Talk to me about buying a new mattress?
MashupDad and I are finally going to bite the bullet and invest in a new mattress. Ours has been terrible for years and although I've tried a number of temporary fixes (and even wrote about how to fix a sagging mattress here!), none has proven to be a long term solution. The mattress topper from Kohl's did help for a while as a cost-effective short term fix, but has already squished down after about a year of use.
So we spent most of today looking at mattresses, and my head is now swimming -- and spent way too long at the sleep number store (see snazzy brochure above), where we learned that we have about the opposite opinion on mattress firmness. I like a super firm mattress, he likes a very soft mattress, and never the twain shall meet. And what's up with nothing being comparable from store to store?
We bought a cheap memory foam mattress from Amazon a few years ago because we had nothing for houseguests. That whole process was fascinating even just to watch it expand out of the box and it's been great for short term use (with compliments from family who have slept on it). But, I think we're going for something more supportive here that will hopefully last a while and help my aching back. 🙂 (Although these Nectar Sleep ones are interesting and have good reviews + $100 off with code NECTAR100, and Eight Sleep mattresses are also interesting with multiple different layers, bed warming technology (!), and a sleep tracker.)
Do you love your mattress?
So let's talk about mattresses: Do you have one that you love? One that has lasted a long time? Been worth the investment? Am I the only one who hates this whole process?
I don't have it, but I've been eyeing it: Purple mattress.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BvwpjaGZCQ
I'd love to hear what people who have it think...
Oh yeah, and I have a cheap memory foam from Menards. It's sagging all over now. I need a new one.
We have a serta I-comfort and loved it. Needed to upgrade to a king size and decided to buy a mattress from online company. We loved it so much, we bought another one for our daughter. Mattress is the "Leesa". 100 day trial. No haggles. Definitely recommend!
I know what you mean about not being able to compare from store to store. One store calls the mattress "Cloud-something" and another store calls the same mattress "Dream-something." None of the names are the same! I learned to compare the various kinds of mattresses, (like pillow-top, firm, etc.), and then compare mattresses in the same price range at different stores. I bought our mattresses too long ago to recommend a name, but ours has a pillow-top, and was in the medium-high (not super high) price range. Ours was advertised as a mattress that was not supposed to move around too much if your partner rolled over or got out of bed. This is pretty much true, but it is a little firm for me, even with the pillow-top. If you haven't bought a mattress in a while, you will probably need new sheets, because they are all so deep/high now. I have had good luck with Simmons Beautyrest, and I don't know anything about Sleep Number.
I went store to store, laying on mattresses that seemed like what I wanted and were close to my price range, and then decided which store I liked the best, and then went back and offered them a lower price for the mattress I wanted, and they ended up giving it to me for that price. I still don't really know if I got the best price, but the mattresses have held up well. You also might need a new frame or they won't warranty the bed? Ours was older and actually very strong, so we kept what we had. I might have also gotten free delivery and take away thrown in, I can't remember. So you could try negotiating for that too. It's kind of like buying a car, if a Mustang was called an Appaloosa on a different lot...
Good luck! It is worth the price in the end. You spend a lot of time in bed each night, and a good night's sleep is so important.
My advice is if your not happy if the have a return policy take advantage of it. My mother bought a top of the line mattress from Macy's she even got the shorter box spring, it was so high her feet couldn't touch the ground and it was not as comfortable as she thought. She returned it and bought a cheaper more known brand and is very happy, it ended up costing her a restocking fee, but she got a cheaper priced mattress
A friend has gotten mattresses (and lots of other stuff) from The Dump. They got a very expensive adjustable one and they didn't like it. Returned it and got a different one. I think they may have even returned that one too. They take back, pick up and deliver. I have not been there but they really like what they sell there.
I think I mentioned it last year when you posted about mattresses but we wouldn't trade our sleep number for anything. This is our second one (we got a new one not because there was any problem with the mattress but because we wanted a bigger size). I don't like their bottom of the line version because to me those do feel too air- mattressy, but we have one from one of the middle lines and it is awesome. I think we've had the current one for about 5 years now and it's still perfect. Probably our favorite part is that we can have different firmnesses, because like you guys we have very different opinions about mattresses! If we had bought a conventional mattress neither of us would have gotten what we wanted. I also like that you can change it, so if my back is acting up I'll make it a notch or two firmer which is so handy. They are really pricey but for us they've held up much better than other mattresses we've had, and the comfort is totally worth it. Of course, not everyone likes the feel, so you have to really spend time testing in the store (and take advantage of their return policies if you have to).
I think you should shop a lot of stores for what's comfortable and then choose one with a great return/exchange policy. That way if you need back up if something goes wrong, you have a big store behind you. They pretty much know what is the same mattress across brands. I would think your Costco might be a good bet. Our mattress is over 10 yrs. old and we sleep in a rut on each side, but for some reason, it's not really too uncomfortable. When we were kids, we got a nice mattress, and used them until the fabric wore out, and we never slept in a hole and they didn't cost $1.000.
