restonic latex which lasted 5yrs and was cratered. Then a fairly stiff no frills memory foam I add a topper toand have been having to change the 3in topper about every 2yrs but the mattress is doing well. I have a waterproof mattress cover over it, then the topper with a cloth cover. Not as comfortable as the Restonic, but no backpains. Would like to go back to a softer laytex but this is working so well am very hesitant. Problem is that toppers and mattress prices are going up and up...
As I understand it, both Talalay and Dunlop are manufacturing processes. The Talalay goes through an extra step or two (vacuum/freeze) that Dunlop doesn't. This results in the Talalay being more uniform throughout its thickness, while Dunlop is more solid at the bottom because of settling. Dunlop is generally more firm than Talalay. Either Talalay or Dunlop methods can use blends of natural and/or synthetic latex, so I would make sure the latex in the mattress I choose is 100% pure natural latex.
Help please - my 100% pure natural latex mattress (dunlop) smells.
I am really concerned about this.We have been having this mattress for nearly 6weeks now. For the first month we had to leave it unzipped and uncovered from its cover in a separate bedroom with windows non-stop open. We even avoided going to the room much,as the smell quickly spread over the house.I have to say that the smell has decreased considerably (and we started sleeping on it in last 2 weeks), but the smell still lingers. Our daughter sleeps in bed with us and even if she has only an hour nap in the afternoon, I can smell the mattress on her pyjama and her body(through a good quality mattress protector and a bedsheet!)! I myself am pregnant and although I keep reading about the smell not gassing off and not being harmful, I am concerned more and more. I think I would rather return it (but our trial period has ended). we were told (and everywhere I am reading I can see) that mattress smell should go within 6 weeks. Does anyone have a similar experience?
@April 21, 2012 3:35 PM
I don't even need to know that we're talking about a mattress here to say that you should return it. Do it for your stress levels, its not good for the baby.
My new pillow has overpowering smell
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