How to Shop for a Mattress

If you're in the market for a new mattress, first, acknowledge the very act of buying a mattress is uncomfortable. You're laying down, in front of a stranger....who wants to sell you something.  Trying to relax, while your brain is hissing 'pay attention, so you don't overspend'.

Not a primer on coil counts, or anything like that, but after 25+ years in busy retail furniture, The Refreshed Home knows this is how you'll be guided to easily make your own best decision.

Mattresses degrade a teeny tiny bit, every night, you just don't notice it, attributing sleeplessness or your aching back to other things.  Average lifespan of a mattress used most every night hovers around 10 years, and that time goes by fast. Funny, many of my customers decided to replace their mattress after returning from a trip-where they slept on another mattress- and realized they could wake up, feeling great!

• Be prepared. Show up with a reasonably full stomach, dressed lightly, in loose and comfortable clothing...including shoes that slip off, and yes, good socks.
• Leave bags and bulky coats in the car, and find a baby-sitter if there are kids.  Fitting some shopping in when you're tethered to children, or at the end of the work day, hungry and in uncomfortable clothes is not condusive to you making your best choice.
• If there are two of you who'll be sleeping on this, shop together. First because one person's weight and movement will affect the others' comfort, but also there are things you will just want to discuss in real time, face to face.
• If you have any allergies (latex, down), any other needs-like a low profile or split box spring-let the salesperson know that first.

Price is important, but chances are you haven't been mattress shopping for years, so have a range in mind, but be open, and gather information first. If you have a definite price parameter tell the salesperson up front. Cost is an important qualifier, most showrooms are set up accordingly, so you're not racing from one end to the other to try mattresses. Sometimes there is stock on new, but discontinued models.

• A 'hard' mattress won't take the place of a good chiropractor, or last longer. If you like the feel of a firmer mattress, that's fine, but it's not inherently better.
• Don't be wed to any one brand early on. Brand X might have served you well for many years, or Aunt Sophie might have hated her Brand Y mattress, but to be competitive, most manufacturers carry a wide range of styles/price points, and tweak-if not change- their product almost every year. Just focus on what is in front of you.
• Simply, lay down. Don't be shy, lie like you normally would, for a minute or two so you can really notice the differences. Trying and buying a mattress is an intimate thing, you want to relax.  I always told my customers a few things they needed to know, including that I'd disappear for a few minutes to let them be.
• Don't flood your mind, trying to understand the jargon/technology-or compare prices until you've narrowed it down to a few that you like. THEN ask questions about the differences between the ones you like.
• A lot is riding on your making a good decision, if you're unsure, making a return visit to try it again, on another day is not a bad idea.