How to choose a new mattress?

[MrsPinecone]

Our mattress is somewhat past its prime. I bought this bed when I moved back from England, and it's getting kind of dippy and uncomfortable. I didn't pay a bunch of $$$ for it, so I am frankly surprised that it lasted this long.

Anyone have any tips on how to choose from the dizzing selection of mattresses and price points out there? Best stores? That kind of thing...

[hotcouponmama]

You take my kids shopping and let my 3 boys jump on it!!!! If it's still standing when they are done with it, you know it's a keeper!!!

We always start with our price range and the size we need. We tend to (in the past) look for floor models as you can get a deal on those. The store down the road the other day that I went to go get a twin mattress from had a king size mattress set marked down really well.

This bed around, we literally did let the kids go in and jump all over the place. We bought a sleep number bed and it's the best mattress we've ever slept on.

I don't think there's a good way to know in the store how well you're going to sleep on a mattress for what could be the next 10 years.

We've bought mattresses from JCPenney, Macys (sometimes they have the best deal in town if you dig around). Your local mattress warehouse sometimes has a good deal. I think the best thing is, set your price range, decide what features you're going to want (we really like the pillowtop mattresses) and then check out 3-4 stores to see if you're in the ball park. I will say, queen mattressses are cheaper and easier to find deals on than king sizes, and twins are easier than fulls.

[trosario]

i'm looking for a new set of queen mattresses. i've already decided on the store (no sales tax and i can get a 10% discount off my first purchase if i apply for their store credit card). here are my questions:

1. should all box springs be about the same? i've seen one for $150. and another for $180. - why the difference in price? maybe name brand?

2. do you have to buy special sheets to fit the pillow top mattress? for a queen size pillow top, will i have to by king size sheets?

3. would you purchase a mattress and box spring that do not have the same name brand? (i.e., a serta mattress and a taylor box spring)

thanks for your thoughts!

[TheWoman]

1. I don't know
2. Most sheets made today will fit pillowtop mattresses. Do not go up a size or they won't fit. If you are buying new sheets, the package will say how thick a mattress they will fit. Buy queen sheets that are deep enough for your mattress.
3. I see no problem with 2 different brands if you can get a better deal that way.

[patcheskitty]

1. I think they're all the same general thing, frankly you arent sleeping on the box springs and I've never seen them 'go bad' so I would spend less on that if it meant more on the mattress, JMHO.
2. We had a king size pillowtop, just make sure you get deep pocket queen size sheets, the regular ones will slip off.
3. You're not going to know what brand they are once you put them on the frame, so I would =)

[SummerAnne]

Originally Posted by trosario 3. would you purchase a mattress and box spring that do not have the same name brand? (i.e., a serta mattress and a taylor box spring)

All depends on if the mattress has a warranty and if using a different box spring would void that warranty. Serta has 10 years on their mattresses and I'm pretty sure I remember that it's voided if you don't use a Serta box spring.

[berlinsmommy]

We got ours about a year ago at Macy's and we got a steal. Quite often the department stores clearance out and move around stuff and better deals can be had there than at those liquidators and the quality is so much better. My advice is to go lay on some and like HCM said, decide what you want as far as size, firmness, pillowtop, memory foam, etc. Most of the department store sales people work on commission but they are not pushy like car salespeople. If you don't find what you like in your price range, give them your preferences, your price range, and your contact info and have them call you if they get something that might meet your needs. I saw the best products for the price at Macy's and Sears when we were shopping and was sadly disappointed at the crappy quality stuff at those bargain stores. When I found ours it was just a bargain and we snapped it up, but we were actually shopping for Berlin and those bargain places had thin, skimpy mattress and foundation sets around $350. We went to Macy's and got her a super nice, thick, plush mattress and real foundation for about $450 plus tax, well worth the extra $100, her mattress looks like it is twice as thick as the ones at the bargain places, and it is so comfortable, an adult can easily sleep on it and find it comfortable.