I can now foresee this occurring with a product that is near and dear to my heart – latex mattresses. First, let me say that after 41 years in the mattress business, I believe that there is no better mattress material for comfort and longevity than pure botanical latex. A mattess made solely with 100% botanical latex should last 15 to 25 years with little loss of comfort or support. Such a mattress should show little or no depression over that time. Latex Mattresses have been our specialty for the past 24 years with 25 different models on our floor, most built to our own designs, two-sided and flippable. So, what is the problem?

Lately, latex has become the hot item and the cheapening in price and quality is happening. Many stores have “discovered” latex and many manufacturers, to get an edge, are using synthetic latex (SBR – Styrene Butadiene Rubber, made from petroleum and solvents) because it is cheaper. Many are calling their product “Natural”. Some are laminating an inch or two of SBR latex to a block of polyurethane foam and calling it a latex mattress. Often they are only upholstered on one side, eliminating the ability to flip the mattress to get maximum life and comfort. The unwary or uninformed consumer is the victim of these retailers, often paying a high price in both money and the sting of poor quality. Many of these manufacturers and retailers represent their products as natural or pure latex. The latex is inside the mattress so they are unlikely to be caught lying. Unfortunately, even researching on the internet is difficult because there is a lot of deception. One manufacturer of synthetic latex represents their latex as being all natural and has flooded the internet with smoke and mirrors. Their “signature product is 80% synthetic SBR and 20% botanical. The product is “tested” to be longer lasting than botanical latex but the test is done at 158 degrees, the lowest temperature where it can test as durable. Also, petroleum and solvent based synthetic latex, unlike botanical latex, offgasses noticeably for many weeks and even months after opening the mattress.

All of this cheapening of the product I call a race to the bottom. My concern is that the outstanding reputation, much deserved, of botanical latex will be sullied by negative reviews of broken down mattresses represented as latex. The pressure is on to compromise, to appease the consumer who shops price alone without understanding what they are getting. We won’t do it. The same thing happened with the “Can’t Flip” “No Flip” mattresses, but we have found taking the high road is best.  Sticking with durable products is in the best interest of our customers, our store, and our planet.

I do hold out hope that the cycle for latex will be different and that the consumer will be better informed. I don’t hold out much hope that the manufacturers and retailers will get a conscience.

If you have been reading my blogs you will know my aversion to synthetic latex (also known as Styrene Butadiene or SBR). Many times a consumer is relying on the salesperson to represent their product honestly. Unfortunately, the salesperson may not know the true answer as they will often just pass on what they have heard or been told. So, here are some hints on how to check for yourself.

To recognize synthetic and blended latex, look at the latex sample provided.

• SBR will yellow with age
• SBR will crumble with age
• SBR will tear and pull apart, particularly on the sides of the sample
• SBR will retain a chemical smell for many months after being produced

How to tell if the “latex” mattress is really only a layer of latex laminated to polyurethane foam:

• Bend the mattress (an all latex mattresses will fold in half)
• Look on the law label for the contents by percentage (unfortunately, the latex listed will not specify whether botanical or synthetic)
• Smell the mattress (if you are odor sensitive you’ll notice the chemical smell)
• Lift the mattress (sometimes helpful as latex is heavier than most synthetics)
• Feel the mattress through the sides. You may be able to feel the transition points for the layers and poly foam feels noticeably different than latex

Hopefully some of these tips will help in ensuring that you get the real thing – pure botanical latex.

-Blake Garfield

Bedrooms & More Seattle
300 NE 45th Street
Seattle, WA 98105

The more important decisions in getting your best value are:

Is the latex botanical, blended or synthetic (Styrene Butadiene or SBR)?

How much of the mattress is actually botanical latex and how much is other materials?

Botanical latex comes directly from the rubber tree (Hevea Brasiliensis) which only grow within about 10 degrees of the Equator. All real rubber comes from this area. Botanical latex is the longest lasting, most durable, material used for mattresses and does not off gas chemically. Most consumers would think what is called natural rubber would be botanical, however, in the industry what is called natural rubber is often a blend of synthetics and botanical rubber.

