Do box springs make a difference?

[+ deej]

A mattress, alone, would of course sag between the slats.

 

So do we all.

 

Kevin Slater

 

I said slats, not sluts.

[+ FreshFluff]

Just so that you guys know...The "Kitten" doesn't come cheap. From experience I can tell you that she will most certainly request a table at Per Se, with arrival via an S Class with driver...

 

BVB is right, but Fluffy is all about Masa now. Don't worry, @LaffingBear. Following Japanese custom, they no longer accept tips.

[+ FreshFluff]

If you get an old or cheap mattress, the box springs is important. If you get a new mattress and get one that supports itself, then the box springs are meaningless.

 

What if it's relatively expensive but 9 years old? Does it need that support? I haven't found a mattresses, including Dux, that is as cushy as my Simmons Beautyrest Black Ophelia.

 

@Irtwo , you are correct that it's required for the warranty, but I spilled Gatorade on it many years ago so I'm sure it's no longer covered anyway. In any case, it's discontinued so they'd replace it with something inferior.

 

I would have really killed it in that Princess and the Pea contest.

http://addconsults.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2005/03/Princess-and-pea.jpg

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

What if it's relatively expensive but 9 years old? Does it need that support? I haven't found a mattresses, including Dux, that is as cushy as my Simmons Beautyrest Black Ophelia.

 

Aren't we supposed to switch out a mattress every 10 years? I know we're not supposed to use the same pillows for more than 2 years.

 

That's a nice looking mattress and quite a nice price for the quality. Before buying the Dux, I had dreams of a Hastens Vividus setup, but who the hell spends $49k on a bed? I don't think I could sleep well knowing I spent that much on a mattress.

[gallahadesquire]

Does having a box spring under the mattress make a difference in terms of (1) comfort and (2) wear on the mattress?

 

I have a mattress I really like. I'm 18" thick and is the softest thing you've ever seen. It's almost a decade old and no longer available, so I have to take good care of it. I also have a box spring under it.

 

Problem is that I need a new bed. Most of the nice ones are platform, so I'd need to throw away the box spring. I have heard that box springs absorb shock and reduce wear on the actual mattress. Is that true?

 

SERIOUSLY think of an adjustable bed ... think "hospital type". As we get older, with the ravage of time, you'll want to elevate your legs and/or your head. HEAVENLY, and they bring back your naturally shapely gams. They make them in various firmness.

 

Hard, firm bed is preferred for me because of my muscle size.

 

Agreed. I sleep on what amounts to a padded rock. It's like 6" of soft[er] foam on top of solid latex. Others can't stand it, but I sleep like a rock. Of course, when I was in medical school, I slept on top of a sleeping bag on the floor for three years, so I'm not one to judge ... and then moved to a futon.

[+ nycman]

I hate platform beds.

 

I have no doubt that it's 95% in my head, but I honestly

get very little if any pleasurable sleep on them. I'm a boxspring

man all the way.

 

That is until I slept on a tempurpedic bed in Rome after a particularly

miserable overnight flight from NYC. It was the best 18 hours of pure

sleeping bliss I have ever experienced.

 

If only there was a way to have the comforts of an adjustable thempurpedic

mattress with the warmth of a heated sheet.....surely that would be nirvana!

[Good Grief]

Current "box springs" are pretty much nothing more than a box to support and raise current mattresses that have their own springs and comfort.

 

Olden days, mattresses were nothing more than a wrapped pile (lump) of fiber or even hay laid on a support of slats or ropes. At some point, someone decided that those lumps would be more fun (or comfortable) if they moved or even bounced. Thus the addition of box springs.

 

Today's mattresses, with the integral support, springs and bounce don't need box springs except for to raise the mattress higher.

 

Old box springs were used to give the lumpy solid mattress some give. And watch out for "places" on the ticking-wrapped mattresses.

