Aonian,
Thank you for this post, I wish I had read it before purchasing.
I too had a similar problem with my Medium BME, and found myself sleeping in a jacknife position, which led to crippling mornings after. I am 6 foot male weighing 230 lbs.
Like you I ws interested in a firm but theBB rep strongly pushed a medium and I regret it. They will be taking mine back.
I haven’t gotten through the return experience, but hopefully it will be better than yours.
Hi Royce,
While you certainly made a great quality/value choice … I’m sorry to hear that the firmness level you chose didn’t work out as well as you hoped for.
Their firmness suggestions have the best chance of success based on the averages of other customers that are similar to you in terms of their body type and sleeping positions and in the large majority of situations it would be the most suitable choice but there will always be some cases that are “outside the averages” with any online purchase so it’s unfortunate that you were one of the few. Of course this is also the reason that a good return policy can be an important part of any online purchase.
Aonian is the only member I’ve seen that had any delays or issues in returning their mattress and this was likely because they had only been available for a few months at the time and hadn’t had a return from that area previously (their post is almost a year old) so you certainly shouldn’t have any issues returning your mattress.
Phoenix
You know I was told the same thing by the sales team with BB and read it here. But this was definitely not what happened in my case… It never softened up.
The bed itself seems like a quality bed and I enjoyed it but it was just way too firm.
They finally picked the bed up from from us 3 days ago and was contacted by Mario that our credit has been applied. Haven’t seen it on our card as of yet but hopefully in the next day or so it will show up.
kgressler, where do you plan to go from here? Are you gonna try the soft version?
BB did infact apply my credit this morning and I’ve talked with them about ordering the soft version and making sure we are in fact still eligible for a return after the 120 days.
I think we are leaning that way but my wife and I haven’t discussed it much…I think she is still hesitant about the firmness of the soft mattress. If we do in fact go this route I will for sure check back in.
Hi kgressler,
Thanks for the update.
Their return policy here says that it can only be used once per customer per calendar year.
Phoenix
[quote=“Phoenix” post=64412]Hi kgressler,
Thanks for the update.
Their return policy here says that it can only be used once per customer per calendar year.
Phoenix[/quote]
Huh well this is not what they told me just 3 or 4 days ago. So either they lied to me or they need to retrain their customer service people. She even put me on hold to “go ask” to make sure. Well this has basically made up my mind for me now.
kgressler,
My name is Mario, I manage our Brooklyn Bedding site.
I do apologize for any miscommunication, it is possible the information was simply misunderstood. We do offer the ability to return or exchange the mattress due to the fact we are one of the only companies offering multiple comfort levels. Like many other online companies we do offer a risk free option for return but this option can only be used once per customer. We offer the ability to exchange the mattress so that you are able to get one that is softer or more firm if the original mattress is not working out for you. In the event that the new mattress is not working for you either there would be a fee to return the mattress, that fee would depend on your location. We truly wish to allow our customers the ability to be fully satisfied with our mattress, we feel it is one of the best options that is available but also understand comfort is subjective to each individual.
Please feel free to contact me directly and I would be happy to discuss this with you in more detail if you like.
Thank you,
Mario
Brooklyn Bedding
480.323.8831
Just wanted to give my feedback on the BME. Very strong smell, we are trying to air it out…mattress is not a full king size, its too short on the sides. I’m waiting to see if it expands more but its been about 48 hours so far. We got a firm and it feels very firm. We have not slept on it yet due to the strong odor - strong enough that you can smell it on the whole floor.
I will report back with more and what we decide after a little time passes.
Hi eeks,
That’s very odd. Your experience is certainly the exception and it’s possible you either have a much more sensitive sense of smell than most people or perhaps you are more sensitive to the normal smell of latex because you are the first one to mention a strong smell out of hundreds of people that have given their feedback about it on the forum. It’s also possible that the smell may be coming from something else besides the mattress (such as a mattress protector or mattress pad if you are using one or even a new pillow) but of course I can’t know that for certain.