Synthetic latex (SBR) was developed prior to World War II necessitated because real rubber was restricted during the lead up to the war. Petroleum is the source of both styrene (plastic) and butadiene. Some mattress manufacturers and retailers refer to SBR made products as being “natural” latex, suggesting that petroleum is a natural product, therefore the end result is also natural. It is not the same as the botanically natural latex that was originally developed for use in mattresses. SBR products have the tendency to break down like polyurethane foams; not keeping their shape like botanical latex. SBR also off gasses because of the petroleum content.

Because the mattress industry has very few regulations, a latex mattresses can be made of all synthetic, all botanical or a blend of types of latex. Mattresses can also contain as little as an inch of latex, (often synthetic), laminated to a “soy” foam core (polyurethane). This is the most common type of “latex mattress” on the market and is a recipe for a very temporary sleep surface.  This can be hard to ascertain from the salesperson or the advertising for the mattress. Often the promoter will rely on the consumers lack of knowledge by just saying “this mattress is Talalay (or Dunlop) latex rather than addressing the important issues of how much latex and whether it is real botanical rubber or synthetic.

The Dunlop process of forming latex involves large metal molds (think of an oversized waffle iron if a visual is needed) being filled completely with liquid latex.  The molds are heated throughout with thermal pins producing a finished core; it is sometimes referred to as pincore foam by old-timers because of the holes left by the heating elements.  This process yields a solid, durable product that has been used in mattresses and upholstery since the 1920s.

The Talalay process, developed in the 50’s, uses less liquid latex to produce the same depth of core. Similar metal molds are filled part way and a vacuum is created in the mold to disperse the latex. Then it is freeze dried in place to set. This process is often used to create a softer product which is the result of more air and less rubber. The Talalay process is more often used as the cushion layers on top of beds because of this softness. The trade off is that Talalay produced latex breaks down more quickly than Dunlop processed latex because there is less raw material and the tiny air bubbles that comprise it have thinner cell walls separating them.

Botanical dunlop cores offer a better, longer lasting support system for mattresses, a fact evidenced by their continuing use and popularity since the 1920’s. Softer, cushioned layers can be either Talalay or Dunlop processed latex depending on the durability preference of the consumer.

Don’t be fooled!  Do as much research as possible, and become an educated buyer.

-Wanda Garfield

Bedrooms & More Seattle
300 NE 45th Street
Seattle, WA 98105

It used to be that people expected to have their mattress last 15-20 years; most mattresses were actually warranted for 15 years. The industry as a whole has changed over the last 10 years and most mattresses are now designed to last only 5 years (though they still maintain a 10-20 year warranty). Large mattress manufacturers did a lot of research to see how few years a mattress would last without a big backlash from the consuming public. Most stores have no options; they sell only what is offered by the “major manufacturers”, whose warranties are nearly useless.

The first cheapening of mattresses was the introduction of the “can’t flip” mattresses, also dubbed “no-flip.” Consumers were told that they no longer needed to turn their mattress over. The reality is that these mattresses CANNOT be turned over. Most mattresses have an incredible “ahhh” factor when you lie down on them in the showroom – after all, the consumer is in the market for a new mattress because theirs no longer feels good.

Unfortunately, nearly every day we have consumers come in and say, “I bought my current mattress only 2 years ago and I can’t sleep on it any more because of deep body impressions. The store I bought it from tells me that it isn’t defective, but I can’t sleep on it because it hurts my back”. I believe consumers think that these major manufacturers would never purposefully sell products that don’t last – NOT TRUE! These products are designed NOT to last.

We have, in the past, carried nearly all of the major brands. We felt that in order to have a legitimate mattress business, we needed to carry several of the big “S” brands, air type beds and memory foam . One by one, we took them off of our floor. The first to go, over 10 years ago, were the air bed and the memory foam beds. Wow, are we are glad to have made that choice. Initially, we elected to take them off of the floor because of consumer reports of sleeping too hot or waking themselves up to turn over. Only later, did we discover that the toxicity of the memory foam was a huge issue for many people.

In our retail business, which has been in the same location for over 40 years, we have always felt the best way to run our store is to give our customers products that will last for as many years as possible. With an honest business philosophy, we have been very successful and have been joined by our three sons and two daughters-in-law.

My frustration is that so much misinformation is being put out there, both by retailers and on the internet - most recently regarding latex. Unfortunately, our industry is not regulated. I wish it were!

