How old is your mattress?

[monarda]

We have a ~$1000 (in 2008) Stearns and Foster mattress that's starting to have pits and ruts and show its age. I'm going to try a mattress topper ($60 like new on FB marketplace "Molecule" is the brand) on it to see if we can get a little more time out of it. Is 16 years a lot for a mattress these days?
 
I'm curious, how long do you keep mattresses before replacing them? I imagine one strategy is to get less expensive mattresses more often.

We like firm.

I'm dreading mattress shopping.

[NotJen]

Is 16 years a lot for a mattress these days?

Yes.  I had an $800 (2006) King mattress from Sam's Club (name brand, maybe Serta?) for 15 years.  It was causing me pain around year 13, but I was able to find one part of the mattress that was still good, and slept there for the remaining years (if I had stayed married, I suppose I would have had to replace it at year 13).  It was a really great mattress.

I've had my current mattress for 3 months.  It's a $650 (2023) Full Sealy Posturepedic that is not as awesome as my previous mattress, but still pretty good.  I'm hoping it lasts 8-10 years.

I'm dreading mattress shopping.

It's the worst, for sure.

[ChpBstrd]

16 months and I hate ours. It's an $800 Purple mattress and it's too firm for my tastes but DW likes it so we compromised and kept it. Looking forward to it dying, but I'm something of a mattress princess so I'm not looking forward to shopping either.

I think 10 years is the norm. Yours was fancy so you can expect to get a longer life out of it. Don't expect a topper to fix a valley in the mattress. I've tried placing a folded sheet underneath a mattress before, to prop up the saggy part, but it was hard to get this right.

Make sure it's not your box spring or bed slats that are sagging, and remember to rotate the mattress.

[wenchsenior]

We have a Sleep Number mattress, still going strong at almost 20 years. Presumably we won't have to replace it until the pump fails.

[yachi]

We have a Sleep Number mattress, still going strong at almost 20 years. Presumably we won't have to replace it until the pump fails.

and even then, you can buy a replacement pump: https://www.amazon.com/sleep-number-pump-replacement-remote/s?k=sleep+number+pump+replacement+with+remote

[GuitarStv]

Mattress?

[Michael in ABQ]

My wife worked at a hotel in college and was able to get a pretty substantial employee discount. That was about 16 years ago.

It's a double-side mattress and we've been diligent in following the directions to flip it and rotate it every 3 months (the months are listed on a tag at each end of the mattress. I think that's really helped so it doesn't feel like we both roll into the middle or anything like that. I think it also helps that our combined weight is around 300 pounds or less. I can't imagine mattresses last as long if both people are fat. Obviously having 400-600 pounds compressing a mattress is going to shorten it's lifespan.

We've talked about getting a new one several times over the years but I can't bring myself to go spend $1,000 on something that may not be any better than we currently have. Our neighbor bought a foam mattress on the internet (maybe purple?) and I saw him dragging it into his pickup truck a couple days later as he said it was terrible.

[lhamo]

I LOVE my Ikea Morgedal mattresses -- they currently sell for around $300 for the queen, but often go on sale for at least $50 cheaper.

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/morgedal-foam-mattress-firm-dark-gray-30277389/

I am a side sleeper and I find that the firm is firm enough but not too hard, if that makes sense.

I bought a queen and a twin in 2015, and another twin in 2019 (when DS moved out to a shared apartment).  We flip them regularly.  My queen has started getting a bit too compressed in the areas where I sleep/hang out.  I may replace it when I move.  Or maybe I'll just throw a topper on it for a few more years. 

Caveat:  Some of the more recent reviews are not so good -- they may have changed the manufacturing.  YOu can return within 180 days, though, so maybe worth a try for a lower-end price point.

You can also do what they do in China -- go try one out in the store!

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9cf234257d574692316068275f6da79bfa400ab5/0_328_6000_3602/master/6000.jpg?width=620&dpr=2&s=none

[Photograph 51]

Mine was given to me used 19 years ago.  I don't know how much use it got before that.  It's still in good shape, as far as I can tell.

When I was growing up, I had a mattress in which a spring started poking up in the middle of the mattress.  I turned the mattress over and used the other side, but after a while a spring on that side also poked up in the middle.  I just slept to the side, since there is plenty of room on a twin mattress and one doesn't really need to sleep right in the middle.  When I went away to college, my parents had a guest sleep in the bed one night.  The guest immediately complained and refused to sleep on the bed.  My parents thought it was odd that I had gone several years happily sleeping on a mattress with springs sticking out without ever mentioning it, but I didn't think it was a big deal because it's totally easy to just sleep to the side.

