If you’re like me, your mattress is fine. You bought something smack dab in the middle of your price range, and now that you’re a few years into your life together, you’re thinking, “Damn, maybe I could have gotten something more luxe for myself.” Or at least spent a little more time Googling ‘good mattresses that last a long time’ and ‘average mattresses good reviews.’ You’re by no means dealing with something so shitty you need to replace it, but you know your bed’s not as comfortable as it could be. This past Summer, I discovered a product on Amazon called the Ultra Premium Visco Elastic Memory Foam Mattress Pad Bed Topper (lol), and a company called Red Nomad is selling them for a reasonable $79.99. I have a Queen sized bed and have been sleeping on the 2-inch pad for four months now, and guys, it’s pretty nice.Here is the link to the pad. It’s going to look like an ad when I drop it, but that’s just how Medium’s formatting works. It is actually a link that I have chosen to put into this post.
Here it comes:Queen Size 2 Inch Thick, Ultra Premium Visco Elastic Memory Foam Mattress Pad Bed Topper. Didn’t it look like an ad? Me talking about it this much sounds like I’m being sarcastic, but I’m not. The pad comes compactly wrapped in a small, travel-friendly form, but quickly unfurls and puffs up once you get it out of the packaging. You know how jeans smell wild when you first buy them, and then after a wear or two they smell like your laundry detergent and gross body just like everything else you own? That is the journey you’ll go on with your mattress pad. I’d say mine smelled like “house air” within an hour or two, but your timing will depend on how powerful your own house air is.Now that we’ve gotten the number one Weird Deterring Element from the Reviews* out of the way, I can focus on the good things: this pad makes your bed super cushiony, but doesn’t rob you of the firmness you crave. This assessment is obviously anchored in my own personal preferences, but 2 inches seems like the perfect amount of foam padding.
If you disagree, the company also offers 3-inch and 4-inch options—live your truth—but with the 2-inch, my gently-aging mattress suddenly feels luxurious again. I do not sink into my bed, I would not call it a deep bed, but I would call it a noticeably comfortable bed. You know how sometimes you go to a hotel and it’s nice to just peel back fresh sheets and interact with puffy bedding? Your bed can feel like that if you want! Even if you don’t make it in the morning!Let me describe my rig: I already had a fitted sheet-style mattress topper (like this one), so I opted to position my foam pad under that and then use the fitted elastics to hold it in place. Then, I put my sheets and blankets on the bed as usual. The fitted sheet definitely goes on a little more snugly than it used to with all this new crap underneath, but the extra inches don’t cause long-term sheet problems. All the corners stay where I want ’em. I go to sleep every night like someone with a nicer mattress than she has.
The company claims to have something called CoolFlow Ventilation technology in the pads if you’re a particularly sweaty sleeper, and also boasts “no formaldehyde, flame retardants, heavy metals, phthalates or ozone depleters.” I can’t definitively say whether a mattress topper is a product you need, but if you feel so inclined, I’ve found a good one and I’d like to pass the savings on to you.*This phenomenon is called “off-gassing” and is just some science that happens briefly once your pad gets unboxed. Extremely cool, incredibly non-poisonous.Edit ArticleHow to Buy a Memory Foam Mattress Looking for some sleep on a memory foam mattress? Before you walk into a mattress store and waltz into the jaws of an unscrupulous salesperson, get the facts by following the steps in this how-to. Make sure the memory foam is of high enough density to support your body properly. Look for memory foam that is temperature sensitive. Read the warranty information carefully.
Check for ample testing done with real people. Ask for a "comfort test" period. Compare prices on Web stores of reputable direct-to-consumer distributors. Most memory foam mattresses are actually in two or three layers, with a memory foam topper glued to a foundation layer of urethane foam. If you have a good quality mattress, you may also consider buying only a memory foam "topper". Get a written "comfort guarantee." Make sure it's at least 10-14 days or more. If you can take ice, in a zip lock bag, you can verify if the material is temperature sensitive. It will become firmer in the place you put the ice after 5-15 minutes. Salespeople will try to give you "facts" which will favor their product, no matter how inferior, so just remember density, temperature sensitivity and reading all you can about memory foam to be educated before you buy and you'll be happy with your purchase. Most people don't realize how heavy a solid foam mattress is. Solid memory foam or regular foam mattresses are a real job to move or even to turn around even for two healthy people, and you surely don't want to carry one up stairs.
Many memory foam mattresses are manufactured in China. Some of the latest products coming out of China are of super high quality and chemical free. Ask for the details of manufacture before you buy. Foam mattresses act like sponges, this means they absorb liquid. You should always use a waterproof mattress protector when you set up your memory foam mattress to prevent liquid from getting into the memory foam and to keep you sleeping cool during hot weather. The Tempur-Pedic™ liquid-proof mattress cover of very high quality (and very comfortable to sleep on), but it is not highly durable and should not be washed in a machine with the sheets. Such treatment will eventually lead to tiny rips and tears resulting in leaks and a dramatic loss in effectiveness. Instead, this mattress cover should be spot cleaned by hand or carefully inspected for leaks after each washing. It can lose effectiveness in as little as two years if not cared for properly.
After my post about mattress shopping the other day, Garrison contacted me. “My home just flooded and due to renters insurance I was thrown into the market for a new mattress,” he said. “I called up my long-time best friend whose entire family is in the mattress business. I used his advice in my purchase and I’ve been completely satisfied.” Here’s what Garrison’s friend, Justin, had to say. I’ve written a lot here to help you buy a mattress. Once I started thinking about this, all sorts of information came back to me. Here are a few things to keep in mind: Make sure there is at least a 30-day trial period. This is a deal-breaker and you should absolutely not purchase a bed without this guaranty, no matter what else they are offering. Most beds take 4-6 weeks of sleep to really break in and feel how they are going to feel long-term. Don’t give up on a bed after a few bad nights right away. Your body will have to adjust to the new bed. You should only use a bed about 10 years.
