Latex
How it’s made
Latex is derived from the pure milk sap of the Brazilian rubber tree and is a natural, biodegradable product. The sap is tapped from the tree just like maple syrup is tapped from maple trees. Rubber plantations are mainly found across Asia and the Far East and are an excellent replenishable source of income for farmers there, as well as promoting forestation and preventing logging. Purchasing a latex mattress literally means that acres of forest are preserved.
Once harvested, the latex sap is agitated (foamed-up) either by force or by adding in a small amount of chemical reagent. The foamy mixture is poured into huge moulds and is then baked like bread. The finished product is an exceptionally durable, luxuriously comfortable support block for your mattress, that lasts much longer than almost any other support component on the market. (Latex won’t flop or lose its shape for almost 20 years).
How Latex Feels
Although latex is primarily used as the main support component of mattresses, it is also soft enough to sleep on directly, and so it has the unique ability to give both comfort and support.
Pure latex without any comfort layers added, gives a medium-firm feel and has good cushioning for pressure points. It dampens the effect of movements during sleep which means it causes less partner disturbance. Less disturbance from your partner’s movement means that you have quieter, deeper, sleep without interruption. You wake up feeling invigorated.
Contrary to popular misconception, latex’s pin-cored structure enables the mattress to “breath”. This also allows the release of body heat and moisture keeping the sleeping surface cool and comfortable.
Added benefits
There are many people who are allergic and/or sensitive to bedroom allergens. Latex foam is naturally resistant to odour-producing bacteria, mold, mildew & mites. Latex can thus help improve overall health by reducing allergenic load.
Latex mattresses do not need to be turned.
Different Latexes – any benefits?
There are a number of latex ‘brands’ on the market that are used inside mattresses (for example, Naturezone, Latex Gold, Getha, Dunloppilo, Talalay). Although many mattress manufacturers will espouse the virtues of the latex they’ve chosen for their beds, there is essentially very little difference between the quality of these latexes (since all latex is harvested from the same place, and is processed in the same way). A qualitative difference CAN be felt between mattresses made from pure latex (no added chemical foaming agents), and Talalay latex (where latex is mixed, foamed and cured with soaps and rubber curing agents, rather than baked ‘naurally’). Talalay latexes feel softer to the touch; Pure latexes appear more durable.
Pocket Coil (Or Pocket Spring)
How it’s made
Pocket coil units consist of a group of tempered steel coils that have been individually inserted and sealed into a durable material pocket or sock. Each sock/pocket is then fused to its neighbour until a large rectangle of pocketed springs results. This unit forms the backbone of a pocket coil mattress. Many of these units today also feature three different zones of coils/springs. The springs towards the feet and the head of the sleeper are made of more responsive 20 gauge steel which compresses with mild to moderate force. The springs in the centre of the mattress where the most support is needed over hips and lower back, are 18 gauge steel which gives extra support and longevity to the mattress at this level.
How a Pocket Coil mattress feels
Pocket coil mattresses redefine the ‘inner spring’ bed. Since each coil/spring is isolated from its neighbour, the mattress effectively has independent suspension which means the springs last longer and more importantly, partner disturbance is almost completely eliminated – a great choice for restless sleepers!
Pocket coil beds invariable feel slightly firmer than Latex support components, and they always need some comfort component laid on top of them. They are far more advanced, and technologically far superior to standard innerspring mattresses.
Added Benefits
Pocket coil beds are light, very cool, and do not need to be turned.
Facts and fables
There’s much talk in the mattress industry about the number of pocket coils per mattress. All our mattresses have high numbers of coils (see Technical Specifications on each product), however the higher the number of coils, the smaller each individual spring needs to be since the area inside the mattress remains the same. We advise that it’s best not to look at mattresses with either excessively high numbers of coils (springs too small), or excessively low numbers of coils (springs either too large, or cheaper inter-spring fillers used).
Polyurethane (Traditional Foam)
How it’s made
Polyurethane (PU) foam is used extensively in the furniture and bedding industry because it is easy and fast to reproduce, yet maintains a high durability. Polyurethanes are liquid ‘plastics’ which when mixed together with a reagent, produce a closed-cell foam which can be molded or laser-cut into a desired shape. Depending on the type and quantity of PU used, both the firmness and density can be altered. Thus firmer PU’s are used exclusively for support components whereas softer PU’s are used for comfort components in mattresses.
Foams today form the basic support unit for almost all viscoelastic and memory-foam mattresses on the market. This is because it is easy to laminate the viscoelastic material to a foam support unit.
How a foam support feels
A good quality PU foam feels highly supportive, yet ‘gives’ enough around pressure points to create the feeling of cushioned support. Like latex, partner movements are dampened to the same extent and thus partner disturbance is kept to a minimum. PU gives a ‘solid’ or ‘thick’ feel to a mattress.
Added Benefits
There are many people who are allergic and/or sensitive to bedroom allergens. PU foam is naturally resistant to odour-producing bacteria, mold, mildew & mites. PU can thus help improve overall health by reducing allergenic load.
Facts and fables
Not all PU foams are created equal. PU components in mattresses can range from very expensive, very durable products, through to very cheap products that will collapse in the short term. Almost all mattresses, regardless of type, will use some amount of PU’s in their componentry. As a mattress buyer, if you want to check anything, ensure that an adequate grade of foam has been used for the bed type your are buying. The best way to check this is to ask what grade and make of PU foam is used.
At Mattress and Pillow Science, all mattresses across all brands utilize PU’s of exceptional quality from exceptional manufacturers (e.g. Dunlop Foams, Tempur Dan-Foam)
Innerspring
How it’s made
Innerspring units consist of a group of tempered steel coils that are wound and bound together utilizing a smaller helicoil connection. A thick wire frame is bound along the entire edge of the unit of coils, closing them in to a typical mattress shape. In some cases, a single long thread of steel is used to make each coil so that all the coils are naturally joined at their base.
How an innerspring mattress feels
Innerspring mattresses cushion pressure points effectively, and give reasonable support but have serious limitations: 1. the springs fatigue over time because they’re all connected to one another - this give the ‘roll-in’ effect where you and your partner end up sleeping in a ditch in the middle of the mattress; 2. there is a high degree of ‘springy-ness’ and thus lots of partner disturbance.
Added Benefits
None
