Shopping in Houston

We’ve had a golden mattress company mattress for about 10 years. It’s a memory foam plush on top of coils type. While it held up, we both liked it but It’s developed trenches for both of us the last four or five years. We’ve exhausted rotating and they are deep enough now that it’s time for something new.

After talking to a doctor friend and she suggested I ween myself off of flonase (for allergies). She also suggested I get a new pillow and cover it to prevent dust mites. I just developed allergies in my forties, another doctor said it was due to the pollution in Houston. Anyhow using protective covers to prevent dust mites on pillow and mattress is new to me, so any advise in that area is appreciated as well.

My wife likes soft mattresses and I probably like them a little more firm, but I’ll sleep on my side/stomach/back so soft is ok. We both like the idea of a memory foam or latex, but I don’t think we’re willing to spend enough to get a latex (would like to spend under 1k and king size is a must). I’m open to shopping either locally or online but thought it’d be nice to try some thing first (as suggested in the How to look for and find the best mattress section).

Hi ddt972,

There is more about dust mites and allergies in post #2 here that should be helpful but your doctor’s suggestion is a good one as part of a larger “multi-pronged” strategy to reduce allergens in your home or sleeping environment.

You’ve probably seen this already but just in case you haven’t … the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Houston area (subject to the guidelines here) are listed in post #2 here.

I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding and of course any comments or questions you may have along the way.

Phoenix

[quote=“Phoenix” post=47371]Hi ddt972,

You’ve probably seen this already but just in case you haven’t … the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Houston area (subject to the guidelines here) are listed in post #2 here.

I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding and of course any comments or questions you may have along the way.

Phoenix[/quote]

Thanks for the reply. We were pretty busy this weekend, but did eat close to a Mattress Firm. Neither of us had even tried out a latex mattress surface. So, we got at least an initial feel with a stearns and foster and a sealy, both were coils with a latex top. We liked the feel of both of these, but didn’t like how much it moved (we don’t want to feel each other toss or turn). The only foam based mattresses they had were the tempurpedic. Of course, I’d like to check out the feel of a foam base and latex top.

I’ll try to get out to some of the factory direct and wholesalers soon. In the meantime, I was wondering about the quality of Dreamfoam. $750 for a king sounds nice for 3 inches of talalay, but what could the lifespan be like for the 1.5 lb HD foam? The wife likes a softer mattress, so I wouldn’t mind going with a 3 or 4 on the scale. And the talalay is generally the softer of the latex types, is that correct? And, how do you know what the latex quality is like? Just trying to get a starting point here for value and wondering if the Ultimate Dreams version is an option for us.

Thanks again. Trying to take my time with this and learn.

Hi ddt972,

I would be very cautious about using many of the mainstream manufacturers as a way to test latex unless you know exactly what is inside the mattress you are testing because many if not most of the mattresses that they will call latex mattresses or hybrids may only have a relatively thin layer of latex buried somewhere in the mix of comfort layers or may have relatively thick layers of polyfoam on top of the latex so they may not be representative of what latex “feels like”.

You can see the quality/durability guidelines I would suggest in post #4 here. In most cases the support core of a mattress wouldn’t be a weak link and for most people a 1.5 lb base foam would be fine with a high quality and durable comfort layer (such as latex) in an appropriate thickness on top of it but if you are in a higher weight range (above the lower 200’s or so) where you would compress the deeper support layers more than someone that was lighter then it would be worth considering either thicker comfort layers of latex or a higher density base foam (or both) although of course the cost would increase. There is also more detailed information about the many factors that can affect the durability and useful life of a mattress relative to the person sleeping on it in post #4 here and the posts it links to.

While there is no way to quantify how long any mattress will last for any particular person … if you are well inside the comfort/support range that is suitable for you and a mattress isn’t close to the edge of the range that is too soft for you when it is new (see post #2 here) and meets the minimum quality specs that are suggested in the guidelines then it would be reasonable for most people to expect a useful lifetime in the range of 7 - 10 years and with higher quality materials (in the comfort layers especially) it would likely be in the higher end of the range or sometimes longer.

