Extended Life Mattress Collection XL

It seems with buying a new mattress and all that comes with it, just throwing out the old mattress and replacing it with a new one would solve the issues of sagging and bad body impressions. This is absolutely not true if you are buying one of today’s mattress and box spring sets. These problems include people of average size, a little overweight, or the obese.  There is simply no out running the number of concerns and issues associated with how the typical mattress set is built.

“There isn’t a mattress made for a heavy person”

Not true, a highly developed line of mattresses engineered to meet the needs of everyone including the plus-size sleepers is now available. The XL line or extended Life Mattress Collection from Comfort Solutions parent company of King Koil is constructed for bigger people and people of all sizes and body shapes as an alternative to the cloned mattress designs in order to give all sleepers the Extra stability…Increased support…Increased durability they’ve come to expect when spending their hard earned money on a new sleep system.

Are you a mattress buyer that falls into one of the 6 D’s of mattress ownership?

1. Dissatisfied

2. Disillusioned

3. Disappointed

4. Displeased

5. Disgruntled

6. Discontented

It seems the bigger plus-size sleepers have become disenchanted and very dissatisfied with how their mattresses perform. The common complaint is that they find that their mattress is unsupportive and uncomfortable not to mention their tendency to wear out quicker. King Koil wanted to design a better bed.

We looked into what makes King Koil King Koil Extended Life Mattress different from other beds?

• Quilting: Uses superior high density foam
• Visco Supreme Plus: This superior foam will last for years not months
• Extended Life Foam: Its High Resiliency not high density for a superior mattress life
• Extended Life Performance System: Stronger to last longer is the reason this specially designed innerspring system will give long lasting performance for any size person
• Excellent Edge: For increased seating and sleeping surface while providing greater stability
• Extended Life Foundation: Mastered design and three times the wood beams equals what? Super stability, even support, and guaranteed stable performance.
• Tailor Made Hand Tufting: Secures upholstery layers to reduce shifting, buckling and body impressions

While not all these features are available on every model the XL Collection virtually eliminates the common problems of the ordinary mattress and boxspring by paying special attention to a bed’s engineering in order to provide enhanced support, a comfortable feel, and improved overall mattress durability.  This could just be the answer to getting more life out of a mattress set…

Many of us go through life having a goal, which is considered to be the preverbal mountain of life, but should we have to climb it in our sleep too? If you have purchased a new mattress in recent years you just might  be climbing the real thing in your sleep . One of the biggest challenges for sleepers is climbing these very real hills or mountains in some cases that we call mattresses.

Reaching the pinnacle of the sleep hump

Redescente de l'arête sommitale ~ Summit Ridge

One of the most common complaints by today’s mattress owners is that they feel like they are sleeping in a hole, trough, or valley between two hills and after a night of sleeping like this a person may just feel like they tried to climb one of them. The most common occurrences are found primarily in king size beds, however queens are not free from the same issues. Noticeable body depressions begin to develop over time which some call sagging. It can happen on one or both sides and is often more prominent under the heavier person  leaving a large hump or ridge in the middle of the bed. Manufacturers claim the mattresses should be rotated and even flipped over if possible. The fact is the center or ridge in the middle of the mattress is rarely slept on so the mattress does not compress in a uniform manner.

Will the holes in my mattress bounce back?

The fact is compaction of the upholstery materials is taking place and simply turning the mattress from end to end will help with evening out mattress wear but it is not the cure. Common sense tells us that the mattresses cannot be turned sideways so it is unlikely that complete equalized compression in the bed surface can ever be achieved.

How to fix the hump in the center of a mattress and what causes the problem?

Because the padding layers are settling more rapidly where we sleep, most manufacturers are going to consider this normal wear and tear and therefore not going to cover it under mattress warranty. What they will do is cover excessive compression which varies from brand to brand. One to two inches is considered normal. The best we can do to get the rest of the mattress to feel the same and look the same is to make sure that when ever possible that we use the middle of the bed. In doing so mattress wear will be more uniform and is much less likely to affect mattress comfort.

We encourage you to go to websites like Yahoo Answers, What’s the Best Mattress, PennLive.com, The Mattress Expert, and various other places on the web. There you will read about people claiming to have trouble breaking in their new mattresses. Something we covered in a blog called How does a new mattress break in? On the flip side there is another large group of people asking the question why is their bed breaking down, sagging, and developing body impressions within months or even weeks, something else we discussed in There’s A Body in My Mattress! Needless to say the debate goes on.

So what is normal and what can I expect from my new bed? Does my new mattress need to break in or will it break down prematurely and develop body impressions? The fact is you should not be surprised if indentations develop over the first few weeks or months of your new mattress. Mattress manufacturers warn us in the warranty card we receive with our new beds that settling of the upholstery layers and materials are normal and should be expected. We agree and it is probably the one thing manufacturers are being honest with us about. The funny thing is we don’t pay attention and we keep buying these poorly constructed beds. The comfort layers made up in the design of our new mattresses is said to compress and that the performance of our new mattress will in fact improve.

