Buying a mattress in the USA

Buying an orthopedic mattress anywhere can be a challenging activity and, although you will find a massive range of mattresses in the USA, not all will meet your criteria. Additionally, the visco elastic memory foam mattress (which was developed in northern Europe) is still not as popular in the USA as it is in many other countries around the world.

Where to start

Getting the right mattress for you involves some research and the best way to do this is by reading the information on the following pages about the different mattress filling materials, namely, mattresses with springs, visco elastic memory foam, or latex foam. If you are interested in other materials, then take a look at this overview page, types of orthopedic mattress, which will give you a summary of the different options that are available.

Remember, the more that you know about the different mattress materials and how they perform, the greater will be your choice and selection knowledge when it comes to making a buying decision.

Sales rooms

One of the big problems that you may face when trying to decide on a mattress is the bed and mattress salesperson.

Many people now buy a bed online, however they still take a trip to the bedroom showroom to see what is on offer and to try and get some useful information. The problem however is that the information that they get is not always useful or correct. Frequently salespeople know very little about the products that they sell and more often than not their thoughts are focussed on commission rather than helping you find the right mattress.

One good way to start is to ask the salesperson what an orthopedic bed is and if they have any. You will be amazed at the variation in answers that you will get.

For this reason the best way to a test bed or mattress is to approach the showroom knowing roughly what you want. When it comes to discussions with a salesperson confine your questions to factual matters that you know they will answer accurately. Examples would be, what is the spring count on this bed and are they springs pocket springs? What is the density of this memory foam mattress and does it have different foam layers fulfilling different support functions.

By doing this you equip yourself with factual information about the mattress rather than simply being fed a lot of sales talk.

As well as finding out about an orthopedic mattress, check it out. Lie on it, move around on it and try to get an idea of how it would feel if you had to spend a night on it. A mattress is not only an investment of your money, but an investment in your ongoing health and ability to get a good night’s sleep.

Always check out a few stores. Some will tend to focus on springs and others on foams, so by going to more than one you can get a more balanced picture.

Always find out about guarantees and warranties. With expensive mattress beds and orthopedic quality beds these can work like insurance policies ensuring that the bed can be replaced if it fails to perform up to its specification.