It’s always more realistic to think of 10 years as a maximum reasonable expectation for any mattress no matter what the quality of the materials and then treat any additional time after that as “bonus time” because after about 10 years the limiting factor in the useful life of a mattress will often be the changing needs and preferences of the people sleeping on the mattress and even if a mattress is still in good condition after a decade … a mattress that was suitable for you 10 years earlier may not be the best “match” any longer and may need to be replaced. With higher quality materials throughout a mattress or for people whose needs and preferences or physical condition hasn’t changed much over 10 years then “bonus time” or even “extended bonus time” with higher quality/density materials is much more likely than with materials that are in a lower quality/density range.

Phoenix

I’ve been researching and still very interested in the dreamfoam ultimate dreams latex. I haven’t found yet though - what is the “Hyper Flex Foam” that makes up the top 1.5 inches?

I’m about 170 at the moment and I’m guessing my wife is around 130 or so. I’m a little weary of developing a trench though, since that is one of our primary motivators to ditch our current mattress. This dreamfoam ultimate dreams has just about everything I’m looking for (latex, foam base, right price, friendly return policy) but there are a considerable amount of complaints about trenches (sleeplikethedead noted twice as many trenching complaints about their latex version than their memory foam).

If I could get past this, I’d probably call them now and ask for a recommendation for firmness (She likes the very soft pillow top feel and I’m probably ok with that, although I would be ok something with more of a medium feel too).

Hi ddt972,

This is a polyfoam quilting layer. There is more about quilting layers in post #12 here.

I would be very cautious about using mattress reviews (positive or negative) as a reliable source of mattress research or information and in many cases they can be much more misleading than helpful (see post #13 here). There are also more detailed comments in post #2 here about “sagging reviews”.

There is also more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses but at your weight and budget range this would be among the most durable choices that are available to you.

Phoenix

Seems like this is my choice. I just need to pick out a base/frame. We have box springs now and we’re going to list our house for sale weekend after next. So, I’m either looking for an inexpensive base or thinking about holding off the purchase until after the move. The wife would like something with drawers for storage (she mentioned Ikea).

Any direction on either finding a bed/frame or advice about whether or not a mattress or frame is likely to be damaged in a move?

Thanks,
Derek

Hi ddt972,

I think you are certainly making a good quality/value choice … and congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

There is more about the different types of support systems that are generally suitable for different types of mattresses and some good sources for each of them in the foundation post here. The wire grid platform/foundations (such as the one that Dreamfoam sells here) have storage under the bedframe and can be disassembled and reassembled for moving and may be worth considering.

Phoenix

[quote=“Phoenix” post=47874]Hi ddt972,

I think you are certainly making a good quality/value choice … and congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

There is more about the different types of support systems that are generally suitable for different types of mattresses and some good sources for each of them in the foundation post here. The wire grid platform/foundations (such as the one that Dreamfoam sells here) have storage under the bedframe and can be disassembled and reassembled for moving and may be worth considering.

Phoenix[/quote]

Any words of caution for this flex slat type from Ikea? I think this is something like the style she is looking for.

Hi ddt972,

A flexible slat system under a mattress can change the feel and response of the mattress compared to a rigid non flexing support system (which would be a more common choice for a latex/polyfoam hybrid) but this can be either detrimental or beneficial depending on which combination is the best match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). A flexible slat foundation is an “active” part of a sleeping system just like any of the other layers in the mattress itself that compress or flex under your weight so it can certainly affect the feel and performance of the mattress. You can see some comments about flexible slat systems vs rigid non flexing foundations in post #2 here and post #2 here and post #13 here.

The only other caution I would have with Ikea beds in general is that the center beam doesn’t have support legs to the floor so I’m not certain how they would hold up over time without bending or sagging but this doesn’t appear to be an issue with this bedframe because based on the instructions here the center beam seems to be supported by the interior framework of the bed…

Phoenix