16,199 posts, read 9,576,120 times I recently purchased a memory foam mattress topper. I really do not know much about them and would like some feed back. We originally purchased this because we experienced a wonderul nights sleep at a friends. I have noticed a funny odor and from memory foam and wonder if this is normal? Also, is there any special care I need to know about? Any suggestions, feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated. 20,724 posts, read 26,554,030 times 605 posts, read 2,037,503 times Originally Posted by I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA Same here - actual mattress rather than just topper as OP has, but we love ours and the smell went away within a week or so. Originally Posted by tonrobThanks for your responses. 5,084 posts, read 9,152,857 times We bought a tempur pedic mattress and the smell went away after a day. The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. forum rules, please read them
212 posts, read 799,989 times Toxic chemical release from foam mattresses 8,922 posts, read 12,203,512 times Originally Posted by elizamaryIt is off gassing of all the gross chemicals they use to make the mattress. I got one also and had to let it air out in my attic for a few weeks. After it wore out in about a year I decided to get rid of my old mattress and box spring and buy a natural organic latex mattress with a wool topper. The feel of the bed is just as comfortable as a Tempurpedic memory foam bed but without all the toxic off gassing. 7,648 posts, read 14,818,588 times 4,730 posts, read 16,283,886 times 1 posts, read 43,917 timesProduct Review: Ikea Memory Foam Mattress When my husband and I decided that we needed a new mattress, a memory foam mattress was the obvious choice. Due to my Fibromyalgia, I can always feel the springs, even on a very good mattress, and although I need a soft mattress for my tender pressure points, I also need good support.
Hubby lies on his back or front, whereas I lie on my side, so a memory foam mattress would hopefull solve all these problems in one mattress. Unfortunately, when we looked at the memory foam mattresses on the market we were shocked at how expensive they were. With those prices, we would have been seriously stretching our budget in purchasing even the cheapest (and far from best) of the memory foam mattresses available in stores or on the internet. Luckily, I saw that in the Ikea catalogue, memory foam mattresses started at just £90 (US$149)! In the UK, Ikea has two types of memory foam mattress: the Sultan FORESTAD (ranging in price from £90 to £140) and the Sultan FURUDAL (ranging in price from £160 to £210). We chose a king-size FURUDAL as this was the top of the range of memory foam mattresses available in Ikea UK. For some reason the FURUDAL doesn’t seem to be available in the US or Canada, but the FORESTAD is (ranging in price from US$149 to US$299). The FURUDAL is a thick foam mattress in 3 layers, with each layer divided into 5 comfort zones, which support your body where it is lightest and relieves pressure where it is heaviest.
The top layer is of memory foam which forms itself to your body and the bottom and middle layers of high resilience foam, makes the mattress hardwearing and prolongs its life, as well as provides more support. It has a cover of 100% cotton and filling of lamb’s wool, camel-hair and silk, designed to effectively absorb and transport moisture and maintain an even temperature. The FORESTAD is in 2 layers: a top layer of memory foam and a bottom layer of high resilience foam. The bottom layer only is divided into the 5 comfort zones. The soft quilted top gives a cushiony surface. My husband and I agree that the mattress is a definite success and we are both sleeping better on it. It took a bit of getting used to because when you first sit or lie on it, it feels very firm. But as the memory foam molds to the contours of your body it becomes amazingly comfortable and even to my sensitive body, never feels uncomfortable. I no longer get pressure points on my hips and shoulders when I lie on my side and my back is always well supported.
Since getting the mattress I have had far fewer mornings where I wake up aching all over, which has been wonderful. The cover and filling are also amazing for night sweats – I may wake up with soaking pajamas, but never a soaking bed! I would definitely recommend this mattress to anyone, but if you need a Spoon-worthy mattress on a tight budget, then I don’t know of an alternative! The only problem I’ve found is that I am now completely spoiled for other beds! The Sultan FURUDAL mattress we have cost £210 for a European king-size (160cm x 200cm or approximately 5’3” x 6’6”). Sick House Syndrome: Is your home making you sick? Memory foam is polyurethane with additional chemicals increasing its viscosity and density. It is often referred to as "viscoelastic" polyurethane foam, or low-resilience polyurethane foam (LRPu). Higher-density memory foam softens in reaction to body heat, allowing it to mold to a warm body in a few minutes. Newer foams may recover more quickly to their original shape.
Memory foam was developed in the 1970s under a contract by NASA's Ames Research Center to improve the safety of aircraft cushions. Ames scientist Chiharu Kubokawa and Charles A. Yost of the Stencel Aero Engineering Corporation were major contributors to this project. The temperature-sensitive memory foam was initially referred to as “slow spring back foam”; Yost called it "temper foam".[2] Created by feeding gas into a polymer matrix, the foam has an open-cell solid structure that matches pressure against it, yet slowly springs back to its original shape. Yost later founded Dynamic Systems Inc. in collaboration with NASA to commercialize the foam, including it in both medical equipment such as X-ray table pads and sports equipment such as American / Canadian football helmet liners. After Dynamic Systems sold memory foam products to Becton, the range of products was expanded. When NASA released memory foam to the public domain in the early 1980s, Fagerdala World Foams was one of the few companies willing to work with the foam, as the manufacturing process remained difficult and unreliable.