Don’t pay more for a bed just because it has a warranty longer than that. The one exception would be a Tempurpedic-brand bed. Those come with long warranties and should last longer than 10 years. Remember that if you need to get rid of your old bed, a lot of places will do that for you if you have your new bed delivered.For a decent king size, you’ll spend anywhere from $1,200 to $4,000, depending on what you are willing to pay for. Realistically, I’d recommend closer to $2,000 than $1,000, especially for a king size. King sizes typically run about $300 higher than queens. Keep in mind that over 10 years a $2,000 bed is only like $15 per month, and you spend 1/3 of your life in bed, so it is probably the best “value” of anything you purchase. You get what you pay for when it comes to mattresses. Ask for a “low-profile” box spring. They will make the bed 6 inches lower to the ground than a regular box spring and should be the same price. You usually have to specifically request that sort of thing.
You might have to wait a few extra days to get the bed then. Remember that you will need a new bed frame for a king size bed. A frame is going to run about $50 at the low end, to $100 at the high end. I’ve never heard of a frame breaking, so I don’t know why you would need a high-end frame. The salespeople get bonus commissions on those though, so they will try to sell you one if they have them. They’re also going to try selling you a “mattress protector” or “mattress pad.” If it is a cushioned pad, then don’t bother; you are getting a new bed so why in the world would you need a pad for it, right? But, if it is a waterproof style that comes with a stain warranty for the bed, then it is worth thinking about. We used to sell mattress protectors that cost $80, and they had a 10-warranty that if the bed stained through the mattress protector, they would give you the purchase value of the bed so you could get a new one. The reason this is important is because if the bed gets stained or ripped, you will lose the 10-year warranty and will lose the 30/60/90 day trial period.
They won’t take back a stained or ripped bed. Also, you can take the protectors off and wash them and they prevent mold from forming inside the bed and get keep the bed fresher overall. They really are a good buy. Here are the brands to focus on: If you venture outside these brands, you are taking a chance. In my opinion these are the best four, and are considerably better than the alternatives. Serta is popular at the lower price points, but I don’t think they’re really worth their price, from a value perspective, especially at higher price ranges. Simmons and Sealy are better options at the upper ranges. The most important thing is that you lay on the bed for a couple minutes in the store the same way you would lay on it at home. If you don’t like it in the store, you won’t like it at home (you wouldn’t believe how many people think they will like a bed better at home even though they don’t like it in the store). If at least one of you spends a lot of time sleeping on your side, if you go with an innerspring mattress I recommend a Simmons Beautyrest.
The coils are uniquely designed and are great for side-sleepers because they are “individual pocketed” rather than all connected together like on most beds. Also, if either of you move around a lot and disturb the other person, the Simmons Beautyrest will cut down on that disturbance some. Second choice would be a a Sealy Posturepedic, which is what I have. It is a brand more designed for back-sleepers, but they make great beds. On the other hand, if you are willing to try something new, Tempurpedic or Stearns & Foster are great brands. They aren’t innerspring though. [Note: The author says that Stearns & Foster does offer innerspring mattresses now.] Tempurpedic is made from visco memory foam, and Stearns & Foster is made from latex foam; no springs in either one. People either love them or hate them. They are very unique. They are fairly firm, but I know plenty of people who prefer soft beds who absolutely love these even though they are firm. Plus, you won’t feel the other person moving around on the bed at all.
The Tempurpedic is the bed that has the infomercials where a person jumps up and down on the bed and the glass of wine doesn’t spill that is sitting on the bed. If either of you get hot during the night, then you will want “natural fibers,” like wool, silk, etc. Polyester is bad if you get hot. But, if you spend over a $1000, then all the beds at that price range are probably natural fibers. Dealing with a salesperson If the salesperson is any good, he will actually be your best resource. Mattress salespeople are pretty good at finding the best fit for customers — if you are willing to answer their questions. If you return the bed they lose the commission, so they do want to find the best fit for you. They might try getting you to spend some extra, but if you stay firm to your price max then they won’t push it because they are all so desperate right now that they won’t want to make you leave. The more information you give them, the more they’ll be able to help.
The worst thing that can happen is that you spend a few extra bucks and get an even better bed. If the salesperson starts talking about “coil counts,” they either don’t know what they are doing or are just trying to sell you on the bed. Coil counts don’t matter unless that is the only difference between two beds. The coil type and steel gauge are much more important. If you are looking at an innerspring mattress, ask whether the bed has any kind of “edge support.” The edge where you get out of bed is the first place that will break down, so the mattress should either have some type of heavier steel gauge for the coils or some sort of heavier foam around the edge. The salesperson might want to do a “comfort test” with you by laying you down on two or three beds as soon as you get in the door, and the price might be really high on those couple beds. Go ahead and do it. It is just going to help him and you narrow down the options by eliminating a bunch of beds based on their firmness/softness levels.
Here’s some advice about specific stores: If a store is willing to negotiate mattress prices, then they are overpriced, so make sure you get them down a considerable amount. Mattress manufactures contractually set minimum prices that they allow retailers to sell their mattresses at, so they either have to price them at that minimum or overprice them and negotiate. Most of the larger chains just price them at the minimum right away. Update: The author of this e-mail/article provided some follow-up in the comments below. J.D.’s note: I know it’s strange to post on the same topic twice in three days. But after I mentioned this e-mail in the comments of our previous discussion, I received many requests to share the information. I hope it’s useful to those of you who are looking for better sleep! Sleepy’s photo by The Truth About. Bed photo by Caterina, one of the founders of Flickr! GRS is committed to helping our readers save and achieve their financial goals.