We got ours from the Carsons outlet in Naperville. They always have mattresses and often have sales on the outlet price. I think it is on Jefferson off of 59. It is a Simmons black label. They are regularly OUTRAGEOUSLY priced but OMGoodens is it a great mattress. All mattresses are not created equal. Sleep has been...yummy for years. Now before you think is is gross to buy a returned mattress, you sleep on a used mattress at a hotel right? They often have record of the reason it was returned - didn't fit in the room, too warm, snagged fabric... I get that if you spend that much money on a thing you want it to be perfect. The drawback to going this route is if it is not magical for you, I don't think you can return it to the outlet.
We also bought our mattress at the Carsons outlet many years ago and are still very happy with it. We will definitely go back there when we are ready to upgrade to a king.
We have also bought 2 mattresses there and had a great experience! I believe one mattresss was from a photoshoot and the other may have been a store display?
We also checked the Macy's furniture store in Schaumburg (there were clearanced mattresses upstairs there) but Carsons was much cheaper at the time. Haven't been to The Dump but that seems like a good option too. We did go for the non-pillowtop variety as a few salespeople warned us they can make back pain worse.
We bought a mattress about 7 yrs ago from a local, furniture mega-store. Have no idea whether we got a good deal or not since we didn't shop around (for once!), but if they tell you you HAVE to cover with this particular pad/cover for the warranty, don't buy it there or try to negotiate it being thrown in for free. We got charged 3x what the exact same one went for on Amazon/eBay.
I have an adjustable bed frame (where you can raise your head or feet) and that's my favorite part of our bed. However, if you get one, get the king size where the two sides of the bed can raise independently. Also, I have a Costco memory foam mattress (that comes with the adjustable bed frame) and it's causing me quite a bit of back pain, so I don't recommend them.
we just went through the same process. our mattress is 18 years old. we really wanted the adjustable type bed as my niece has one and loves it (she has a serta one). we also have friends with sleep number and love it. this being said, we have a beautiful wood platform bed and didn't want to part with it as it is only 2 years old. so, sleep number would not work with that (not serta either). we found tempurpedic could be used with it. however, those were approx $8,000-10,000 for a cal king split adjustable bed. not happening. we then looked at bob's and was afraid of the quality there, but maybe it's fine, i don't know. however, after much time there and them telling us it came in a cal king split, found out it doesn't. we then went to art van and did end up buying an adjustable bed there with the mattress. my husband and i also found out we like different mattresses. his is a little firmer than the one i decided on. we don't have it yet so can't tell you how we like it. we are expecting it next week. and we figured out we have to get rid of the drawers in our platform bed or the height of the bed would be to my upper body parts! my husband is working on that part.....so be careful if you do decide on an adjustable because of the height. we are so excited though because we will both be able to move the top part up/down, the feet up/down and it has a massager. i also looked at costco but they didn't have the cal king adjustable. be careful of the mattress return policies....we found they varied and that you get charged a pick up fee at most places. i think costco would be a better bet in that case if you might need to return. i would call and ask. since you can't lay on it (at costco), you may have to return if you don't like it. but i have read good things about costco and mattresses. they just didn't have the cal king. feel free to email me if you have more questions. we spent a few days going around as well. very time consuming!
My husband and I have drastically different opinions on mattresses also. I have back problems and prefer very firm, He likes plush. Our old mattress was over 10 years old, pillow top, top of the line $2500 Stearns and Foster. I swear, after 1 year, we hated it, but we kept it for 10 years since we paid so much.
Three years ago, we went to Quality Sleep Shop in Lagrange. Bought a 2 SIDED handmade king size Madelyn style firm mattress. I love it. I don't wake up achy and stiff. Husband was OK with it, but wanted more cushion, so since it's a king, he went to Costco and got a twin size memory foam pad for his side. Yes, it looks kind of strange when the bed is made, but both of us are sleeping really well now.
Love the 2 sided mattress. When it starts to feel a little soft, we flip and rotate it, No more sleeping in the other person's impression
I highly recommend Verlo! They can custom make any mattress for you and they stand behind the mattresses!
We had an issue 3 years after our purchase, they picked the mattress up in the morning fixed it and returned it in the afternoon at no charge! You can't beat that kind of service.
We purchased the Serta I comfort Recognition plush hybrid and it was delivered last weekend. We also splurged on the adjustable base and ours has a massage feature ! Love it. Serta brand is price fixed. The hybrid has a layer of the I comfort and has coil springs.
for a king size with adj base, it runs around $3400. I would also recommend you buy the mattress protector with a new mattress purchase. it guarantees the warranty on the mattress.
Your are definitely not the only one that hates this process, it can be so frustrating! The mattress that i have (and love!) is an all natural latex mattress from Cocomat(https://www.coco-mat.com/store/us_en/natural-mattresses) that is made only by natural materials. I had it for 2 years and I am very satisfied! It was a worthy investment.