Latex mattress owners! Should I buy this? - Page 2

[talia rose]

theres no such thing as a dumb question, especially when it comes to your familys health. i took a look at the ikea latex. yes, it has synthetic in it. that means chemical based latex. how bad that is i do not know. i know some people do react to it. it is probably petroleum based. they also speak of a fire retardent cotton, so although that is not the pbdes (which is very good) i do not know what exactly it is. my concern with any chemicals is that todays safe one is tomorrows health hazzard. pbdes replaced pcbs because they found out how bad pcbs were. now they realize pcbs are way worse than pcbs. so what chemical are they replacing pbdes with and how safe is it? this appears to be a better option than a standard american made mattress. it is not chemical free. but it is free of the ones they know at this time are really bad. personally i choose to opt out of the chemical game any time i have a choice in the matter.

[Hazelnut]

I agree about the chemicals. I had my hopes high with ikea b/c they're a european company (and the're cheaper, duh ). But I asked at the store and of course they had no idea what they replaced the pbdes with. figures.
I'm not sure when we'll get a king, I want it now but feel we should wait a bit due to the $. I'll write your number down though. thanks!

[mama_daba]

my partner and i are going to be buying a new bed soon. there are lots of web pages we could order one from but it seems to me that it is kinda important too be able to lie down on a bed first and see what different beds feel like. i find the whole thing very stressful. when people buy beds from web pages how do you know it will feel right?

we have a futon currently and i have never bought a bed my futon is not that comfortable. but it works for now.

[Hazelnut]

I agree about that- and it's such a big expenditure for organic matresses that you can't even try out.

[airmide_m]

A lot of the websites do have a trial period and/or a time period where you can switch out layers for different firmness. The drawback is that as far as I know you're always required to pay shipping.

With wool, would there be problems for people who are allergic to it? I don't know that much about wool allergy, how much is from direct skin contact vs. how much is airborne etc. I know I break out in a rash if I wear wool, and my husband and I both have asthma. I'm thinking it might not be *too* hard to get a doctors note for all cotton, but if wool is better and wouldn't have allergy problems obviously I'd rather go with that.

[talia rose]

The reason most people believe they are allergic to wool is that most wool is cleaned with this really harsh chemical that first off is toxic and secondly is so harsh it makes the wool fiber brittle so it breaks, thus creating that wool itch. Organic, or Pure Grow Wool, is cleaned with (usually) a citrus type cleaner that does not do this. The wool is much softer and does not have that itch. We have a kinisiologist (muscle tester) that comes into our store and tests for sensitivities and have actually never had anyone test bad to our wool. Also, it is covered with organic cotton quilting so you are not directly on it. I agree it is very difficult to buy a mattress you have never laid on. It is unfortunate more communities out there do not have organic mattress stores (biz op anyone?) We sell a lot of mattresses to people all over the country who have not been able to try them out. We also spend a lot of time talking to people about thier preferences to try to get them the right mattress. Fortunately, the latex in particular does appeal to a wide section of people because it is such a great sleeping substance. I have had very few comfort exchanges, but it is available when needed. And yes, the customer is responsible for shipping, which depending on where you live can be a lot. We have not been trained as a society to be willing to invest in our comfort and health when we sleep. But when we sleep is the time our bodies heal and rejuvenate. We do spend 1/3 of our lives there so it makes sense to provide a healthy and comfortable environment.

[talia rose]

also, moonfroggy, earthsake gallery in berkely sells the same mattresses we do that you can go try out. they just sell them for more money, even before the mothering mamas 10% discount. getting rid of my uncomfortable moldy futon was one of the best things I ever did for myself.....

[mama_daba]

Originally Posted by talia rose

also, moonfroggy, earthsake gallery in berkely sells the same mattresses we do that you can go try out. they just sell them for more money, even before the mothering mamas 10% discount. getting rid of my uncomfortable moldy futon was one of the best things I ever did for myself.....

ooh i will go try them out!

[airmide_m]

Well that makes a lot of sense about the wool allergy thing! Come to think of it I've been able to hug sheep in the past with no problems

We have something near here called Cotton Cloud Futons and I know they have natural latex, but I think it's just futons so it's a little layer of latex wrapped with a lot of organic cotton, and what we want is a lot of latex with a little cotton hehe. I guess I could call them to double check and see if they have any ideas on special ordering or anyone who might have something to try locally.

[Pookietooth]

Kristina, if you're around still, where did you get the dual firmness mattress? I would like medium for myself and firm for my dh.

[ddschlr]

Just a thought.... You might call around to your local mattress stores. I have a store near me that quotes $550 for a twin. It looks like a similar mattress.

[airmide_m]

I've recently called all the stores I can find in my area to see if I can find something locally. Problem is finding it in 100% natural. It's easy enough to find talalay in a blend with synthetic but near impossible to find it natural.

I did find out that Latex International is the supplier for most latex. And if you find someone that orders through them, it's possible to get a special order. The problem with that is that if you special order, from what I understand, everything is non-returnable, non-exchangeable and I'm not sure if there's any type of warranty.

We drove to 2 different places and tried out a variety of mattresses. We both felt that the ones with the synthetic blend gave a much more "stable" feeling but I think that was largely because of the construction of the mattress covers. Does anyone know if it's possible to get that sturdy feeling cover with the 100% natural mattress? It seems like most of the ones I see online are a very simple construction.

Now I'm going to try to find out if anyone carries 100% natural within a weekend driving trip away from where we live (Portland Oregon) because we really don't want to buy anything without first having tried it in real life to see how it feels.

[marlee]

I have just ordered a bed fromhere. I ordered the twin 'skinny' for my dd. They have them in US and Canada.

[ddschlr]

airmide_m - I am in Portland and looking for a mattress. I just went to Mulligan's (I think) I believe the material they use is natural. It is covered in a regular cotton linen material. It looks like normal mattress material. Have you been there. You can pm me if you want to discuss. I would be interested in knowing where you have been.

Thanks