The Step-by-Step Mini-Guide to Choosing a Mattress1. Determine Your Need for a New Mattress
How old is your current one? If more than seven years, it’s probably time to replace it. Also consider a new mattress if you wake up tired or achy, if you sleep better at hotels than at home, if your mattress looks saggy or lumpy, or if you’re over age forty and your mattress is five to seven years old. Bodies tolerate less pressure as they age.
2. Pick a Size
Go bigger if your current bed feels too small. Get all the room you need.
3. Choose Your Material
Decide between innerspring, memory foam, and inflatable mattresses.
“Innerspring” mattresses are the most common choices, though memory foam mattresses are increasingly popular. Developed to protect astronauts against G-forces, memory foam is heat-sensitive and conforms to your body. Not all memory foam beds feel the same, and they can take time to get used to. Inflatable mattresses let you choose a different firmness for each half of the bed. According to Consumer Reports magazine, one mattress does not perform better than another, so it’s all personal preference.
4. Check out Your Options in Person
Avoid online, phone, and catalog shopping (unless you’ve already done your research in person.)
Try to find the mattress that feels best for you – there is no one-size-fits-all mattress. Don’t go by name and price only. Spend a good fifteen minutes on each potential candidate in the store, lying down on each side and on your back. Try to visit a store after a full day of work. Wear sweatpants and a loose shirt (similar to what you might wear to bed.) Make sure to test each mattress out in as real a setting as possible.
5. Try and Get a Deal on the Box Spring
A box spring is generally just a wood frame enclosing stiff wire and covered with fabric. If your current box spring is only a few years old, with no serious wear and tear, consider keeping it. If the old box has bouncy springs instead of stiff wire, it should be replaced. Some salespeople will tell you that you’ll violate the warranty if the mattress and box spring are not sold as a set. You should go to the manufacturer’s website and get this type of information beforehand.
6. Check Return and Warranty Policies
Some retailers allow you to return a mattress within a certain time period, often with a fee. Note that warranties typically are hard to enforce. They don’t usually cover normal wear and tear.
7. Wait for Sales
Specialty mattresses, however, rarely go on sale.
8. Be Involved with Final Delivery
Ask if you can get your old mattress picked up when the new one arrives. Make sure your sales agreement includes a no-substitutions clause so that if the bed you ordered is out of stock, you won’t be surprised with another type. When it's delivered, look for damage, and request a replacement if necessary. If they bend your mattress around a corner, significant damage to the wire frame can result. (Make sure you get what you ordered; check the mattress name with the invoice.)