buying a mattress?

[pinkytoe]

When we moved recently, we decided to leave behind our 17 yr old lumpty mattress and start anew. I am overwhelmed by mattress choices now that we are looking for a new one. Lots of internet "natural" choices along with the usual mattress store chain offerings. The air mattress we have been getting by with for months now is getting really old so need to find something soon. Any advice?

[iris lilies]

When we moved recently, we decided to leave behind our 17 yr old lumpty mattress and start anew. I am overwhelmed by mattress choices now that we are looking for a new one. Lots of internet "natural" choices along with the usual mattress store chain offerings. The air mattress we have been getting by with for months now is getting really old so need to find something soon. Any advice?
Sure, I always have advice.:~)

Buy a nice normal reasonably priced mattress that is fairly firm. Then buy an expensive pillow top mattress cover thingy, that will be the soft thing.

Unless you have specific sleeping or back problem issues that you have not mentioned in your post, this set up is good enough.

[JaneV2.0]

IKEA has quite a few reasonably priced models that don't come with a hard sell. I would probably choose a latex one, and I'd avoid toxic fireproofing and other unnecessary chemicals.

I wouldn't buy anything that contained springs or required a box spring--just a mattress and a platform for me.

[razz]

I love my box spring and mattress but was surprised how high they are these days. I found that I needed the deep pocketed sheets with the new thicker mattresses.
I don't worry about the chemical treatments but use a good mattress cover, wash my linen well and sundry it. i sleep so well with the newest mattress, firm with a soft top. Go to the stores and try them. You may well be surprised at the differences. They even have half soft and firm for different choices needed for your partner and you.

[ctg492]

We have had to invest in a few mattresses in the last few years. One tip I have is the Foam mattresses are not good for staying cool. I even bought the one with a cooling gel layer. Maybe it is because I am at that age of running hot :|( but it just did not work for me. My neighbor had the same issue. These mattresses are hard to get used to. Son loves his. Next many newer styles say No Flip. I had bad luck with that line of though also. This one I have now after moving back here, is the old faithful flippable with a box spring, very nice.

[Gardnr]

I'm in the "buy the best mattress that supports your body and spend the $ as needed". There is nothing more important than good sleep and being sure you wake up rested and not achy so that your body can take you comfortably through the day.

Test drive mattresses. Like 5-10 minutes each in your preferred sleeping position. Take your pillow if you have one you love. I NEVER dreamed we would write a check for a Tempurpedic but we did. No regrets.

[rosarugosa]

We're committed to the Gardner Mattress brand. They are made two towns away from us, and we've been happy with their products for the 31 years we've lived in this house. We needed a split queen box spring to get up the stairs in our weird little old house and Gardner offers this option. We really like to support local businesses when we can.
http://www.gardnermattress.com/

[herbgeek]

I like my Select Comfort. When it gets saggy, I hit a button and it reinflates. I went the super cheap route and got a model that doesn't display your "sleep number". Who cares? What would I do with my sleep number anyways, share it on Facebook? I have a control that adds and deletes firmness and its fine for me. Also easy to move- the foundation part came in pieces and the mattresses themselves collapse. I've had it for over 10 years and its still great.

[ToomuchStuff]

Remember that "box springs" is often a misnomer. Most are just a box now, with no springs. Since that is the case, what style of bed you have, or change to, could effect that (I prefer platform style with storage, no box needed, moves clothing storage to under the bed).
My understanding is more of the mattress companies are basically rebranding things out of some mill. I have a couple people I know that sell mattresses and at least one is "quality control" (meaning they can mark something as damaged and sell it severely reduced). Here, we do have a local company, and I know they at least used to, be able to rebuild a mattress if you had one you liked. (know someone that did it about 20 years ago, they have since passed). If I want to pay retail, that is where I would start.
As is, I grew up with mattresses that were MUCH older then me, and I have never understood the whole "eight years" thing.

[Aqua Blue]

I bought a select comfort mattress three years ago, and love it. It is always the right firmness.

[JaneV2.0]

Remember that "box springs" is often a misnomer. Most are just a box now, with no springs. Since that is the case, what style of bed you have, or change to, could effect that (I prefer platform style with storage, no box needed, moves clothing storage to under the bed).
My understanding is more of the mattress companies are basically rebranding things out of some mill. I have a couple people I know that sell mattresses and at least one is "quality control" (meaning they can mark something as damaged and sell it severely reduced). Here, we do have a local company, and I know they at least used to, be able to rebuild a mattress if you had one you liked. (know someone that did it about 20 years ago, they have since passed). If I want to pay retail, that is where I would start.
As is, I grew up with mattresses that were MUCH older then me, and I have never understood the whole "eight years" thing.

Ha! My last mattress was probably thirty years old; this one is going on twenty. I'm with you--I sleep well, and that's all that matters to me

[ApatheticNoMore]

Buy a nice normal reasonably priced mattress that is fairly firm. Then buy an expensive pillow top mattress cover thingy, that will be the soft thing.

I agree a firm bed and a soft mattress topper (different than just a mattress cover which is just cloth although I have that as well) works well, it's my arrangement.


IKEA has quite a few reasonably priced models that don't come with a hard sell. I would probably choose a latex one, and I'd avoid toxic fireproofing and other unnecessary chemicals.

If buying a brand new matress I would like to go with Latex as well, although I doubt the Ikea one's are 100% Latex with just a cloth covering as opposed to just a layer of Latex, just because the pricing most places have on 100% Latex is shall we say $$$$$ (over 1k at least), although if it is 100% Latex those Ikea mattresses would be a heck of a deal (just need to make sure exactly what you are getting as bed marketing is sleezy). Certainly I'd recommend latex mattress toppers if the bed is hard and you need a topper, I have a latex mattress topper, it's nice, and unlike memory foam is cool in temperature rather than hot, which is much more useful for the average temperature here, and unlike memory foam it's not a bunch of toxins.


