* Buying
an Innerspring Mattress – The One-Sided Story *
Buying a new mattress (and box spring) can be one of the more frustrating experiences in
life. What size should I buy? How much should I spend? How many coils should it have? What
firmness do I need for proper support? What’s a pillow top?
These questions and others like them can make shopping for a mattress about as much fun as
a trip to the oral surgeon. And if it wasn’t already confusing enough, they now make
one-sided mattresses. What’s that all about?
Well, let’s take a couple of minutes and talk about one-sided mattresses.
As a furniture retailer for over 24 years, I’ve seen a lot of ideas “come
and go”. (I’ve also seen one of these “one-sided” mattresses cut in
half, exposing its inner construction.) May I ask you to do me a huge favor? Let the
“one-sided” mattress idea “go”.
There is absolutely nothing “better” or “revolutionary” about
these new one-sided mattresses. They are constructed with the very same materials that
have been used for several years in mattress construction. They are however much LESS
expensive to build giving the bedding manufacturer much MORE profit.
But let’s assume for a moment that I don’t know what I’m talking
about. Let’s assume that the materials and construction of these new mattresses are
truly “space-age”.
What are you going to do if you or the kids spill something icky on your new
one-sided mattress? What if that new addition to the family has an “accident” on
the new mattress? What if the top is damaged during a move? What are you going to do?
Nothing. I don’t care if it is made of “21st century” materials. You’ve
only got one side to your mattress. Let’s talk about durability. In other words, the
length of time, in years, your new mattress will provide proper comfort and support. The
foam and filling materials in EVERY mattress will eventually settle and compress to
conform to your body weight. Testing proves it.
Flipping your mattress over from time to time increases the “comfort-life”
of your mattress much the same way as rotating your tires increases their useful life.
Here again, if your mattress only has one sleeping surface, you don’t have that
option. Your mattress simply won’t last as long.
“But it’s covered by the warranty”, you say. Better look again. Many
of those one-sided mattress warranties only cover “depressions” in excess of ONE
AND ONE-HALF inches deep! Anything less than one and one-half inches is not considered a
“defect”. (Get a ruler out and visualize a depression that deep where you lay on
your mattress. That’s NOT covered by most warranties.)
My advice? Buy a TWO-sided mattress. It's a much more sound investment. It simply
offers you more options and durability for your money. Next time we’ll talk about the
simple “how to’s” of purchasing the TWO-sided mattress that’s right
for you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the Author ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael Fugate is the author of the book, "Furniture Buying for the
Confused". You won't want to buy any home furnishings until you've discovered the
secrets revealed by this furniture industry "insider". For more info and to
participate in his online discussion forum, visit http://www.furnitureadvice.com |
