So I ordered a “Memory Foam Solutions” queen size 10 inch memory foam mattress (this one) from Amazon this week. I already had/have a Serta memory foam mattress (king size, 8 inches from Overstock) but I’ve had that for 5 years and I wanted to downsize to a smaller bed anyway. I also had $225 in Amazon gift cards and not much more to spend (had to buy new frame, linens, etc for the new size) so I went with this one because it had good reviews and was affordable.
But now I have it and it is currently expanding in my spare bedroom and I’m a little worried. It seems way too soft compared to my old mattress. The old one is supposed to be 2 inches of 3 pound foam with a “high density base” and this one is supposed to be 3 inches of 4 pound foam with a “high density base” but it feels way softer. I’ve spoken with the seller and he said to just give it time.
In the meantime, I’ve been browsing your site and I have a pit in my stomach because I feel like I made the wrong choice. I’m on a very very strict budget and now I’m wondering if I should just stay with my old bed or if the new one will be okay while I scrape up the money for something better.
Also, I bought this frame which is just like my old one (well, my old one was a different brand) and the seller is telling me that I need to put plywood between it and the frame or it won’t be supportive enough. If I do keep the new bed, do I absolutely need to do this or will it be OK? My old bed is much heavier (and my husband and I were much heavier when we bought it as well) and it has stood up very well so I don’t really understand why we need the plywood.
Thanks in advance and I hope I’m not too annoying with my questions. I really wish I had found this site BEFORE I bought the bed!!! I will definitely come here next time before buying another one.
I can certainly make a few comments but I’m not sure how helpful they will be since you have already purchased and received your mattress.
There are a few comments about memory foam comfort in post #2 here and some comments about Allsleep in post #12 here.
The density of memory foam or polyfoam has little to do with how soft or firm it may be and the only way to know how any mattress will feel for you or whether it is a suitable “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) is with your own personal testing or sleeping experience. There can also be many differences between the properties of different types of memory foam made by different manufacturers that can affect how a particular version of memory foam feels and performs even if they are the same density so density isn’t a reliable indicator of how soft or firm any particular memory foam may be (see post #9 here and post #8 here).
Firmness and softness is also fairly subjective and can also depend on your body type and sleeping positions so a mattress that feels firm to one person may feel soft to someone else. This is one of the reasons that I would be very cautious about using reviews (either positive or negative) as a reliable source of information about either the suitability or the durability of a mattress and in many cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a good choice for one person may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (see post #13 here).
There is also more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress that can help you identify and minimize the the risks involved in each of them in post #2 here.
If your mattress turns out not to be a suitable choice for you then they have a 30 day return policy but unfortunately once your mattress is decompressed then you would need to return it with a common carrier rather than courier (it would be too large to ship with a courier) and the cost of shipping and packaging may be more than the cost of your mattress.
At this point your most realistic option would be to sleep on the mattress to see whether it is a suitable choice in terms of PPP based on your actual sleeping experience.
If it does turn out to be too soft for you there aren’t any great ways to “firm up” a mattress that is too soft but there are some suggestions in post #2 here that may be helpful … at least partially or temporarily.
You can see my comments about these types of wire grid foundations in post #10 here. Whether it is suitable or not will depend to some degree on the type and firmness and the quality/density of the support core but the manufacturer or retailer of a mattress is generally the best source of guidance about whether a particular support surface is suitable for their mattresses (or whether it meets their warranty criteria) but since your mattress is in a very low budget range it’s much more likely that the materials are lower quality and less durable and that this type of foundation would create some sagging or permanent impressions in your mattress.
There can also be issues with a solid surface like plywood because it may not be stable on your foundation and won’t provide any ventilation under your mattress which in combination with other risk factors could increase the risk of developing mold or mildew issues in your mattress and it may be worth considering either a layer of ultra firm polyfoam or a bed rug to improve the support surface under your mattress (see post #10 here).
Wow, thank you so much for the response. It is so detailed and I have so much to read now.
If all else fails, I can sell the new mattress and frame because total, I’ve only spent a few hundred dollars and my current bed is still fine. I could take whatever proceeds I get from selling the new bed and save them (along with anything else I can spare in the next few months/years) until I can afford something better.