Their 1991 product, the "Tempur-Pedic Swedish Mattress" eventually led to the mattress and cushion company, Tempur World. Memory foam was subsequently used in medical settings. For example, it was commonly used in cases where the patient was required to lie immobile in their bed on a firm mattress for an unhealthy period of time. The pressure on some of their body regions impaired the blood flow to the region, causing pressure sores or gangrene. Memory foam mattresses significantly decreased such events.[2] Claims have also been made that memory foam reduces the severity of pain associated with fibromyalgia. Memory foam was initially too expensive for widespread use,[] but became cheaper. Its most common domestic uses are mattresses, pillows, shoes and blankets. It has medical uses, such as wheelchair seat cushions,[3] hospital bed pillows and padding for people suffering long-term pain or postural problems; for example, a memory foam cervical pillow may alleviate chronic neck pain.
Its heat-retaining properties may help some pain sufferers who find the added warmth helps to decrease the pain. Unfortunately, the heat-retaining properties can also be a downside when used in mattresses and pillows so in the second generation memory foam, companies began using open cell structure to better help with breathability. In 2006, the third generation of memory foam was introduced. Gel visco or gel memory foam consists of gel particles fused with visco foam to reduce trapped body heat, speed up spring back time and help the mattress feel softer. This technology was originally developed and patented by Peterson Chemical Technology,[4] and gel mattresses[5] became popular with the release of Serta’s iComfort line and Simmon's Beautyrest line in 2011. Gel-infused memory foam was next developed with what were described as "beads" containing the gel which, as a phase-change material, would achieve the desired temperature stabilization or cooling effect by changing from a solid to a liquid "state" within the capsule.
Changing physical states can significantly alter the heat absorption properties of an element, which is why the technology was applied to memory foam. Since the development of gel memory foam, other materials have been added. Aloe vera, green tea extract and activated charcoal have been combined with the foam to reduce odors and even provide aromatherapy while sleeping. Rayon has been used in woven mattress covers over memory foam beds to wick moisture away from the body to increase comfort. Phase-change materials (PCMs) have also been used in the covers that are used on memory foam pillows, beds, and mattress pads. A memory foam mattress is usually denser than other foam mattresses, making it both more supportive and heavier. Memory foam mattresses are often sold for higher prices than traditional mattresses. Memory foam used in mattresses is commonly manufactured in densities ranging from less than 1.5 lb/ft3 to 8 lb/ft3 density. The property of firmness (hard to soft) of memory foam is used in determining comfort.
Firmness is measured by a foam's indentation force deflection (IFD) rating. However, it is not a complete measurement of a "soft" or "firm" feel. A foam of higher IFD but lower density can feel soft when compressed. IFD measures the force (in pounds-force) required to make a dent 1 inch into a foam sample 15" x 15" x 4" by an 8-inch-diameter (50 sq in) disc—known as IFD @ 25% compression.[6] IFD ratings for memory foams range between super soft (IFD 10) and semi-rigid (IFD 12). Most memory foam mattresses are firm (IFD 12 to IFD 16). Some [] report that IFD is a poor way to measure softness of memory foam, and that foam density as a measure of quality is more important, but not always true. Foam density of 5 pounds per cubic foot (80 kg/m3) or greater is considered high quality, although most standard memory foam has a density of 1 to 5 lb/ft3 (16–80 kg/m3). Most bedding, such as topper pads and comfort layers in mattresses is 3 to 4.5 lb/ft3. Very high densities such as 5.3 lb/ft3 (85 kg/m3) are used infrequently in mattresses.
The new second and third generation memory foams have an open-cell structure that reacts to body heat and weight by 'molding' to the sleeper's body, helping relieve pressure points, preventing pressure sores, etc. Most memory foam has the same basic chemical composition, however the density and layer thickness of the foam makes different mattresses feel very different. A high-density mattress will have better compression ratings over the life of the bedding. A lower-density one will have slightly shorter life due to the compression that takes place after repeated use. Emissions from memory foam mattresses may directly cause more respiratory irritation than other mattresses.[7] A 2002 American-Norwegian study claims children's "foam" mattresses are 3.3 to 8.1 times more likely to host dust mite feces than spring mattresses, yet the study did not mention if the foam tested was of the standard or shape memory type and simply referred to covered or non-covered foam mattresses, which could lead to believe the foam in question could be the standard less expensive non-memory type.
Thirteen mattresses were excluded of the study without further notice and the paper was written self-admittingly to debunk a 1981 Australian paper that claimed the opposite, namely that kapok and spring mattresses had 2-3 times more mites than foam mattresses, yet the American-Norwegian team explain "We speculate that children tend to get their parents’ old foam mattresses". Neither study addressed memory foam. Memory foam, like other polyurethane products, can be combustible.[9] Laws in several jurisdictions have been enacted to require that all bedding, including memory foam items, be resistant to ignition from an open flame such as a candle or cigarette lighter. US bedding laws that went into effect in 2010 change the Cal-117 Bulletin for FR testing.[10] There is concern that high levels of the fire retardant PBDE, commonly used in memory foam, could cause health problems for users.[11] PBDEs are no longer used in most bedding foams, especially in the European Union. Manufacturers caution about leaving babies and small children unattended on memory foam mattresses, as they may find it difficult to turn over, and may suffocate.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency published two documents proposing National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP) concerning hazardous emissions produced during the making of flexible polyurethane foam products.[13] The HAP emissions associated with polyurethane foam production include methylene chloride, toluene diisocyanate, methyl chloroform, methylene diphenyl diisocyanate, propylene oxide, diethanolamine, methyl ethyl ketone, methanol, and toluene however not all chemical emissions associated with the production of these material have been classified. Methylene chloride makes up over 98 percent of the total HAP emissions from this industry. Short-term exposure to high concentrations of methylene chloride also irritates the nose and throat. The effects of chronic (long-term) exposure to methylene chloride in humans involve the central nervous system, and include headaches, dizziness, nausea, and memory loss. Animal studies indicate that inhalation of methylene chloride affects the liver, kidney, and cardiovascular system.