We have carried latex mattresses from two of the major “S” brands. One is a smaller manufacturer who has been making latex mattresses since the 1930’s. More recently, we have begun to import our own pure botanical latex cores directly from Southeast Asia, and have them made into quality mattresses here in the United States.

Botanical latex comes directly from rubber trees, which grow in a narrow band near the equator. Unfortunately, we are encountering situations where consumers are being duped into believing that synthetic latex made using the Talalay process is more durable than 100% botanical latex. After carrying latex mattresses for over 25 years, we can state categorically that botanical latex, in its purest form, is the longest lasting material available for conventional mattresses. Period.

The last major “S” brand that we removed from our floor was using the Talalay process with synthetics to make the highest end product they carried at the time. They said, “Trust us, it is exactly like the botanical latex.” When 50% of them didn’t hold up, (taking deep body impressions within 6-12 months), we removed them from the floor to blaze our own trail and started doing our own research.

The Talalay process used with pure botanical latex is excellent for cushioning layers but the best possible core for a latex mattress is the Dunlop process. This is the tried and true workhorse for the latex mattress.

Blending in petroleum based latex serves only one purpose (think Hamburger Helper) – to stretch the use of botanical latex. This is the greatest impact of our non-regulated industry. Such mattresses can and often are called “Natural or Organic,” so is uranium, by the way. Our experience is that blended latex does not hold up as well as pure botanical latex. The claim is that the Talalay process produces a more consistent product. We have found this to be an untrue claim. Pure botanical latex is a more expensive resource than the ingredients in “Hamburger Helper,” and such synthetic blends make it possible to sell a less durable product for more money.

The nation’s largest manufacturer of latex products has inundated the Internet with information about the way their products hold up. The statistics have been skewed to show results desired by the testers. The claim is: Blended latex holds up better than the true botanical latex. What you don’t see is that the test was done at 158 degrees. Frankly, I don’t feel very comfortable sleeping at 158 degrees! How about you? What the reader will most frequently miss, is that the test has been influenced to favor the synthetic latex. However, the test parameters have been relegated to fine print, and the bold headline that blended latex out-performs is prominent in the readers mind. At room temperature, the botanical latex will not break down like the alternative blended foam.

-Wanda Garfield

Bedrooms & More Seattle
300 NE 45th Street
Seattle, WA 98105

Once you’ve come to the realization that you are in fact dealing with bed bugs, now you’ve got to decide how you’re going to tackle this problem.  There are different approaches, and none of them are perfect.  Because we specialize in non-toxic products, our customers tend to be most interested in solving this problem without chemical treatments.  This is very doable, but it is no small project.  Since Bed bugs are not able to tolerate high or low temperatures, extreme heating or cooling can be deadly for bed bugs.

In order to kill the bed bugs, and all of their eggs, you need to bring the heat up over 113 degrees and maintain that temperature long enough to bring all items in the room/house to that temperature.  This is easy to do to a few items, but when doing this to an entire home, can be quite costly; this can also potentially damage items in your home that cannot tolerate the sustained high heat.  Furthermore, it is not always effective on the first try, as the bugs can hide in walls, or other nooks and crannies in the house, to escape the heat.

Heaters can be rented, and little heat boxes can be used for smaller items.  Simply putting your bedding items in a hot dryer can be effective on a smaller scale.  This can be a do it yourself project, but don’t expect to be successful on the first try.  The most recent statistic I’ve heard said that it takes an average of 3 treatments to eliminate an infestation (and that is for professionals).
Extreme cold can be an effective means of killing bed bugs.  Now, I’m not really familiar with this equipment, and its availability; but it is my understanding that this poses less risk to your electronics and personal items than heat treatments.

Additionally, it can be similarly effective for eliminating bed bugs.  Essentially what you do is spray a CO2 powder/snow on everything that is affected by the infestation, effectively bringing the temperature of all items below the threshold bed bugs can tolerate.  However, bugs in crevices or walls could escape the cold.

Vacuuming prior to treatment can improve the odds of success.  The vacuum must be cleaned and emptied immediately following to prevent bugs from simply crawling out of the vacuum bag, and lead to re-infestation.