Body impressions improve the mattresses feel?

Interestingly most mattress makers including the big brand names give notice of settling of the comfort materials to us in their warranty cards. They all disclose that it is not only normal but also likely for a new bed to develop up to a 1.5 to 2.0 inch body impression and will remain all the way through the life of the new mattress set. The warranty cards, manufacturers, and retailers say that it is not a warranty concern. Really…? Inch and a half holes in a mattress are comfortable, supportive, and they don’t make us feel like were sleeping on the edge of a hillside and they’re good for proper support?

Comfortable Liars

Believe me or believe them, I don’t find sagging mattresses comfortable. I personally believe we are all being shystered into believing settling of material or breaking down is a good thing with that said I’ll give you an analogy. Tires wear out and down because they are either poorly designed, under inflated, or the car is out of alignment. Tires wearing down are not good for handling, ride, traction, or safety. Like tires mattresses wearing down or breaking down prematurely are not good for our health, sleep, support, or comfort. At STL Beds we often say to people that we simulate mattresses to wearing a new pair of shoes all day. They will be comfortable at first but this new-found support can often be too much too fast and be a bit of a rude awaking for some and just like our feet our bodies need some time to adjust and get used to this brand new level of support.

Instead of breaking down my bed what can I do?

Some people make an effort to break down or break in their beds intentionally. It is a ludicrous idea but some are doing just that. Instead use a softer mattress topper or a thicker mattress pad it will add a little extra cushioning. Keep in mind this is not helping a new mattress break in rather its helping you adjust to a new mattress, a new mattress that either has more support than you are used to or was purchased too firm in the first place.

You are not alone. What do you think?
20 years
15 years
10 years

According to Consumer Reports the average life for a coil spring mattress is about 8 years. Truthfully it is my opinion the average mattress used 7-8 hours nightly will only last at best 6-7 years, but what does all this really mean and can they last longer?

Sure they can but lets put this into the proper context. Mattresses can physically last 20-30 years and lets face it number one its not healthy to sleep on most 20 + year old mattresses for health reasons we won’t even get into, that could be a blog by itself. Number two you wouldn’t wear your clothes that long without proper cleaning and care so why should mattress care be any different. It is no different and the people own these mattresses typically ignore them. The fact is mattresses are out of site and out of mind. Physically almost every mattress in that age group has out lasted its useful, supportive, comforting life and capability. In reality the bed is causing more problems than it is resolving.

Good quality premium mattresses used night after night can support and offer a sleeper at least a fair amount comfort up to 10 maybe 12 years. The fact is that after gravity, body weight, and construction materials begin to take its toll in the form of inadequate support and lack of mattress comfort.

So what can you do to make your mattress last a little longer?

If you would like to get the most out of your mattress both support and comfort take care of your mattress like you would your car’s engine with regular oil changes. In the case of a new mattress be sure to place a boxspring or foundation under it using proper steel bed frame or wood supports using legs that keep the whole bed unit from sagging.

Lastly your new mattress is not a chair so don’t use it for one. Many salespeople hype up extra heavy-duty seat or side edge support in mattresses implying it can be used like a chair. Not true, we never recommend using the side of your bed for nothing more than a way to get into or exit your bed, but if you must sit on the edge of your bed, it is very important not to sit in the same spot.

Finally cheaply constructed mattresses using low grade foams, minimal amounts of foam for padding, and coils springs that are weak in gauge and few in numbers can also cause mattresses to fail in just a couple of years as quick as a few months. These types of mattresses are designed for guest rooms, very light weight people (little kids) or decorative purposes like completing a bedroom that is never used.

1. Using Polyester Fiber in the top quilting of a mattress is not long lasting
2. The fiber used in mattress quilting is located in the surface of your mattress and just like Poly foams are a synthetic and created using petrochemicals. We spend up to nine hours a night with our bodies lying comfortably in that mattress surface.
3. Aesthetics is an important consideration when marketing mattresses and fiber adds a good fluff to the surface area giving a mattress an impressive look and the appearance of a lot of value. The bad thing is that poly (fluff) portion of the mattress will not hold up making the mattress less valuable. Sleeping pillows, throw pillows, and other decorator pillows are great examples of such construction nearly 100 percent of the time such fiber is used as batting for filling.
4. Many people believe that coil springs are the first thing to fail and break or break down however the first body impression is a result of top surface panel which begins flattening from use of fiber in the mattress.
5. Fiber flattening happens in as little as a couple of weeks or even days of sleeping on the fiber quilted panel of a new mattress.
6. A fact not often talked about in the mattress industry is that fibers are not used as a load bearing material in consumer products which the exception of traditionally styled mattresses.
7. The primary element is air in fiber which is the biggest reason it does not hold up making it less resilient than other materials for mattress construction. You can do an experiment to prove this fact; Place a heavy book like a dictionary on a decorator pillow that has been filled with fiber for the next seven days for approximately 8 hours each day.
8. Do you know why fiber batting utilizes so much air in its construction other than giving products like mattresses more loft (puffiness)? The fiber material by itself does not breathe very well. Ever wear a polyester suit?
9. Fiber is often used in mattresses quilting to conceal the degradation of foam for example the discoloring and yellowing that takes place with time.
10. A mattress feel can be spectacular in the a mattress showroom an in the beginning at home, however due to fiber compression and fiber flattening, the mattress feel can dramatically change into something you wished you hadn’t purchased.

