So you have decided you want to buy a memory foam mattress, but which one to buy?! It is pretty widely accepted that TempurPedic is a great choice, but they are very costly, and frankly, you can get a mattress that is just as good or better for less now. Below, we will teach you how to be a more educated memory foam consumer so that you can get the best mattress for the best price.
Here are some things to consider…
1- Density – Memory foam density is a big deal. Never buy a mattress with less than a 4lb memory foam. The density of the memory foam is the weight that 1 cubic foot of the foam weights. So, if you had a 1′ x 1′ x 1′ block of 5lb memory foam, that cube would weight 5lbs. So why does this matter? A higher density memory foam will hold up better over time. A common misconception is that high density memory foams are hard, whiler lower density foams are softer. This is not true. Along with densities, foams have a number called the ifd, or ild. The ifd/ild is a number that rates the firmness of a foam. You can have a 4lb foam with an ifd of 20 that will be much firmer than an 8lb foam with an ifd of 8. The lower the ifd, the softer the foam. Generally speaking you want between 10-15 ifd in a 5 or 6lb memory foam
Now, we’ll make your head spin a bit. Density isn’t always true! Many manufacturers use a dirty little trick so they can say they use high density memory foams when they in fact are inferior foams. That trick is using fillers in the foam to make it weight more while using less of their expensive raw materials. To do this, manufacturers will mix all sorts of things into the foam, sometimes as crude as dirt, or marble dust to make a 3lb foam weigh 5lbs when put on a scale! doing this creates a foam that does not have the same pressure relieving properties, or long life of a true 5lb density foam. BUYER BE WARE!!!
2-Amount of memory foam – a good memory foam mattress will usually have between 3 to 5 inches of memory foam. More than 5 inches is a bit over-kill, less than three inches does not give the same level of pressure relief.