This brings me to chemical treatments. These don’t appear to be any more effective than heat or cold treatments; because bed bugs have developed resistance to many pesticides.  This leads to the need for multiple treatments in many cases.  Furthermore, chemical treatment of mattresses can cause allergic reactions, or worse.

Since burning your house down, and leaving all of your belongings behind is not really an option, you’ll have to decide what is the appropriate approach for you.  Simply replacing your mattress is not going to solve the issue, because the bed bug are not only in one spot; bed bugs are probably in the baseboard, and the box too.  They could even be in your bed frame.  Replacing a mattress, and putting a bed bug encasement on it will not be sufficient without other measures, and even once you’ve done all this they may still return.

Good Luck.

The reason this was briefly successful in the 70’s is the same as why it will be briefly successful now, salespeople in mattress stores will follow the path of least resistance.  Many people will come into a store pre-sold on the idea of a memory foam mattress, but  they are concerned about the heat issues that many people experience.  If you have the ability to say, “Oh, you’re worried about sleeping hot?  Gel will keep you cooler, and you can still have the memory foam feel.” you’re more likely to get the sale.

What the consumer doesn’t know, and probably the salesperson, is that “gel” memory foam will not be cool for long.  Once your body warms up the gel on the surface (~40-120 minutes), the bed will actually sleep hotter than a standard memory foam; which already sleeps hot.  Additionally, the gel reduces the comfort life of the memory foam.  Plastic foam will actually lose its shape faster when infused with gel.

Unfortunately for the consumers, this is a gimmick, just as it was the first time.

So what’s it made of?  Mineral spirits (petroleum distillate) and plant based oils (usually soy) along with a coagulant which varies depending upon the manufacturer.

-Blake Garfield

Bedrooms & More Seattle
300 NE 45th Street
Seattle, WA 98105

The purpose of the event was to combat the increase in waste mattresses.  One of the most startling things the City of Seattle discovered in their research was that the average ton of mattress waste occupies 19 times more volume than normal waste.  On top of that, the rate at which mattresses are being brought to the dump is increasing.  This is a result of the shorter lifespan of the one sided mattresses and memory foam mattresses.  Transfer stations, and by association, the dumps are facing a looming crisis.  How do they handle the extra waste?

When each party had the opportunity to speak I discovered that some people were interested in finding low cost methods of recycling the mattresses.  The charities were there because they want to prevent people from dropping of mattresses at donation spots (they do not accept mattresses in this way, or sometimes at all anymore).  The chain stores seemed most interested in getting used mattresses out of the marketplace so people would have to buy new mattresses.  It was very interesting to learn about how some of these other organizations thought.

One of the great things I learned was that in Vancouver, BC they have set up a recycling program where no mattresses go to the dump any longer.  They now recycle 100% of the mattresses, and by weight, 85% of the average mattress can be reused.  Coils can be melted down for the metal, foam can be sanitized, and chipped for use as carpet pad or insulation.  The way that Vancouver accomplished this was through a tax on every mattress sold.

What has been done in our region, is the introduction of a program through the Monroe prison facility to dismantle mattresses.  Prisoners will manually deconstruct a mattress for the usable parts, and then the materials are sold to companies that can recycle/reuse the individual components.  Currently the cost to whomever drops off the mattresses or boxes is $7 per piece.

Also in attendance were private parties interested in privatizing the dismantling of the mattresses and boxes.  With the labor intensive nature of this process, it is difficult to compete with the low cost of labor prisoners provide.  This is why the cost is only $7 per piece versus the $20 tax in Vancouver, BC.

It will be interesting to see how this is resolved in the greater Seattle area.  For the time being we are focussed on designing more durable two-sided mattresses, and trying to find new homes for the used mattresses that we take away from peoples homes by making them available to those who can not afford a new bed.

-Blake Garfield

Bedrooms & More Seattle
300 NE 45th Street
Seattle, WA 98105

Feel free to ask any questions you may have and we would be happy to help.

Call 1-888-297-8844 or post a comment.

These are all important questions, and furthermore, not difficult to answer.  In the class I cover these in much more detail, but here are some facts that will give you a basic understanding of mattresses:

Core support systems, if they are springs or botanical latex, hold up well and are unlikely to be a problem.

