#1 in Sleep Product Research Millions Served Since 2008 Ratings > Mattress Warranties Unbiased Research Based on Data From 4,200 Mattress Owners Mattresses can and often do have their warranties voided due to the use of an improper foundation / frame and the presence of staining, soiling or fluid penetration. An improper foundation / frame can result in premature wear and sagging of the mattress. Read your warranty's foundation / frame guidelines and follow them to the letter. Mattress companies do not give leeway on this issue; your foundation / frame either meets their warranty guidelines or it doesn't. These can fully void a mattress warranty. Even if the staining, soiling or fluid penetration is not near a defective area, such as where sagging is located, the warranty will probably not cover the sagging. Therefore, it is wise to use a mattress protector / pad from the first night onward. See mattress pad reviews for the top-rated pads. Most mattress warranties are for a length of 5, 10, or 20 years.
Our research strongly suggests that in most cases you should not believe that your mattress will last the length of its warranty with regular, everyday adult use. Sleep Like The Dead collected data from over 4,000 owners regarding how long they kept their mattress or how long they reported that it maintained most of its original comfort and support. This data was then compared to the length of the mattress warranty. The results suggest – as the table shows – that the useful life of a mattress is often a fraction of its warranty length, and the fraction becomes smaller as the warranty length increases. Keep in mind that our findings are true only in general. In other words, individual brands, individual models, and individual mattresses may perform somewhat better or worse. (Refer to the rating page of a particular mattress for information on its expected lifespan.) Also, our findings suggest that there is indeed somewhat of a correlation between warranty length and the quality / durability / longevity of a mattress.
In other words, good mattresses usually have longer warranties, while not-so-good mattresses usually have shorter ones. The main complaint people have with their mattress is sagging – especially in regard to innerspring beds in general and to a lesser extent memory foam, latex and air mattresses. Owner experience data suggests that even moderate sagging can and often does result in less comfort and support. It may also cause back pain, especially for side and stomach sleepers. (See mattresses and pain for more analysis.) As a result, mattress shoppers should pay special attention to how sagging issues are covered by the warranty. Most warranties will cover sagging only when the problem becomes severe enough, that is, when it reaches a certain depth. For example, innerspring mattress warranties will often provide coverage for sagging beginning at a depth of 1.5 inches. By contrast, some memory foam mattress warranties, including Tempur-Pedic's, will provide coverage for sagging beginning at a depth of .75 inches.
In other words, innerspring bed warranties often require twice the depth of sagging that these memory foam bed warranties require before coverage kicks in. Making a warranty claim and replacing a mattress under warranty can be expensive to the mattress owner. There can be a fee to have someone come to your home to inspect the condition of your mattress to determine if it is eligible for warranty coverage. If it is eligible, there will be a fee to take the defective mattress away and to ship a new or repaired mattress to you. Given the heavy weight of many mattresses today, this fee may be substantial. In addition, depending on the age of the mattress and the warranty terms of proration, you may have to pay a percentage of the replacement or repair costs. Many mattress owners realize too late that their warranty sounds more impressive than it actually is. For example, most airbeds including Sleep Number have a 20-year warranty. This causes many owners to wrongly believe that if any manufacturer defect pops up in the next 20 years, the problem will be covered at little or no cost to them.
The whole story is that non-prorated coverage (coverage for which there is no cost to the owner to repair / replace the bed) often ends after just a few years. If something goes wrong with the airbed after this time, coverage is prorated which means the owner will often need to pay at least 20% of repair costs. Therefore, make sure to read the fine print of a mattress warranty. Mattresses are discarded for a variety of reasons, but the main reason not surprisingly is usually related to a loss of comfort and support that occurs through normal wear. As is true for virtually all product warranties, normal wear is not covered under mattress warranties; only faulty workmanship / materials as defined by the manufacturer are covered. These defects are problems that can be objectively measured or observed, such as sagging depth (see below). Problems not objectively measurable or clearly observable, such as excessive softening or loss of support, are not commonly covered under warranty.