[Kris]

16 years. It's still fine.

[okits]

14 years old, Stearns and Foster brand.  I detect no reduction in condition.  It still feels like a nice mattress.

[Villanelle]

About 5 years.  Prior to that, we were using my grandmother's old mattress.  We'd had it for about 20, and it certainly wasn't new when we got it.  I' guessing it was at least 30 years old, if not more. 

[GilesMM]

Mattress life depends on quality of construction, use/wear, and personal tolerance for degradation. They can last anywhere from 5-30 years or more.  Sounds like yours is shot, I would replace it.

[Zamboni]

I just spent a few nights sleeping on an old and terrible mattress at someone else's house. This makes me realize how important a decent mattress is to my quality of life. As a kid I don't think it mattered to me much, and I definitely slept on an ancient mattress in the central valley of it, but as a creaky adult I really suffer if the mattress is shot.

One thing I realized when I'd had a mattress for many years was that it was getting heavier and more difficult to turn over time. A little research revealed mattresses accumulates dead skin cells and dust mites and do get heavier with each passing year. Sounds kind of yucky, but there's not much you can do about it.

If it is not comfortable anymore, then my advice is to replace it. Is it really worth it to limp along a few more months on an uncomfortable mattress if it is preventing you from getting restful sleep?

[monarda]

Thanks, all, for the data points.
We do rotate the mattress now and then, and maybe it's time for another turn. (It's one sided so we can't flip it.) Our sleep is just fine, it definitely is still plenty comfortable, but I guess I'm just starting to see signs of degradation (the 'ruts' exist, but aren't bad, I just notice the slightly 'higher point' in between us provides the most support). Will see what the mattress topper does to even out the support, and, sigh, begin our research for new.

[GuitarStv]

Thanks, all, for the data points.
We do rotate the mattress now and then, and maybe it's time for another turn. (It's one sided so we can't flip it.) Our sleep is just fine, it definitely is still plenty comfortable, but I guess I'm just starting to see signs of degradation (the 'ruts' exist, but aren't bad, I just notice the slightly 'higher point' in between us provides the most support). Will see what the mattress topper does to even out the support, and, sigh, begin our research for new.

Don't fall for the lies of big mattress.  A blanket on the floor is better for your back and cheaper.

[okits]

Thanks, all, for the data points.
We do rotate the mattress now and then, and maybe it's time for another turn. (It's one sided so we can't flip it.) Our sleep is just fine, it definitely is still plenty comfortable, but I guess I'm just starting to see signs of degradation (the 'ruts' exist, but aren't bad, I just notice the slightly 'higher point' in between us provides the most support). Will see what the mattress topper does to even out the support, and, sigh, begin our research for new.

Don't fall for the lies of big mattress.  A blanket on the floor is better for your back and cheaper.

This is one of those threads to prompt original vintage MMMers like you to complain the forum has gone soft. 😂

[FINate]

16 years is very old for a mattress. Around 10 years, or whenever you start noticing problems and it's time to replace.

Mattresses are one of the higher use, more important items in your home. You likely spend around 1/3 of every day on it, and the other 2/3 of the day are negatively impacted if you don't get good sleep. So I don't see the point in cheaping on out a mattress.

The main thing I don't like about cheapo mattresses is the environmental impact, with VOCs a big second. Buying a cheap mattress has a huge petrochemical footprint and they take thousands of years to biodegrade.

So I just can't do it, will spend more for one made with sustainable materials: cotton, wool, wood, natural latex. A nice benefit of these materials is that they are way more breathable. Paired with a breathable cotton-wool comforter, and I sleep way better and don't wake up sweaty/clammy. The cost is higher (e.g. $2500 for the brand we currently have), but with 10 years of use our cost is around $21/month.

Our current mattress is 4 years old and is basically still like new. I think it helps that we don't use a box spring, which can cause sagging.

[JAYSLOL]

We got our mattress in 2011, very lightly used, from a friend that had bought it brand new for one of their spare bedrooms, but downsized from a giant house to a normal sized one and it had only been used by guests a few times (and some of those times were from me visiting).  No idea what it cost new but I imagine it wasn’t a cheap one.  It’s been perfectly fine ever since, and I hope we get many more years out of it before buying another one. 

