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Bed in a Box: Unpacked

Shopping for a new mattress is an endeavour to take seriously. Mattresses are a major home investment, due largely to how long they need to last: the National Sleep Foundation recommends replacing your mattress every 7 to ten years.

 Additionally, your mattress plays a role in the quality of sleep you get, meaning what mattress you buy could have a major impact on your physical and emotional health. However, the mattress buying model is outdated. No one wants to spend their weekend in a brick and mortar mattress store, faced with an overwhelming amount of choices and pushy salespeople. Additionally, it’s difficult to determine the overnight sleep quality of a mattress simply by laying on it for five minutes. In fact, research shows that it’s difficult to predict your optimal mattress from a typical showroom excursion. Not only is the experience time-consuming and tedious, but you’re paying inflated prices.

What is a Bed in a Box?

Thankfully, the traditional mattress buying model is being updated. A bed in a box is a revolutionary new way to buy and ship a mattress. Born out of newly pioneered manufacturing and packing processes, the bed in a box model allows you to buy a mattress online from your home and have it delivered to your door in a conveniently sized box. It removes the hassle that comes with traditional mattress shopping, and it’s much less expensive.

What are the Benefits of a Bed in a Box?

The bed in a box mattress model simplifies the mattress buying process, allowing you to find the right mattress without the hassle or cost of in-store shopping.

RISK-FREE TRIALS

“Test-driving” a mattress is the secret to finding the perfect mattress. While sleep specialists recommend lounging on a mattress for at least 20 minutes before you buy, no one wants to spend their Saturday hopping from one mattress store to another. Rolled mattresses come with risk-free trials, typically between 100- and 200-nights long, allowing you to test the mattress out out and decide if it provides the right sleep quality for you.

CONVENIENT SHOPPING

Bed in a box mattresses are shipped right to you, taking the hassle out of mattress shopping. Plus, the ability to buy online frees up your weekend, and returns are easy.

COST BENEFITS

Online mattress companies also cut out the middleman, which allows them to sell mattresses without the overhead. The mattress is compressed, rolled and packed in a small box for easy manoeuvring, and there are no shipping charges.

EASY RETURNS

If you’re not satisfied, don’t worry about having to repack the expanded mattress back into the box—the mattress will be picked up from your home by the company and donated or recycled accordingly.

How Does a Bed in a Box Work?

Bed in a box mattresses are made out of top-of-the-line, advanced memory foam. Using state-of-the-art, automated compression technology, these mattresses are compressed for shipping into a size that is able to fit in a box small enough to be shipped via standard methods. Their unique foam structure then allows the compressed, rolled mattresses to bounce back and expand into their original shape once unboxed.

HOW ARE MEMORY FOAM MATTRESSES PACKED?

BedPillows.com memory foam mattresses are wrapped in protective plastic and then machine-compressed to make them as compact as possible. Once they’re flattened, they’re rolled and packed into an easy-to-manage box. Watch the video below to see how an entire memory foam mattress is compressed, rolled and packed to fit into a small box.

Unboxing a Bed in a Box

It takes only five minutes to unbox a mattress in a box from Bed King once it arrives. Once received, you only have to take the mattress out of the box, carefully open the plastic cover and allow the mattress to expand. It takes between 24 and 48 hours for a mattress to regain full shape. It’s that easy! Rolled mattresses change the mattress buying game, so you spend less time, less money and less hassle than the traditional in-store experience. BedPillows.com provides additional value over other bed in a box mattress companies, offering a 200-night trial so you can be absolutely sure you are getting the best possible sleep quality, all from a mattress delivered to your door in a conveniently sized box.

Mattress ‘Facts’ You Should Stop Believing Right Now

Shopping for a mattress at a bed shop can be one of the most agonizing experiences, from pushy salespeople to an overwhelming number of options to not actually knowing what you need in the first place. It's so easy to end up with the wrong one, but it doesn't have to be that way. 

The Huffington Post spoke with Jay Orders, the co-owner of a popular mattress manufacturer in the USA, to get a better understanding of what we really need to look for when we hit that bed shop showroom floor. His family has been in the mattress-manufacturing business since 1931, and he's worked in almost every part of that process in a factory setting to be able to separate the hard product truths from the marketing myths.

