I once looked at Tempurpedic mattresses in a showroom, when a friend was picking up some Tempur pillows that she'd won as a door prize.

The woman working in the showroom told us that the pillows would "smell" for a while, and that this was not harmful. Apparently the mattresses smell even worse, and for longer (according to her - and she owned a Tempurpedic mattress).

As far as I'm concerned, if something has a chemical smell, it's outgassing, and that's not good. I have moderate chemical sensitivies, and couldn't stand to be in the showroom for very long...

My husband bought a Tempurpedic several years ago. It did smell A LOT for several months. I never found them comfortable and did not like the odor. It did help his back for a while, but now its hard to say due to other medical issues.

My massage therapist bought a "knock-off" matress of similar materials. Hard to tell how similar. She had to return it. After a week, she was getting headaches, nauseau and memory problems. She has always been very sensitive to chemicals and this was definitely a problem for her.

I've got a question about Tempurpedic mattresses and pillows. Mine have covers with Gore-Tex so that they can breathe but do not allow liquids to penetrate. Any chance that while I am sleeping I am breathing in Gore-Tex? The mattress' Goretex cover zips off, so I could remove it.

Would help to cover the mattress and pillows with cotton fabric?

We've had a temperpedic mattress for a long time, and I personally haven't had any strange reactions to it or noticed too much of a smell.

However, one thing you should know is that the mattress is VERY hard in the cold! We put a sheepskin cover on it, but it doesn't do much to change the hardness factor. We live in Vermont where winters are really cold. And to make a long story shorter, since we purchased it 10 years ago, I have learned so much about toxic chemicals in the meantime that I recently purchased a pure wool bed from Shepherd's Dream in California.

Check their website. I LOVE my new non-toxic wool bed!!! It's the best thing I have ever purchased.

Please use alot of thought and wisdom before buying a tempurpedic bed. When you are in the showrooms they feel great. Five stars in fact. They don't smell, in the showrooms, which are generally large airey rooms. Another consideration is that these beds are very hard in cold regions. They react to body heat. You may wake up with your very own green house effect. they feel like a sauna!!!

not to mention they are petrochemical. I think its alot of hype for people who suffer back pain. They were never in my opinion meant to morph into beds but rather to be astronauts friends in g force propulsion.

If you like the feel of foam go with latex its natures gift to you. its another gift from the trees. Tempurpedic is a chemical bed. Plain and simple. Frankly I felt worse, my back neck shoulders all felt stiffer in the morning. now with latex i am a happy happy soul.No pain!

now thats upsetting when you realise their whole sell is back comfort. Please take time on this purchase. If you are a woman your frame may not mold as well to the bed and it may take a longer period of time for it to reajust to yuor shifting at night as most women tend to be side sleepers.

Natural Latex is a wonderful wonderful alternative to a toxic product. natural not synthetic.

The last comment I have is even though they claim the cashmere or silk covers cradle you in elegant comfort you dont actually sleep on that you sleep on the tempurpedic bed protector. more plastic. Good luck, be wise.

I am convinced after sleeping on my $7,000 Tempurpedic bed for 7 months, it is a ruse. My back, shoulders, even elbows hurt much much more in the morning than when I sleep on a stiff traditional bed. I have had 8 surgeries, 5 rotator cuffs, 2 elboss, and 2 back surgeries, and this bed was supposed to be the end all. It has made my condition worse, and I am out $7,000. Anyone have similar experiences? I think it is because your body sinks into it, and not moving makes you even stiffer

I bought a tempur-pedic bed when I was pregnant. I did not help with my back pain at all. After I delivered, I stayed at my parents house for 2 month and had no back pain at all. As soon as I got back to my own house and slept on my tempur-pedic bed, my back started to hurt like crazy. I needed my husband to give me a hand to get up to use bathroom in the middle of night because my back is aching very much and every inch I move hurts very very much. I felt like I am paralyzed.

My mom used to sell Tempurpedic beds...It was amazing to me the smell that existed in the part of the store where the beds were displayed. Honestly, I am not an expert in the field of chemicals, but anything that smells is emitting something right?

