Specialty Beds Use and Maintenance

Both air beds and memory foam beds offer features unavailable with traditional mattresses, but the differences in material also require consumers to exercise patience and avoid certain things. Consider the following as you care for your new air bed or memory foam mattress:

Exercise patience: Especially if you’ve always slept on an innerspring mattress, realize that it may take a while for your body to adjust to an air bed or memory foam bed. With respect to the air bed, it’s important to experiment with the firmness settings until you find one (or at least a range) that you find comfortable, though you’ll want to keep in mind that each time you make changes, your body will again need to adjust to the difference in firmness. The memory foam bed may initially give off an unusual smell, but that should fade or become less noticeable over time.

 

Protect your bed: Air beds and memory foam require diligence with regard to their care. As silly as it sounds, don’t forget that your air bed bladder is, in fact, filled with air. As a result, it’s susceptible to punctures, so purchase a sturdy mattress cover if possible, and avoid the use of sharp objects around the bed. Punctures aren’t a concern with memory foam, but you should keep in mind memory foam’s sensitivity to temperature. Prolonged exposure to excessive heat can permanently damage a memory foam bed, so avoid the use of electric blankets or heated mattress covers.

 

Don’t use your old foundation: Air beds and memory foam beds are expensive, so it’s tempting to save some money by using your old box spring foundation. Avoid that temptation if at all possible, however. As a general rule, air beds and memory foam beds utilize flat, solid foundations, so box spring foundations are often ill-suited to serve as a foundation. Additionally, since the air beds and memory foam beds weren’t created with box spring foundations in mind, your new bed is potentially less comfortable than it might otherwise be. Finally, some manufacturers state very clearly that the use of a non-conforming foundation voids your warranty.