Does all latex foam emit this much odor?
August 20, 2020 10:02 AM   Subscribe

I found a 100% natural latex mattress topper, and was warned that it would smell "like rubber" for a while. After airing it out almost every day, with the sheets pulled off it, for ~3 weeks, I'm wondering whether I should return it. Even my male partner says the odor is strong. Would another mattress topper (3", soft - needed for health) be better? I'm get headaches from formaldehyde and other things so am not sure a synthetic would be better.

The good news is that the supplier offers a 30-day return warranty. The bad news is I'm not sure I could find anything better.

Is there anything better? Does some latex foam have stronger a odor than others?

Is there a non-hot, non-crinkly-loud way to block the odor? (I'm also a little worried about developing an allergy -- I'm prone to that)

We're using a mattress pad that's supposed to block moisture, but it doesn't do a thing.

I think I've found a way to mostly block the odor -- a large mylar emergency blanket (apparently some hospitals use them for chemically sensitive patients) -- but that makes it really loud/crinkly and, as you can imagine, really hot.

I've tried thick PET sheeting (deluxe painter's drop cloth material), but that's also loud, and it doesn't seem to totally block the odor. Even our pillows are smelling like this thing now.

I was also happy to hear that the latex was cooler than, say, memory foam, but the mylar/plastic negates that.

It is much much more comfortable than our mattress alone, and my skeleton is a lot less achy in the morning, so I'm not willing to go without anything.

Any ideas?
posted by amtho to Home & Garden (8 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I don't have experience with a full mattress topper, but I did at one point buy a natural latex pillow and it smelled very strongly for the first couple of weeks. Enough so that I didn't actually use it, I just left it out (uncovered) for a while to dissipate. The smell does eventually go away but it does take a while. Hanging the topper so air can get to both sides of it might speed things up.
posted by Kadin2048 at 10:17 AM on August 20, 2020


I bought from the same company, 3" and medium softness. I could smell it when I first unfurled it but within two days I couldn't detect any smell. They say this on their website:

Do I need to air out the topper?

No. We strongly recommend that you use your new topper right away. Letting the mattress sit in one place for several days will not produce any sort of change in the mattress. Many methods people use to "air out" our products actually increase the odor rather than reduce it. Placing the foam in heat or sunlight will cause the odor to increase for an extended period of time and may damage the foam.


I have a regular cotton top/poly bottom mattress pad (not moisture blocking) and regular cotton sheets.
posted by xo at 10:23 AM on August 20, 2020 [1 favorite]


I’ve had a latex mattress topper from that same company for about a year and a half. If I pull off the sheets and put my nose against it I sort of smell rubber but I don’t smell anything in normal use. I don’t remember it having a smell as intense as you are describing when I first got it, so maybe there’s something off about the one you got, but I may just not dislike the smell of rubber as much as you do (?)

The people that run that company generally seem to be pretty helpful and responsive - I would try emailing them to see if they have have suggestions or feedback about whether what you’re experiencing is unusual and what might cause it.
posted by needs more cowbell at 10:24 AM on August 20, 2020


I have a freakishly sensitive nose and used to have a latex mattress topper. The smell never really goes away. It diminishes to a certain level and then stays there. I didn't really find the smell bothersome despite that I could definitely smell it. The other issue with these is that as they age, they start to crumble. At least mine did. Thus the past tense.
posted by HotToddy at 10:36 AM on August 20, 2020


I bought the same latex mattress topper in October. I was never bothered by the latex odor after the first day or two, and it did fade a lot more in the first month, but I still get occasional whiffs of it ten months later. If it were an odor I disliked, it would annoy me still.
posted by moonmilk at 10:45 AM on August 20, 2020


I have latex toppers (not from this company)--a blended talalay and a Dunlop--and there was a faint smell for the first couple days but not now after a month and I just pulled back the sheets for a sniff.

If you are considering getting a 3" soft topper...talalay?... "soft" being recommended for side sleepers with shoulder issues. Just be prepared, it is unnervingly soft. After a lifetime of believing that soft = saggy springs, it's been difficult to wrap my head around soft = still supportive. If there's anyway to safely get to a showroom where they will switch out the layers for you, I recommend that.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 11:04 AM on August 20, 2020


Our Ikea latex mattress had no smell. Maybe try that one?
posted by shadygrove at 12:14 PM on August 20, 2020 [1 favorite]


I'm sensitive to smells because of myalgic encephalomyelitis. I have had to let natural latex bedding materials from LifeKind and PureRest - toppers, a mattress - offgas for varying lengths of time before being able to use them. The mattress had to sit in another room an entire year before it stopped being a problem. Let me tell you how much el_lupino enjoyed dragging it up and down the stairs so I could check if I could tolerate it because I couldn't walk that far at the time.
posted by jocelmeow at 4:04 PM on August 20, 2020 [1 favorite]


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