How to Buy a Mattress

Buying the right mattress can be one of the most important purchases you'll make for your home. By selecting a quality brand name that properly supports your body, you'll enjoy years of restful sleep and awake feeling refreshed. Select the wrong one and you'll never sleep quite as deeply or feel quite as rested as you could.

We know that shopping for a mattress can be confusing. Deciding what to buy, where to buy, and how to get the best price is complicated by the vast number of choices available. We're here to help. Keep reading for a quick primer on mattress types, construction, and some insider's tips on how to buy the right one for you.

Mattress Types Shopping Tips Where To Buy

Mattress Types

Innerspring

Innerspring mattresses are the most widely sold, constructed of a network of coils (springs) for support and covered by one or more types of polyester, latex, or visco-elastic foam and polyester batting for comfort. The cover, or ticking, is stitched to the top padding, and can be made of many materials, including polyester, cotton-polyester blends, wool, damask, microsuede, or even silk. When shopping, pay attention to the stitching- a large quilted pattern on the top will feel a little more "cushiony," while a smaller pattern will tend to feel a little firmer. When shopping for an innerspring mattress, you'll likely hear references to "coil counts" - the number of coils used in the mattress. The point to understand here is that the firmness of the mattress is dependant on the number, conguration and spacing of the coils, as well as the gauge (thickness) of the wire used in the coils. Heavier-gauge wire or a higher number of more closely-spaced coils typically provides a firmer feel, while lighter-gauge wire or fewer, more widely-spaced coils will feel "springier."

Memory Foam

Memory foam mattresses have become extremely popular in recent years. Popularized by industry-leader TempurPedic, and since emulated by a number of other manufacturers, the foam technology was initially developed by NASA scientists to relieve the tremendous g-forces experienced by astronauts during blast-off. Millions of satisfied customers swear by the way memory foam conforms to their bodies, providing support where needed, and eliminating the pressure points that previously caused stiffness, tossing and turning, and a lack of quality sleep. Memory foam has also proven popular for those with allergies, as some brands, like TempurPedic, are treated to be resistant to dust mites and other allergens. Memory foam is temperature sensitive so it is highly conforming to your body. Mattresses with memory foam can be all foam, have a coil unit or incorporate gel or latex.

Memory foam is measured by density. Normally, the minimum density of a quality memory foam is 3 pound. You can find memory foam mattresses at all price points, but be aware of the density and quality of the memory foam. The density of the foam has a direct impact on the long lasting comfort & durability of a memory foam mattress.

Gel Memory Foam

Gel memory foam is one of the newest innovations in sleep technology. Gel memory foam combines the benefits of traditional memory foam with the cooling effect of gel. Serta has a wide range of mattresses with gel-infused memory foam like their popular iComfort line and the new iComfort Directions line.

Shopping Tips

Tip #1- Shop For Comfort

Our first tip in shopping for the right mattress is very simple- shop for the most comfortable mattress you can find, and afford. Most of us sleep, on average, eight hours a day - a third of our lives. When spending that much time in bed, comfort is important. Shop for comfort. There's no big secret to finding a comfortable mattress- we suggest visiting the store with the largest selection in town and trying them out one after the other so that you can easily compare them. Judging comfort in a mattress is a very individual thing, so you have to do this yourself. What's comfortable to you, may be too soft or too firm, for someone else. Once you've narrowed it down to the one or two that feel best, we recommend taking what we call the "10 Minute Sleep Test." Spend at least 10 minutes trying out your top picks. Lie on your back, on your sides, and particularly on your stomach if you sleep that way- sometimes pillowtops or mattresses that are too-plush aren't as comfortable for those who sleep on their stomachs. And don't be too concerned about how the support is described. One manufacturer's "firm" may feel the same as another's "extra firm." Go by feel. After trying a few out, a knowledgeable salesperson can guide you to other options with the "feel" you're looking for.

Tip #2- Shop For Quality

A well-made, high-quality mattress set should last at least 8-10 years. But how do you know that the mattress that feels so comfortable in the showroom will last, particularly when all you can see of its construction is the fabric cover? Our suggestion- see the experts at Mattress Warehouse! We stand behind every product we sell. Every mattress we carry has the manufacturer's warranty built-in. You can rest assured that we will be here for you after the sale to help in any way we can. No big corporate office to go to, no shareholders to answer to, no red tape- just old fashioned, local hometown service. Stop in today and see why shopping local saves you time, money and hassle!

Where To Buy

It seems that everyone's selling mattresses these days- traditional specialty mattress stores, department stores, furniture stores, factory/retail operations - even home improvement and appliance stores. So where should you go to get the best mattress, the best advice, and the best price? We'll give you our view and let you decide.

Selection

When shopping for a mattress, selection is important- more mattresses to choose from means a greater chance that you'll find the perfect mattress for you. Most department stores, furniture stores, and appliance stores carry one, or maybe two brands, usually in only a couple different models. Factory/retail operations, by denition, typically carry only one brand (their own) in a few models. The odd home improvement store that dabbles in mattresses might have one brand in one model and a couple sizes tucked back somewhere between screen doors and the paint department. As a specialty mattress retailer, we know that no single manufacturer has all the answers when it comes to comfort. That's why we carry 7-8 different innerspring and memory foam brands in multiple models, and sizes. At any given time, you will find up to 70 different mattresses on our showroom floors, and hundreds more in our Michiana warehouse. Save your gas money. When it comes to selection, we can't be beat.

Knowledgeable Advice

More and more retailers like appliance stores and home improvement stores are now selling mattresses as a sideline. It should come as no surprise that finding someone to provide you with knowledgeable answers when shopping for mattresses can be a challenge- mattresses just don't represent enough of their businesses to send everyone to training. At Mattress Warehouse, selling mattresses is all we do. Our salespeople are friendly, knowledgeable, and factory trained. Theycan not only tell you exactly what's inside the mattress that you can't see, but can explain the differences between various brands. And by asking you the right questions, they'll help you find the right mattress for you.

Getting The Best Price

At Mattress Warehouse, buying and selling name-brand mattresses is all we do. We are a locally-owned chain of specialty mattress stores who buy in a national buying group in order to get the lowest prices on warehouse quantities of name-brand mattress sets, and passing the savings on to you. It's worked pretty well for over three decades, and with your support, it'll work for a couple more.

Thank you for your time in visiting our site today. We look forward to meeting you in person.