Mattres help

[Dutchie]

Hi all,

Currently I'm looking into mattresses bc I have to buy a new one soon.

In ideal circumstances I'd buy a natural latex one,but they're way over my budget. (The 'cheapest' one which comes closest is from Ikea at €600, with 85% natural latex and 15% regular latex).

So,it looks like I'd have to opt for something else.
I've read enough about memory foam and its downsides/toxicity to not want that.
Pocketspring also is questionable to me due to its metal wiring and EMF conduction.

I've also seen mattresses made of HR foam. What about that in regards to health/toxicity? (I know it's still made of another substance)
Or does anyone have another affordable suggestion?

 

[Perry Staltic]

Cotton futon?

 

[Dutchie]

Cotton futon?

They are the Japanese floor beds,right?
It would mean I'd have to get rid of my bed entirely :/. bc the mattresses are too thin for usage in a bed.....and it's colder on the floor.

 

[Perry Staltic]

They are the Japanese floor beds,right?
It would mean I'd have to get rid of my bed entirely :/. bc the mattresses are too thin for usage in a bed.....and it's colder on the floor.

I had a cotton futon once that came with a foldable frame that you could turn it into a sofa when not using as a bed. The mattress was about 6" (14-15 cm) thick

 

[Dutchie]

I had a cotton futon once that came with a foldable frame that you could turn it into a sofa when not using as a bed. The mattress was about 6" (14-15 cm) thick

That's really useful that it came with a foldable frame.
I've looked around here and it seems they either only offer these thin original futon mattresses or a mattres with (futon) bedding, which defeats the financial purpose.

 

[Perry Staltic]

That's really useful that it came with a foldable frame.
I've looked around here and it seems they either only offer these thin original futon mattresses or a mattres with (futon) bedding, which defeats the financial purpose.

It was a really nice wooden frame handmade from oak and cherry. Word of advice: If you do happen to find something similar and decide to go with it make sure the mattress isn't so thick that it doesn't fold nicely into a sofa. Mine was too thick, so it didn't fold all that well

 

[Korven]

Do you mean the mattress you put on top of the bed?

I realised thanks to @JamesGatz posts that I was sleeping on a polyester mattress so I instead swapped it out for a 3 cm wool mattress (dutch brand called Texeler) that is much nicer to sleep on. It is a little thin but I don't mind as I prefer to sleep on a hard bed. It cost me € 300 though.

The problem with most new mattresses is that they will probably off gas chemicals for years, even the "natural" ones e.g. latex. So maybe look for a used one? But that also sounds pretty nasty lol.

The ultimate set up is getting a wooden frame bed and a proper thick wool mattress, but those are soo expensive. I looked at on that cost €2500 just for the mattress. Maybe it's worth it though if they last for 20+ years.

 

[Korven]

Most beds are also made up of polyester and off-gas chemicals which I guess kind of defeats the purpose of getting a 100% natural mattress to put on top. Maybe a compromise is old bed (already off-gassed) and new natural wool mattress on top?

 

[Peachy]

Comfort is really important too, so you can stay in a deeper sleep. I tried a natural latex mattress and it didn’t have enough give for me. Between that and the cost, I lowered my standards and tried to find something comfortable without any flame retardants.

At the time I was looking, IKEA only sprayed their stitching which is far less toxic than most brands. I got a regular spring mattress from there for one of my kids. And then I started going with memory foam - a company (Tuft & Needle) that doesn’t use flame retardants but instead a cotton/poly layer for flame resistance. They’re also supposedly overall lower toxicity. It is so comfortable and I never wake up from twisting and turning. I also got an air purifier for each bedroom.

 

[Peachy]

They are the Japanese floor beds,right?
It would mean I'd have to get rid of my bed entirely :/. bc the mattresses are too thin for usage in a bed.....and it's colder on the floor.

It depends on the bed. I had a cotton futon in a regular bed frame for years. It was great in my 20s. It’s really firm though so not great for side sleepers.

 

[Peachy]

(I do know the ikea latex mattress you’re talking about and I thought that one was pretty comfortable. The 100% natural latex one I tried was another brand and was too firm for me.)

 

[Dutchie]

It was a really nice wooden frame handmade from oak and cherry. Word of advice: If you do happen to find something similar and decide to go with it make sure the mattress isn't so thick that it doesn't fold nicely into a sofa. Mine was too thick, so it didn't fold all that well

Thanks for the advice, even though I think it's not going to be a futon mattres.

Do you mean the mattress you put on top of the bed?

I realised thanks to @JamesGatz posts that I was sleeping on a polyester mattress so I instead swapped it out for a 3 cm wool mattress (dutch brand called Texeler) that is much nicer to sleep on. It is a little thin but I don't mind as I prefer to sleep on a hard bed. It cost me € 300 though.

