Friday, March 18, 2011

How to Choose a Memory Foam Mattress?

Because of the unique features that memory foam mattresses have, they are becoming the favorable choice over innerspring mattresses. They are able to conform to a person's body while offering great comfort and support. Their popularity is evidenced by the fact that memory foam sales are higher than spring mattresses in Europe.

In order to select a memory foam mattress that you will be satisfied with, you must know what to look for. The following are some tips to think about while shopping.

Density

Foam density is one of the most important considerations. The more dense a mattress is, the more firmness and support it offers. It plays a role in how durable it is long term. For instance, a 5 pound density will last on average by 10 years when compared to a 3 pound density memory foam mattress.

The top of the line mattresses produced by the elite brands are about 5 pounds in density. However, some have found that less density is more comfortable to them, specifically 3-4 pounds. This is due to the fact that they are softer than the higher densities.

Also, keep in mind that some 5 pound memory foam mattress contain dense foam only in the top layer, and below are layers of 2-3 pounds density.

The best way to figure out what is best for you is by lying down on a few mattresses at a store in your area.

Foam ILD Rating

ILD stands for "indentation load deflection" and has a scale of 6-40. The higher quality models fall somewhere between 12-16. The measures how strong the foam in a mattress is. For instance, a 20 ILD is stronger than a 12 ILD. This rating tells you how well the foam will adapt to your body and the amount of support it will provide. Low ILD's indicate that they are softer, but not as supportive. Generally, the ILD rating for the layers within a mattress will vary.

Where Are They Manufactured?

Some companies say that their mattresses were created in the U.S, but really got the parts from foreign countries and then assembled them in the U.S. This is done to keep costs lower. The problem is that these parts aren't tested for quality, so no one really knows that they contain. More than a few who purchased memory foam mattresses suffered from respiratory problems because of the chemicals they contained.