I have a problem with "Natural Latex beds" too. Latex comes from a tree...the sap of the tree. If you were to make a bed of natural latex, you would take the sap, form it in the shape of the mattress or whatever you are making, and be done... That is natural. However, Latex does not have the supple awesome qualities it has without having chemicals added to it...changing the properties. Like I said, I am no expert, but I have and know many people with allergies to Latex, and have had bad experiences with "natural latex" that I have to address it somewhere. Seems like this is the place.

If you know someone who does muscle testing (applied kinesiology) have them test you on the tempur pedic mattress.

Also for how many hours your body can tolerate it well. Besides chemicals, some things have energy that is just not compatable for everyone.

I have a friend who did not test well. He has a lot of health issues and only tested to tolerate it for a few hours at a time.
I don't test well on it either.

We purchased a tempurpedic bed a while back (1 - 2 years) lately, both my husband and I have had a lot of muscle aches and pains and problems sleeping. I am worried that the bed is causing this??? We had a sleep number and a water bed before and never experienced aches and pains like we do now - do you think it is the bed???

I bought Tempurpedic a few years ago and here's my experience: it did not solve my problem but I was in so much pain without it I couldn't stay still in bed. (I have tried a rubber mattress and couldn't stand the smell.) For those of us who have severe fibromyalgia it can be a lifesaver. My sleep disorder is so severe it is dangerous and the fibromyalgia was making it worse. I gambled on a Tempurpedic out of desperation and am glad I did. I still am in so much pain I can't hold still for long but at least I no longer feel like I am being beaten with a board every time I lay down to rest. I can only speak for myself but the pressure relief mattress was the way to go for me.

Dear all

Concerning buying & sleeping on latex beds:

I have asthma & my pulmonary doctor told me to never use a latex bed. Why you ask? Because tiny particles from the latex can be breathed into ones lungs & cause alot of medical problems. So if you have asthma, please ask your lung specialist before you purchase a latex product. You will be healthier for it!

And by the way, if you want a very comfortable bed w/out any chemicals, look into Mcroskey Airflex Mattresses. They have a store in San Franisco and Palo Alto, Calif. and they mail beds if you are not near one of thier stores. Their mattresses are stuffed w/ only cotton & wool, nothing else. THis product is worth considering for health & comfort.In SF their phone is 415-861-4532.

By the way, I have 3 of them in different sizes in my home. Good luck!

Jeri in Mill Valley, Calif.

My wife and I have two single mattresses fitted into a king size bed frame (as these are on an adjustable bed frame). She has had a tempurpedic for two years and we have both found it very comfortable - no problems. In fact, I liked it so much, I got rid of my Sleep Number mattress and ordered a tempurpedic for myself. When it arrived, however, the problems started. The smell was extreme (a moldly, musty like odor) that filled our whole room. The salesman who sold it to us told us to walk on it and air it out a couple of days - which we did. The smell did not dissipate and I had him come out and replace it. The new mattress smells just as bad. I was told that this is "normal." I cannot believe that tempurpedic's customer base can tolerate this smell. My wife and I have had sinus and respiratory problems since aquiring the new mattress. My original thought was that the retailer had stored the mattresses in a warehouse where they got wet and moldy. But upon researching it further, I have learned that the smell is an issue with many buyers. Now we don't know what to do. We had no such problems with our original Tempurpedic. Any suggestions?

I have had a Tempurpedic mattress since 1999. It smelled a little for a year, but now is fine. It greatly lessened my back pain. I love it. I could never use latex due to sensitivity to that.

I received my Tempurpedic 2 weeks ago. The first 2 nights, I could only tolerate the smell for a few hours. Slept in another room....

The next morning I was in the ER for severe shortness of breath, and a pain in my lung! After spending the day there, 3 doctors agreed that it was an alergic reaction. I have tried spending the whole night in the bed, but it's not getting any better. I wake up with a headache at the very least.

I called a customer service rep, and she told me the smell was normal, and would go away in a few weeks. The pillows have to be rolled up and squeezed like a bed roll to release the smell. Use of the mattress will help. I spent 3900. on this unit, and I have to do all this to make it right!!!???