"People come in with a list of specifications because there are so many things out there about mattresses that they read," Orders told The Huffington Post. "A good mattress is something most people don't know a lot about: How it feels, the quality of the construction, the quality of the materials used, the final product. There's a lot of information out there, and it's hard to trust some of it. There's a lot of smoke and mirrors."

Myth #1: You must, must, MUST get a pillow-top mattress because they make the most comfy beds EVER.

"I always get requests for things that don't make sense," said Orders. "For instance, people always ask for a pillow-top mattress, and when I ask why, they say they heard it's supposed to be a softer, nicer mattress, but none of that's true. I have to explain to them it's just a marketing gimmick."

This is a common misconception created by different companies looking to distinguish their products from their competitors. But Orders claims that the same plush feel can be achieved with a traditional mattress design, despite how boring that may sound. It's moreso about the structural integrity of the mattress. And if you want to create a fluffy princess bed, there's nothing wrong with topping off a solid, standard mattress with a cushioned pad of your choice.

Myth #2: No biggie -- one size fits all.

Try again. Why would one mattress feel the same, offer identical support and last the same amount of time for a 50-60kg woman and a 110-120kg man? Simple answer: It wouldn't.

It seems to be a growing trend among new mattress companies to try and cut out the complicated distinctions that come along with a catalogue of different models, and make the case that all mattresses are essentially the same. But it's still important to factor in things such as a person's natural sleeping position, any sleeping difficulties or disorders, their age and weight, and general preferences from previous mattress experiences, according to Orders. All the aforementioned factors are measured scientifically to recommend the best mattress for your sleeping requirements, by a very innovative bed shop, Bed King.

Myth #3: You're most definitely going to get the total value (and then some) of that lifetime warranty.

"When most companies say 'lifetime warranty,' they're referring to the materials inside the mattress, which really isn't a warranty at all," said Orders. "It's saying as soon as this mattress is worn out from normal wear and tear, it's no longer covered under warranty. It's very vague and can get very expensive."

The National Sleep Foundation recommends changing your mattress every seven to 10 years, regardless of any outstanding warranty. That's the most important detail to keep in mind. How long your mattress will last depends on several factors like usage and its original quality, but generally speaking, it's gotta go after that 10-year mark. It won't provide you with much support and comfort after that.

Myth #4: There's no such thing as a proper bed setup without a box spring...

Unless your bed frame still uses slats for support, you do not need a box spring, according to Orders. Box springs were first invented to help absorb shock since mattresses themselves were so much thinner back then. Nowadays, all box springs really do is just raise the profile of your bed. So again, if you're going for the princess look, start stacking. Otherwise, it's just an additional, unnecessary cost. All you need is a solid platform underneath your mattress for support.

Myth #5: Giving your mattress a test lie-down on the showroom floor is enough.

Believe it or not, the only real way to test out a mattress and make sure it's the one for you is to actually sleep on it. (Mind blown, right?)

This fact is key when it comes to shopping with a mattress company that offers both a reasonable trial period and return shipping rates in case the one you choose initially ends up not being the perfect fit. Some companies don't offer trials at all, and others' return pricing can get pretty steep. Either way, don't just sneak in a catnap in the store and call it a day here.

Myth #6: There's a reason these people are selling mattresses: They're SLEEP GENIUSES.

Sorry folks, it doesn't take much sleep expertise to work as a mattress salesperson. And just like many others in the trade, they work on commission, says Orders, which is why in many retailers, they tend to push the higher-priced options the hardest.

When it comes to gaining the best mattress insight, Orders recommends finding someone you really trust and discussing your needs and concerns candidly with them. Product reviews online can also be a great source of information that is worth a read. Keep your eye out less for brand names and more for quality materials, because that's what's ultimately going to help you sleep well at night.

Myth #7: If you have a bad back, you'll regret not buying a hard, firm mattress.

"We get this one a lot," said Orders. "People think that it's going to provide the best support, which isn't necessarily true. Your spine has a natural curvature, so the optimal sleeping position is to have your spine as close to that natural curvature as possible because it creates the least amount of pressure."

Sleeping on a mattress that is too firm creates aches and pains on pressure points rather than catering to that curvature, leading to a night full of tossing and turning. It's important to pick one that supports your head, shoulders, hips and feet all in proper alignment. Those who struggle with back issues need to pay particular attention when shopping to find the fit that's both supportive and comforting in all the right places.

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