Emporio BEDS believe that there will substantial changes in the mix of mattresses it sells because of the rise in popularity of Latex. To meet this change we have established a link with the brand Ecolatex. They are the European distributors for a major manufacturer of premium bedding components based on latex.
Most lists and descriptions of bedding materials and technologies tend to focus on springs. Is the mattress open sprung, pocket sprung or with continuous springing is usually the first question? Then what are the other materials and techniques used and how, in the manufacturing? Our relationship with Ecolatex encourages us to reverse this sort of list and start with Latex.
We want everyone to consider, just for a moment, how latex foam has changed and why it is now used increasingly in bedding. It is such a different approach to creating a mattress, which delivers comfort and luxury in a completely consistent manner. After being cast into an open cell structure the result is instantly expansive and breathable so it comfortable and cool.
The adoption of latex foam for bedding has been slow because the UK and other European authorities applied, quite rightly, stringent regulations for fire retardation performance. For some time now it has been possible to meet these regulations but the materials added to the latex were considered potentially dangerous to human health. These limitations have now been overcome by using technologies that eliminate the need for these additives.
We now see the potential for latex foam to become more widely used in bedding. Currently the market share in UK is under 1% and even in the European countries, where it is more widely used, it barely reaches 10%.
Our challenge is to educate people about the distinct benefits of the material. It combines the mechanical comfort of softness, firmness and resilience with one of the best levels of thermal comfort – it is never too warm to sleep on.
There are six steps to the manufacturing of latex product:
- Combining; the liquid latex (from the rubber tree) with soaps and curing agents into a compound.
- Moulding; whipping the mixture into a froth and injecting it into pincore moulds, then vacuum sealing and chilling to prevent settling, followed by CO2 injection and heating to gel and cure the foam
- Washing; to remove excess soaps and agents
- Drying, to complete curing and remove excess moisture.
- Quality testing;
- Fabrication; preparation of cores to meet customer requirements
This extended manufacturing transposes the simple, natural latex into the perfect mattress material.
No longer a component of car types or cheap sofas, it now brings you a totally new technology providing:
- Unsurpassed comfort and superior support
- Superior pressure relief to eliminate pinches and pains that interrupt a good night´s sleep
- Exceptional durability
- Uniquely healthy, inhibiting bacteria, mould, mildew and dust mites.
Latex is now receiving such increasing interest that it has even been adopted by sportsmen. The leading example is several of the Tour de France cycle teams have decided to sleep only on latex mattresses.
A bedding team precedes them at each stage and converts all of their hotel rooms to specialised recovery areas with only latex beds.
Your life does not have to be as strenuous as that for you to benefit from a latex mattress. Just lie down, relax and rest into its silkily, luxurious feel and performance, just before you lapse into a perfect, uninterrupted night´s sleep.