Sleep surfaces: The Top 4 Mattress Complaints

I have found that forums are one of the most relevant sources for real and unbiased information about mattresses (and most other things in general). That’s where you will find true consumer reviews and discussion groups where most of the authors are real people with real experiences and the odd messages posted by “friends” of manufacturers are always easy to identify and ignore.

So here are the most common complaints I have found for many of the most popular sleeping surfaces which exist today: Latex, Air, Water, Memory Foam, Egg Crate, Buckwheat Husk, Inner Spring, Organic and Magnetic Pad Mattresses and Pillows.

1. Uncomfortable

You know comfort is a very personal thing: a thing that you totally love may be

totally uncomfortable for your spouse or even your twin sibling. Whether the mattress is latex, memory foam, air or organic, comfort is the most frequent reason for which customers return mattresses and ask for a refund. In order to avoid the hassle of buying a product and then returning it (if you were fortunate enough to have chosen an honest dealer who offers a real warranty), do a home trial before putting your money on the table. This is especially important for memory foam mattresses which you either love or hate, there’s no middle ground.

2.Short Life Span (sagging, body impressions, wear and tear in the materials)

There are mattress materials that are meant to last longer due to their functioning principles but for example, an air bed has lots of components that can break down, while a memory foam mattress can last up to 15 years since there are very few factors that affect its open cell structure. Innersprings tend to poke through the exterior linen cover, egg crates become too soft, low quality latex gets body impressions and magnetic pads wear out.

3.Too Expensive

And by “expensive” we mean “costing more than $ 3,000″. Memory foam mattresses and latex mattresses are the most expensive ones on the market with organic mattresses closely behind. These often have a solid foundation and a pair of pillows included in the offers. But if that mattress is going to make your sleep more restful every night for the next 15 years, maybe you’ll not think that it’s too expensive.

4.Unpleasant Odors

Almost all mattresses (minus the organic ones) and particularly the memory foam mattresses, have an unusual smell when new and that’s absolutely normal, considering all the substances used for each component of the mattress such as foams, fire retardants, various chemicals which make it more elastic and more resistant in time, more bouncy and so on. But if you let them air for a few days, those weird synthetic odors will eventually fade away. Then there are of course some people who can just never get used to the smell and end up returning the mattress altogether.