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We’ll discuss types of foam, including polyurethane, polyurethane memory foam, latex, and others to guide you in your buying decision. Since you spend a third of your life in bed, having the right mattress is crucial to waking up refreshed and ready. FloBeds understands this and uses only the very best all-natural sustainable latex foam for mattresses. It’s time you got the sleep you deserve.
What Are the Types of Foam Mattresses On the Market?
When discussing the types of foam mattresses, it’s beneficial to have a basic understanding of the materials used in the making of each. Since each of these foams has different qualities, it’s important to know your own requirements, i.e. hard or soft, bouncy or rigid, etc. Here is a breakdown of the different types of foam mattress material used in their construction.
Latex Foams
Made from the sap of mature rubber trees, this all-natural foam is eco-friendly and leaves a smaller footprint for the environment than other types. It is manufactured in two ways: Dunlop and Talalay.
- The Dunlop process whips a mixture of sap, sulphur and a catalyst, then pours it into a mold with heated rods. After sealing and vulcanizing in a special oven, it is washed and dried. A Dunlop latex foam is denser with less bounce. Some manufacturers may use a cheaper product to offer a latex mattress at a low price.
- The Talalay Latex process features natural, biodegradable ingredients that come from a number of renewable resources and water-based raw materials like natural latex (milk from the rubber tree), air and water.
- Talalay Process Steps:
- Liquid rubber whipped into a foam and poured into a mold.
- When closed the mold has rods that go through the foamed rubber.
- A vacuum is placed on the mold which removes air bubbles and distributes the liquid rubber evenly through the mold.
- CO2 is run through the rods, freezing the foamed rubber and locking in the consistency.
- Heat is sent through the rods providing even temperature and yielding a consistent latex core without air pockets or uneven firmnesses.
This process takes about 9 times as long to produce a piece of latex, as the Dunlop process. The extra time is worth every penny.
Polyurethane (Polyfoam) Foams
Widely used, polyurethane foam is made from urethane in place of natural tree sap. Urethane is a polymer used in many substances, such as paints and plastics. A polyurethane foam mattress is inexpensive but short-lived. It will tend to sag according to body weight and can off-gas, emitting a foul odor of chemicals.
Memory Foams
You may ask, “What is a memory foam mattress?” Simply, it is a modified polyurethane foam mattress with increased density that reacts to pressure and heat. It is able to soften when either of these is applied. As you lie on a memory foam mattress, the parts of your body in contact with it will give off heat and pressure, and the memory foam will adjust accordingly. When you get up in the morning, it reverts back to its original shape. There are generally seven types of memory foam:
- Standard or Traditional: Standard memory foam mattresses were the first kind produced. They cradle your body regardless of your sleeping position. The drawback is that they can feel hot to the sleeper, reducing the benefit of its contoured support.
- Open Cell: Softer and springier, the open cell memory foam is made with weaker, more open foam cells, which leads to a softer sleeping surface with less overheating. This type returns to its original shape quicker than the standard memory foam.
- Gel: In the gel memory foam process, gel beads are spread throughout the foam structure. These gel beads absorb your body heat along with creating an open cell foam. This leads to the coolest of the memory foams, but with less support than the original standard type.
- Copper-Infused: Some manufacturers infuse copper into their foam material. Companies selling these claim anti-inflammatory properties along with being hypoallergenic.
- Reflex: This is a high-density polyfoam using bubbles that snap back unlike the slower memory foams. It conforms to body curves and helps with joint pain while being resistant to dust mites. It is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and purchase.
- Evlon: Very dense and firm, Evlon is often used in furniture, such as couches. It is a quick response memory foam that can handle abuse, but it’s too dense for many when used in mattresses. Because of its density, Evlon is heavy and hard to move around.
- Hybrid Bed: When looking at a memory foam and spring hybrid mattress, you have to decide what level of contour vs. density you prefer. With a combination of coils and memory foam, hybrid beds have a high body-conforming feel, yet retain firmness unlike other memory foam mattresses.
