Being hugely popular for years in Europe, Latex Beds are beginning to sweep across America as the New Memory Foam Mattress of choice. Latex mattresses come in a variety of styles and levels of quality, and vary greatly in price, although in general they are relatively expensive. Latex technology helps alleviate a few complaints that people have with visco-elastic memory foam. For example, the holes that are present in Latex foam pads help keep the mattress cooler during summer months, and warmer during winter months. Memory foam often retains heat more than the user would prefer.
Latex foam beds are also designed to be firm enough to provide proper support throughout, while maintaining a more substantial base to allow the user to more easily move on the bed and not "sink in", as common with Memory foam beds. Another advantage helps those who struggle with allergies. Latex foam technology is naturally hypoallergenic, and resists the growth of dust mites, mold, and mildew. The result is a clean mattress that is highly resilient against allergens.Finally, Latex is green. Biodegradable, natural, and sustainable, Latex mattresses are wholly eco-friendly.
The two processes for manufacturing latex mattresses are the Talalay process and Dunlop process. The 6-step Talalay process is more common and more expensive. In this process, the raw latex is cured and whipped into a froth, which is then injected into a mold. After the mold is filled, the air is vacuumed out, allowing the latex to expand and distribute throughout the mold.
The latex is then flash frozen to -20 F to prevent settling, and then heated to 220 F and mixed with CO2 to gel and vulcanize. The Dunlop process differs in that the mold is filled out completely, and there is no vacuum or freezing stage. As a result, the Dunlop process creates a firmer, denser foam that is less consistent throughout, and typically used for the mattress core.As mattress technology advances, the ability to get a good night's rest gets easier. Of course, since people sleep less hours on average now, the importance of a good bed magnifies. So I think I'll find myself a nice bedframe and a new Latex bed this year, because memory foam is so 2006.