I will be returning this mattress. It's comfortable, but not all that great. And the odor is AWFUL! Smells toxic to me.

Not worth all the hype..............

Until I read all these posts, I thought it was just me! We bought a bed with a "tempurpedic" foam layer (not the brand, but the same material), and I have experienced all of the issues mentioned in prior posts:

1. It did nothing to resolve back pain, neck pain, etc. In fact it made all the aches and pains much worse!
2. I wake up in the middle of the night, unable to breath and "stuffed up".
When I wake up in the morning, I have a severe headache, and I don't normally get headaches unless I have a head cold/flu.
3. My husband's snoring has worsened (not mine, of course, I don't snore...yeah, right).
4. We get too hot or too cold throughout the night, so are constantly throwing off the comforters or looking for them.
5. And they get lumpy after a while.

These things are hazardous to our health. We should have returned it right away, but who knew?!

I purchased a memory foam mattress last summer for my 12 year old son. After seeing my son go 6 months with headaches,stuffy nose and coughing,I finally read the law label.The main ingredient was polyurethane,so I searched what was in polyurethane.In general it is made of crude oil,natural gas and sodium chloride-know wonder he had those reactions.I replaced the mattress with a natural memory foam and symptoms vanished in 2 days.Please do your research,you are impacting your families health.

I have just recently heard and read about natural beds that are filled with HORSEHAIR!! Oh my goodness! I have heard of people having furniture/futons and mattresses stuffed with horsehair but never tried. From what I have heard, the materials are all natural: horsehair, cotton, wool, flax, wood and steel in the springs. There aren't stores everywhere...but I am going to check it out. They have a few beds that are under 10k, AND they have crib mattresses! My son needs a new bed, (he is 4) and I don't mind spending some money when it comes to his health and comfort. I live near Seattle, and there is a store there...so I think I am in luck!

Horsehair mattresses may also contain natural latex, a known and well documented allergen.

Barry-

The Horsehair beds I am speaking of are "No Latex" beds. I went into the store...awesome! Expensive...but AWESOME!! Horsehair, cotton, wool, flax, wood, and steel. Incredible....they even had the materials there for me to feel in the raw. Check out the website www.hastens.com. It isn't in my immediate future (money wise...) but my son needs a bed, so I am saving for this. All natural YES!!!

I'll state my bias up front: I am vegetarian (though not vegan), and I've read a lot about the meat processing industry. So you may want to rethink the use of horsehair and wool mattresses. These products are the result of cruelty to animals and seem inconsistent with the goal of sustainable, green living. RE: wool production, mulesing (in which slices of flesh are cut with a pair of shears from a lamb's hindquarters without any painkiller)is common practice in wool production. The Australian wool industry has agreed to end this practice by 2010, but this comes 15 years after the government called for its abolition (source: www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=5308).

I don't know enough about mattresses to recommend an alternative [to the Tempurpedic problems many are writing about], but my thought is that with Debra's research capabilities and her excellent knowledge of nontoxic lifestyles, perhaps she can find one or suggest some options (e.g., cover latex with organic cotton covers?).

I have been sleeping on a cashmere pillowtop tempurpedic for four years. It did have a chemical smell for a short period when it was new, and I have noticed that it takes longer to warm up. I find it to be extremely comfortable and have a hard time sleeping on other beds now. I love it! However I am concerned about the chemicals now. Would a mattress cover help "seal" them in? It would be nice.

The mattress issue has been of great concern to me as mine is very old. I have been researching natural mattresses for quite some time and believe that LIFEKIND probably has the best and they will custom make one to your specifics. They are pricey but I'm certain well worth it. I have yet to purchase one for myself because of that, but will very soon. I have ordered other organic items from them, such as their wool pillows and all organic products for my nieces new baby as she was specific that she only wanted organic and loved LIFEKIND. It's opened my eyes as to the benefits to sleeping on natural organic bedding. I'm slowly changing mine out. The pillows and sheets are yummy. Remember to change out your laundry detergent to the natural/non petroleum based products to keep everything GREEN.

Also, when I speak to the people at LIFEKIND I feel like I'm talking to a friend who is listening to my concerns.

