Hi all,

I just bought a new mattress, and instead of reading reviews about it
*before* making my purchase, I waited until after. The results I found
were quite baffling.

I bought a Simmons Beautyrest with a "foam" pillowtop. My question is
ultimately this: what is the truth about foam pillowtops on
mattresess? A lot of online reviews seem to indicate that the foam
pillowtop is something that's soft and fluffly so it'll lure you in to
buy it at the store, but it only lasts for a few months, after which
it will develop deep indentations making for poor sleep. The worst
thing is (according to reviews), that the warranties don't cover the
pillowtop, and once it goes bad you are at the mercy of the springs in
your bed.

Would it be possible to buy another pillowtop to put on this one to
protect the one underneath? Like a latex or down pillowtop? I'm very
confused. Would it make sense to pile pillowtops like that? Should I
just return the mattress (which hasn't arrived yet)?

I'm basically looking for general advice on mattress pillowtops. What
kinds are there, what kinds are better, what can I do about having a
standard foam one attached to my mattress, etc.. If anyone can help me
out, I would appreciate it tremendously. I was frustrated with the
lack of information I was able to find on the web.

I would prefer the advice of somebody who's had some personal
experience with this.

Please help me!

p.s. The last time I posted a question here, I didn't even get any
comments. Please tell me why my question is inappropriate if it is so.
Don't worry, I won't be offended.

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Clarification of Question by blubs_bstr-ga on 25 Aug 2003 02:36 PDT

I notice this question has been locked for a while. To the person
who's working on it, I would like to add that in the comparison of
different pillowtop/foam types, what I am most interested in is the
indentation properties. For example, does memory foam conform to a
certain shape when you're lying in it, then pop out by the time you
lie in it next, or does it hold your shape like some sort of permanent
mold? The latter seems like it would be sort of annoying, even if
sleeping in the same position (or hole) every night is technically a
good thing.

blubs_bustr-ga:

The pillow-top mattresses can take on permanent dents depending on how
you sleep and on the quality of the material used. If you want to add
something on top, you can get a matress pad similar to:

http://www.abed.com/toppers.html

...but, as you can see from the price list at the link I provided, a
good quality "memory foam" mattress pad can be pricey. There are also
cheaper, fitted quilted mattress tops that can help for a little
while, but like the built-in ones, they can get compressed after a
while:

http://www.abed.com/matpad.html

When my current quilted mattress topper wears out, I'm planning on
investing in a memory foam one, myself.

Regards,

aht-ga

Forgot to say one more thing: depending on how much more the
pillow-top version of the Beauty-Rest cost you (versus a non-pillowtop
one), and depending on whether your retailer has a satisfaction
guaranteed policy, you will want to price out the difference for
getting a non-pillowtop mattress and a memory foam pad... it should be
worthwhile in the long run.

Hi aht,

Thank you for your insightful comments. I like the idea of going with
a non-pillowtop mattress and then throwing on some kind of better
pillowtop instead. What is memory foam, though? Is it latex? Does it
develop indentations? How long does it last?

blubs_bustr-ga:

You can read all about memory foam here:

http://www.healthyfoundations.com/faq1.html

The entire concept behind memory foam is that it takes on the
necessary contours to cushion your body, without creating pressure
points due to compression. As for how long it lasts, it depends on how
much physical abuse it goes through. With the proper protection from
cuts and environmental extremes, it should last longer than the bed.