Mattress advice - do I go for ikea or a better brand?

Posted by hiwaterbottle@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 43 comments

Upon adulting for the first time I bought a cheap metal bed frame from Amazon, and the second cheapest mattress from ikea. This was a mistake. I can feel every. Single. Metal. Bar.

So I’m looking for a new mattress. I went to IKEA and decided on the Valevag mattress but upon seeing the reviews online I’m a bit hesitant as it has 3.5 stars.

Do I just go for the one I tried, or perhaps bite the bullet and get one from a better reviewed store without trying? The Dusk memory foam spring hybrid seems like a solid option. I should add that my budget is £200-300

At this point anything is better than me currently sleep setup, but I do suffer from back pain and don’t want to make the same mistake.

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DarthJarJarJar@reddit

100% organic latex. Cannot recommend highly enough. Also they're modular, the mattress cover unzips. You can replace the cover, you can replace the top layer of latex if you ever need to. Mine came with a 20-year warranty. Really, I cannot recommend this highly enough. It's life-changing.

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Agreeable-Speaker-59@reddit

What brand?

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DarthJarJarJar@reddit

We went with SleepEZ, but I don't think it matters much. You want certified 100% organic latex and a decent cover with a wool pad. If I had a reason to buy another one I'd go for an economy option like Latex for Less or something.

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mearaouf@reddit

sounds good! how thick is it?

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DarthJarJarJar@reddit

We got a 13" king for our bedroom. But later we got a 9" queen for the spare room, and honestly it's just as comfortable. I'd recommend the 9", it's lighter, easier to move around, and cheaper.

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mearaouf@reddit

Thank you!

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thereisalwaysrescue@reddit

We have an ikea mattress but with an expensive mattress topper. Worth every penny.

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AFreshStart88@reddit

How's the mattress holding up ??? What one also and us the mattress topper still good ,,

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nonoanddefinitelyno@reddit

We've just bought a new bed with a £2000 mattress. My wife loves it - it's the best mattress she ever slept on in her life. She's had terrible trouble sleeping comfortably for years.

I fucking hate it and wake up with a sore back most mornings.

This is no practical help for this thread, but I just wanted to tell someone. I can't tell the wife as she would change it in a second for me.

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OrganicPudding8006@reddit

Why dont you get 2x 90x200cm so both of you are comfortable..

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anabsentfriend@reddit

My friends bought one of those mattresses that have different 'sides'. She loves a soft mattress and he loves a firm one, so they each have that type on their side of the bed. They said it's been life changing for them.

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very_unconsciously@reddit

Maybe try a memory foam topper just for yourself?

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hiwaterbottle@reddit (OP)

Your secrets safe with me. Good husband award to you at least

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Horror-Kumquat@reddit

You spend a third of your life in bed. Get a decent mattress.

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Cautious_History4864@reddit

lol that is a hilarious statement and really hits home and made me realize i need to get a better mattress.

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Financial-Deer1447@reddit

Came here to say this. The one thing you should really invest in is a good mattress and bedding.

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Middle_Macaron1033@reddit

ikea can be hit-or-miss, especially the cheaper ones. they usually feel great for a few months then start dipping. with back pain, i’d avoid the really soft ikea foams. £200–300 range you’ll get better value from online brands. i’ve had a good experience with luff sleep. it’s firmer, bamboo-based (so stays cooler).

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Aeshma-Maeva@reddit

Well the frame is the real problem. Your mattress isn't the villain, the metal bar frame is. Even a £1000 mattress will feel terrible on a frame with no support. The mattress sags between the bars, which is why you feel them.

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hiwaterbottle@reddit (OP)

Without outright buying a new bed frame, what can I do to ease the sagging. There’s probably a splayed hands width gap between the bars

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AvailableYam2484@reddit

Having really uncomfy slats on my bed and not wanting to have to buy a new bed myself, I got a couple of things boards of MDF from B&Q and they've actually worked nicely

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GiGGLED420@reddit

Just need to add some holes in the board for ventilation so it doesn’t get mouldy

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draenog_@reddit

We got our mattress from IKEA when we were buying a new bed.

We went for their top of the range one (VATNESTRÖM) which is way out of your stated budget at £700-£800.

That said, we saved on the bedframe by finding a second hand vintage solid mahogany frame online for like £150, so our total spend was only about £950ish, which wasn't so bad. You'd pay about £700 for the cheapest possible mattress plus frame combination in an equivalent size at Bensons.

It's really comfy and has ruined hotels for us because their beds are never as good, but it is starting to sag a bit on my partner's side after two years, which isn't ideal. But he's not a lightweight man and we bought a new frame in the first place because we were a bit hard on the last one and broke it, so your mileage may vary. 🙃

It may also be worth considering whether your cheap Amazon frame might be equally to blame. A mattress that you can feel the bedframe through probably wouldn't be anywhere near as uncomfortable if the bedframe itself wasn't pokey and horrible, and that might be the cheaper of the two components to upgrade if you look at second hand options.

