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I'm ready to toss yet another expensive spring mattress after only 6 years of use. I'm trying to get on the foam mattress bandwagon with hesitations regarding chemical smells. They all seem good in the store but who knows how long they've been airing out? So I was recently in the Relax the Back store in Oregon and they have their own line of EcoMemoryFoam and LiveResponseFoam mattresses. Here is a link to their website: http://classic.relaxtheback.com/catalog/productdetail.cfm?group_id=6933729&tree_id=0 I also found a press release that gives some more information on the actual manufacturer of these beds is Ecomfort Mattress / Anatomic Global Inc. http://www.ecomemoryfoam.com/products.htm Hmmmm.... natural plant based foam. Well isn't all petroleum originally plant based? I do like that they are Made in the USA. Thanks for your help! This message was modified Jun 18, 2010 by mom2four
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Plant based foams are usually not more than 10% natural content, and top out at around 30% natural content. So I don't think they are alluding to the idea that petro comes from plants therefore it is a plant based foam. Although it is important to know that this product is not natural, and that although replacing some of the polyols that make up polyurethane foam with plant based oils is generally a good thing for the environment and it does reduce off-gassing, it does not eliminate it. The only foam that is even remotely close to 100% natural is real 100% naturally sourced latex.....and it is surprisingly not that common in major retail stores. Usually it is blended with synthetic latex......which although not natural would still be a better option than "plant-based' foams. Particularly if your main goal is to minimize chemical content and also to hopefully get a mattress that will last longer than 6 years. Latex foam is highly elastic and resilient, it lasts a long time. Polyurethane foams (even plant based ones), are not typically all that durable....its not as resilient to wear and tear as latex foams. All this being said...the product you are looking at is a variety of memory foam mattress, which feel completely opposite of latex foam. The best way to describe it...is that support and response of a mattress is numerically represented by a measurement of elasticity. If you were to take a sample of latex foam (blended or all natural) and drop a steel ball on the foam the ball will actually bounce back significantly. Representing a high elasticity that means a very responsive mattress surface. This is essentially because latex is rubber...it wants to push back. Memory foams are actually the complete opposite. Not only are they made of completely different chemical compounds, memory foam by definition (and the original NASA developed material which Tempur-Pedic now makes), is a foam designed to have the lowest possible elasticity. This is a bit of an oxymoron because the technical name for memory foam is a Visco-Elastic foam, although if you were to drop the same steel ball on this foam it would stop essentially dead in its tracks, representing an extremely low elasticity level. This is typically a good thing from a pressure relief standpoint. Technically memory foam is a variety of polyurethane foam. Anyway, memory foam actually works to conform to your body shape by adjusting to temperature, so there is a slow sinking in feeling that is unique to this material...some people LOVE it, others...not so much. Very important to try them out before you decide which camp you belong to. You have owned spring mattresses in the past that obviously have not lasted all that well despite the price you paid...I think it should be made very clear to you that what has broken down with those beds is almost assuredly the foam layers on top of the springs themselves. This is almost a guarantee if these have also been thicker pillowtop mattresses. Cheaper polyurethane foams (low density) simply do not last very long at all. I think it is important to know that although you havent had luck with them, that steel springs themselves are not nessecarily a bad thing. In fact, steel wire itself when it is coiled is highly elastic. If you had good enough aim with a steel ball it would also bounce back significantly just like latex if you could hit the wire just right. What this also means is that latex foam itself is more of an actual replacement for steel springs because they are both highly elastic and supportive materials, where as memory foam is really more of an alternative and is not meant to feel at all like a traditional bed. I hate to give you such an all over the place response...however I think you should look at some other options before you decide what is going to be best for you. Generally speaking cheaper foams are almost always what causes a mattresses to fail so quickly....most memory foam beds outside of the best out there are made much more durable than a typical spring mattress. I can't say this for sure on the mattress you found, however it would be important to know the density of the materials and how everything is layered. Also if it turns out that you don't like the feeling of memory foam and you do like the comfort and bounce of a steel spring but will not tolerate another bed which will not last, then latex is going to be another fantastic alternative to look into. And if off-gassing is REALLY important to you then you should really look into beds that either contain no foam whatsoever, or a 100% natural latex bed. Memory foam mattresses are typically the worst offenders when it comes to overall chemical content....to some people this doesn't matter too much, to some its a total deal breaker.
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| Thank you so much for your response. I really appreciate it. Chemical smells are a real concern for me. I've had memory foam toppers in the past that were okay but we've had to send microfiber furniture back because of the smells, even after letting it air for a couple months. I found a dealer for Savvy Rest latex mattresses in my area and I'm off to lay around on those today. I'm wondering if a high quality spring mattress with latex foam pillow top would be an option too? |
| Potentially yes. However most pillowtop mattresses do contain some latex today. Just usually a 1/4" or 1/2" along with 4~7" of standard cheap foam. There are a couple of smaller companies that build a good spring system and then use an all latex pillowtop or a mostly latex pillowtop....like Royal Pedic, Green Sleep, Carpe Diem, Marshall Mattress. |
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Man. I wish every bed store had at least one person as knowledgeable as you on staff. Heck. I wish every retailer in general had at least one person as knowledgeable in their field, as you are in yours. Unfortunately, most retail and sales management feel that it is more important to be good at selling, not knowing, the product. It's that salesmen mentality. They live in their own world. |
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I wish retailers had the knowledge Budgy does, but they never do, and they don't want to...because they'd never sell mattresses! Mattress sellers selling the "name" brands prey upon sleepy, irritable, sore humans who just want to feel good and sleep again. We never go mattress shopping when we are happy with our mattresses, only when it is necessary to change them. Like going to eat when you are starving. Except a mattress costs a lot more and doesn't last much longer than a bag of groceries. Kait |