Hi ps9915,
I have read on the forum that 100% natural Dunlop from LatexGreen is very similar in terms of durability and performance as compared to the organic CoCo Dunlop Latex. Is this correct?
Yes ... they would be very similar in terms of performance and durability although of course each manufacturer has a range of firmness levels.
Would the other 100% natural molded Dunlop manufacturers be similar as well (Aprico)?
Yes ... most of the better manufacturers that make 100% natural molded Dunlop that you are likely to find available would be closely comparable.
Is CoCo Latex available in a non organic form?
Yes ... they make a 100% natural version but I don't know of any suppliers that sell their raw layers directly to consumers.
In searching for 100% natural Dunlop toppers, some come in densities of soft/medium/firm, while others come in more variations: soft,medium,med-firm, firm, x-firm. Should I call the retailers to find out comparable ILDs for the layers I am interested in?
Savvy Rest doesn't disclose the specific ILD's or density of their layers outside of a very wide range so without knowing what you are trying to approximate knowing the ILD of what you are purchasing wouldn't be particularly useful outside of more generic comparisons. Having said that ... ILD's aren't exact anyway so even if you knew the exact ILD's of what they use in one mattress it may be somewhat different in the next and relatively small variances aren't something that most people would notice (although you would notice it more in comfort layers than in deeper layers). There is more about Dunlop ILD's in
post #4 here
and in
post #2 here
and in
post #6 here
.
The ILD "range" that Savvy Rest has disclosed in the past is in
post #2 here
.
I would also read Option #3 in
post #15 here
and the posts it links to if you are considering putting together your own DIY mattress vs a component mattress just to make sure you are comfortable with the learning curve and the trial and error and in some cases the additional expense that may be involved.
As you can see ... ILD comparisons between different manufacturers may not be accurate because sometimes with Dunlop ILD's are listed inaccurately and sometimes they are tested differently (such as on different thicknesses of materials or at different percentages of compression which can produce results that have the same number but aren't the same softness).
Also, I was considering using a quilted cotton/wool mattress cover. But I have a moderate-severe dust mite allergy and was told to avoid wool as much as possible as it harbors dust mites.
There is more about dust mites in
post #2 here
but wool has natural properties that can help with dust mites because of its ability to control humidity and its lanolin content (see
post #9 here
) and if you have a mattress protector on top of the wool layer or quilting that prevents skin cells from reaching the wool (which dust mites feed on) then it's not likely that wool would be an issue with dust mites.
If I were to place a 5 or 6 sided allergy mattress protector over the wool/cotton cover would this reduced the potential exposure to allergens in the mattress cover?
Yes ... it would reduce exposure more than a mattress protector that only protected the top surface but less than a mattress encasement that completely surrounded the mattress. There is more about mattress encasements in
post #2 here
. There are also some sources for membrane type mattress protectors that protect on 5 sides (vs just the top) in
post #2 here
.
Would it be better for me to get a 100% cotton quilted cover instead to reduce allergens?
This would depend on whether you are talking about a mattress cover or a mattress encasement but pore size of the fabric wasn't small enough to protect against dust mite allergens and skin particles entering or escaping your mattress then it wouldn't have much effect on dust mites and allergies.
Phoenix
