How to Buy a Mattress

Considering we spend a third of our lives on mattresses, it's remarkable how little we think about them. Buying a new mattress is one of the most crucial choices we make as consumers. Read this page for an extra-firm guide on how to buy a mattress.

Introduction
- You don't have to be the heroine of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea" to need faultless bedding. Over 20 million Americans suffer from insomnia—and discomfort is a common cause. The mattress market, however, has become more complicated than ever with pneumatic chambers, sleep numbers and fluffy pillow-tops. As reported by Consumer Reports, Slate and other publications, shopping for a mattress has become a notoriously unpleasant task, not just because of the confusing array of options. This page offers a primer to the kinds of choices and sales tactics you can expect.
Step 1: Decide How Much to Spend
- While it's true that we spend around a third of our lives on our beds, don't convince yourself to buy one you can't afford. Unfortunately, there's plenty of disagreement in the media and blogosphere over the minimum amount to pay for a good mattress. Do you really get what you pay for?
1. According to Consumer Reports, the minimum cost for a good quality Queen-sized mattress is around $800.
2. However, as pointed out on the blog MyFirstApartment.com, a name-brand bed listed for around $800 can often be discounted and bargained down to nearly half that sum.
3. On the other hand, in his muckraking (and hilarious) article on the mattress industry, Slate consumer writer Seth Stephenson says to "just buy the cheapest thing you can stand and be done with it."
4. The bottom line is not to spend too much. If spending $4,000 on a Select Comfort Sleep Number 9000 means you'll have to eat nothing but ramen for the next six months, you can't afford it.
5. Use The Motley Fool's budgeting tools to determine whether you're getting in over your head.
Step 2: Choose a Size
- The size of bed you choose will have a significant impact on the price. Even so, you don't want one that's too small for comfort.
1. In descending order of surface space, standard mattress sizes are as follows:
  - Twin (also called Single): 39" by 75"
  - Twin Extra-Long: 39" by 80"
  - Full (also called Double): 54" by 75"
  - Queen: 60" by 80"
  - King: 76" by 80"
  - California King: 72" by 84"
2. If the bed is for you alone, consider a Full or Twin, or if you're over six feet tall, a Twin Extra-Long.
3. If you're buying a bed for two, a full might look large enough on the showroom floor, but not provide enough elbow room through a night of shifting and tossing.
4. Consider the size of the bed in terms of its footprint: how well will it fit in your living space?
5. Measure your bedroom and decide where the bed would be positioned. Then mark out the bed's dimensions on the floor, in masking tape.
6. It's possible that the most comfortable sized bed will also take up more room than you'd like. In that case, you'd have to make a sacrifice: a choice between comfort and living space.
Step 3: Consider Choices
- The standard innerspring mattress has a "core" of steel springs, surrounded by padding. There are several variable features in a standard mattress.
1. Firmness: A mattress' firmness is based on the consistency of the padding and springs.
  - Standard ratings for firmness are Firm, Medium (or Plush) and Pillow Top.
  - Back experts differ over whether or not a firm mattress is better for your spine.
    One perspective holds that the best mattress is one just firm enough to keep your spine straight while you're lying on your side.
    A scientific study has shown that a medium-firm mattress can help alleviate lower back pain.^[1]
  - Unfortunately, firmness varies from brand to brand, so you can't always expect a "Firm" of one brand to be just as firm as that of another.
  - What's important is that the firmness of your mattress matches your needs and tastes. The best way to gauge that is just to test it out.
2. Ticking: The ticking is the surface material of the mattress.
  - Though you will be throwing a sheet over it, the ticking can affect your comfort.
  - A mattress with all-synthetic ticking (such as polyester or vinyl) may not "breathe" enough, leaving you sweaty.
3. Coils: Coils are the metal springs in the mattress.
  - According to Consumer Reports, a Queen sized mattress should contain at least 390 coils.
  - Stephenson writes, however, that there are enough variables in the way coils are constructed to make the number of coils less important than it seems.
  - There is at least one clear distinction in coil construction: whether or not the coils are made of tempered steel. Tempered steel is more resilient, and therefore should lend the mattress a longer lifespan.
Step 4: Consider Specialty Mattresses
- While the waterbed hasn't yet totally gone the way of the Delorean, it's getting there. In its place, there has emerged new competition to the classic innerspring mattress. Since the 1990s, there been several major varieties of unconventional mattresses on the market. All three are more expensive, in general, than innerspring mattresses, but have advantages worth considering.
1. Memory Foam: The heat-sensitive polyurethane material that NASA developed in the 1970s is now used as a thick top layer in some mattresses. If you're used to standard coil mattresses, memory foam can feel a little strange, kind of like a big marshmallow. It can also be very comfortable.
