Michael Murad of St. Louis Park is not your typical mattress buyer. If he were, he'd spend about 30 minutes selecting an $800 queen-size bed. But Murad is trying to create a greener home, including where we spend one-third of our lives -- in bed.

Murad, a software developer who tries to live green, buying at thrift shops and following reduce/re-use/recycle, is concerned about indoor air pollution and the environment. He researched mattresses on the Internet and went to Sears, Original Mattress Factory, Select Comfort and Twin Cities Green in search of a product that is compostable at the end its life -- no steel coils or oil-based polyester fabric or foam. By the time his new green mattress was delivered (by mail, in fact), he had spent $1,800 and nearly 15 hours of searching.

Shoppers might consider a green sleep for many reasons. The greenest mattress material is coil-free and 100 percent natural latex, which is resistant to dust mites, mold, mildew and fungus. But some latex mattresses are made of synthetic, oil-based materials that precipitate allergic reactions in some people with chemical sensitivities. (Unfortunately, bed bugs like all foam equally, real or fake.)

Other hybrid beds have a natural latex "core" mixed with oil-based foam. Buyers might recognize the difference on the price tag. All-natural latex is expensive. The sap is tapped from rubber trees in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Africa, Indonesia and Brazil, then baked in forms. Although latex mattresses have been around for more than 50 years, they lost favor when cheaper oil-based synthetics came on the market. (The popular memory foam is also synthetic.)

Most queen-size mattresses made from 100 percent natural latex cost about $2,000. Making matters worse, the price is not expected to fall, said Mike Daum, general manager at Restwell Mattress Factory in St. Louis Park.

Despite the sticker shock, interest in green mattresses is growing, said Darren Sodikoff, general manager at Comfort Solutions of Minneapolis, formerly King Koil. Even though the recession dealt a blow to the mattress industry, Sodikoff believes green mattresses are here to stay. "It's not a fad," he said. His company plans to introduce a natural latex mattress with organic cotton or bamboo covers next year.

Room & Board introduced its all-natural latex mattress this year, and it's already the second-best seller of its seven mattress types, said manager Stephanie Kennedy. Room & Board also sourced its manufacturing of the bed locally to Restwell, which has been manufacturing mattresses in the Twin Cities since 1945.

Other manufacturers with plants in the Twin Cities, such as Original Mattress Factory, have a small number of customers asking about green alternatives. The company offers two latex-blend mattresses, but hasn't gone with a 100 percent natural latex because of inconsistent hard and soft spots that develop as the liquid hardens, said Jon Quale, vice president. The liquid rubber "settles," making the bottom part of the foam firmer than the top.

Room & Board acknowledges this by saying that the flippable mattress has a soft side and a firm side. Minneapolis retailer Twin Cities Green gets around that by selling a latex mattress made by Savvy Rest with interchangeable soft, medium and firm "thirds," to customize buyers' preferences (see photo).

All buyers, green or not, can rest assured that mattresses sold today meet strict fire retardant standards set in 2007. Some companies meet the code by mixing fire-retardant chemicals such as boric acid into the cotton fibers. Greener mattresses meet the requirements without chemicals by using wool, which has a higher natural resistance to flammability than cotton.

Local retailers said they have had a good satisfaction rate with latex mattresses. Most latex mattresses feel firmer than pillowtops. Murad chose the customized mattress system at Twin Cities Green with soft, medium and firm latex layers that can be changed should his comfort needs change.

Natural latex doesn't have the feel of memory foam, which some say sleeps "hot." Perforated natural latex foam sleeps cooler and lasts longer than synthetic foam, experts say. Murad says he's happy with his Savvy Rest mattress. "I don't think about it. I wake up and I feel fine."

John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633 or jewoldt@startribune.com. If you spot a deal, share it at www.startribune.com/blogs/dealspotter.