[Alternatepriorities]

Thanks, all, for the data points.
We do rotate the mattress now and then, and maybe it's time for another turn. (It's one sided so we can't flip it.) Our sleep is just fine, it definitely is still plenty comfortable, but I guess I'm just starting to see signs of degradation (the 'ruts' exist, but aren't bad, I just notice the slightly 'higher point' in between us provides the most support). Will see what the mattress topper does to even out the support, and, sigh, begin our research for new.

Don't fall for the lies of big mattress.  A blanket on the floor is better for your back and cheaper.

I was hoping to see a comment from you GuitarStv!

I used to sleep on a couple of blankets on a platform above my desk in my 20s. Then one day I realized a sampling pad would not break the bank and I switched. I slept on that for the next 10 years an still use it for car camping, but I decided I'd rather sleep in the same bed as DW than stick to the camping pad. She did gamely try one for about a year, but it didn't work for her. We tried a couple different options before finding that we both sleep pretty well on the one costco sells and we've been on that for about 4 years now. It is on a platform I built to maximize storage underneath as we're both taller than average. As a bonus building my own platform meant is was easy to change the height when we replaced the mattress.

Has anyone experimented with sleeping at a slight angle?

[EverythingisNew]

We also have a 2008 Sterns and Foster mattress! I know the date because we got it when we got married.

I fixed my mattress!! It’s true! A few years ago it started to develop dips. You could see the dips. My husband is a stomach sleeper and he felt like his spine was arching every night. I started thinking, we’ve repaired laptops, surely I can repair this!

The solution for a spring mattress: strategically placed folded towels under the mattress! Look at your mattress and observe the dips. Lift the mattress and place folded towels between the box spring and mattress where the dips are located. Lay on the mattress to test it out. Fold or unfold towels to adjust height until it’s perfect! I kept a bit of my dip, but my husband added towels until his side was completely flat.

We prefer a firm mattress so a topper wasn’t the solution for us, but it could work for you. The springs on top of the towels still contract to support our weight, they are just pushed up more.

We did this fix 6 years ago at year 10 of our mattress. It feels great! We both love our custom sides. Granted I still think we will get a new mattress in the next few years, because it’s getting very heavy with dust or sweat… that grosses me out.

[GuitarStv]

Has anyone experimented with sleeping at a slight angle?

I have, and do not like any significant angle.  Always feels like I want to slide off.

[aloevera1]

Has anyone experimented with sleeping at a slight angle?

I have. It requires some non-trivial pillow construction skills.

[roomtempmayo]

So I just can't do it, will spend more for one made with sustainable materials: cotton, wool, wood, natural latex. A nice benefit of these materials is that they are way more breathable. Paired with a breathable cotton-wool comforter, and I sleep way better and don't wake up sweaty/clammy. The cost is higher (e.g. $2500 for the brand we currently have), but with 10 years of use our cost is around $21/month.

Our current mattress is 4 years old and is basically still like new. I think it helps that we don't use a box spring, which can cause sagging.

What brand do you have?

We have a Purple from when they were direct to consumer only (maybe 7-8 years ago?), and we've always felt like it was okay but not great.  Certainly better than the handmedowns we'd been using, though.

I've come around to the position that a nice mattress is worth it, and for a decade+ of use I'd be willing to pay to avoid sleeping on a pile of plastic with the next one.

[FINate]

What brand do you have?

We have a Purple from when they were direct to consumer only (maybe 7-8 years ago?), and we've always felt like it was okay but not great.  Certainly better than the handmedowns we'd been using, though.

I've come around to the position that a nice mattress is worth it, and for a decade+ of use I'd be willing to pay to avoid sleeping on a pile of plastic with the next one.

Ours is an Avocado Mattress. Previous mattress was the same construction from a different brand (no idea the name) that we had for 13-ish years, replaced when we moved to Boise because it was getting to EOL and these things are heavy. Like, really heavy, which I think is due to the natural latex. This was at the start of the pandemic, and so we went with Avocado because they seemed like a good bet to get it delivered to our new house on time, which they did. It's probably worth comparing prices from other companies that offer the same basic construction.

Our new house has a guest room, which we also furnished with an Avocado, with the addition of a removable wool pillow top for those that want a softer bed. Several guests, after sleeping on it for a few nights, decided to order the same mattress for their house.

We like firm, even though we are often side sleepers. IMO it takes a few nights to adjust to a firm bed, but we no longer wake up with aches or soreness.

I suspect box springs are the biggest contributor to sleep problems in the US. They result in sagging, which is bad for the body, but also contributes to mattress wear. A rigid slat based bed/foundation is now a must for us.