2. Air Chambers: Some newer mattresses (the most popular being the Select Comfort Sleep Number Bed) use an inflatable core instead of springs. One advantage of the air-core is its adjustability: Select Comfort mattresses allow you to seperately adjust the firmness of each side of the bed. This feature could make it desirable for couples.
3. Latex: A third kind of specialty mattress is made with a core of latex rubber. Though it doesn't sound like a luxurious concept, it has been gaining popularity, particularly in Europe. Some of the benefits of latex include:
  1. Latex mattresses sometimes have firmness "zones": the head and foot of the mattress are softer, while the middle (where the hips rest) is firmer, thus providing support were it's most necessary.
  2. Latex is naturally antibacterial anti-bacterial and hypoallergenic, attributes that could benefit people with allergies and other sensitivities.
  3. Mattresses made from natural latex (from the rubber tree) are bio-degradeable—and can be an environmentally friendly alternative to the chemically-treated standard mattresses. Note that many latex mattresses are made from synthetic latex, which does not have the same environmental advantages.
Step 5: Compare
- If you've ever tried to compare the prices of mattresses between one retailer and another, you may have noticed a strange phenomenon: each retailer carries different models. According to Slate, mattress manufacturers put different names on the same mattress, depending on the retailer to whom it's supplied. So how are you supposed to compare a Simmons Beautyrest Nelson River Luxury from 1 Stop Mattress to a Simmons Beautyrest Classic Whitlock Super from Walmart?
1. Size: When you see ads for mattresses, circle the ones that come in your desired size.
2. Price: Now, cross off all the mattresses you can't afford.
3. Name Brand: Get pen and a blank sheet of paper. Using the brand names as headings, list the mattresses. Make sure to list the model, the price and the features of each mattress. These are the major brands:
  - Sealy
  - Serta
  - Simmons
  - Tempurpedic
  - Spring Air
  - Vera Wang
  - King Koil
4. Features: Lastly, compare the prices of mattresses with the same features, both within each brand name and between different brands. Match firm to firm, pillow-top to pillow-top, etc.
5. Retailers: Write down the names of the two retailers on your list that have the most appealing variety of options in your price range.
Step 6: Shop
- When you visit a retailer, tune out the salesperson. You'll be spending more time on your mattress than you spend in your car, so you can't afford to be distracted by the shenanigans of someone working on commission (most of them do).
1. Make a bee-line to the mattresses on your list before being steered away to others.
2. Lay down on each mattress and really get comfortable. Don't be self-conscious about it; remember, you're in a mattress store.
3. When you find a mattress that makes you feel comfy and tranquil, lay on it for at least 15 minutes in order to settle in really get the feel of it.
4. Don't make any hasty decisions. Find at least three satisfactory mattresses to compare, preferably at different retailers, before making an offer.
5. Regardless of the price, make an offer that's lower than what you're willing to spend.
6. If the salesman makes a counteroffer that's too high, tell him so. If he/she won't budge, just walk out the door. When the salesperson sees that you're serious, he or she may buckle under.
7. If there's no meeting of the pockets, just go on to the next retailer.
Step 7: Stay Covered
- You spend more time sleeping than you do any other human "activity" (save for continuous bodily functions like breathing and digesting), so it is important to mind your bed's warranty and return policy.
1. Mattresses can seem to have the best warranties around, next to the less-then-generous warranties sometimes offered for new cars. However, don't be dazzled by a 10, or even 20 year warranty, as most of them are pro-rated and less generous than they seem: Each year, you will be more and more responsible for the cost of a replacement. Not to mention, many warranties require you to pay shipping.
2. When you call the manufacturer to make good on the warranty, they will most likely dispatch a certified inspector to your home. This inspector will thoroughly examine the mattress to determine if the mattress is actually defective enough to be replaced, or if the terms of the warranty have been voided.
  - Defects that sometimes don't meet the criteria for coverage include surface sagging on 1.5 inches or less.
  - Reasons for the voiding of warranties can include small stains and the use of a non-approved bed frame.
3. Because it's likely that you may not benefit from the manufacturer's warranty, it's crucial to make sure of the retailer's return policy. Verify that the mattress is covered for at least 30 days, unconditionally—meaning that it can be returned on the basis that you merely "don't like it."
Conclusion
- Few people are prepared to engage in consumer warfare when buying a mattress. After all, mattresses evoke relaxation. If you're ready to step into the fray, however, you may get to recuperate on the mattress of your dreams.
Resources for How to Buy a Mattress