Anatomy of a Natural Latex Mattress
Latex Mattress Cover
Organic Cotton Cover
An organic cotton cover is breathable and durable. Organic certification for mattress covers is provided by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard).
Latex Mattress brands that feature organic cotton covers are SleepEZ, Plush Beds, Spindle, and Avocado.
Quilting
The cotton cover is quilted together with the wool fiber. This layer acts as a fire barrier, a cover for the inner components and provides cushioning.
Wool Fire Barrier
Wool provides cushioning and acts as the fire barrier. It is breathable and wicks away excess moisture. Some wool used in mattresses is certified by Joma Wool. This ensures that the wool is harvested sustainably and ethically.
Natural Latex foam layer
Latex Plantation
Latex sap is harvested from the Hevea Brasiliensis tree and brought to a processing facility to bake it into latex foam.
Pouring Latex Into The Mold
Some Dunlop latex is put through a centrifuge to remove impurities and protein allergens.
The latex sap is frothed, poured into a mold similar to a waffle iron and baked. The mold has pins in it that ensure that the latex bakes thouroughly. The pins leave holes that enhance the breathability of the latex.
Baking the latex
The latex is baked at 177 celcius (350 farenheit) for one hour. The ovens are heated by steam.
Washing the latex
When finished, the latex is washed and dried. The washing process further removes free proteins from the latex foam.
Then, the latex is dried using industrial dryers.
Final result
The final result is a contouring, responsive, breathable, durable, and pressure-relieving foam.
Unlike polyurethane foam, which sags over time, natural latex foam always regains its shape.
Certification
The best natural latex foam is made using the Dunlop process. To be labeled organic, it must be certified by GOLS.
Talalay latex is a more modern process but requires additional unnecessary steps and chemicals in the Dunlop process. Due to the added chemicals, Talalay latex cannot carry organic certification.
2 Types Of Latex Mattress
Hybrid Mattresses
Latex mattresses come in types: hybrid (spring coils) or all-foam (1 or more stacked layers of latex).
Generally, the coil layer will have a reinforced perimeter for preventing roll-off and for offering support when you are sitting on the edge of the bed.
Compare hybrid natural latex mattresses here.
All latex mattress
An all-foam mattress (all-latex mattress) will have several layers of latex stacked on top of each other. Typically the bottom layer will be firmer and the top layers will be a bit more plush.
Some all-latex mattress models offer the choice of split firmness for Queen size and larger. This is great for couples, as each partner can have their own firmness on their side of the bed.
Compare all-latex mattresses here.
Shipping & Packaging
Compress & roll
Natural latex mattresses are compressed, rolled and put into a box for shipping.
A high quality natural latex mattress
Natural latex mattresses can be shipped straight to your door on regular carriers like UPS and FedEx.
3rd Party Certifications
As natural as can be
Genuine 100% natural latex mattresses are 3rd-party certified by one or more of the following certifications: GOLS, GOTS, EcoInstitut, Greenguard Gold, Oeko-Tex, FSC and the Rainforest Alliance.
Learn more about 3rd party certifications.
