North Leeds Plumbing & Heating – Home Improvement and DIY Advice

Archive for the ‘Mattresses’ Category

Beds occupy a central place in our lives, and after a hard day’s slog it’s a real relief to fall into one and recharge the batteries drained through the course of the day.

Whether you’re after a king size bed for the main bedroom, a decent double bed for guests or bunk beds for the kids, there’s plenty to choose from.

Divan beds are very popular, especially if space is limited, as they provide useful storage space as well as looking smart. Divan beds come in various models, from the traditional design to adjustable and hypo-allergenic. You can also choose between double and single. Single divan beds are great for the spare room or guest room, and are a good choice for children’s beds

Your choice of bed frame largely depends on available space, personal aesthetic and requirements. There is a huge range of wooden beds and metal beds on the market, and leather beds are popular too. 

Mattresses are of paramount importance once you’ve picked the frame. The mattress technologies today are such that the choice can be daunting, but memory foam and other materials can make your sleep more peaceful, by making fine adjustments based on your habitual sleeping positions.

Whatever your requirement, the choice of beds and mattresses available is enormous and it’s basically down to you to balance a range of personal factors when picking one. Most people spend a large chunk of their lives in a bed of one kind or another, and beds are an important piece of household furniture by any standard.

Mattresses until quite recently were essentially just oblongs of springy material placed in a bed frame, with minimal allowances made for individual requirements, making them only slightly more advanced than the bales of straw that graced the sleeping quarters of medieval castles.

These days, mattresses are so advanced that there’s little excuse for not getting a good night’s sleep, and choosing the right type of mattress with the right type of base, can have a positive effect on your waking as well as your dreaming life.

As with many other things, you get what you pay for, and a really good mattress may cost a bit more but it should last for ten years, so think of it as a serious investment.

The right mattress and base combination is designed to promote correct posture and deliver support where it’s needed. Often, a decent existing bedstead will preclude the need for a base, but in the case of divan beds a mattress on its own is not likely to provide the right level of support.

Open spring mattresses are the most common type, whereas pocket spring mattresses are more elitist, with the springs docked in separate fabric pockets and responding individually to variable body weights. Memory foam, or visco-elastic mattresses also have anti-bacterial properties and react to body heat, to soften and mould to the sleeper’s shape.

With these and many other types of mattresses on the market, it’s advisable to consult the staff before forking money out, and give the matter as much thought as you would when buying a new car. And how much of your life do you spend in a car?

Many of us spend years searching for the perfect bed. It must be the perfect size and firmness, easy to make and keep up, and last a long time. Some beds are too soft, some too firm. From cot mattresses to super king size, the fit and firmness matter most.

One of the first things to do when considering the perfect bed is to decide on a size.   People normally move around in the night; too small a bed will interrupt that movement, forcing you to wake up when you reach the edge of the mattress. While the size of your room may dictate the size of your mattress to a degree, you should buy the biggest mattress you can afford that will fit in your bedroom. After all, the vast majority of the time your bedroom will be used for sleeping, so copious amounts of extra space would be a waste. 

Next, consider firmness. If you’re sleeping poorly, try placing a piece of plywood beneath your mattress to firm it up. Sleep on that for a few nights. Are you sleeping better? If so, a firmer mattress is probably in order. If not, try putting a foam “egg crate”, or pillow-top mattress topper on to soften things up.  If you sleep better with that, then you want to look for a mattress with extra softness that still supports you. 

Then consider style. You want to find a bed that suits not only your personal style, but also your decorating scheme. Whether simple, ornate, Oriental or elegant, think about the styles that make you feel most comfortable and relaxed, and lean towards them when choosing the bed frame. 

Put everything together, and you’ve got the recipe for the perfect bed and a perfect night’s sleep.

There is a huge range of beds to choose from and although your first instinct will be to go for a stylish frame to fit in with your interior design scheme, you have to take into account other aspects of this important item of furniture. A bed is not just a fashion statement, but also a very practical item that you’ll spend a large part of your life in.

A headboard will be important for anyone used to reading in bed and many also like a footboard, which can make a bed feel more secure. Headboards, even if they can’t be attached to your frame of choice, can be of the freestanding variety and attached to the wall instead, where they often perform a design function and enhance the ambience of the room.

The actual frame can be of metal or wood, designed so as to hold the mattress and prevent it slipping off. The mattress itself is the most important consideration, as this will determine your quality of sleep. Mattresses come in various types, with coiled spring mattresses the most common; however, the pocket spring style provides a better level of comfort with their springs housed individually in fabric pockets and therefore able to react independently to pressure.

If you suffer from aching joints, back pains and the like, you might want to try out memory foam mattresses, whose material softens in contact with body heat to mould itself slightly into the shape of the sleeper. They are the ultimate in comfort as they provide superb support over all the body area.