Soft comfort layers are used on top of the core to make the mattress more comfortable.

All soft materials eventually break down but some do so much faster than others.

Soft materials only break down where a body sits or lies thus accentuating divots where one sleeps.

Polyurethane foams, which are petroleum based, will lose 20 to 25% of their thickness over 5 years. Polyurethane foams often have other names to throw you off such as eco foam, soy foam, memory or visco foam, super-soft and others. (eco or soy foams are usually 80 – 90% petroleum based).

Polyurethane foams are cheaper than other comfort layers so are more likely to be found in mattresses.

Pillow-top, Euro-top, Box-top and very plush mattresses use more comfort layers and thus break down sooner and to a greater extent. Six inches of poly foam means a 1.5 inch depression in five years. Eight inches ends up six inches thick where you sleep – a 2” depression which is unsleepable.

The core system of a mattress is usually about 6-8” thick. Everything else in the mattress is comfort layers.

Flipping a mattress (2 sided only) allows the area facing down to refresh and even out, thus extending the life of the mattress significantly.

If you have read any of my other posts, you already know that I think that can’t flip, one-sided mattresses, are a con on the public. My recommendation is always to get a two-sided, flippable mattress.

The retail price of a mattress does not correspond to longevity. Retail markup can sometimes take your breath away, especially at those stores doing lots of advertising (someone pays for it).

The warranty of a mattress does not correspond to longevity. Warranties are for manufacturing defects, not comfort or how long it will last. A high percentage of the people attending my class are there after finding out their “warranty” did not cover the divots in their almost new mattresses. A 20 year warranty may be on a mattress that will be worn out in 5 years.

Many times people in my class will say they had their last mattress for 20 years or more and it still looked fine. Many mattresses made in the 70’s, 80’s and even the 90’s had very little padding on top of the core support system (remember, firm – firm – firm was the mantra of the day) and that padding often looked like compressed cotton-fiber carpet pad, quilted tightly into a cover on each side of the mattress. These beds often had labels sewn into the cover showing the turning and rotating schedule to follow. There was very little to break down or showing of impressions and people kept them long after the manufacturers suggested they be replaced.

Manufacturers used to tell you to replace your mattress in 10 to 12 years. Now they (and Consumer Reports and Goodhousekeeping) tell you to replace your one-sided mattress in 5 to 7 years! Many people are not even getting 5 years out of theirs.

Lots more is covered in the class every Saturday morning at 9:30. All are welcome.

The Shell Game

Greenwashing: Retailers want to jump on the “green” bandwagon, presenting everything as eco, green or natural even if it is made mostly with petroleum and synthetics. There are no enforceable standards for what is “natural” or “green”.

Synthetics: Many “latex” mattresses are being made using synthetic rubber known as polystyrene butadiene or styrene butadiene (SBR). Often stores will present this as natural rubber (yes, petroleum is presented as a natural product).

Soy Foam: Is a plastic foam.  It is roughly 15-20% soy oil, and the remainder is from petroleum.  This is presented as a natural material by some; again, petroleum being sold as a natural product.

Layers: The latest ruse is to present mattresses with an inch or two of SBR latex laminated to polyurethane foam (or “soy foam”) as being a natural latex mattress. Almost all benefit of latex is lost.

Smoke and Mirrors: Comparisons made between synthetic latex and 100% botanical latex are manipulated to present styrene butadiene rubber as comparable or even better than real rubber. Tests are conducted at a ridiculous and unrealistic 158 degrees (Fahrenheit) in order to have it perform better than botanical latex. When compared at room temperature, botanical latex excels.

Inevitably, when shopping for latex mattresses you will run into discussions about Talalay and Dunlop rubber. This argument is often engaged in as a diversion from what the rubber is made from. If the latex is pure botanical rubber, then either process is good. Over the years we have found the Dunlop process botanical latex works best for the support cores of mattresses while the Talalay process rubber is good for use as the cushioning top layer. The differences are truly minor, however, and both hold up well and offer good comfort. In our store we have not experienced a difference in consistency.

So, as it is in many products, it is buyer beware. A knowledgeable consumer is a good consumer. When shopping for latex be aware of the fog of misinformation.

Jeff Garfield