 

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTEyOVgxNjAw/z/Qj4AAOSwEeFVEf9W/$_35.JPG?set_id=880000500F

 

http://laurelleaffarm.com/item-photos/primitive-old-feather-tick-bed-mattress-vintage-indigo-blue-striped-cotton-ticking-Laurel-Leaf-Farm-item-no-nt717209-6.jpg

[rvwnsd]

Ive had the same mattress with and without a boxspring. The boxspring definitely made a difference. It was a thick, pillow top mattress.

 

Im currently on a very thick foam mattress. It came with platforms - they look like box springs, but theyre just boxes. There was a choice of different height on the boxes, for different height beds.

My last mattress was offered with a foundation. Essentially, the foundation was a fabric-covered wooden box. I took the low-profile foundation because at the time I had a headboard and frame, not a bed. Without the foundation, the mattress would have ended up sagging.

 

I think you got that right. I think they now call them bases, not boxsprings.

 

I was also told, at purchase time, that my mattress should not be flipped. It has a designed top and bottom. Rotate periodically, but dont flip.

Yep - I was told the same thing.

[+ FreshFluff]

@Benjamin_Nicholas ,

 

I know I'm due for a mattress switch, but I haven't found another one I like. I paid about $8K for it IIRC. I love the Hastens but all the decent ones are 20-40K. The Hastens Vividus is apparently going for $150K.

 

BTW, as far as linens go, I recommend Sferra Giza 45 sateen. So satin-smooth but still light and airy. They wear out fast because they're so thin.

[+ FreshFluff]

Which do you prefer--or would you say neither of the above? I have limited space, so I need space under the bed for storage and also can't have a platform that's much bigger than my bed.

 

Sleigh bed: The one I have now but can replace it on someone else's dime. I heard that this kind of bed is tacky.

Platform bed that I'm thinking of replacing it with.

[gallahadesquire]

@Benjamin_Nicholas ,

 

I know I'm due for a mattress switch, but I haven't found another one I like. I paid about $8K for it IIRC. I love the Hastens but all the decent ones are 20-40K. The Hastens Vividus is apparently going for $150K.

 

BTW, as far as linens go, I recommend Sferra Giza 45 sateen. So satin-smooth but still light and airy. They wear out fast because they're so thin.

 

I don't know how she did it, but my Mother (R.I.P.) had the nicest sheets. I don't think they were flannel, but by the time they'd been washed, bleached, and hung to dry in the sun they were the softest FLANNEL without the warmth. Hard to conceive of but incredibly comfortable.

 

Personally, I had slick sheets. I find they don't stay put.

 

And I've spent way too many hours in hospital beds with hospital sheets, with hospital corners:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8jIxuO2APE

 

I prefer when they just tuck the bottom.

[rvwnsd]

Not a fan of sleigh beds. However, the potential replacement is beautiful.

[+ FreshFluff]

@gallahadesquire, I too prefer just the bottoms tucked, like a kitten sandwich.

 

Thanks, @rvwnsd , that's very helpful.

[rvwnsd]

 

I too prefer just the bottoms tucked, like a kitten sandwich.

Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night my kittens are curled up between my legs, in somewhat of a kitten sandwich.

[+ not2rowdy]

...I have limited space, so I need space under the bed for storage and also can't have a platform that's much bigger than my bed.

 

For underbed storage here are some design ideas.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/bedroom/25205/

 

Edit: Added following link for more ideas:

https://www.allmodern.com/filters/furniture/sb2/platform-storage-beds-c365870-a3005~7089-a73550~270717.html

[Mydavid]

Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night my kittens are curled up between my legs, in somewhat of a kitten sandwich.

I hope you don't sleep naked, so your kitten won't hurt your dick.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

I don't know how she did it, but my Mother (R.I.P.) had the nicest sheets. I don't think they were flannel, but by the time they'd been washed, bleached, and hung to dry in the sun they were the softest FLANNEL without the warmth. Hard to conceive of but incredibly comfortable.

