Frequently Asked Questions about air bed air mattress, latex mattress Talalay, bed foam memory Visco from Cloud 9 Air Mattress Beds

Cloud 9 Air Mattress Beds, Air Beds, Adjustable Beds, Sensus Memory Foam Mattress, Talalay Latex Mattress, Foam Mattress Toppers, Foam Pillows

Frequently Asked Questions

Foam Products FAQs - (Adjustable Bed FAQs)(Foam Mattress Topper FAQs)

What's the difference between Memory Foam and Latex Foam?

Visco Elastic Memory foam is a temperature sensitive form of polyurethane foam that has special additives that create a self-adhesion property for a few seconds after being exposed to a heat source (your body). Over time, the adhesive slowly releases, allowing the foam to return to its original shape. This conforming property is very popular to thousands of sleepers worldwide, due in most part to Tempurpedic's marketing efforts. Latex foam is a natural product that is derived from the latex rubber extracted from rubber trees. It is not temperature sensitive, as memory foam is. It is available in numerous different densities (rated by ILD from 14 to 44), is extremely comfortable and supportive, and is considered the premimum sleep surface by most European sleepers. While not as well known in the United States as Memory Foam Beds and Latex Foam Beds are becoming more and more popular.

Latex foam has a higher elasticity or resiliency than memory foam. The result is that Latex will feel springier and memory foam will feel more solid. Memory foam will not push back up against your body upon pressure being applied to it. Many mattress companies are using both these two materials to blend the perfect mattress combination. Rare allergies to latex can be triggered, but usually, this is upon contact with the skin, but won’t be triggered when natural and synthetic latex mixes, like talay, are used. Talay latex is a more supple version of latex. It is more expensive and is composed of synthetic and natural latex. Because there are no chemicals used in the latex composition, it is the ILD only that determines the feel of the product.

Why don't you offer pillowtops with your latex and foam beds?

Pillowtops (an extra layer of cushioning covering the entire mattress) have become very popular over the last few years, largely due to mattress manufacturer's needs to market new designs. While beneficial to many, pillowtops would be counter productive for a Latex Foam Bed or a Memory Foam bed. In order to get the most from the unique properties of these sleep surfaces, the sleeper should not have extra layers of unnecessary material between him or her and the supporting foam. Therefore pillowtops are not only an unnecessary expense for these types of mattresses, but would in fact be disadvantageous.

Isn't a thicker mattress a better mattress?

Not necessarily. Mattresses have gotten thicker and thicker lately, again more because the mattress manufacturers needed something new to sell rather than because "thicker is better". Of course, you wouldn't want to sleep on a 2 inch thick mattress, so obviously thickness is a consideration, but most people can also see that a 24 inch mattress is pretty ridiculous as well. So then, what is the proper thickness for a mattress? The answer: whatever profile is most appropriate for the materials used in the mattress. In the case of Latex mattresses, this is somewhere between 8 and 11 inches. Thinner than this, and you will not get the full potential from the materials used.

Thicker than this, and you are just wasting money on unnecessary materials. Also, some manufacturers play the "thickness game" in a sort of ridiculous way, by simply adding inexpensive material within the mattress to build up the profile, giving the impression of a better mattress because it is thicker. Despite the very high total profile, these manufaturers will use less Latex or Memory foam than is optimium, or use cheaper, lower quality memory foam or latex foam. Not all foams are created equal.

How does Foam "get" a memory?

To give a piece of foam memory, you start with a synthetic polyurethane foam material and add certain types of chemicals, which increase the weight or density of the foam. With the addition of these chemicals, a non toxic, visco-elastic foam material is created. However, there are many features along the way that determine what type of memory foam you end up with. To understand exactly what differences are found I each final product, first you have to understand how foam is graded.

What's the difference between good and poor Memory Foam?

Memory Foam is made by many different manufacturers in different grades and densities. A low quality memory foam will break down more quickly than high quality memory foam, resulting in an uncomfortable sleep surface. At Cloud 9Air mattress Beds we use only the highest quality memory foam available by US based Foamex . The density of the foam will also make a difference in how the memory foam feels and how supportive it is. Generally, the higher the density of the foam, the more comfortable and supportive it will be (not to mention more expensive).