Assuming that the smell is coming from the mattress … there are some suggestions in post #3 here that may be helpful. I would make sure that you remove all the sheets and bedding when you aren’t sleeping on it so that it can air out until the smell has gone away.
What are the measurements of your mattress?
There are some comments about standard sizing and sizing variances in post #2 here that should be helpful but it can sometimes take a few days or in a few cases even up to a week for a mattress to completely decompress and regain it’s correct size within a normal spec tolerance of +/- 1". While it won’t affect the comfort or support of the mattress … assuming that you’ve measured the mattress correctly and it’s still out of spec after that I would call Brooklyn Bedding to let them know that your mattress is out of spec and they should be able to help you.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Regarding smell - I know…I’m surprised. I know that I am sensitive to smells and that was one of the main reasons I have searched for a chemical free (as much as possible) bed. I had asked on this forum and other places and most people said BME was little to no smell. So that gave me the confidence that this would have little odor and little off gassing.
Its a very strong smell - and its the mattress. We have nothing on it, just sitting on the foundation airing out. Its making almost the whole upstairs smell. Very strong - even my husband who is not sensitive to smells agrees its a strong smell. Not like the one we got at Ikea a few years back that we returned, but he agrees it smells. Its like a chemical smell. Its not a latex smell - I have latex samples and this does not smell anything like that. Latex smell does not bother me.
We are trying to air it out and see if it gets better - I do notice I’ve had a slight headache after being in that room. I hope I can be able to sleep on it - if the smell is too much for me I wont even be able to do that!
I will measure it - its been 48 hours and the length is fine but the width is not, and all the corners are rounded, not coming all the way out to the foundation…
I’m going to give it some more time.
Hi eeks,
As I mentioned your experience is certainly very unusual so I really don’t know where the smell could be coming from but regardless of what it is it should dissipate fairly quickly. I would also keep in mind that harmful VOC’s may or may not have any smell (some VOC’s that are harmful have no smell and some that are completely harmless have stronger smells) but regardless of any smell there would be no harmful VOC’s from the materials in the BME because they all have a reliable certification.
Rounded corners are normal with a finished mattress that has a tight fitting tape edged cover.
I would also keep in mind that a foundation may have slightly different dimensions than a mattress as well so it’s a good idea to measure the mattress rather than compare it to a foundation.
Phoenix
Phoenix
I just went upstairs to smell it again - I don’t notice the smell so much from the top unless I put my face up against it, it seems to be coming from the polyfoam bc if I lift up the mattress slightly its a very strong smell underneath. Its a weird smell, not really like a new mattress smell, or new furniture smell etc. It honestly smells like body odor or sweat. Its not a polyfoam smell that I have smelled before.
We just put it up against the wall to see if that helps the smell to go away - its not a pleasant smell.
I measured it and its about 79.5 inches in length and barely 74.5 inches in width. Definitely not close to 76 inches wide.
Hi eeks,
That’s certainly strange and isn’t something that I’ve heard before but if it’s coming from the bottom of the mattress I would also check to see it’s not somehow connected to the foundation under the mattress.
I would make sure you measure it across the widest part of the mattress because products that are made with soft materials that are surrounded by a flexible cover can be difficult to measure accurately and can can have slightly different dimensions depending on where and how you measure it. If you remove the mattress and put it back or slightly lift and pull on each side of the mattress it may also change the dimensions as well if the foam isn’t fully relaxed and expanded on the foundation. If your measurement is accurate then 74.5" would be 1/2" outside of a normal spec tolerance.
Phoenix
Its definitely the bottom of the bed - the foundation is a wood foundation on a Costco Hollywood bed frame - both new that we got last week and had no smell. We just put the mattress up against the wall and all the smell is coming from the bottom and bottom sides of the mattress - not really the top. We will see if this helps air it out. There was no smell coming from the room or anything until we unwrapped the BME. Maybe it will help if it is up against the wall.
