Sleeping On a Natural Latex Mattress: Eco-Chick Tested

The first time I slept on a memory foam mattress, I was in heaven, and wanted one immediately. Noticing a pretty toxic smell though, I looked it up and realized that conventional memory foam is just packed with chemicals—and made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. No way was I going to be spending a third of my life inhaling toxic fumes.

So, I kept sleeping on my old (very old) spring mattress combo—until the very kind offer from Sleep On Latex came through—and I received a queen-sized latex mattress to try out. My partner and I were beyond thrilled; we’d been trying to figure out what kind of mattress to get for years but were so afraid to make the plunge. That’s because he has a bad back which causes much tossing and turning at night, which wakes me up. So even though I’m one of those people who sleeps easily and well, I was being constantly irritated by someone who wasn’t. “The bed issue” as I thought of it was, through 7 years of being together, the most frustrating part of our relationship. And if a new mattress didn’t solve the issue, we’d both be incredibly disappointed.

Mattress Bona Fides

Our Sleep On Latex mattress arrived via UPS in a long box, and I brought it inside, and placed it on the bedframe before I removed its plastic wrap (this is important, since you want to minimize having to move the mattress around once it’s expanded from its wrapping). Then, I cut through the heavy plastic, and the mattress expanded and thickened up as air made its way inside. It was covered with a beautiful extra-soft cover, which is a combination of 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton and needled New Zealand wool.

Wool is included because it has inherent fire resistant properties: “This allows the Pure Green Natural Latex Mattress to naturally comply with federal flammability regulations without the use of any fire retardant chemicals or barriers.”

Underneath the beautiful cover is the natural latex—which is a healthier, nontoxic way to get a memory foam mattress. It comes from the sap of the rubber tree, which can be tapped for years to produce natural latex without hurting the tree. Where that latex comes from matters—Sleep On Latex’s eco bona fides are remarkable:

We work directly with our partners in Sri Lanka to bring you the highest quality latex foam available. Pure Green latex foam contains absolutely no synthetic latex or fillers and is made through the energy efficient Dunlop Process. Our foam carries both Oeko-Tex and Eco-Institut certifications. Our 100% natural latex is the best sleeping surface available on the market! It provides pinpointed support which adjusts instantly as you move to help prevent the buildup of pressure points.

Sleeping On It: 

And sleeping on it? After a month of solid testing, I can honestly say that this mattress has transformed my nights. We chose a hard latex mattress (you can choose soft, medium or hard)—so my partner can toss and turn as much as he likes (though it’s less now as he’s more comfortable), and I don’t feel it, meaning better sleep for me. One of the benefits of a latex mattress is that it doesn’t carry movement energy like a spring mattress does. The hard mattress is also more comfortable for my partner’s back.

Even better, now that we have slept on the mattress for some time, we can order separate latex mattress toppers (I’ll get a soft and he’ll get a medium) which will enable us to customize our latex mattress sleep experience—yet still share a bed!

The Sleep On Latex team can help you figure out what type of mattress and topper would be best for you; they are extremely helpful, knowledgable and kind. You can also visit website for affordable and high quality mattresses.

It’s really wonderful to not fight about “the bed issue” anymore—and to be able to sleep on a bed that’s good for me and is made from a renewable resource—the sap of the rubber tree—instead of dirty petroleum.

Editor’s Note: I received a Sleep on Latex mattress at no expense to test for this website. I only review products that adhere to our site’s sustainability policies and all opinions are my own. I was not paid for a positive review; I truly do love my new mattress and so does my partner!