There are a couple different points of view concerning this question and both make very good cases for whether or not there is a break in period or not for a mattress. The mattress industry says the mattress is conforming to your body’s shape and mattress buyers disagree saying that comfort layers are failing causing severe discomfort and sagging.

Does a mattress really break in?

The mattress industry says yes, in the same way a brand new pair of new shoes has to break in the same is true for a new mattress. The mattress industry generally says it will conform to each person’s specific body shape “over time” as we use it. Since most of us sleep in the basically the same location in our mattress each night, a little bit of compression from the materials used to built the mattress will occur in a comfort system.

Is the breaking in of a mattress really sagging?

Many consumers agree a certain level of compression is going to take place but where most people disagree with the mattress industry’s position is how quickly and how significantly these so called “comfort layers” compress.

Mattress buyers often complain that the body compressions, body indentations, or body impressions are an all out failure caused by cheap materials such as polyester fiber and multiple layers of low grade polyurethane foam. These unsatisfied mattress buyers say the “breaking in” is not creating comfort; rather the opposite affect is happening causing severe discomfort. The discomfort comes from sleeping in a mattress that has ridges, holes, peaks, valleys and just all out sagging going on. Not to mention they look horrible.

What do I think about mattresses breaking in?

I think customers are correct. Mattresses are failing too quickly. It is my feeling mattresses don’t simply break in with use rather they wear out to quickly from cheap materials. Polyurethane foam, coil springs, or both can and do fatigue and fail, though in my opinion coil springs are not the issue.

So what can I do about a sagging mattress?

If you are having problems with your mattress sagging discuss with the retailer or the manufacturer from where you purchased your bed. If you don’t, the issues of sagging failing mattresses will never be resolved. Push the issue and push for replacement of your mattress if it is failing prematurely. Then and only then with enough negative complaints will the industry be forced to respond by building mattresses with better longer lasting comfort layers.

A body impression develops from the use of many layers of low grade polyurethane (PU) foam or other materials which are layered directly on top of the spring unit. The typical coil spring units measure 6 to 7 inches thick. If your mattress has a total thickness of 14 inches you can expect nearly all of the remaining 7 to 8 inches to be cheap PU foam. One factor for determining foam quality is measuring its density. Today the mattress industry standard that only exists in theory is far below the recommended minimum of 2.0 lbs., which is typically considered a minimum standard in sofas.

Another contributing factor to a mattress wearing prematurely is that most manufacturers have gone to a one sided mattress design. In doing this, the industry eliminated your option to flip your mattress and extend its useable life. Most one sided mattresses continue the practice of adding low grade materials such as PU foam and cheap polyester fibers to the top side or the mattress surface. This leaves head to toe rotation as the only care option for a one sided mattress.

The mattress industry has a history of not standing behind mattress warranty claims. They often cover themselves by acknowledging in the warranty card itself that body impressions are a normal occurrence. Most warranties state clearly that before warranty rights can be exercised and exchanged for new that the mattress, you must have 1½ to 2 inches of compression. By clearly posting this in their warranty card the manufacturer is plainly telling you that the foam is going to wear out. They also suggest that the huge body indentation that is making your mattress uncomfortable may not be covered under warranty. The warranties go on to say to reduce the speed at which this will occur, you should occasionally rotate the mattress from end to end and flip if applicable.

As if that is not bad enough – many people meet the company’s minimum measurement standards but end up not getting their mattress replaced under their warranty because of a stain. There is a frequent practice that manufactures and dealers reserve the right to refuse a warranty claim if the mattress has a stain on it. This was originally designed to protect those who handled the mattresses from fluids such as blood and urine. Many manufactures and dealers have abused this part of the guarantee by refusing to take back mattresses that have something as simple as a dirt mark claiming it falls under the guidelines of a stain.

Warranties 10,15 and even 20 years are not an indication of a mattresses life. They are a guarantee against defects. It is unfortunate that there are so many in the industry that do not know what a defect is.