Bed buying for new house decorators

Monday, November 19, 2019.

If you’re a new home owner you might have tried to shop for a bed at some time and been confused by the terms at first. Here are some tips and guidance if you’re in the States.

First off do your shopping in person before even thinking of trying to pop online.

Some places you can start include:

Big Lots
Mattress Firm
Mattress Warehouse
Original Mattress Factory
American Freight
Ikea
Sleep Outfitters
Walmart
Target
Kohl’s
Ashley Furniture
Morris Home Furnishing
Bed Bath & Beyond
JC Penny
Macy’s
Haverty’s
Value City Furniture
Mattress King

If you like to Do It Yourself you might also consider checking out some hardware stores like Lowes or Home Depot if you’re in the mood for building the bed frames such as a head board and footboard. These are just a few places. You might look to your city to see what they have locally.

Next you have to see if you want to buy just a mattress or the box included. That is, there’s a foundation often called a box of box spring or simply just the foundation which costs additional. It’s important to set your mattress on something that’s flat and stable so that your mattress doesn’t sag. Sagging can be horrible on your back, posture and neck.

Often you will see two prices on a price label which is just the mattress itself and the other higher price is often the “set” which means the mattress and the box spring together.

Beds also come in various sizes such as full, twin, twin XL, queen and king sizes. This is listed in smaller to bigger sizes. Usually Queen and King are the ones that are made for two people.

When going into a store, I usually want to look around but often you might need a salesperson or someone may approach you before you have a chance to look. Keep an open mind and like any other big purchases such as buying a car, you should look around and test the beds and see if you like the feel and look and support of the beds.

When you buy a bed you might also have a headboard and footboard and rails. Often there are wooden planks between the rails also.

Beds often come in various types including traditional inner spring mattresses. They can also have several different layers of memory foam or latex. Some are hybrid mattresses with variations of part foam construction and innersprings. Newer beds may have also pocketed coils or individually wrapped coils.

You should also determine the type of firmness level that your bed should be. If you are a back sleeper you might want something more supportive for instance while a side sleeper may want something that will allow the hips to be more comfortably in alignment with the rest of the spine.

It’s a good idea when first shopping for a bed to look around online and also in store at several shops after a few rounds look around physically at the store. I’ve learned that often going into a store you can get a better idea what you are actually buying versus trying to buy things electronically, although many people admittedly are smart and savvy and know how to find the same brand and buy from an online retailer and get comparable prices and shipping. But the only thing is trying to return packages can be a bit trickier.

The number one rule is: Don’t opt for a mattress just because it’s cheap.
The bedroom was often traditionally the center for a home and it also showed the wealth and prestige of a house based on how the bed was displayed and designed. Not just that, but sleep and rest is essential for health and well being of the mind. You need your bed to give you energy and having something clean and comfortable you can come back to at the end of the night does wonders for your wellbeing.

Here are some other terms and things to consider which you may come across when shopping.

It is a good idea to also get a mattress encasement to protect your mattresses and often your box spring. These keep out dust, dust mites, allergens, microbes as well as bed bugs. You can get cheaper encasements that are just waterproof or more breathable ones with zippers and velcro for additional bed bug protection. These usually run between $20 to $40. Good quality ones can run from $50 to $80. Of course, make sure your encasement fits your particular bed. It can be a tight fit. You might need a friend to help get the encasement on your bed especially if it’s a particularly heavy mattress.

Also your pillow height is very important. If you have your neck too high or two low, you can end up with a crick in the neck and stiff joints, muscles and shoulders the next day. You might not be able to turn your head or have a sore base of the neck. You can get between softer to medium firmness, firm, and extra firm. There are so many different kinds of shapes and sizes and colors of pilows now that you can find out any particular need. You might find decorative pillows, memory foam pillows, down pillows and down alternative pillows for those that are allergic to duck or geese feathers inside some pillows.

You may also see the term “Bed shams” which is used to cover pillows.

Beds often have decorative pillows that come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and colors. You might see regular rectangular pillows as well as round pillows, and pillows with furry materials or sheen and ultra soft varieties. It is a good idea to have two to four pillows. There are also long pillows or body pillows.

Next you need to worry about layers in your bed such as the bed sheets and mattress protectors. You often hear two kinds of sheets: flat and fitted.

Fitted sheets are sheets with a rubber elastic that go around a mattress to protect it.

Flat sheets are simply that, flat sheets that usually go on top a bed, usually a layer above the fitted sheet as a liner to prevent the upper blankets from getting dirty and provide a bit of comfort and slight amount of heat insulation.

Both fitted and flat sheets are often in standard sizes for beds. Beds come in various sizes in the U.S. such as Full, Twin, Twin XL, Queen, King.

Thread count is also an important consideration for the feeling of luxuriousness usually felt in a hotel. For example, 300 thread count and above often is smoother and a bit thicker for sheets and it means they also will hold up a bit longer from washing and drying.

The materials that is best for sheets is usually cotton. Although there may be silk, sateen and bamboo and polyester varieties. Egyptian cotton and Pima cotton is also considered to be luxurious.

Often there is another blanket on top of the flat sheets and sometimes you might have a comforter or duvet or quilt or bed spread.

What are some differences in the blankets?

Duvets originated from European roots. They often have down or feather lining and are basically big poofy bag sheets. They will have a duvet cover to protect the duvet. The Duvet cover can then be washed.

Quilts can be very colorful and are often several patches of squares stitched together and go on the very top of the bed. They contrast usually to the basic white of a duvet.

Bed spreads are often a bit thicker and can also vary in colors.

Comforters are usually big and bulky and don’t usually have the same ability to slip out of covers for washing.

Speaking of washing, often hotels also use mattress pads to protect the bed from from wet spills and sweat as well as an additional level of comfort. Mattress pads are a thicker layer with a soft thin foam texture that is attached to the top of a mattress with an elastic band.

Some additional tips for good sleep:
Make sure it’s the right temperature. Get extra blankets if needed or make sure you select a pillow of mattress which is temperature regulated and cool.
Don’t be on the cellphone far into the night as it can affect your ability to sleep due to “blue light”.
Don’t drink caffeine or get too stressed or work out too much before bed.
Try not to eat and have a heavy stomach before bed.