7 Things You Need To Know Before Buying A Mattress
Purchasing a mattress is the most important furniture purchase
you'll make because you spend more time on a mattress than on
any other piece of furniture you own, unless you have a tendency
to fall asleep every night in a recliner like my husband does.
The seven items below are things you should be aware of and to
consider before you purchase a mattress since that mattress will
be a huge factor in the quality of sleep you receive each
evening.
1) Decide on a budget. The prices of mattresses vary a great
deal. If price is your number one consideration you can find an
inexpensive mattress and box spring set for a few hundred
dollars. But I recommend buying the best mattress and box spring
you can afford. When you buy a mattress you get what you pay
for. My first two mattress purchases were based on price and I
never really got a good night's sleep. I saved and bought a high
quality mattress a few years ago. It was a great buying
decision. I now wake up feeling rested and refreshed, not tired
and sore like I used to.
2) Decide what size mattress you are going to buy. If you are
buying a mattress for a child a twin size mattress is fine, but
if you are an adult and there are two people sleeping in your
bed I don't recommend going with anything smaller than a queen
size bed. If you can afford a king-size bed and you have the
room for it, I recommend it.
I now own a king size bed and it's nice having enough space in
bed to move around a little without disturbing my partner like I
used to. In our old bed (a full size) I once accidentally hit my
husband in the mouth in the middle of the night when I rolled
over and flung my arm out. He was not a happy person! If you
think a full-size mattress is big enough for two people consider
this: a full size mattress gives each person the same amount of
bed width as in a baby crib. Queen size mattresses are the most
popular size but if two people are sleeping in a queen size bed
each person still has 10 ½ inches less bed width than if they
were sleeping by themselves in a twin bed.
The standard sizes of mattresses are: TWIN: 39" wide, 75" long;
TWIN EXTRA LONG: 38" wide; 80" long; DOUBLE/FULL: 54" wide, 75"
long; QUEEN: 60" wide, 80" long; KING: 76" wide, 80" long;
CALIFORNIA KING: 72" wide, 84" long.
3) Test. Test. Test. Try out mattresses. Go to several stores
and lay down on different mattresses. See what you find
comfortable. A firm mattress isn't always the best mattress. It
depends on the individual. If you and your partner prefer
different firmness levels look for a mattress that can have
different firmness levels on each side. For example, I prefer a
firmer mattress than my husband does so his side of the bed is
less firm than mine. Comfort (as long as you are in your within
the range of your budget) should be your number one
consideration.
4) Don't be too concerned about the words, firm, extra firm,
etc. especially when looking at mattresses from different
manufacturers. Firmness is not standardized in the mattress
industry. One manufacturer's "firm" mattress may actually be
firmer than another manufacturer's "extra firm" mattress. Look
for comfort and support. You want to feel cradled and supported
when you lay on a mattress. And don't feel self-conscious about
going into stores and lying on as many mattresses as you want.
It's the best way to tell if a mattress is or isn't right for
you. The best way to check out the mattress is to take off your
shoes and your coat if you're wearing on. Lying on a mattress
with your coat and shoes on is not going to help you determine
what mattress is right for you unless you plan on sleeping in
your coat and shoes every night.
5) Warranty is important but not as important as you might
think. A mattress with a 25 year warranty is great, but the life
expectancy of a great quality mattress is only about 10 years.
You want a warranty to protect you from defects and problems. To
me a sleep guarantee is more important than a long warranty.
What I mean by a sleep guarantee is that you are given a period
of time to try out your mattress. For example, some stores and
manufacturers give sleep guarantees of up to 90 days although 30
days is the most common. If during that time you decide the
mattress you purchased is not right for you, you are able to
either exchange it or return it for a refund.
For example, when I purchased my last mattress from a sleep
specialty store that custom builds each mattress (Verlo), it
came with a 60 day sleep guarantee or trial period. If we didn't
like the mattress the store would come to our house, pick up the
mattress, take it back to their factory and rebuild it for us. I
liked that peace of mind. After sleeping on our mattress for a
few weeks I decided my side was a little too firm. We called the
store where we bought it and made an appointment for them to
come and pick it up. The store picked up our mattress in the
morning, took it to their store/factory, rebuilt it, and
returned it late the same day. They did this so we wouldn't be
without a mattress to sleep on.
6) Get familiar with the following terms: innerspring and box
spring (also called the foundation). Innerspring mattresses are,
by far, the most common type of mattress purchased. An
innerspring mattress is made with tempered steel coils encased
in layers of cushioning and upholstery. The box spring or
foundation is what the mattress sits on. It's generally not
considered a good idea to put a new mattress on an old box
spring. A manufacturer's box spring and mattress are designed to
work together to give you the best product. In addition, many
manufacturers will void their warranty if a mattress is not
placed on the box spring that is designed to go with it.
7) Know what choices you have besides the traditional
innerspring and box spring sets. There are other viable options
depending on what you are looking for. Those options include
foam mattresses, futons, airbeds, adjustable beds, and
waterbeds.
Foam mattresses - a foam mattress can be made of solid foam
piece or may be composed of several layers of different types of
foam. Some foam mattresses have a top layer that is composed of
memory foam that remembers the shape of your body and conforms
to it.
Futons - futon beds are basically a frame with a folding
mattress on it. A futon can function as both a sofa and a bed.
Most futons come with a standard 6 inch foam mattress, which
isn't very comfortable if the futon is going to be a person's
primary bed. If the futon is going to be a primary bed a better
option is to purchase an innerspring mattress for the bed.
Several manufacturers make innerspring mattresses for futons.
The innerspring mattresses are more expensive but are also a
whole lot more comfortable. If an innerspring mattress is out of
your price range, try to at least upgrade to an 8 inch foam
mattress.
Airbed - an airbed is just what it sounds like - a bed full of
air. Most airbeds are touted as being portable, easy to set-up,
and easy to store after use. I have an airbed at my house for
use as an extra mattress during the holidays when we always seem
to have more overnight guests than beds. Today's airbeds are a
lot more than inflatable pieces of plastic. Our airbed has a
pillow top mattress which makes it surprisingly comfortable.
Some airbeds have adjustable firmness levels and/or a heated top
to make them more comfortable.
Adjustable beds - an adjustable bed is a lot like a hospital bed
because it allows you to adjust the head and foot of the bed to
your liking. Adjustable beds come in all sizes and the larger
sizes have separate controls for each side of the bed.
Waterbeds - today's waterbeds are more sturdy than the wobbly
water-filled mattresses from the 70's that you could get seasick
on. The latest designs are built to look like an innerspring/box
spring set. The interior of the mattress has layers of baffling
and upholstery to provide support and comfort (http://www.mattre
ssespro.com/watermattress).
There are a lot of choices in mattresses today. If you do a
little research and become familiar with the different types of
mattresses available to you before you start to shop, the task
of finding the right mattress for you will be easier.
Are you looking for help to sleep but don't want
to spend out on a new mattress? Is the new mattress
you bought recently harder and therefore not as
comfortable as you hoped it would be?...