The problem with most new mattresses is that they will probably off gas chemicals for years, even the "natural" ones e.g. latex. So maybe look for a used one? But that also sounds pretty nasty lol.

The ultimate set up is getting a wooden frame bed and a proper thick wool mattress, but those are soo expensive. I looked at on that cost €2500 just for the mattress. Maybe it's worth it though if they last for 20+ years.

Yeah, I'm in need of an actual mattres which you put on your bed, not one of those toppers/topmattres with a thickness of a couple cm.

Comfort is really important too, so you can stay in a deeper sleep. I tried a natural latex mattress and it didn’t have enough give for me. Between that and the cost, I lowered my standards and tried to find something comfortable without any flame retardants.


At the time I was looking, IKEA only sprayed their stitching which is far less toxic than most brands. I got a regular spring mattress from there for one of my kids. And then I started going with memory foam - a company (Tuft & Needle) that doesn’t use flame retardants but instead a cotton/poly layer for flame resistance. They’re also supposedly overall lower toxicity. It is so comfortable and I never wake up from twisting and turning. I also got an air purifier for each bedroom.

I agree that comfort is important, but I imagine my bar/expectations aren't set that high in terms of my current mattres.

 

[I'm.No.One]

Out of your budget for sure but if you're ever in a position to buy a higher quality bed I highly recommend the avocado brand.

They have multiple material options, chemical free certification for days, & hand make everything.

I have the wool/alpaca/organic cotton bed with the pillow top & it's amaaaaaazing!

For anyone interested they typically have black Friday sales, I saved $1500 on mine last year taking advantage of that & they have a really long replacement warranty.

 

[Dutchie]

I realised thanks to @JamesGatz posts that I was sleeping on a polyester mattress so I instead swapped it out for a 3 cm wool mattress (dutch brand called Texeler) that is much nicer to sleep on. It is a little thin but I don't mind as I prefer to sleep on a hard bed. It cost me € 300 though.

I've seen the various Texeler topmattreses.
Do you have it on top of your polyester mattres? and do you have something like a molton or just regular fitted sheet on top/wrapping it all up?

 

[Korven]

I've seen the various Texeler topmattreses.
Do you have it on top of your polyester mattres? and do you have something like a molton or just regular fitted sheet on top/wrapping it all up?

Reread your question now, no I got rid of the polyester mattress and instead have two layers with thin Texeler + wool duvet under it because I couldn't get the thicker 6 cm Texeler (maybe I'll get it in the future though). So looks like this and then a fitted sheet on top:

This is really comfy for me, the bed is very soft so the combination with thinner mattress works great, before it felt like I was drowning in the bed

 

[Dutchie]

Reread your question now, no I got rid of the polyester mattress and instead have two layers with thin Texeler + wool duvet under it because I couldn't get the thicker 6 cm Texeler (maybe I'll get it in the future though). So looks like this and then a fitted sheet on top:

View attachment 44608

This is really comfy for me, the bed is very soft so the combination with thinner mattress works great, before it felt like I was drowning in the bed

Oh ok....only such a thin mattres wouldn't work for my bed (slatted base).
I had been looking ,as a possible cheaper option , for a cheaper HR mattres and then possibly put a wool or natural latex topper on it. Turns out it isn't that much cheaper compared to the Ikea latex mattres.

 

[AlaskaJono]

I do own a latex mattress, all natural and it is great. If you can swing it, do it. Otherwise a futon made with wool batting inside, covering a foam core, and sometimes some other cotton material. I had a few made up for me custom back in the day, 80's, and I did not mind using them for sleeping for 2-3 years, and then shifting that mattess to the couch, and buy another one. Now they cost 500-600 USD methinks. I made the bed frame at the time, just needs slats, and to rotate and maybe flip mattress every week or so.

On the other hand, one can build a mattress like a friend did years ago: base layer of natural rubber maybe 1.5 inches thick >> Medium dense foam 2 or 3 inches thick >> softer topper foam or wool mattress cover.

 

[Korven]

Oh ok....only such a thin mattres wouldn't work for my bed (slatted base).
I had been looking ,as a possible cheaper option , for a cheaper HR mattres and then possibly put a wool or natural latex topper on it. Turns out it isn't that much cheaper compared to the Ikea latex mattres.

I see, well I wish you luck on your mattress hunt!

I know you were looking for something more inexpensive but this kind of mattress would probably be very nice (costs a little more than the €600 IKEA mattress): Wool Mattress, All-Natural Comfort, Woollux

 

[Dutchie]

Thanks :)
Yeah,that mattres looks nice....lol but waaaay over my budget . (The Ikea one already is and requires me to take the money set aside for the energy bill )

 

[Michaelk3]

A brand called "Purple Mattress" uses a latex grid on the top and foam on the bottom of their mattresses. They dont use toxic fire retardants either.