How to Buy a Sofa Bed Mattress

I'm going to take you through the buying process for selecting and purchasing a sofa bed mattress.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet Connection
• Notepad
• Pencil
• Credit Card

1. Figure out the current size of your sofa bed mattress. No every sofa bed is the same so it's very important that you measure. Here is a list of the most common sizes. You'll notice that most of them have more than one set of sofa bed mattress dimensions available. The most common sizes are as follows:
   
   Single: 24"x72"
   Twin: 38"x72" or 35"x72"
   Full: 54"x72" or 52"x72"
   Queen: 60"x72" or 58"x72" or 60"x80"(not as common)
   
   Depths for sofa bed mattresses range between 3.5-5.5 inches with the average being 4.5".

2. 
   Latex Sofa Bed Mattress

   Determine what kind of sofa bed mattress you want to buy. Currently, the four most common types are latex, memory foam, air, urethane, and innerspring. I will go over them in detail throughout the next few steps.
   
   The first is a Latex sofa bed mattress: This type of sofa bed mattress as seen at www.sofa-bed-mattress.net tends to be the most comfortable and by far the most durable...but also the most expensive. That's because the process involved to manufacture them is quite costly and rubber trees are very hard to come by (most rubber trees are brought over from Sri Lanka or other parts of southeast asia). Latex is naturally hypo-allergenic, dust mite resistant, eco-friendly, and they return back to their original shape with no delay time. Latex mattress tend to experience less sagging, rutting, and ditching when compared to other products. One important question to ask when choosing a latex sofa bed mattress is the latex used natual latex or synthetic? Synthetic latex is a eurathane foam which breaks down quicker and may or may not contain any latex at all. Usually it is disguised to look and feel like latex but doesn't have any of the benefits (cheaper foam). Synthetic latex is also photo sensitive which means it breaks down and discolors when exposed to sun (bad if you have a sofa near a window).

3. 
   Memory Foam Sofa Bed Mattress

   The next type is a Memory Foam Sofa Bed Mattress. Memory foam responds to your individual body temperature and eliminates motion transfer between sleeping partners. This type of mattress is among the best for pressue point relief. Memory foam is often recommend by chiropractors and general practitioners. This is the same technology that used in the famous Tempurpedic mattresses shown in the late night infomercials. Tempurpedic actually makes a sofa bed mattress except it's only made in the 80" length. 99% of sofa beds use a 72" length mattress. Memory foam sofa bed mattresses respond based on your body temperature so it's important to get one that uses open cell memory foam (not closed cell) other wise you will over-heat. Also look for a sofa bed mattress which uses plant based memory foam (soy for example) as it's more eco-friendly.

4. 
   Air Over Coil Sofa Bed

   Another type is Air-Over-Coils Sofa Bed Mattress: Similar to the sleep number bed but with coils. If you like the select comfort this might be a good choice. Changing how much air you put into the mattress will adjust your firmness. You inflate these with a pump after you pull out your sofa. The positives for an air mattress include being able to adjust how the mattress feels and having a higher profile mattress (air mattresses can expand to 11"). The downsides: the high cost, having to reinflate because of leakage, having to deflate the mattress before you can fold it into the couch each night, costly replacement parts, and possible mold in the chambers (health hazzard). The latter issue is really only a concern in humid climates and if your using it every night. If your mattress is used frequently, its recommended that you take a rag with bleach and run it over the insides of the air chambers every few months to prevent mold.