ETA: Here's an example of what I mean about a rigid base: https://www.avocadogreenmattress.com/collections/beds-furniture-1/products/organic-mattress-foundation

[Alternatepriorities]

Has anyone experimented with sleeping at a slight angle?

I have, and do not like any significant angle.  Always feels like I want to slide off.

I mostly have when camping or car camping and have come to the conclusion the feet slightly lower is much easier for falling asleep that feet higher, but I've never tried it with my bed. My brother did some experiments and decided he sleeps deeper with his head lower, but it was more difficult to fall asleep.

[NotJen]

Has anyone experimented with sleeping at a slight angle?

It made my back hurt and I always felt like I was sliding off (because I was).  A wedge pillow made it so that I could sleep flat and xSO could be propped up  (xSO refused to consider an adjustable bed, which I think would have been much more comfortable).

[wenchsenior]

Has anyone experimented with sleeping at a slight angle?

I have, and do not like any significant angle.  Always feels like I want to slide off.

I mostly have when camping or car camping and have come to the conclusion the feet slightly lower is much easier for falling asleep that feet higher, but I've never tried it with my bed. My brother did some experiments and decided he sleeps deeper with his head lower, but it was more difficult to fall asleep.

I have to b/c I have chronic silent reflux that has caused precancerous changes to my esophagus. So we sleep on a bed lifted about 4 inches at the top, plus I have a wedge pillow that I 'custom' hacked to make it more workable for side sleeping, though I can't actually sleep the whole night on it most of the time.
ETA: By 'hacked' I mean I literally took an electric 'turkey' saw and sawed hunks out of it so my shoulder would fit in.

It's fine.

[BlueHouse]

I've gone through too many mattresses over the past 10 years and have finally come to the conclusion that for me, I need the firmest, thinnest mattress with some spring to it.  Then I can add a medical grade foam (not memory) to make it as comfy as I wish.  Usually a 2.5 inch egg-crate foam works perfectly. 

I'm close to agreeing with GuitarStv, but I do like a little spring in the mattress.

[Alternatepriorities]

Has anyone experimented with sleeping at a slight angle?

I have, and do not like any significant angle.  Always feels like I want to slide off.

I mostly have when camping or car camping and have come to the conclusion the feet slightly lower is much easier for falling asleep that feet higher, but I've never tried it with my bed. My brother did some experiments and decided he sleeps deeper with his head lower, but it was more difficult to fall asleep.

I have to b/c I have chronic silent reflux that has caused precancerous changes to my esophagus. So we sleep on a bed lifted about 4 inches at the top, plus I have a wedge pillow that I 'custom' hacked to make it more workable for side sleeping, though I can't actually sleep the whole night on it most of the time.
ETA: By 'hacked' I mean I literally took an electric 'turkey' saw and sawed hunks out of it so my shoulder would fit in.

It's fine.

It always makes me happy to hear some mustachian who probably has plenty of money to buy a custom made solution hacked something apart to make it themself. Make me feel normal. Some years ago my father realized that he really didn't need a queen size bed for just himself so he took his bread knife and cut his queen mattress down to a twin XL and rebuilt the platform to fit that. Did he go out and buy new sheets for the smaller bed? Nope, just tucked them under until they wore out...

Do you notice sleeping deeper or more lightly with the tilted bed? I think that's twice what my brother was experimenting with.

[BlueHouse]

I grew up sleeping on a horse-hair mattress that was a hand-me-down from grandparents and probably 100 years old when I had it. We hated it, mostly because we were enamored of the springy new-fangled mattresses.  Before posting this, I did a quick google, just to make sure I wasn't passing along some old family joke, but no...it seems horsehair mattresses are still real and are quite expensive now.  I think they have different technology now though, because my memory of ours was just a heavy, lumpy, bag of dusty stuff.

[NotJen]

Did he go out and buy new sheets for the smaller bed? Nope, just tucked them under until they wore out...

When I downsized from the king to a full, I didn't see any need to buy new bedding.

Though I have been eyeing some (kids) spaceman sheets from Kohls - but even after getting marked down twice, I'm still not willing to part with $15 for sheets I don't need...

[Dicey]

In related news: When bonus kid moved out, we discovered the pillowtop on his old mattress was threadbare (the kind that's permanently attached). DH took a knife to it today. He cut off the pillow top, and all the rest of the foam and fabric. What we're left with is a cool looking set of shiny steel springs. DH  wrapped everything he'd cut off and put it the trash. Now, what would a mustachian recommend we do with the springs?

