Mattress Authority

How to make your bed into a sleeping beauty

2006-10-01T21:22:00.000-04:00

The display beds in department stores, linen boutiques and catalogs always look so beautiful and abundant. The pillows are crisp and lined up, the duvet and smooth sheets are invitingly turned back, and a wonderful puffiness beckons you to a nap. The look of abundance is not an illusion. These well-dressed beds are, in fact, laden with more linens, blankets and pillows than the ordinary sleeper would use. Plus, they often show a mix of textures and complementary but different patterns in the same color family.

Read More

A good night's sleep rests on the mattress

2006-09-18T22:05:00.000-04:00

ORLANDO, Fla. -- In the world of mattress shopping, one thing quickly becomes apparent: There are seemingly more variations among retailers' offerings than Baskin-Robbins has ice cream flavors. There are memory foam mattresses, ultra-plush mattresses and Select Comfort Sleep Number mattresses. And pillowtops, Euro-tops, no-flips, luxury firm and plush models. Buyers' heads swim with questions. Is firmer better? Does coil count really count? Are quality and price synonymous? Would I be better off with memory foam? A water bed? It's enough to make a buyer want to sleep on the floor. Consider, though: A good mattress can help you get a night of refreshing sleep, while a worn one can cause you to toss and turn in search of a comfortable spot and leave you feeling stiff and sore.

Read More

Sleep on these ideas before buying a mattress

2006-09-10T17:46:00.000-04:00

To sleep, perchance to dream, or maybe to toss and turn. Whether you're settling down on a decades-old mattress or dozing on a custom-made, dual-control, heated bed, there are things you'll want to know before choosing your next mattress. According to Consumer Reports magazine, only cars generate more inquiries than mattresses. Some consider a mattress the most important piece of "furniture" in the home, a place where you spend almost a third of your life. So how do you pick one? Should you go for the Serta Mayville Queen Plush mattress set or the Sealy Reflexion Solana Queen Pillow Top pair?

Read More

Mattress Firm's insert worthy of second look

2006-09-02T17:52:00.000-04:00

Mattress Firm, one of the country's largest bedding specialty retailers, gave consumers several compelling reasons to buy with a recent single-page newspaper insert. We'll take a detailed look at the insert in a moment. But first, a quick story about serendipity.

Read More

Mattress maker targets 'clean' niche

2006-08-28T00:08:00.000-04:00

For nearly two years, Jeffersonville, Ind., mattress maker Mark Strobel fought a federal proposal for tougher fire standards for his industry. The new rules, he argued, would lead companies to lace bedding with toxic fire-retardant chemicals such as boric acid and antimony. But since the final approval of the Consumer Product Safety Commission regulation, which takes effect next July, Strobel has changed tactics. His 32-year-old business, Strobel Technologies, will focus on producing "clean" mattresses that will be exempt from the new rules if prescribed by a physician or chiropractor.

Read More

Don't lose sleep over plan to buy mattress

2006-08-25T22:55:00.000-04:00

MORE MATTRESSES are sold in August than in any other month of the year, according to the International Sleep Products Association. That's because August is a transitional month, when people marry, move to new homes or post-graduation/off-campus apartments, and need new places to sleep. Surveys show that many of us keep our mattresses longer than their intended shelf life of five to seven years. With some help from Robert Klein, president of Dial-A-Mattress, which sells mattresses from a variety of manufacturers, we offer some food for thought before you purchase: Need to know: You need a mattress that allows plenty of room for movement -- cramped quarters can mean a nightly wrestling match. A healthy sleeper moves 40 to 60 times a night, including some full body turns.

Read More

Perfect sleeper? Here's how to find the right mattress

2006-08-25T16:46:00.000-04:00

Whether you're settling down on a decades-old mattress or dozing on a custom-made, dual control, heated bed, there are things you'll want to know before choosing your next one. According to Consumer Reports, some consider a mattress the most important piece of "furniture" at home. So how do you pick one? Jeff Hanna, co-owner of Today's Bedroom One, an Indiana-based chain, says a consumer needs to know what they're made of, how to test one and more. "A consumer should have reasons why they're changing their bed," Hanna says. In other words, there is no timetable for when to buy a new one. Is it comfort? Does their bed not feel right to them anymore? Is there pain involved? Hanna says shoppers looking for a new mattress should try several and position themselves as they would sleep at home.

Read More