As is, I grew up with mattresses that were MUCH older then me, and I have never understood the whole "eight years" thing.

I think the 8 years thing is nonsense as well, I mean sure be a consumerist idiot and believe you "need" a new mattress every 8 years. :treadmill: However if you are waking up in pain (especially pain you only have waking up) and so on and the bed is ancient then you maybe do as that's a sure sign.

I have recommended this website about beds (all about mattresses and beds everything you could want to know) before:
http://www.themattressunderground.com/

[Miss Cellane]

A few years back, when I was laid off, I got a retail job that ended up "promoting" me into the mattress department. I learned a lot about the standard US brands.

Box springs--even though there are no actual "springs" in there, the good ones do have metal and wood that supports the mattress. If you want to eliminate the box spring, you either need a solid surface to put the mattress on (plywood works fine) or a lot of slats.

Mattresses today are heavier than mattress made even 15 years ago. If you have an older bed frame, it may not meet the warranty requirements of newer mattresses. Basics like a center support bar with a foot, or the number of slats. This is only an issue if you are concerned about keeping the warranty intact. Although if you have a king or queen size bed, more slats and "feet," i.e. center supports on some of the slats, is useful to prevent sagging.

Most mattresses are made in the US. The really cheap mattresses might be made in China, but the major brands assemble the parts in the US and most, if not all of the foams used in the mattresses are made in the US.

Pretty much any mattress that is sale-priced over $500-$600 for a queen-sized mattress is going to give you at least adequate support. What you pay for as you move up in price is "more." More coils, more foam, different types of foam, more temperature regulation technology, more pieces put together by hand. At the luxury end of things, say over $1000 for a queen-sized mattress, you aren't necessarily going to get a better night's sleep. But these mattresses will have more "luxury" elements--silk, tencel or cashmere in the fabric on top, phase change technology in that fabric, latex foam, hand-tufting that is supposed to help with body impressions forming over time. Whether or not those special features are worth is it up to the individual purchaser.

The store I worked at stressed "comfort" selling. Help the customer find the mattress that was most comfortable, and not to stress the number of coils or types of foam. And there was at least some sense in that, because you could buy a mattress that was technically the "best" on the market--more coils, more foams, etc., but if it wasn't comfortable for you personally to sleep on, then you'd wasted your money.

So, I can't help much with on-line small mattress manufacturers. The big problem there is that you usually can't test out the mattress. So if you go that route, make sure you know exactly what you will need to pay if you have to return the mattress. Some will take them back and give you a full refund, some will take them back, not refund you but let you choose another of their mattresses, some will make you pay for the pick-up and return. Read the fine print.

Mattress manufacturers change the names of the mattresses between retailers. This is confusing if you are trying to comparison shop. They will also add "exclusive" features to the mattresses each retailer sells. So Sears will have one exclusive feature, Sleepy's will have a different, and so on. Tip: the exclusive features really don't change the feel of the mattress, nor do they prolong the life of the mattress. Ignore the exclusive features. They are just a selling point.

If you want to comparison shop, ignore the pretty name each mattress is given. Instead, look for the name of the mattress line. Beautyrest has Recharge, Recharge Plus, Hybrid, Black among others. Sterns & Foster has Estate and Reserve, plus a few more. Those names should remain the same. Then look at the number of coils in the queen size. Those will probably be the same. See if you can find out the names of the foams in the mattress. Those names are usually trademarked and will be the same from retailer to retailer. Also check the full price, which shouldn't vary too much between stores.

So if you find two mattresses, one named Gentle Repose and the other named Calm Forest, and both have 800 coils in the queen size, two foams with the same names, they are both Sealy Posturpedic Plus, and they both have a full retail price of $950, you are probably looking at the same mattress.

Consumer Reports suggests staying on a mattress for at least 15 minutes. You are probably going to be able to tell right away if something is too hard or too soft. Once you narrow down to 2 or 3 mattresses, do spend at least 10 minutes on each. It always bothered me that people would lie down for about a minute and decide that was the mattress for them. Get on your side of the bed, get into the position you usually are in just before you fall asleep, and just lie there and rest.

Wear comfortable clothes. Lots of women showed up in short skirts, and had a difficult time maintaining their modesty on the mattresses. Sweats are ideal. Or any comfy clothes that allow you to move around a bit and try out the mattress in various positions--on your back, your side, your stomach.

Do check the return policy carefully. Most places will give you at least 30 days to return the mattress, often more. There is usually a pick-up fee, and some kind of restocking fee. They may or may not allow you to reselect another mattress.

Most new mattresses will be firmer than the mattress you tried out in the store, because the store model is broken in. It takes about a month to break in a new mattress.

Most retailers will try to sell you a warranty protection plan. This is a waterproof mattress pad, usually with some sort of cleaning/mattress replacement feature added in. You have to decide if it will be useful for you. Liquid of any kind can harm the foams in the mattress. A stain of any kind renders the manufacturer's warranty void. (They deem the stain to make the mattress unsanitary and their inspector doesn't have to touch it. Even if you have called for a sagging issue, they won't touch it.) So if you have small kids who get into bed with you and might pee the bed, or pets who might upchuck on the bed, it might be worth it. If the mattress gets stained, they clean it. If they can't clean it, they replace it.

[Teacher Terry]

My Chiro recommended sleep number bed and it is the best I have ever had. We have a king and people that buy queens are not happy because when each person sets their own comfort level it impedes on the other person since the bed is not big enough for this. It comes with a 20 year guarantee. My chiro has had his for 30 years.