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Legitimate_War_397@reddit

I got a VÅGSTRANDA mattress from ikea, I love it, supports me in the right places, and no longer waking up with back pain.

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Boggyprostate@reddit

Emma mattress, you will not regret it. I have many physical disabilities including fibromyalgia, they used to call that “the princess and the pea disease” because every part of your body hurts, even seams on clothes can hurt. When I got an Emma mattress I was blown away, honestly it’s like getting into a brand new mattress every single night. I can not recommend enough.

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arioandy@reddit

Vispring! Best mattress ive ever slept on

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younevershouldnt@reddit

The IKEA one you're looking at is superb, way better than the price might suggest.

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AvailableYam2484@reddit

When I bought my house I wanted to fancy, home owning, grownup big girl so bought a super expensive IKEA mattress that was supposedly the full shebang, all the fancy pocket springs, everything, and thought I'd be getting the best sleep ever, only to find before long I was waking up in the night in agony genuinely feeling like I'd been beaten up - it was HORRIBLE.

Eventually took a punt on some random but very reasonably/slightly disconcertingly priced Chinese memory foam one off Amazon (don't have the name at hand but it was only around 200 quid) and it's actually turned out AMAZING. Obviously check reviews but would say something like that would be worth a look

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KatieCampbel1@reddit

I actually really like Mattress Online. If you don’t find it comfortable they let you exchange it. I think I used my old one for a month before I decided I didn’t find it comfortable

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Fit_Soup870@reddit

Any slats will make your mattress feel worse, you are better off with a divan base.

Also my dad used to tell me, always buy a good bed and good boots, as you’ll spend half your life in each!

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BG3restart@reddit

I have the original Hovag mattress from IKEA, that the Valevag replaced, at my holiday home and everyone raves about it. I have a much more expensive memory foam mattress at home and find the Hovag more comfortable for me. Price isn't always an indication of preference. I believe the Valevag is slightly softer than the Hovag so you might want to choose the firmer option if there is one.

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non-hyphenated_@reddit

Get the best shoes you can and the best bed. If you're not in one, you're in the other.

Also don't underestimate the effect the frame has on overall comfort

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Kara_Zor_El19@reddit

My partner bought ours from Dunhelm, it’s a Dreams mattress with memory foam top and the fancy spring tech (can’t remember what it’s called). We’ve had the mattress 2 years and it still feels as comfortable as brand new. Whereas the cheap mattress I had at my mums barely lasted a year and that was with me being away for uni

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No-Potential-7242@reddit

Some Ikea mattresses are great. I had one that lasted for 12 years. However, like InspiringGecko already said, it depends on your budget. I think it's the more expensive Ikea mattresses are the better ones. If there are are many reviews, then the reviews should give you an accurate idea.

The Guardian (newspaper) did a review of mattresses recently (maybe over the summer). You could google around and see if you can find it.

I have mixed feelings about memory foam. Mine has become quite squashed over time, although there may be better ones out there.

Overall, if you can find one within your budget that has good reviews and that doesn't appear to be made out of something that will become squashed (like 100% foam), then you'll probably be fine.

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Brilliant-Figure-149@reddit

Yes we have an IKEA Anneland one in my son's room which is pretty good. About to buy another for our holiday home.

Although TBH ours is a very expensive Tempur.

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RiskItForAChocHobnob@reddit

I have the dusk and one and really like it and my sister loves coming to visit me as she thinks it's really comfy. It's very good for the price.

However they don't have any show rooms you can test it in first. This wasn't an issue for me as I was furnishing a 2 bed and knew I could just put it in the spare room and get myself a different one if I didn't like it, but you may want to consider one you can test out beforehand.

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sitdowncomfy@reddit

you can buy refurbished mattresses on eBay. Any company that offers a 100 day guarantee will usually have an outlet that resells the ones that get sent back. Usually they are steam cleaned or they change the cover. We got an Emma hybrid super king for £300 off eBay and it's like sleeping on a cloud

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broken-runner-26@reddit

Go to Bensons. Try a few different ones with firmness ratings. See what suits you and buy that type of mattress from whichever retailer meets your price point.

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Delicious-Cut-7911@reddit

I bought mine from Benson beds. It was pricey but it has been the best mattress.

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Top_Opening_3625@reddit

We bought a cheapish one from Argos and it didn’t last 9 months before it went lumpy. They replaced it but the same thing happened within months. We then bought an expensive one from bensons and it’s been great 3 years later. I am a bit salty about the delivery fee though.

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InspiringGecko@reddit

What's your budget? I bought an IKEA mattress in 2011, and it served me well for several years. When it died, I got an Emma mattress, which I was also happy with, though a lot of people in this sub hate Emma mattresses. If you happen to be a student, Emma gives student discounts.

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