Hi all! When buying a bed, it is extremely rare that a brand new mattress comes with it. Therefore, you have to purchase it separately, choosing from a wide range. One option is a mattress made of polyurethane foam or simply PPU. There is a lot of controversy and talk regarding this material.
In particular, this only concerns how harmful it is or not, how such a filler affects health, whether it can be used as a children’s mattress, etc.
I will say right away that everyone will make the final decision themselves, since PPU has as many pros and cons as it does cons and disadvantages. It would be more correct to study it in more detail, touch and try it with your own hands, and then draw the appropriate conclusions.
What are you, polyurethane foam and what do you look like?
Of course, I’m not going to go into the complex chemical composition, so that you can read about the composition on Wikipedia, I’ll only say that polyurethane foam mainly consists of products from the petrochemical industry. It comes in two types, hard and elastic. We are interested in elastic polyurethane foam (or foam rubber), which is what modern mattresses in the economy segment are made from.
Cross-section of a polyurethane foam mattress.
Today, a polyurethane foam mattress is a good budget option! Such mattresses are in great demand in the textile industry. Of course, the demand appeared for a reason: the price-quality ratio of products is at a very high level. People use them in various forms: some every day on their bed, some at the dacha, some only for guests. In principle, they cope with their task with dignity everywhere.
Comparison with mattresses made from other materials
Spring and polyurethane foam
Regular spring mattresses are practically unsuitable for sleeping due to their design. The springs inside the mattress are interconnected in such a way that during sleep, under the weight of the body, the product resembles a hammock. Not only the springs on which a person sleeps are subject to compression, but also the neighboring ones. There is no point in talking about any orthopedic effect here. The product can only approximately replicate the outline of the human body.
The polyurethane foam mattress perfectly retains its shape, follows the contours of a person, has medium hardness, but at the same time remains soft and elastic. In terms of durability, spring models are not inferior to polyurethane ones. Both options can be used for a long time. Spring mattresses have a fairly affordable price, which corresponds to the quality; PU foam products are slightly higher in the price category, which also affects the quality.
The link describes a universal euro sofa cover.
Latex and polyurethane foam
Latex is a natural material that has many positive properties necessary for a high-quality orthopedic mattress. The advantages of latex include breathability, hypoallergenicity, moisture resistance, and a low likelihood of the spread of fungi, mites and bacteria. They hold their shape perfectly, clearly following the contours of a sleeping person’s body.
Polyurethane mattresses are almost as good in properties as latex ones; the former, unfortunately, are not so resistant to moisture, which leads to the growth of bacteria inside the product. But this can be avoided if you use the mattress according to the instructions. As for the price, latex models are much more expensive than their counterparts.
Positive properties
Let us present the main list of positive properties of polyurethane foam mattresses:
- Low cost is undoubtedly one of the main advantages of this product, allowing people of any income to purchase a polyurethane foam mattress. This cost is justified by the ease of manufacture and low cost of raw materials. The average bill for a mattress can vary from 2 to 10 thousand rubles.
- High elasticity and resilience. From the name “elastic polyurethane foam” it is clear that the filler has high elastic properties and restores its shape during operation for quite a long time, including after vacuuming.
- Breathability. Polyurethane foam is a material that has air cavities. Thanks to this structure, it perfectly allows air to pass through and allows your body to breathe.
- Lightweight and easy to transport. The material is very light and “airy”; undoubtedly, this is a positive aspect, since the mattress can be easily transported from one place to another, taken to the country, transferred from the bed to the floor for guests, or vacuum-packed.
- Orthopedic properties. Of course, polyurethane foam does not provide complete separation of hardness zones and does not have a super orthopedic effect, however, a polyurethane foam mattress does not cause a hammock effect and helps support the spine during sleep. By placing such a mattress on a hard surface, you are guaranteed a comfortable sleep. Thin polyurethane foam mattresses are often used as sofa toppers to create additional comfort for the sleeping area.
- Elastic bands around the edges. Not all mattresses have such an addition, but there are also mattresses with elastic bands. This pleasant little detail helps to firmly fix the product, preventing it from moving out.
- The removable cover greatly facilitates the care of the product.
Varieties
Depending on the characteristics and structure, PU foam mattresses can be produced in several varieties. Almost all of them are available at Ikea; they can be easily found in the cities of Ivanovo, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh, Volgograd, etc.
I can say that even for a child, in some cases, if you are not influenced by stereotypes, you can take a PU foam mattress. It must be a quality product from a trusted manufacturer.
PU foam mattresses come in several types.
See also
Hanging system for sliding wardrobes: pros and cons of the design
- With a surface that follows the curves of the human body and adapts to it. You can read more about memory foam mattresses at the link;
- Spring. Their price is already higher, but they are more rigid and have an increased service life compared to products without springs. When choosing a springless or spring option, the latter is better for an adult;
- Multilayer or sheet type PPU mattress. It uses an additional layer based primarily on natural materials. Most often this is millet, cork, coconut coir, etc. Such options are often used for children's mattresses;
Asymmetrical. To change the hardness, just turn it over to the other side.