Mattresses are the most important part of a bed, and come in several varieties. It’s important to consider your individual requirements when buying one, especially if you have some condition such as a back problem.

The standard mattress has a uniform spring system, which applies equal resistance across its surface. These open spring mattresses are well-designed and are perfectly adequate for the average sleeper, but they take no account of weight differentials and variable sleeping positions.

Pocket spring mattresses, on the other hand, have their springs housed separately in their own fabric pockets, and react separately and independently to different weights. If you are on the, shall we say, heavy side and your partner is lightweight then this would be a good one to consider.

Memory foam mattresses take it a step further by dispensing with the spring system altogether. These mattresses use an advanced type of foam that responds to body heat by softening slightly and effectively moulding itself to your position. This is not for everyone, but worth at least considering.

Whatever type of beds you are thinking of buying – wooden beds, leather beds, metal beds, children’s beds or guest beds – the mattress is the main component to consider. Sofa beds are in a separate category, but even with these it’s worth pulling them out in the showroom and rolling on them a bit, to get a sense of their resilience.

You should expect a decade of use from a good mattress, so it’s important to choose the right one for you.

Taking proper care of your bed ensures long-lasting comfort and durability.  In addition to following the manufacturer’s instructions and the advice of a trusted retailer, heed these simple tips to keep beds in top shape:

Use a washable cover to protect your mattress from stains.  If you suffer from allergies, you can purchase hypoallergenic covers that suppress dust and other airborne particles.

Allow your bed to air out for at least 20 minutes after you wake up.  Pull back the bed linens and give body moisture that builds up while you sleep a chance to evaporate.

Turn your mattress regularly, especially in the first three months of purchasing it.  Flipping the mattress from end to end and side to side allows the filling to settle evenly, making for a more comfortable sleep.

Never leave the plastic or polythene wrapping on a new mattress.  Condensation can build up under the wrapping, causing mould, mildew, and dry rot.

Vacuum your mattress frequently to remove dust and debris.  Take care so you don’t disturb the filling or damage the stitching on the mattress cover.

If your mattress becomes stained or dirty, never soak it to clean.  Simply blot and rub the affected area lightly with water and a mild detergent.

Always use a base that’s appropriate for your mattress.  Using an old base with a new mattress, a base that doesn’t fit your mattress, or in any way altering the base can cause discomfort and shorten the life of the mattress.  You’ll also likely void any manufacturer’s warranties.

If you’re in the market for a new bed or mattress, it can be difficult to know where to begin.  With so many manufacturers, products, and promises for the best night’s sleep you’ve ever had, where’s a conscientious consumer to begin?

If you’ve had your current mattress for ten years or more, it’s time for a replacement.  The average mattress begins to deteriorate considerably after ten years, so it’s wise to replace an older bed as soon as possible.

Apart from age, other indicators that you could be ready for a new bed include waking up with pain in your neck or back, fitful or inconsistent sleep, waking up tired, or rolling toward the middle of the mattress unintentionally.

Any obvious damage to your mattress—such as tears in the cover, springs poking through the surface, feeling springs when you lie down, or creaks or pops when you move on the mattress—are all signs that your bed has reached its limit.

Think about what you like and what you hate about your current bed.  Do you wish it was softer?  Would you prefer a firmer bed?  Is it too large or too small?  Is the headboard outdated?  Make a list of your likes and dislikes; this will make it easier to compare new beds.

Generally speaking, the more expensive a mattress is the better its quality.  High end mattresses have more filling, better padding, more support, superior construction, and significantly more durability.  Spend as much as you can afford and consider financing options from a trusted retailer.

You should put just as much thought, if not more, into your choice of mattress as into your choice of bed-frame. The bed-frame is more important in terms of style and size, but the mattress is what you’ll actually be spending the night on and they come in a wide range of styles and types.

Coiled spring mattresses are the traditional type, generally suitable for the average user with their uniform springs providing the same support throughout. There are different technologies used to create the spring system, but essentially they are arranged in rows linked and kept in place with spiral wire to help the mattress retain its shape.

Pocket spring mattresses are one step up from this. In these mattresses, the springs are housed in separate pockets of fabric and react differentially to varying body pressure, so they work like small pistons that constantly adjust as your body moves. These mattresses are considered more luxurious than their coiled spring equivalent and make for a better night’s sleep.

Getting into the more esoteric levels of mattress technology, we have the memory foam type. This state-of-the-art material reacts and softens itself to body heat, to give perfect support and relieve pressure points. A mattress made of this material is perfect for people suffering from backache, problems with circulation or painful joints.

Choose your mattress with great care and you can expect to be using it for at least ten years. In many ways, your choice of mattress is more important than your choice of car.