Shopping for a new mattress. It is right up there with going to the dentist or shopping for a used car in terms of how NOT fun it is. So the last thing you want to do is have to buy a new one often. While most major brand mattresses, both coil mattress and memory foam mattress, are made to wear out rather quickly and get you back into the mattress market, there are 4 things you can do to help you get the most out of your mattress and make it last longer.
- A Good Mattress Starts With A Good Foundation: Proper support requires your mattress to be supportive. If your mattress is on a worn-out or broken box spring or foundation, your mattress will follow suit. If you are having back issues from your mattress not supporting your back properly, don't automatically assume it's your mattress. Remove your mattress from its foundation and inspect it for broken slats or bent or broken elements. Test it by pushing on the box spring surface, looking for soft spots, protruding springs or listening for squeaks. One way to find out if your foundation is causing your back issues is to remove the mattress from its foundation and place it on the floor. If it changes the feel of your mattress, it may be time to replace the foundation or box spring. A properly supportive box spring or slats can help keep a mattress in prime condition.
- Protect and Serve: One of the fastest ways to hasten the demise of your new mattress is by leaving it unprotected. A good mattress protector is a minor investment that pays off big time. And not just any mattress protector will do. You want a mattress protector that will keep out dust mites, dead skill cells and moisture. Dead skin cells have body oils attached and over a period of time, the combination of body oils and dead skin cells can accumulate and lead to the fibers and top layers of materials to matte and lose their buoyancy. Protectors that advertise they have a material pore size small enough to prevent skin cells and dust mites from passing through the fabric. And make sure you wash that protector! Most protectors get placed on the mattress and never removed. It is important to wash the protector often to wash away all of the accumulated organic material that gathers on the protector.
- Follow the manufacturer's recommendation on flipping and spinning the mattress: Though most manufacturer's no longer require flipping the mattress, or like most, they are now one sided, it is important to ensure rotation of the mattress. If you warranty does not require flipping, try rotating the mattress head to toe once every 6 months. This ensures a more even wearing of the mattress. All beds, whether memory foam or organic latex mattresses, are subject to wear and tear, and rotating will help ensure a longer life.
- Handle with Care! Not all mattresses are created equal, and some are more easily damaged than others. Make sure you find out the proper handling procedures for your particular model. Coil mattresses contain metal coils which are subject to bending, and some coil mattresses have border wires keeping those coils in place. Border wires cannot be bent and once they are bent, the mattress is usually ruined. The same goes with memory foam mattress. All memory foam mattresses are constructed of layers of foam, consisting of a base layer and comfort layers, held together with glues. When moving a memory foam mattress you want to ensure you do not fold or twist the mattress, as doing so can permanently damage the mattress by causing the layers to separate and buckle.
A good coil mattress should last 10 years, a good quality memory foam mattress can last 12-15 years, and a good quality organic natural latex mattress can last 15-20 years if properly maintained. At Nest Bedding in the Albany Berkeley Ca area, we sell high quality latex, organic and non-toxic memory foam mattresses designed to outlast most major brands. We also carry protectors designed to be easily removed and washed.