We recently bought a new mattress and are not happy.
We had been sleeping on a 15 year old mattress on much older box springs. It was getting noisy and worn in and my said she wasn’t sleeping well on it. After spending some time mattress shopping I purchased a 500 dollar box and mattress set from a furniture store. Seally I think. It was close to the cheapest set they had but I was pretty sure out last mattress was only 200 bucks.
In a short time we were both not happy. We were both having back pain and sleeping uncomfortably. I purchased a 3 inch mattress topper from Wal-Mart, but didn’t seem to really help., just felt like we were sinking into mattress. Couple weeks later I took it back.
A few weeks latter while riding my bike I came across a brand new twin mattress on the side of the road that had fell out of someone’s truck. It was in a plastic mattress protector… The next day I drove by and found it was still there and took it home.
The Mattress I found is a hospital model, Invacare `101, It’s foam but seems to be firm. We took it camping and my wife found it more comfortable then our new Queen size mattress in the bedroom. She liked it so much that she placed it on the bed. After several weeks of sleeping in it she won’t sleep on anything else and her back problems have disappeared. I started sleeping on camp mat on the floor.
I have yet to contact the store where we bought the mattress but figure it’s a waste of time,
Thinking of buying another coil queen size mattress to place on top of our the one we don’t like.
or.
Thinking of buying a 6 inch foam mattress in queen size to replace the twin so we can both go back to sleeping on a bed, but worried that it won’t really help. Since I have amazon prime I’m thinking of ordering there.
Since you’re new to the forum and obviously haven’t had a chance to read through everything yet, I want to help “reset” the way you’re looking to buy a new mattress.
The major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta all tend to use lower quality and less durable materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay which is why I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (along with the major retailers that focus on them as well) regardless of how they may feel in a showroom along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).
I can’t think of any quality mattress set that would be in that price range, and certainly you kept it much longer than its useful life.
This is not surprising, per the reasons I listed above. You’ll also want to make sure that the bed frame that you’re using has proper center reinforcement in the middle to prevent your foundation (what you’re calling a box spring) from sagging.
I’d never recommend using a mattress that was found on the side of the road.
Here’s where you get to do some work.
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see post #2 here).
You need to read the mattress shopping tutorial here. Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
While again nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else or whether it will be a good “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc.) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
In its simplest form … choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …
Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.
Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight/BMI range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress (see the durability guidelines here).
Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.