Usually for adults they take products with a thickness of 10 cm. For children it is 6 or 8 cm.
It would be a good idea to consult with an orthopedist or pediatrician when choosing a mattress for yourself or for a child.
Flaws
- Fear of sun rays. Protect the mattress filling (with a removable cover) from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. Such an effect can negatively affect the structure of the filler.
- As for the harm of polyurethane foam on the human body, namely the vapors that allegedly can be released during the operation of such mattresses, this topic deserves special attention. However, I don’t want to indulge in demagoguery in vain, especially since these facts have not been officially confirmed. My personal opinion is that this information is created by competitors who want to promote their brands. Why do I think this? It's simple. Any self-respecting company that produces polyurethane foam mattresses issues certificates of conformity, and I am inclined to believe them, so that there is no other official information.
Color
Companies that produce mattresses focus primarily on consumer preferences. For children, covers usually have bright colors. The color range intended for the mass consumer does not have a wide range. But this is not particularly necessary.
Mattresses are mainly purchased for beds installed in bedrooms that are already decorated in a certain color scheme and therefore bright colors will not be welcome. The most popular color is white. The best option, suitable for almost all bedrooms, decorated in any style. Sometimes there are models with a light gray cover. In exclusive models, the case can be black with an interesting pattern.
For medical institutions, manufacturers produce models with covers in dark shades. Burgundy, dark green and emerald are the most popular shades for these institutions.
Hardness, density and dimensions of polyurethane foam mattresses.
It is generally accepted that there are five types of mattress firmness: hard, moderately hard, medium, moderately soft and soft. PU foam mattresses are no exception and can have any hardness. Take this feature into account when choosing a mattress and buy a product for yourself. Another key indicator of polyurethane foam mattresses is density. The higher the density, the higher quality and more expensive the product. Manufacturers, as a rule, do not write a density indicator, but instead indicate the maximum weight per bed. Pay attention to this and project it onto your data. Know that a properly selected mattress will last much longer. Below is a table of the distribution of mattress hardness depending on your height and weight parameters; you can be guided by these indicators when choosing a mattress of optimal hardness:
Dependence of mattress hardness on weight and height
Now about the sizes.
The abundance of sizes is undoubtedly a plus that can be added to the collection of these products. The main ones are considered to be the following: 60x120 (standard crib), 70x200, 80x200, 90x200, 120x200, 140x200, 160x200, 180x200 and 200x200 centimeters, where the first parameter is the width and the second is the length. Also pay attention to the thickness (otherwise called height or side). The thickness is usually from 5 to 20 cm.
All the sizes mentioned above can be divided into three main categories that should be followed:
- Single - 70x200, 80x200 and 90x200 cm;
- One-and-a-half-bed - 120x200 cm;
- Double - 140x200, 160x200, 180x200, 200x200 cm.
Before buying a mattress, be sure to try on your sleeping place to avoid unpleasant situations. Consider what comfortable space is optimal for you. It’s not for nothing that they say: “Measure 7 times, buy one.”
Production
It is made from a material familiar to everyone from childhood - foam rubber. Foam rubber today remains a fairly common material, which is often used for the manufacture of upholstered furniture.
However, contrary to the popular belief about the low quality of foam rubber in mattresses, the material used for the production of polyurethane foam products is a completely new, modern foam rubber, significantly different from the usual one.
The fact is that the latest technologies and developments are used in production, making PU foam models resilient, elastic and practical.
This mattress is practical, functional and durable. It also has excellent orthopedic properties, which manufacturers often enhance using various techniques: changing the surface geometry, making it multilayer, and including spring blocks in the design.
It can be asymmetrical - have different hardness on each side, and also have additional layers, for example, made from coconut coir. These improvements make it more rigid and increase service lines.
What orthopedic foam is used in expensive mattresses?
The most suitable for use in mattresses are foam rubbers with a density of at least 30 kg per m3. This density is sufficient to support a sleeping person for a number of years. Of course, significant factors are the softness and elasticity of the foam. Without competition for the production of comfortable, high orthopedic PU foam mattresses with HR marking. They are often called artificial latex, and unscrupulous sellers sometimes pass them off as natural latex. In addition to excellent physical properties, these materials have virtually zero release of foreign substances. These cold foams are used in expensive European mattress models. The service life of HR50 foam is about 15 years. Such materials are expensive and are never included in cheap mattresses.
In this video, a mattress manufacturer talks about various orthopedic foams.
Types of products
Products come in several types:
- Monolithic - in the form of a solid mat, up to 15 centimeters thick, packed in a case. There are no additives from other materials here.
- Composite - in which other materials are added to a thick layer of foam base: coconut fiber, wool, latex, cotton, holofiber.
- Layered - consisting of gaskets of the same thickness, different in density.
In spring mattresses, sometimes foam rubber is a component, as a soft additive to the upper part that covers the springs. To prevent the material from crumbling from the metal components, felt is placed under the polyurethane foam.
