What is the Best Latex Mattress?
Among all the different types of mattresses on the market, latex mattresses have their fair share of loyal customers. Latex offers quite a few advantages over memory foam, inner spring mattresses, and even adjustable air mattresses. Of course, they have their disadvantages too. If you're looking for a new latex mattress there are some things you need to consider before deciding which the best one for you is. Among those things are:
- natural or synthetic latex
- firmness and comfort
- allergy issues
- cost and warranties
Natural or Synthetic
One of the main reasons people choose a latex mattress is their desire to go "green." Most traditional coil spring mattresses contain at least trace amounts of toxic chemicals as well as substances whose manufacture requires practices that are not necessarily environmentally friendly. For people who care passionately about the green movement, latex is the only way to go. The only problem lies in the fact that not all latex foam is really green.
Natural latex is made from the sap of rubber trees. It is as green as you can get in terms of foam rubber products. But during World War II the war effort caused a shortage of latex rubber which resulted in a synthetic substitute being developed. This synthetic latex is made from petrochemicals which, as you know, are not considered green. If one of the motivating factors encouraging you to buy latex rubber is your desire to go green, you'll have to be sure that you're purchasing natural latex instead of a synthetic.
Allergy Issues
Another reason people choose to buy latex is because they have allergy issues which are exacerbated by a traditional mattress. Fortunately, latex rubber is not very inviting to bacteria, dust mites, and other allergens. In fact, a latex rubber mattress is probably the most hypo-allergenic mattress you can purchase. But again, you must be careful to choose natural latex over synthetic. Although synthetic latex is still better for your allergies than a coil spring or memory foam mattress, it's not as good as natural latex.
If allergies are an issue for you the best latex mattress will also be one that is 100% latex instead of blended. In other words, there are blended mattresses that use a combination of natural and synthetic latex, or natural latex and other materials such as memory foam and inner springs. Again, these other materials may not be good for you and your allergies and may end up costing you more money to replace a mattress you purchased in ignorance. If you have allergies natural latex is just a better way to go.
Firmness and Comfort
As with any type of bed, firmness and comfort are going to be considerations. All foam rubber products come in a variety of densities which are measured according to a standard formula. You may need to lie on a couple of different mattresses to find out which density is best for you. If you have back pain or other physical issues that affect your sleep, you might want to give your salesman or purchasing consultant a general heads up. He or she might be able to give you some recommendations as to the types of mattresses that would be good for you.
The best latex mattress is the one that is going to give you the best night's sleep possible. You'll find that, unlike memory foam and air mattresses, latex foam does not sleep hot. Thus you probably won't need an extra mattress cover to help alleviate the heat issues associated with other types of beds. But again, being able to lie on a mattress in a showroom for a few minutes will give you a good idea of how hot it sleeps.
Cost and Warranties
When you find a latex mattress you think is right for you, you'll then have to consider cost and warranties. Perhaps two mattresses are very similar but have drastically different prices at the same time. Depending on how comfortable each one is, it may not necessarily be to your advantage to choose the more expensive model. But only you can determine that based on your needs. Either way, make sure you get decent warranty coverage with your mattress.
Latex mattresses don't commonly fail - but anything is possible. Since a typical mattress lasts 15 to 20 years you can expect warranties to go to about the 10 or 12-year mark. So get as comprehensive a warranty as you can in proportion to the amount of money you spend. Obviously, the best mattresses with longer warranties will cost a little bit more. But without a warranty you could be stuck with a failed mattress in a few years that needs to be replaced anyway.