I did measure at the widest point to be sure - the length seems to be ok, its just the width that is the problem.
Hi, I think I replied in your thread before. Contrary to what people said about the BME not smelling, mine smelled for 48 hours, and then was very faint for another couple days. I also have a great sense of smell though like you, I’m big into colognes and stuff so I have a pretty advanced nose lol.
Opening some windows will speed up the process.
Six Month Review of BME Medium (Queen size)
In January I took delivery of a Brooklyn Bedding “Best Mattress Ever” medium firmness after much research and comparison shopping. Both myself and my partner had been sleeping on an Original Mattress Factory innerspring bed that was giving both of us back trouble. Her previous bed was a Sleep Number, which she was reasonably pleased with. I had slept on it as well but was not impressed, and keeping the airbed was not an option since it was a California king and too large for our bedroom.
We installed the new mattress on top of the existing box springs as suggested by the BB rep suggested. No objectionable odor was detected after unpacking the new mattress and airing it under the ceiling fan for about six hours. I had some concern as to whether the medium firmness would be comfortable for us both since I am 400lbs and she is half that weight.
This has not been a problem, in fact we both have found this to be the most comfortable mattress either of us has ever owned. The morning sore backs are gone and there is no problem with overheating as with some memory foam products we tested. A free pillow was included in our deal which we found to be too tall for sleeping in bed, but it works quite well for reading or on the couch where we generally keep it.
I was wary as to whether the edge of the mattress would give me enough support as I sit on the side of the bed when putting on my shoes, but there is sufficient support there and I have seen no noticeable breakdown of the foam at the edge of the mattress. We have turned the mattress twice in the six months we’ve owned it.
In summary, we have found the Brooklyn Bedding BME to be a wonderful product, superior to the “extra firm” conventional innerspring mattress and even the much more expensive Sleep Number bed that proceeded it. Customer service was friendly and flexible and they handled a special request on for the delivery accurately and without hesitation. I heartily recommend this product to anyone searching for a better night’s sleep.
Hi IronLeg,
Thanks for taking the time to share your comments and feedback after 6 months … I appreciate it 
You certainly made a great quality/value choice and it’s great to see that your medium BME worked out so well for both of you.
Phoenix
Thank you for clarifying Mario.
After spending many hours on TMU doing the research necessary to inform myself of what goes into a mattress, I finally decided to give Brooklyn Bedding a try. Luckily, I am local to the Phoenix, Arizona area and can visit them in-store. I set up the appointment with Mario and tried out their soft and medium #BME options. As a 208lb side sleeper the soft really did a great job of relieving pressure points while supporting me. The medium was too firm for me and really jammed my arm up. I know from experience that after an hour like that it was going to make it go numb. Ordered the bed with a 5% discount and free sheets.
Four days later, bed arrived. It’s truly strange to see a queen bed packed into a 4 x 1 roll! Anyway after we got it expanded, the bed did have some smell but that went away quickly enough that I didn’t even notice it that night at bedtime. Been sleeping on it for two months now and wow! what a difference a bed can make. So pleased to go to bed, even look forward to it because I know I can snuggle up somethin’ fierce in a bed that is fantastic for my PPP…
There is one caveat perhaps…Because the soft does allow me to sink down in, despite Latex being ‘cool;’ on the scale, it becomes hot for me over time. This is likely due to the hot Phoenix summer, my own hot sleeping and the additional sinkage allowed by a softer ILD which reduces the airflow and increases foam contact with my skin. I’ve combated this with the addition of another fan directed right on me and minimal covers. It works.
In conclusion, so glad to have a great mattress and happy to know that it will last for a long time.
*Note: I have a pebble pique 100% cotton mattress protector from Cozypure, so it’s not the protector trapping heat as we all know can happen from semi-permeable membrane style ones.