5. 
   Urethane Foam (aka Polyuethane Foam)

   Yet another type is Urethane Foam Sofa Bed Mattress (aka Polyuethane Foam): This is what you think of when people say foam. Although it's not as comfortable as memory foam or latex, it is definately more comfortable than a coil mattress (aka innerspring). This type of sofa bed mattress does an adequate job of absorbing the metal bar feel that most people complain about with their existing sofa bed mattress. Poly-urethane is also readily available which makes it cheaper and it's usually available in custom sizing for that antique sofa bed you bought on ebay. One important thing to note is most urethane sofa bed mattresses tend to be pretty firm. If you prefer a softer feel, you might want to consider a different option. As a side bar, as of 2007, all mattresses have to be fire retardent. To combat that some manufacturers are dousing urethane foam with highly toxic fire retardent chemicals called PBDE's (polybrominated diphenyl ether). These are banned in Canada, Europe and in several states in the US (but not all). There is currently no federal regulation for manufacturers to disclose whether or not they use them. PDBE's have been associated with brain and reproductive damage, high cancer levels, and lower sperm count. PDBE's can be found not only in mattresses but in many household products like furniture. Traces of PDBE's can be found in breast milk, livers of fetuses, and umbilical cord blood. This is not to say that all Urethane foam contains PDBE's because they don't. Just make sure to ask questions about how the mattress is manufacturered and be sure your dealing with a reputable retailer.

6. 
   Coil Sofa Bed Mattress (aka Innerspring)

   Finally, the last type is a Coil Sofa Bed Mattress: This is the type of mattress that is usually included with most sofa's. Of the five types of mattresses it's the least desired amount most sofa bed owners. This is due to the fact that you can usually feel both the coils and the metal bar in the sofa bed. Regular mattresses are usually pretty thick (double the height of a sofa bed mattress) and can accomodate a coil high enough to float before it's fully compressed. It's impossible to fit a high profile coil into a sofa bed mattress. Another issue is hydrogen embrittlement during the manufacturing process. When the coils go through electroplating the hydrogen that's absorbed in carbon steel causes the coil to become brittle. This can lead to stressing, cracking, and failure. Unfortunately if you don't electroplate a coil it's more suseptible to rust. The springs can be coated in plastic but it is usually cost prohibitive to do so. Springs also undergo stress during the winding process. The best type of coil is one that is heat treated to be stress relieved. Most coil/innerspring sofa bed mattresses are not treated this way as it carries a high price tag.

7. After you decide what kind of mattress you want to purchase google or yahoo some of the common keywords like "sofa bed replacment mattress" or "sleeper sofa replacement mattress."

8. Read through their policies and if you can, get them on the phone and ask them these questions:
   
   What's the sofa bed mattress going to cost me?
   -Go for what you can afford. If your thinking long term or it's your only bed, spend the extra money and get something nice. It's better to be comfortable then to have a metal bar poking you in the back. If it's short term or never slept on, keep it affordable.
   
   How is it Shipped?
   -Ask them if they vacuum and roll their mattress. This is a damaging way of packaging as the foam can become brittle, crack and become defective. If they vacumm packed it, ask them how long it's been sitting in the warehouse (1 week or 6 months?). You would rather have it compressed and rolled. This is a much more expensive way of packaging the mattress but most manufactures don't want to spend the money (compressing machines cost upwards of $50,000).
   
   Is shipping included or is it extra?
   -About 50% of the retailers offer free shipping
   
   Can I return if I don't like it?
   -The only retailer that we've seen that will let you return it after sleeping on it is www.sofa-bed-mattress.net (aka MattressInsider.com). They let you return it within 100 days.
   
   Do they charge tax?
   -Usually not unless you live in the state they are shipping from.

9. Place your order and wait 7-10 days(that's the average).
   -The average manufacturer takes about 3-4 days to make a sofa bed mattress. This is because the higher traditional (non sofa bed) mattresses usually take priority (regular mattresses make more money for the manufacturer and they are higher demand). If a retailer is claiming they can ship out same or next day, ask them how long the mattress has been boxed and sitting in the warehouse. Also ask them about the shelf life of their product.

10. Enjoy!

Tips & Warnings

• Read the fine print!
• Ask lots of questions
• Make sure it's not vacuum packed

Resources

• Memory Foam and Latex Sofa Bed Mattress Supplier