Vacuum Packed mattresses

molly_mandy_2

I hope I'm on the right board? Apologies if this has been asked before. I found threads on mattresses but not vacuum packed ones.

Has anyone bought one of the vacuum packed memory foam mattresses?

If so, do they initially smell funny and does the smell really go away completely ???


Thankyou for any replies as they are expensive and I'm worried if I go ahead and order one it might be a bad buy

Tim_Deegan

Some memory foam mattresses do have a strong chemical smell which should go away eventually. However I have heard of some of them still having a strong smell after 6 months.

The trouble is that some manufacturers vacuum pack the mattress before the residue from the fire retardent chemicals has had a chance to dry properly. This is one of the problems with the memory foam/latex foam mattresses. It is more difficult for air to circulate around the mattress than it would be if it had a layer of springs and vents on the side.

The fact is that memory foam mattresses that have a spring layer give better support (especially if they contain pocket springs). So unless there is a reason why you want a vacuum packed mattress, you might be better off going for one that contains springs. I'd like to point out that i'm not saying this in the hope that you will purchase the most expensive mattress from myself, I actually make more profit from the memory foam/latex foam mattresses because they aren't on special offer.

Tim

alanobrien

Yes i have bought several of these over the years for us an the kids.
They can be a bit smelly for about a week or so then it should go away. Superb buy though, i will never use anything but memory foam mattresses in future.......and without springs as this seems to be a pointless design feature (to me) providing the foam densities are correctly specified.

Tim_Deegan

alanobrien wrote:

Yes i have bought several of these over the years for us an the kids.
They can be a bit smelly for about a week or so then it should go away. Superb buy though, i will never use anything but memory foam mattresses in future.......and without springs as this seems to be a pointless design feature (to me) providing the foam densities are correctly specified.

We recently sold an Eros and a Calypso (both pocket sprung with memory foam on both sides) to an osteopath. So we asked their professional opinion on the best type of mattress for back support. They told us that most of their profession recommends a combination of pocket sprung and memory foam. They also went on to say that if you can't afford pocket sprung with memory foam, then the next best option is just pocket sprung, and that they are far superior to latex (or reflex) foam and memory foam mattresses that seem to be the most common memory foam mattresses on the market.

Another advantage with springs and memory foam is that the spring layer allows air to circulate. Many people complain that memory foam mattresses make them too hot. A memory foam/latex foam mattress doesn't allow air to circulate very well, and actually builds up heat from your body.

Also you need to remember that all mattresses need to be turned both over and lengthways on a regular basis in order for them to wear evenly. Obviously you can only do this is with memory foam on both sides.

alanobrien

Tim_Deegan wrote:

Also you need to remember that all mattresses need to be turned both over and lengthways on a regular basis in order for them to wear evenly. Obviously you can only do this is with memory foam on both sides.

Errr no, mine certainly does not need to be turned and came with a 20 year guarentee. Had it a few years so far and its been better than any sprung mattress we have ever had.

Support system design (humanscale) is focussed around he density and elasticity of the material you are using, the substtrate must be a higher density than the top layer to support the thermo elastic properties.

Uniform layers are better than point load solutions to avoid stress in the object being supported in this case my back.

So give me foam layers instead of springs any day no matter how they are packaged. Not an osteopath but i have designed support systems of this nature for the aerospace industry and guess what they use?

Tim_Deegan

alanobrien wrote:

Errr no, mine certainly does not need to be turned and came with a 20 year guarentee. Had it a few years so far and its been better than any sprung mattress we have ever had.

Support system design (humanscale) is focussed around he density and elasticity of the material you are using, the substtrate must be a higher density than the top layer to support the thermo elastic properties.

Uniform layers are better than point load solutions to avoid stress in the object being supported in this case my back.

So give me foam layers instead of springs any day no matter how they are packaged. Not an osteopath but i have designed support systems of this nature for the aerospace industry and guess what they use?

Obviously you can't turn your mattress over because it is only one sided. Manufacturers use the fact that a mattress may be non-turn as a feature. The truth is that they are just making it cheaper to manufacture (memory foam is the most important part of the mattress.

It sounds like you quoted a paragraph from the sales literature........remember that they are trying to convince you that they are the best. Can I ask what make your mattresses are?

I actually sell a few different types of memory foam mattresses including memory foam/latex foam combinations (we actually make the most profit on these), but it is a well known fact that the pocket sprung/memory foam is by far the best option.

raymond

Tim_Deegan wrote:

remember that they are trying to convince you that they are the best.

The words POT ... KETTLE .... and ... BLACK spring (pardon the pun) to mind here

Marsh_Samphire

Back to the original question, yes they can smell a bit for a while but we've had several over the years and it goes away and has never bothered us.

Marsh_Samphire

Just another thought, we have relations in Holland and in the shops there you find very few pocket sprung matresses. Latex and memory foam are very popular over there. Years ago I used to have pocket sprung but switched to memory foam after experiencing one while staying with relatives over there. I actually brought my first one over from Holland - the vacuum packing made it easy to fit into the car!

molly_mandy_2

Thank you all for your replies - much appreciated

Tim_Deegan

raymond wrote:

The words POT ... KETTLE .... and ... BLACK spring (pardon the pun) to mind here

Excuse me.....if you read my posts you will see that there is no reason why I would try to convince anyone to buy a pocket sprung/memory foam mattress over a latex/memory foam mattress. I make more profit when I sell the latex type because they aren't on special offer. All I am trying to do is give helpful advice as I do actually know about mattresses as I sell them, and I make sure (unlike some retailers) that I actually know about the products I sell so that I can give people honest advice.