We need to purchase 2 queen mattresses /box springs for our guest bedrooms. We have looked around and decided on Costco Charter Point eurotop by Sealy. After reading here I am feeling unsure. We need comfort for these beds but they are only used periodically. We live near Toledo,Ohio. We have Sam’s Club, Costco, department stores and Mattress Firm that I know of. Any other places to look?
Hi Suec,
Choosing a mattress for a guest bedroom is generally a little easier than choosing a mattress for yourself because you don’t need to test the mattress to make sure that it’s a good “match” for a specific person in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) because guest mattresses will generally be used for a wide range of people not just one and how it “feels” to you isn’t particularly important (unless you will also be sleeping on it fairly often).
The quality and durability of the materials are also a little bit less important because a guest mattress that is only used occasionally will generally last longer than a mattress that is used every night so you would only need materials that are in the lower end of the durability guidelines here. I would still avoid materials that are lower quality than the guidelines because even with temporary use there they can still soften or break down too quickly.
Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering meet the minimum quality/durability guidelines … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article).
The single most common mattress in the industry is some type of innerspring mattress so this can make a good choice because most people are already familiar with the general “feel” of an innerspring mattress. A mattress that uses a polyfoam support core (instead of an innerspring) with either polyfoam or latex comfort layers can also make a good choice although I would be cautious with choosing a memory foam mattress that has thicker layers of memory foam (more than about 2" or so) because there are many people that aren’t familiar with the “feel” of memory foam and they may not like it as much as other more resilient (springy) materials that can sleep a little bit cooler and that makes changing positions or moving on the mattress a little easier than memory foam.
In very general terms a good strategy can be to buy a basic “medium” to “medium firm” mattress (firmness ratings can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer but as long as it’s in the general range it would be fine) which would be a reasonable “match” for the largest part of the bell curve that would be suitable for the largest percentage of people.
If your budget allows it then it can also be a good idea to also purchase a softer topper so that your guests that may either need or prefer a softer mattress can also add the topper to the mattress. If you do decide to go in this direction then some of the better online sources for toppers I’m aware of are listed in post #4 here.
All the major brands (such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta) tend to use lower quality 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 (and the major retailers that focus on them) 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).
If you are looking at online options then the mattress shopping tutorial includes several links to lists of many of the better online options I’m aware of (in the optional online step) that include many different types and categories of mattresses in a wide range of different designs, prices, firmness levels, and return/exchange policies that would be well worth including in your research.
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Toledo, OH area (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/durability guidelines I linked earlier in this reply) are listed in post #2 here.
Phoenix