Buying a new mattress is one of the more challenging purchases to make. There are so many options and so many prices, you often don’t know where to start. It’s tempting to buy the most expensive mattress to think that you’re getting the best quality and the best sleep or to buy the least expensive figuring that it’s just a big markup anyways.
So where is the real truth? Probably somewhere in between. Most often, the higher priced ones have little added value over something that’s much less expensive, though I do advise staying away from the lowest price model, as it typically ends up being a case of ‘You get what you pay for.
Here are a few tips to find the best mattress possible for your budget:
Stay away from furniture stores. We have two major furniture chains in our area, and both are highly overpriced when it comes to mattresses. We buy our mattresses at a local store that does nothing but sell mattresses. Their store is pretty basic, they do little marketing, and they do delivery and setup themselves. If you buy from a big furniture store, a big chunk of your purchase price is going toward marketing, glitzy stores, and of course profit. You can save up to 50% by searching around.
Do your homework. There are so many mattresses that it’s hard to know what’s good and what’s not. Use a site like Consumer Reports to tell you some of the better rated mattresses, and use their Best Value recommendations.
Understand your needs. Mattresses are one of those things where one size does not fit all. Everybody has a different preference when it comes to how soft or firm a mattress is, and you should understand your needs and preferences going in. If the person you’re sharing the bed with has different preferences, you may have to pay a little more to get a more customized mattress. But, good sleep is worth that.
Once you have a mattress, here are some tips to extend the life of your mattress so that you can get the most use out of it.
Flip and rotate. The rule is that you are supposed to flip the mattress upside down and rotate it every six months. This isn’t possible with pillow top mattresses, but you should still rotate them. Pick a date or time of year that will remind you. We use our wedding anniversary as a date to flip, and then try to remember around our half anniversary to do it again.
Vacuum. I’m not sure if it’s an old wives tale, but I’ve heard that mattresses typically weigh 50-100% more after being used for 10 years or so than when they’re new, and that the extra weight is dust. If that’s true, that’s pretty disgusting and I would figure it has to change the composition of your mattress, and not in a good way. When you flip and rotate, run the furniture attachment over your mattress and your box spring.
Spend money on good padding. You should always have a quality pad. I wouldn’t go for the cheaper ones because I believe you get what you pay for, and I’ve learned that the hard way as the cheaper pad I once bought began ripping after less than a year. We now have a high quality pad and it lasts well. If you have a ‘warm’ sleeper that tends to sweat a lot, make sure to launder your pad regularly, otherwise it will start to smell and that smell will get into your mattress. Few things are less inviting to a good nights sleep than a stinky bed.
What tips and tricks have you used when mattress shopping or for after you have that mattress to keep it providing good sleep?
Thank you for reading.