A mattress warranty is only as good as the manufacturer's willingness to honor it. Often a mattress manufacturer's BBB rating and or the number of BBB complaints from consumers in regard to warranty-related issues can be a good indicator of how well the company stands behind its warranty. For more, watch our interactive video. You can skip to chapters on the different types of mattresses, tips for test driving a mattress, and more. Common claims that haven’t held up in our tests: Foam Layers Make a Better Bed More innerspring mattresses now include foam on top. But the foam is often too thin to make a difference on some of the hybrid models. Hybrid innerspring models that scored well in our tests had a foam layer several inches thick, though performance still varied. More Coils, the Better The better innerspring models we tested had 600 to 1,000 coils. But even if one mattress has more coils than another, the coils could be made of thinner-gauge metal.
You’ll also hear about coil variations such as Bonnell (hourglass type), continuous wire, and individually pocketed springs. None of those is inherently superior. Gel Provides a Cooler Sleep Some mattresses (noted in our Ratings) have a layer of gel-infused foam that’s supposed to provide a cooling effect. But that layer is buried beneath other layers. While our tests have shown that innerspring mattresses containing gel did tend to sleep slightly cooler, the reverse was true with gel-infused foam beds. Extra Lumbar Support Helps Back Sleepers A special lumbar-support zone is one of many ways manufacturers try to differentiate their product lines. But there’s no guarantee that it makes any real difference, and it hasn’t shown significant benefits in our tests. Forget About Comparison Shopping If you like a mattress at one store and ask elsewhere for something similar, you're likely to be steered toward a same-brand mattress claimed to have the same construction, components, and firmness.
But they’re probably not the same. Mattress makers offer some lines nationally, but when those brands are sold through major chains such as Macy's, Sears, and Sleepy’s, they're for lines exclusive to those chains. And manufacturers don't publish a directory of comparable mattresses. When we went to three bedding chains and asked for mattresses similar to those we’d bought at three department stores, five of the six were way off the mark. So use our Ratings as a guide, and insist on the precise make and model that scored well in our tests. Also check our Ratings of mattress brands and stores, based on subscriber surveys. If possible, lie on any mattress that you’re considering. Wear loose clothes and shoes you can slip off. Make yourself comfortable, and shoo away the salesperson if you’re feeling pressured. Salespeople should expect you to take your time. Spend at least five or ten minutes on each side and on your back (your stomach, too, if that's a preferred sleeping position).
Panelists who took beds home for a month-long trial rarely changed the opinion they formed after the first night. Shopping online or at a warehouse club? Tryouts aren’t usually an option, so checking return policies before you buy is extra important. Make sure the store offers a full refund or credit toward another mattress. Return periods, often called “comfort guarantees,” range from a couple of weeks to 120 days. Some retailers, including Macy’s and Sears, charge a 15-percent restocking fee. Costco and some online sellers provide free pickup if you want a refund or exchange, but otherwise, you’ll have to pay for it—or cart the mattress to the store. And you’ll be responsible for any damage. Once you’ve settled on a model, try to bring the price down. Many businesses, such as warehouse clubs, have fixed prices and won’t budge. But for retailers that do negotiate—particularly specialty chains—huge markups allow them to lower prices by 50 percent or more during their frequent sales.
Our recommendation: Any time of year, insist on a sale price you’ve seen for the mattress you know you want, and don’t be afraid to walk out if you feel you’re getting a raw deal. Don’t Be Bullied Into Buying a Box Spring You might not need it. For an innerspring mattress, the box spring (also called a “foundation”) is a wood frame enclosing stiff wire and covered with fabric to match the mattress. For foam or adjustable-air mattresses, it’s a box several inches high. If you're switching to a foam or adjustable-air bed from an innerspring, you'll need a boxy foundation that lacks springs and wire. Otherwise, if your box spring isn't broken and is still structurally sound, consider keeping it and saving money (roughly $150 to $300 for a queen-size). One caveat: Some brands require you to buy their box spring to receive full warranty coverage. It can range from 10 to 25 years and covers only manufacturing defects such as sagging and loose or broken coil wires.