 

Flannel that doesn't sleep too warm? Your mom was clearly magical

 

I'm a big fan of old-schol percale sheets (they sleep so cold) and have found huge success with this brand. I have 5 sets, love them:

 

https://www.brooklinen.com/collections/classic-percale-sheets

[Rudynate]

Flannel that doesn't sleep too warm? Your mom was clearly magical

 

I'm a big fan of old-schol percale sheets (they sleep so cold) and have found huge success with this brand. I have 5 sets, love them:

 

https://www.brooklinen.com/collections/classic-percale-sheets

 

I like a flannel top sheet. I easily get overheated when I sleep and I've come up with the perfect combination of covers - a light cotton blanket and a flannel top sheet. I'm never too hot or too cold.

[BaronArtz]

@Benjamin_Nicholas ,

 

BTW, as far as linens go, I recommend Sferra Giza 45 sateen. So satin-smooth but still light and airy. They wear out fast because they're so thin.

 

Wash in cold water only. And never in the dryer, but if you must, use the 'delicates' setting.

 

I am partial to Yves Delorme sheets. Washing in hot water will damage the fibers ... so remember, COLD water only. Thank you.

[escortrod]

Wash in cold water only. And never in the dryer, but if you must, use the 'delicates' setting.

 

I am partial to Yves Delorme sheets. Washing in hot water will damage the fibers ... so remember, COLD water only. Thank you.

Surely heat at some stage (whether in the wash or by using a dryer) is hygienically beneficial?

[rvwnsd]

I hope you don't sleep naked, so your kitten won't hurt your dick.

They curl up further down

[BaronArtz]

Surely heat at some stage (whether in the wash or by using a dryer) is hygienically beneficial?

 

People think that, but no. Not if you wash your sheets regularly ...

[Rudynate]

Surely heat at some stage (whether in the wash or by using a dryer) is hygienically beneficial?

 

It could be hygienically beneficial, but in securing that hygienic benefit you could ruin a costly set of sheets. Fine fabrics are like that - they're wonderful, but you have to be willing to take care of them. That's what a saleswoman in a high-end men's store told me once as I was looking at Italian cashmere sweaters that were priced at $600 or $700. When I asked if any of them were machine-washable, she smirked and said "no," they were all dry-clean only.

[+ FreshFluff]

It could be hygienically beneficial, but in securing that hygienic benefit you could ruin a costly set of sheets. Fine fabrics are like that - they're wonderful, but you have to be willing to take care of them. That's what a saleswoman in a high-end men's store told me once as I was looking at Italian cashmere sweaters that were priced at $600 or $700. When I asked if any of them were machine-washable, she smirked and said "no," they were all dry-clean only.

 

I thought cashmere could be hand washed?

 

@BaronArtz I always use cold water on my sheets. Unfortunately,if you air dry , they take over your bathroom for two days of the week. Even if you use the delicates cycle, they don't dry completely. Also, I love the smell that Snuggle sheets leave on my linens.

 

http://www.freestufffinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Screen-Shot-2015-06-23-at-2.22.40-PM-450x329.png

[Rudynate]

I thought cashmere could be hand washed?

 

@BaronArtz I always use cold water on my sheets. Unfortunately,if you air dry , they take over your bathroom for two days of the week. Even if you use the delicates cycle, they don't dry completely. Also, I love the smell that Snuggle sheets leave on my linens.

 

http://www.freestufffinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Screen-Shot-2015-06-23-at-2.22.40-PM-450x329.png

 

I remember my mother washing sweaters by hand. It was an involved process. She swished them around in a sinkful of lukewarm water with a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Then she let the water out of the sink and allowed the sweater to drain. After that she rolled the sweater up in a bath towel, pressing on it to get more of the water out of the wool. After that, she laid the sweater out flat on towels on a bed or on a carpeted floor, and hand blocked it and let it dry overnight. LONGGGGG process.