Check them out at lifekind.com.

GOOD LUCK,
Lea Martin
Sedona, AZ.

Initially, the foam in the bed has little pockets of air that may contain some residual effects from the chemicals used in processing. While some of you may have sensitivity to the chemicals, the smell itself doesn't usually effect people. A year ago I worked in Tempur's R&D, but I don't work there anymore so this is honest information based on personal experience.
Easy tricks to improving the "smell" and comfort of tempur pedic beds.

- I know this is kind of annoying, but walk on your bed or pillows, jump on them, roll around on them as much as you can. I employed my 7 year old cousin to help me out since kids love jumping on beds. This will "pop" the air pockets, reducing the smell and increasing the comfort of the bed. You have to do this a lot to have the best effect, but after about 3 months of regular sleeping the bed will be comfortable. I just wanted to speed up the process.

- While they "smell", don't put pillowcases or sheets on them, just plan on waiting a couple days to use the product. Open windows, or use the a/c, or if you have a large room just leave it alone to air it out. This will work faster with the process mentioned above.

-The chemicals used in the foam are only toxic in high doses, no one in production needed to wear masks and none of us got sick from the tons of foam we were surrounded by. If you do get sick, it is probably from a sensitivity to a specific component, but again, once the products are broken in and aired out, you should be fine.

im considering a wool bed. However i live in an apartment and have no real way of airing the mattress outside. the pillows i can hang outside a side window. Does anyone else have this problem? or any suggestions? Thats the only thing keeping me from making the purchase at this time.

Remember that wool mattresses will compress over time, and cannot be fluffed to regain the original loft. I returned a 3" wool mattress topper because it caused such compressed places where my husband and I each slept that we couldn't move around freely and would have to "climb" out of bed in the morning. Less a problem with the 1-1/2" topper.

I have been trying to determine the best type of bed to replace my cotton futon, which is an ideal substance for me but has gotten so compressed (indented where I sleep) that I have to lie on synthetic pillows on it to decrease flareups of severe back problems!

I didn't realize that wool compresses also. That would be a big concern - a wool bed would be a very expensive purchase for me, and my back problems can be incapacitating.

Would a wool bed with springs develop compression problems?

I've still been trying to figure out how protect a wool bed from carpet beetles, which fly in through window screens seasonally where I live! That is a big issue! Now compression is a concern too, and I can't use latex foam due to latex allergy.

There must be some kind of non-toxic bed that I can tolerate and which will be usable with my severe chronic back problems, but I can't find it!

We just bought two Tempurpedic pillows and the smell is terrible! I am on my fifth day of working on them and they stink so much, i dont want them in the house. i have sprinkled them with baking soda and wrapped them in towels to absorb the smell. they are currently on the back deck trying to air out. I dont know what will happen, but if you are planning on buying Tempurpedic pillows, you should sample a brand new one, right out of the wrappers. Dont rely on the store sample that's been sitting out for years.

I have used a tempurpedic pad 1-2" and a traveling tempurpedic pad on my recliner for several years now. I use the pad over a regular old mattress (Sealy). They have velour covers and I have never noticed any smell. In 2005 flame retardants were phased out of all beds. Could some of these tempurpedics that smell be that old or is it the polyurethane? I'm thinking of buying a regular mattress and putting a Temp pad on it.

I worry about being allergic to wool. How do people deal with that?

Does anyone have any suggestions. I really want to buy a wool mattress, but i live in an apartment and don't know how i would air it out. I know it has to be aired out from time to time. The pillows would be no problem, as i could hang them out a side window.

Alan in Connecticut:
What kind of memory foam mattress did you buy?

Since February, I have purchased 2 beds. 1 for my son and 1 for me. Both beds are Hastens...and bedtime has never been better in my house. I bought one of the lesser expensive beds for my son, the Naturally, and the 2000T for myself. WOW!! Totally worth it! After all the research and testing/trying beds, I found that point blank this was the best bed for me. Oh, and just recently found this really interesting video that is attached. Good luck to everyone else!! I feel like I bought the best Green bed available...no latex, no polyurethane....no off gasing, just sleep. WONDERFUL sleep!!