There are some things you just shouldn’t cheap out on, and a mattress is one of them. It’s not just a matter of mere comfort, although it’s true that a cheap mattress won’t be as comfortable as an expensive one. Luxury mattresses also last much longer than their cheaper counterparts and are made with much higher quality materials.
While mattress prices can be inflated, it’s always a good idea to spend as much as you can afford on a mattress. An organic or green mattress is the best choice because it protects your household from harmful chemicals found in traditionally produced mattresses. A luxury mattress will be thicker, denser, safer, and cleaner than a cheap mattress overall.
You Get What You Pay For
It’s true that sometimes, when a mattress has a high price tag, it’s for the wrong reasons. Some features that manufacturers use to artificially inflate mattress prices can include gel-infused memory foam, special springs or cushions for lumbar back support, and infusion with materials like green tea. Some materials, like activated charcoal, are included in mattresses to control odors, and while charcoal can control odors, you probably don’t need that feature if you’re using a mattress pad.
And, of course, the brand name of a mattress can drive up the price just based on name recognition alone. Well-known brands like Tempur-Pedic or Sealy can get away with charging more for their mattresses because their brands are so universally recognized and trusted. Some people even feel fiercely loyal to their mattress brand. But brand name alone doesn’t indicate the quality of a mattress. You can often get just as good of a mattress from a less well-known manufacturer, and sometimes for a lower price than the brand names, too.
However, when it comes to buying a mattress, it’s usually worth it to pay more. Luxury mattresses use higher quality materials, and you can tell by the thickness and heaviness of the mattress itself whether it’s made with quality materials. High-quality mattress materials, like high-density natural latex foam and organic wool and cotton, are denser and heavier than cheaper materials. If you have the opportunity to shop for sustainable mattresses in the store, try hefting the corners of the mattresses you like to see how heavy they are. The heavier the mattress, the denser the materials, and the higher the quality. Higher quality materials will stand up to years of heavy use and maintain their structural integrity, so your luxury mattress will remain comfortable for years.
Luxury Mattresses Are Safer and Cleaner
Is your mattress full of toxic chemicals? It could very well be. Traditional mattresses have been made with petroleum products — polyurethane and synthetic latex — for decades, and those petroleum-based products aren’t just contributing to the waste of fossil fuels and the release of greenhouse gases into the environment. They’re also releasing toxic chemicals known as volatile organic compounds (VoCs) into your bedroom all the time. Traditional mattresses are also made with cotton, one of the most pesticide-heavy agricultural crops in the world, and those dangerous chemicals remain in the cotton fibers forever. That’s not all, either. It’s been found that the flame retardant chemicals used on traditional mattresses are toxic, too.
Have you ever purchased a new mattress, or a new car, and found that it gives off a chemical smell? That new car chemical smell is actually the smell of the polyurethane and other petroleum products in your new item off-gassing VoCs. But the toxic off-gassing doesn’t stop when the smell dissipates. Traditional mattresses continue to emit toxic chemicals throughout their lifespan, and those chemicals are linked to a range of health complaints, both minor and severe.
Luxury mattresses are typically made with organic materials that don’t produce VoCs or contain pesticides that could make you sick. Instead of polyurethane foam, they use natural latex foam, made with the sap of the rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis. It doesn’t release toxic chemicals, because it doesn’t contain any, and it’s sustainable, too, because the rubber trees have to be carefully farmed and kept alive in order to harvest the sap. Most luxury mattress brands are also made with organic cotton, which is produced with minimal pesticides, and organic wool, which is humanely produced without the use of chemicals and dyes. Wool is naturally flame retardant, so you can choose a luxury mattress made with wool instead of a cheaper one drenched with dangerous chemical flame retardants.
When it comes to buying a mattress, you should buy the most expensive one you can afford, even if that’s a luxury mattress. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much better you feel sleeping without all the chemicals found in traditional mattresses, and the high-quality materials will last long enough to make the high price tag well worth it.