The Shaping of Foam
Some manufacturers invent their own “proprietary” types of memory foam mattresses. They may claim their mattresses are similar to memory foam or have other properties associated with it, and most fall within two types:
- Convoluted: This will resemble an egg crate. These types of foam mattresses will cool the body and distribute weight evenly. Pressure points can be addressed with the convoluted mattress toppers.
- Air Channeling: The structure of foams allows for the layering of one on another to be utilized in manufacturing a mattress. Small air channels within and between layers of foam allow for the heat from the body to be released through these channels to keep you cool.
Things to Consider Before Buying
So what should you take into consideration before buying one of the types of foam mattresses we’ve discussed?
Durability
No matter how good that mattress felt in the showroom, it will eventually break down. The question is, “How soon?” Generally, you get what you pay for, but there are bargains to be found. Latex will perform the best, especially with heavier people; then, the better memory foams and hybrids. At FloBeds, our beds are all-natural and warrantied for 20 years, but yours will probably last longer. As life happens, your needs may change. If you need a firmer or softer layer, FloBeds has a program allowing your mattress to change with your needs — with up to 4 replacement layers, at an extreme discount.
Heat Dissipation
Remember, memory foams contour your body and often create a cradle of warmth that some people find intolerable. At FloBeds, our unique natural latex allows for seven times the breathability of other types of latex or foam. Keeping cool is never a concern with our green natural latex mattresses covered with a layer of organic cotton and wool.
Cost
Remember, you get what you pay for with different types of foam mattresses, so watch out for many of the memory foams out there and do your homework. At FloBeds, our Talalay latex mattresses are warrantied for 20 years. We want you to love your mattress so much, we will sell you replacement layers at a fraction of the cost to meet your body’s ever changing needs. With FloBeds, you get the mattress you deserve.
Motion Isolation
You want good quality sleep, and being interrupted during the night by a bouncing mattress is not good quality sleep. FloBeds offers you fully personalized mattresses with the right firmness and support right down to the base. Your side of the bed will be specially customized to you, so no more bounceback on your side when he gets up for that midnight snack.
Certifications
You want to know your mattress passed all necessary tests, right? Well, the FloBeds Talalay mattresses pass the “BABY SAFE” certification by Oeko-Tex. Hypoallergenic and three times more resistant to mites, bacteria, mold and mildew — our natural latex mattresses have the papers to prove it! The other guys don’t.
Lifespan
Again, you get what you pay for, and if you want to go out and replace your mattress every few years, that’s your choice. But a FloBeds mattress carries a 20-year warranty. Beat that! We stand behind what we sell so you can buy a mattress made to last a generation.
Delivery
Some furniture stores only deliver on weekdays or within a certain set of hours. Forget that hassle with FloBeds. You’ll receive four boxes right on your doorstep from UPS. Five if you purchase our solid wood foundation. It’ll take just ten days from order to opening the boxes — less for West Coast or Midwest locations.
Natural Latex from FloBeds — the Smart Choice
We’ve discussed the types of foam mattresses you can buy and what you want to look for when purchasing. So, what is the best choice? The smart choice? The only choice? The answer to all three is sustainable Natural Latex. Not all latexes are born the same. FloBeds uses only Talalay Latex because the little extra time and attention in producing it leads to the best quality breathable mattresses money can buy.
And since our mattresses are rated Baby Safe by Oeko-Tex, you can rest assured you’re getting the best hypoallergenic latex mattress that’s breathable and tailored to your specific needs. There are many types of foam mattresses on the market, but once you’ve tried ours, we think you’ll agree that we’re the only one you want your family sleeping on. Check out what a FloBeds latex mattress is all about and, once you do, we think you’ll agree there was no other choice after all. Remember, we also offer a 100-day Money-Back Satisfaction Guarantee. Now the choice is up to you.