What is the smell that comes from Memory Foam?

While the memory foam that comes from the U.S. does not contain toxic ingredients such as formaldehyde or PBDE, it can have a new foam type of smell that can sometimes linger for up to a couple of weeks, depending on the foam manufacturer. Though this smell does not seem to trigger allergies, it can be a bother to people who are particularly sensitive to smells. If you are one of those who experience this, there are a few things you can try to help the smell dissipate quicker. Air out the room and wash the sheets after the first couple of nights sleeping on the mattress. Sometimes a dish of vinegar on the bed side table can help nullify the odours, or an Ozonator machine will rectify the situation very quickly. Cloud 9 Air Mattress Beds uses only US made Foamex. Foamex uses a detailed washing and drying method that eliminates most of the new foam odour.

How do I know my Memory Foam mattress is good quality?

Obviously it is important to allow the foam to do what it is best for: Allowing for a better contouring of your body shape and therefore less pressure placed on the areas of your body that press harder against the bed. However, don’t just go by your weight, because if you are tall then your weight is dispersed over the bed more. A good memory foam mattress will not need a box spring underneath it to make the mattress feel good. You can use a platform base to increase the height of the bed, but remember this mattress should feel good even if it is placed on a level concrete surface. Also, you may want to look at the warranty a company offers, because you can then worry less about spending a lot of money for a mattress that has a good warranty period.

What is the difference between Tempur Pedic and other Memory foam mattresses?

A Tempur-Pedic mattress is generally eight inches thick and has two layers. The top layer is composed of three inches of a 5.3lb visco-elastic foam that has a listed ILD rating of 14. The bottom layer of the mattress is composed of 5 inches of 3.5lb non visco-elastic high density polyurethane. It has a cover that is composed of a soft, cotton-like material over a plastic-like material. The advantage of the plastic-like material under the cotton material is that it offers a water proofing for the foam below, the disadvantage would be less breathable and more difficult to wash.

Other companies are now offering a two layer 4lb – 6lb visco-elastic material and some even offer other types of materials that are layered throughout the mattress. They also offer a wide variety of ILD ratings, the most common being 8 to 20. They are using everything from the thinner cotton type cover to the more bulky wool or quilted cover. While these bulkier covers will feel softer to the touch, the disadvantage that they will take away from the memory foam feel and contouring of the body. Wool covers will be warmer in winter and hotter in summer. The cotton type of covers can wick away moisture but you may want to get an easily removable one, so it can be washed every so often.

They offer thinner and thicker mattresses but eight inches usually suffices. You may have to switch to a platform top base unit, if your present base unit loses integrity during the coming years.

The main reason many consumers choose to go with a different mattress company is price. While Tempur-Pedic are not the most expensive out there, there are companies offering memory foam mattresses at significantly lower prices. Cloud 9 Air Mattress Beds will match any price out there! You can get the highest quality products for ver yaffordable prices.

Memory foam mattress or foam mattress topper?

Deciding on whether to invest in a new mattress or mattress topper can be answered by asking what your current bed has to offer. If your present bed is not so old and hasn’t lost its integrity or solidity, then a mattress topper may be just the savings you are looking for.

An old spring mattress can become lumpy or bumpy after many years, thereby making any mattress topper you place over it also lumpy and bumpy. You also have to worry about the possibility of sagging, which can cause a dip in the middle of the mattress resulting in a trampoline effect. This trampoline effect takes away from the overall support of your spine and can lead to back, neck and other types of painful disorders. If you determine that a mattress topper is suitable for your situation, the next thing you have to do is decide on the same principles that apply to buying a memory foam mattress; softness, density and thickness.

Depending on your existing mattress, you may want anywhere from a one inch to a four inch topper, but remember, most standard bed sheets will not fit over a greater thickness than a ten inch mattress. A two inch topper should suffice providing its ILD rating is high enough and providing it can offer that extra measure of body contouring you are looking for. It is a complicated scenario to find the best mattress topper to suit your individual needs.