[GuitarStv]

[monarda]

In related news: When bonus kid moved out, we discovered the pillowtop on his old mattress was threadbare (the kind that's permanently attached). DH took a knife to it today. He cut off the pillow top, and all the rest of the foam and fabric. What we're left with is a cool looking set of shiny steel springs. DH  wrapped everything he'd cut off and put it the trash. Now, what would a mustachian recommend we do with the springs?

LOL! Maybe we need a photo! Top is threadbare, yet springs are still shiny. hmm. The "inner beauty" pillowtop?

The solution for a spring mattress: strategically placed folded towels under the mattress! Look at your mattress and observe the dips. Lift the mattress and place folded towels between the box spring and mattress where the dips are located. Lay on the mattress to test it out. Fold or unfold towels to adjust height until it’s perfect! I kept a bit of my dip, but my husband added towels until his side was completely flat.

I'm going to try this tonight. I just added three towels on my side, we'll see.

Ours is an Avocado Mattress. Previous mattress was the same construction from a different brand (no idea the name) that we had for 13-ish years, replaced when we moved to Boise because it was getting to EOL and these things are heavy. Like, really heavy, which I think is due to the natural latex. This was at the start of the pandemic, and so we went with Avocado because they seemed like a good bet to get it delivered to our new house on time, which they did. It's probably worth comparing prices from other companies that offer the same basic construction.

Thanks for the recommendation. Will look into it. That has no springs, right? We currently have a thin box spring on top of our wood slat frame. The box spring seems flat and in good shape from what I can tell, since I just looked at it when I was placing the towels for tonight's test.

[FINate]

Thanks for the recommendation. Will look into it. That has no springs, right? We currently have a thin box spring on top of our wood slat frame. The box spring seems flat and in good shape from what I can tell, since I just looked at it when I was placing the towels for tonight's test.

Ours has internal coils (innerspring), which I personally like. I think there are natural mattress companies that make ones without springs. We just put our mattress directly on the wood slats.

[wenchsenior]

Has anyone experimented with sleeping at a slight angle?

I have, and do not like any significant angle.  Always feels like I want to slide off.

I mostly have when camping or car camping and have come to the conclusion the feet slightly lower is much easier for falling asleep that feet higher, but I've never tried it with my bed. My brother did some experiments and decided he sleeps deeper with his head lower, but it was more difficult to fall asleep.

I have to b/c I have chronic silent reflux that has caused precancerous changes to my esophagus. So we sleep on a bed lifted about 4 inches at the top, plus I have a wedge pillow that I 'custom' hacked to make it more workable for side sleeping, though I can't actually sleep the whole night on it most of the time.
ETA: By 'hacked' I mean I literally took an electric 'turkey' saw and sawed hunks out of it so my shoulder would fit in.

It's fine.

It always makes me happy to hear some mustachian who probably has plenty of money to buy a custom made solution hacked something apart to make it themself. Make me feel normal. Some years ago my father realized that he really didn't need a queen size bed for just himself so he took his bread knife and cut his queen mattress down to a twin XL and rebuilt the platform to fit that. Did he go out and buy new sheets for the smaller bed? Nope, just tucked them under until they wore out...

Do you notice sleeping deeper or more lightly with the tilted bed? I think that's twice what my brother was experimenting with.

Kudos to your dad!

I haven't noticed much difference with either the slightly raised bed head, nor with the wedge. It IS easier for me to fall asleep off the wedge pillow than on it, unfortunately. So I try to go to bed actively tired. Obviously if I want to sleep on my stomach I have to get off the wedge and sleep on the mattress. I think sleeping on the wedge slightly reduces my tendency to get sinus headaches, but it doesn't prevent them completely.

[mtnrider]

Over 20 years old.  Normal mattress, but directly on the floor.

I prefer a 1/2 inch foam camping pad, but that doesn't work for DW.

[kite]

2 years.

We got 18 years out of a fancy mattress store mattress.
We then took a chance on the 'mattress in a box' idea. It was comfortable for about six months and then we needed to upgrade to something firmer.  Tried another 'mattress in a box' brand, known for firmness.  Husband notices a very big difference in how his back feels. The one we used for less than a year is on the guest bed.

[monarda]

Updating, mattress rotated, towels underneath, memory foam topper on top makes for a rejuvenated mattress. Been sleeping like a rock. (But I also did before)