4 things you haven’t considered before going mattress shopping

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When you go mattress shopping, you’re likely focused on a few things. You want to find something that feels comfortable for you, whether you prefer something quite firm or soft as a cloud. It needs to be in your budget. And, of course, it needs to offer proper support so you can get the rest you need.

But there are a few important — but often overlooked — considerations you’ll want to keep in mind the next time you go mattress shopping.

1. Bed height

Being able to get in and out of bed comfortably will have a big impact on how much you enjoy your bed. There are a few factors that can impact your bed height, so you’ll want to take them all into consideration to ensure your bed isn’t too high or too low for you.

The height of the mattress: Mattress height is measured from the center, or the crown, of the mattress where it is thickest. Typically, the softer your mattress is, the thicker it will be because there are more layers of upholstery to create the plush feel. But if you’re worried a thick mattress will make it too difficult to get in bed, rest assured that we can adjust other factors to help you achieve a height that works for you and the mattress feel that you prefer.

The height of the box spring: At The Original Mattress Factory, a standard box spring is 8 inches high. But we also offer a low-profile box spring that is 5 inches high. And we also offer bunk boards, which can be 1.5 inches or 2.5 inches thick. While bunk boards don’t offer the shock-absorbing benefits of a box spring, they can provide a solid, supportive surface for your mattress to rest on, while minimizing the added height.

The height of your bed frame: At The Original Mattress Factory, our heavy-duty bed frames are 7 inches high. You may be able to swap out the rollers or feet for low-profile glides that bring the frame closer to the floor. Or you may be able to add risers, which can give your bed some additional height (and potentially some under-bed storage).

The height of your bed: Instead of a traditional bed frame, you may use a full bed, like a platform bed. You’ll want to consider the height of this bed in your calculations. Does it accommodate a box spring or just a mattress? Would it require a bunk board to give your mattress enough support?

2. The path from your front door to the bedroom

When you’re selecting a new mattress, you’ll want to make sure that we’ll be able to get it to its final destination within your home. If you live in an older house, you may have narrow doorways or hallways, tight turns, and tiny stairwells.

While our delivery team is full of seasoned professionals, they haven’t quite figured out how to defy physics (yet). So, we encourage you to think about the path from your door to the bedroom and let us know if there might be any challenges ahead of time.

The good news is that we can customize your mattress and box springs so that they can squeeze through even the tightest of spaces.

Hinging: We can hinge your mattress by removing small sections of the border rod in the innerspring to allow your mattress to fold in half from head to foot. These hinges come standard in our king and California king-size mattresses, and we can add them to any size upon request to make moving your mattress easier. This modification does not harm the mattress in any way.

Low-profile and/or split box springs: Decreasing the height or width of your box springs can help our team maneuver them through tight turns and up low staircases. We offer low-profile box springs, split box springs, and low-profile split box springs to help. Our king and California king mattress sets come standard with split box springs, but we can make them custom for queens and full sets, too.

Remove anything that can be damaged in the path: It’s always a great idea to prepare for your delivery by removing any pictures, trinkets, furniture, or decorations that might be in the way. We never want anything to get damaged during delivery. If your stairway is particularly narrow, it may be helpful to remove hand rails ahead of time, if you’re able.

3. How long you want your mattress to last 

So many things these days are built and treated as though they’re practically disposable. The mattress industry has devolved that way, too. Mattresses used to be expected to last 15 years or more. Now, the official industry estimate is 5-7 years due to the degrading quality in mainstream mattresses. If your mattress only last a few years, you can have a new one shrink-wrapped and shipped to your door with just a few clicks.

But at The Original Mattress Factory, we believe that this mindset isn’t good for you or the environment. Mattresses should be built to last in order to give you a good night’s sleep for years to come. It’s why we design and hand build our mattresses the way we do. If you agree, then there are a few things you’ll want to look for you:

Two-sided mattresses: We’re one of the few mattress manufacturers left that still build two-sided mattresses. We do so because flipping and rotating your mattress will improve its long-term comfort and durability.

A high-quality innerspring or high-density foam: The quality of the materials used to build your mattress will have a huge impact on how long it lasts.

A real working box spring: A real working box spring will act as a shock absorber for your mattress, improving comfort and durability. Many mattress manufacturers have stopped making real working box springs in favor of foundations, which do not provide any real benefit to your mattress. You’ll also want to get a new box spring each time your replace your mattress. Pairing your new mattress with an old box spring is a bit like getting a fancy new car but putting old, bald tires on it. It can negatively impact the performance of your new mattress.

4. How to best support and protect your new mattress

When you invest in the best mattress, you want to make sure you protect it. There are a few ways you can do that:

A heavy-duty frame with a center support: If you don’t properly support your mattress and box spring, they can start to bow or become damaged. A heavy-duty frame with a center support with a foot that touches the floor will help support and protect your mattress.

A waterproof mattress protector: Liquids can damage your mattress, and stains can void your warranty. You’ll want to make sure the surface of your mattress is protected with a waterproof mattress protector.

Come here first

Now, we realize that’s a lot to remember. But the good news is that the team at The Original Mattress Factory can remember it all for you. We want to make sure that your new mattress works for you, so we do our best to ask the right questions and offer up all of the appropriate considerations to help you make the best decision.

Check out Mattress Shopping 101. 

Ready to start your mattress buying journey? Come to The Original Mattress Factory first. No one knows more than our team about what makes a great mattress great. Whether you buy from us or not, you’ll be better prepared to make a smart mattress buying decision. Find a store near you.