How do Spring mattresses differ from Foam mattresses?

While a spring mattress was the standard for many decades, foam mattresses are becoming more and more popular due to their unsurpassed comfort and ability to support the body. While spring mattresses can feel nice to sit or lay on, they will not offer anywhere close to the body contouring and vital spinal support offered by memory foam or latex foam mattresses. It will actually cause a trampoline effect and bend inwards when pressure is applied without conforming to the specific bumps and curves of the body. While foam can shrink over time, springs can bend and lose their shape over time. Therefore, an old foam mattress will likely feel better and offer better support than its spring counterpart.

What's the difference between good and poor Latex Foam?

Like with Memory Foam, there are many different manufactures of Latex Foam throughout the world, but only a few manufacturers of the highest quality Latex Foam, Talalay Latex. But even among manufacturers of Talalay Latex, there is a difference. Some manufacturers use fillers in their Talalay that will give the Latex a harder feel, and a less supportive feel, then the Talalay Latex we use.

What is Natural Latex Foam?

Natural Latex is latex that comes right out of the tree and is put into the mold. Some manufacturers claim that natural is better, because its natural. Really its just cheaper. The problem with natural latex is that it contains oils that dry out within about a year. Once these oils dry, the latex begins to degrade rapidly, losing its resiliency. It actually becomes chalky and begins to flake away.

What is Dunlop Latex?

Dunlop latex is similar to Talalay Latex in that it uses both natural and synthetic latex in the compound. In fact, Dunlop process latex is the same as Talalay process latex, except that is simply pored into the mold the same way natural latex is and does not go through the vacuum or the freezing process that Talalay latex does. Because of this, Dunlop latex is not as consistent in feel and support as Talalay latex, nor can it be made to exacting firmness levels as Talalay can.

What is the difference between Memory Foam and Air mattresses?

Being able to change the firmness of your mattress with a simple control has made Air mattresses progressively more popular. With many Air mattresses both sides of the bed can be changed to different firmnesses. Unfortunately, Air mattresses have many parts that can and often do break and for this reason the small print in the warranties offers less coverage. Also, you will not get the same contouring of the body as you do with memory foam mattresses, as Air beds will not make an impression of your body. In fact, it is more similar to a spring mattress in so much as it causes a trampoline effect and bends inwards when pressure is applied without conforming to the specific bumps and curves of the body. This is due to Air being displaced to the sides of the body, leaving the middle with less support. Memory foam and Latex mattresses are the only substances that can accomplish a contouring of the body without losing support.

Does Memory Foam really help those achy joints?

A person who sleeps on their side places pressure on their shoulders and hips, a stomach sleeper places pressure on their neck and a back sleeper places pressure on their lower back and sacrum. Visco Elastic pressure sensitive memory foam offers the best chance for reducing overall pressure placed on all joints in these vital areas, by contouring them without pushing back against them. With latex added to a memory foam mattress it offers a bit more spring against the concavities like the small of the back or sides, while not losing the ability to contour and displace pressure points.

Visco Elastic was originally developed by NASA to help Astronauts cope with the enormous G forces experienced during space mission lift-offs and landings. Visco Elastic is a pressure relieving material that supports and evenly distributes body weight resulting in maximum comfort.

Why do I Get Body Impressions?

Body impressions are a byproduct of the extra comfort layers built into today’s best mattresses. They’re normal, and every knowledgeble mattress sales person should explain this rather than hide from it. But a second opinion doesn't hurt, this is what the Better Sleep Council says,“Many of today’s top-quality mattresses use extra-plush foams and fibers to create comfort layers designed to cradle your body and relieve pressure. In the first few weeks you sleep on a new mattress with extra comfort layers, you will likely notice some body impressions on the surface. These impressions are normal. They indicate that the comfort layers are conforming to your body, as they are supposed to do, and shouldn’t be considered a sign that something is wrong with your new mattress. Unless your mattress care instructions indicate otherwise, you may want to periodically rotate your mattress from end to end and from top-to-bottom.”