Choose An Air Mattress That Your Guests Will Love Is it OK for Kids to Share a Room While Sleeping? Sleeper Sofas: How to Buy the Best One Giving your guests a comfortable place to sleep has never been easier.In an ideal world, homes would always have full guest rooms, complete with a spare bed for friends and family who are visiting. But in the real world, that isn’t always the case. And that’s when a sleeper sofa or air mattress comes in handy.There are many reasons to pick a sleeper sofa. They tend to be more supportive than air mattresses (although they are also more expensive—anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars—which is why air mattresses have their place, too ). How a sleeper sofa works: During everyday life, it’s a comfortable couch that’s perfect for reading or watching TV. When guests arrive, the cushions come off, and it transforms into a place for people to sleep.If your memories of sleeper sofa mattresses are thin cushions over iron bars, then you haven’t seen the latest offerings.
They’ve come a long way since then, and knowing what options are available can help you get the best one for your home. Follow these tips, below.Check Out Different Mattress Styles. While they used to mostly contain spring mattresses (which can result in getting poked or creaky springs waking you up when you roll over), sleeper sofas now come with memory foam options and air/innerspring hybrids, where there is some air inflated above the traditional spring-style mattress to make it much thicker. These styles can add between $100 and $250 to the cost of the sofa, so make sure that you test each one out in the store beforehand (just like you would when shopping for a normal mattress).Look For Foam Toppers. Manufacturers now make sleeper sofa mattresses that have comfortable padding added to the top, which makes them much more comfortable to sleep on.Get The Right Size. Measure how much space you have available for the fully extended sleeper sofa. After all, you don’t want to have to move a lot of furniture around to get it open.
Sleeper sofas don’t just come in one size—they usually come with queen or full mattress options (but there are even ones available with twin or king mattresses).See if there are any sharp points that might snag your sheets as you’re putting them on. You want the mechanism to be smooth when you’re pulling the mattress out and putting it back in.A sleeper sofa is essentially a mattress inside a sofa, which can make the entire product quite heavy. So you may want to consider an instead of a sleeper sofa if you have to haul your purchase up several flights of stairs.Ask What the Frame is Made of. One way to avoid metal bars digging into your guests is to get a sleeper sofa with a kiln-dried hardwood frame. It takes the moisture out of the wood, which keeps it from cracking or warping over time.Sit on it While it’s Folded. Most of the time, you’re going to be using this piece of furniture as a sofa, so don’t forget to check that the cushions are comfortable and high-quality.
and the National Sleep Foundation. Want more personalized information? Please provide your zip code, gender and age range. We can't wait to help you #takebackyoursleep. account and take our sleep personality quiz! Username Email Login | So you’ve finally taken pity on the unfortunate overnight guests who are forced to sleep on your crappy air mattress or lumpy couch.Investing in a sofa bed won’t just help your friends and family be way more excited about visiting you. It also means that you never have to stress about where to put your guests the next time they stay at your place.But while the decision to buy a sofa bed might be a no-brainer, making sense of all the confusing options out there—and finding a comfortable one that fits your space and your budget—can be a little tougher.Should you go big with a traditional pull-out, or keep it simple with a tiny futon? Bouncy innerspring mattress or plush memory foam? And are there any red flags that indicate the sofa bed you’re about to buy is a disaster waiting to happen?
Here are the answers to all of those questions—and plenty more.Before You Start Shopping, Ask Yourself This.With so many different options out there, it’s essential to think about what you actually want from your sofa bed. To save time and cut back on frustration, narrow down your search from the get-go by considering these basic questions.How will your sofa bed be used most of the time? It’s a sad fact that most sofa beds are less comfortable than regular sofas or regular beds. So if you plan to use yours mostly for sitting and will only have guests sleep on it occasionally, it makes sense for the sofa part to be really comfortable. If it’ll mostly used for sleeping, focus on the comfort of the mattress.How often will it be used? Of course, no one wants to be tossing and turning all night. But if your sofa bed is being used for occasional guests who only stay for a night or two, you can get away with a slightly less-plush model. If you or a guest will be sleeping on the sofa bed a lot, it makes sense to spend more for comfort.
What’s your living situation like? If you live in a tiny apartment or tend to move a lot, a smaller, lighter sofa bed makes more sense than a hefty queen-size model. Have a home with lots of space—and plan on staying put for a while? That’s where the bigger, more substantial option works.The Basic Sofa Bed Types.The type of sofa bed you pick depends on a variety of factors, so it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the basics on what’s out there. Don’t worry, it’s not too confusing. Most sofa beds fall into one of these three categories:Traditional pull-outs: These are traditional sofa models that feature full- or queen-size mattresses. They’re designed primarily for sitting, so the cushions are usually comfortable. And with the right mattress (more on that later), you can sleep pretty comfortably, too. But beware of pull-outs with very thin mattresses, which won’t offer enough cushioning to protect against the bed’s metal bars. Also, these guys are on the expensive side, with most quality models starting at around $1,000.Futons: These are the sofa beds you probably remember crashing on in your college pal’s dorm room.
They’re lightweight, easy to transport, and tend to fold out easily. But they’re not the most comfortable, since the mattresses tend to be made of cotton batting and low-density foam that harden and compress over time. Not surprisingly, futons tend to be less expensive than pull-outs.Daybeds: They’re more bed than sofa, so if you plan to use your sofa bed primarily for sleeping, a daybed might be right for you. They’re usually the size of a standard twin or full bed, and are priced similarly.Which Mattress Works Best?The mattress is the most important part of your sofa bed, bar none. Since sofa bed mattresses are thinner and designed fold up, know that none of them are going to be as cozy as an actual bed mattress. Still, it goes without saying that you want to pick the one that feels the most comfortable.Here’s what you should know about the two basic types.Innerspring mattresses: Innerspring mattresses get their bounciness and give from coils. However, not all of them will give you a good night’s rest.
A mattress with a higher number of coils (over 600) will usually be more comfortable than one with fewer coils. Springs that are stress-relieved—treated at a temperature to relieve stress spots—are more comfortable, but they also tend to be more expensive.Memory foam mattresses: Memory foam mattresses are made of durable visco-elastic foam, not springs. Compared to innersprings, high-quality memory foam mattresses offer more consistent support, mold better to your body’s shape, and snap back into place easily. Since memory foam is so flexible, it’s a great choice for adjustable beds and—you guessed it—sofa beds. Amerisleep’s memory foam sofa bed mattress is specially designed with a reinforced base layer for extra comfort and support—and it’s naturally hypoallergenic and dust mite resistant.Tips for Spotting a Quality Sofa Bed.Just because a sofa bed is expensive doesn’t necessarily guarantee that it will be comfortable or durable. Likewise, you don’t always have to shell out thousands of dollars for a model that will get the job done.
After figuring out which model and mattress is right for you, consider these other tips for finding a top-notch sofa bed.What is the frame made out of? The answer you’re looking for is either kiln-dried hardwood or a combination of hardwood and furniture-grade plywood. Avoid sofa beds with frames made from pine or other soft woods.Does it open and close easily? If you can’t get the hang of opening and closing your sofa bed in the store, setting it up at home is always going to be a pain. Your mattress should fold out in one smooth motion and have a locking bar to secure its position Squeaks, sticking, or wobbly parts are all red flags.Are the edges smooth? Rough or sharp edges could snag, causing the fabric on your sofa bed—or your mattress’s sheets or blankets—to rip.Can you test it out and read product reviews? Just like shopping for a regular bed or mattress, you need to be able to lie on your sofa bed to make sure it feels good. If you’re buying online, make sure to read reviews about the mattress to ensure past customers are satisfied.