Mattress Missteps: Is Ikea the Answer?

November 2, 2014 12:32 PM

Over the past year, my girlfriend and I have suffered through a series of mattress missteps to the tune of about $2500. Yesterday we were in Ikea and tried out the Sultan Heggedal mattress, which is $999 for a king. We were impressed both with the comfort and price of this mattress, but are trying to do some additional research so we don’t make the same mistake again.

The backstory is that we purchased a generic brand memory foam mattress for $1000 a bit over a year ago. We found the mattress to be very uncomfortable for two people—it would end up sagging in the middle and making it basically impossible for us to have a good night’s sleep. We then upgraded to a Serta iComfort memory foam mattress, this time for about $1500. While this mattress was more comfortable, it sleeps far too hot for us. While it is gel-infused to prevent this problem, that doesn’t seem to do it for us and we can’t manage to get a good night’s sleep. For reasons that are too complicated to explain here, we were unable to return either of these for a refund or exchange.

Due to these problems, we’ve decided to return to a coil-based mattress, and upgrade to a king (so we both can get a more comfortable night’s sleep). However, before we do so (and potentially make another $1000 mistake), we have some questions:

1. Does anyone have experience with the Sultan Heggedal mattress in the past year or two (we have heard Ikea mattresses improved in the past couple of years)? If so, is your experience positive or negative?

2. For those who have had experiences with Ikea mattresses in general, did you prefer the slatted bed base (in particular the Sultan Luröy) or the box spring (in particular the Sultan Atlöy)?

3. This mattress apparently has a “natural latex” top layer. Does anyone have any experience with whether this mattress sleeps hot?

Thank you for any reviews or advice in advance!

posted by merikus to Shopping (16 answers total)

1. Yes, it's the most comfortable mattress we've ever owned.

2. We just use the slatted base. The mattress is quite thick on its own.

3. The mattress doesn't sleep any hotter than any mattress I've used, other than those memory foam ones.

Again, we love this mattress, like that it's made from natural fibres (horse hair, coconut fibre), but the only downside (if it's a downside) is that it's much heavier than typical mattresses, likely due to the materials it's constructed from.

We've moved countries and the first thing we did was buy this mattress again!
posted by qwip at 1:11 PM on November 2, 2014

Have you checked out Sleep Like the Dead?
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 1:15 PM on November 2, 2014

The Mattress Underground (both main site and forum) is also very worth checking out.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 1:24 PM on November 2, 2014

I've been sleeping on this mattress (on slats) for a little under a year now, and have been pleased with it. I prefer my mattresses firm and cool - and this delivers well on both counts. It's worth looking at the (slightly softer, and springless) MORGONGÅVA too.
posted by kickingtheground at 1:43 PM on November 2, 2014

Btw, my #3 answer above reads like the IKEA mattress sleeps hotter than memory foam. The opposite is what I meant. Memory foam = surface of the sun. IKEA = normal.
posted by qwip at 1:45 PM on November 2, 2014

I haven't had that specific ikea mattress, but i had one of their nicer ones up until a couple years ago and i loved it. reasonably priced, didn't break in too terribly, wasn't hot, etc. used it at 3 different houses. Can't speak to more recent ones being better, but i always thought that their mattresses got unfairly crapped on like their solid wood furniture and some other select decently-made stuff does: Because they also sell cheap stuff that falls apart.

I would buy one again if i had to start from scratch.
posted by emptythought at 2:10 PM on November 2, 2014

I haven't lived with an IKEA mattress for more than a few years, but the ones I've had haven't underperformed. My only complaint is that as a big guy, I tend to bottom out on some of the thinner ones.
posted by wotsac at 2:41 PM on November 2, 2014

Have you checked out Sleep Like the Dead?

Not 100% on question, but I'm just going to interject that while this is an excellent website, you should not rely on it as your sole means of understanding if a mattress will work for you or not. I am currently sleeping on the best-rated memory foam mattress as compiled from user reviews on sleeplikethedead (bedinabox.com), and I am in the exact same position as the poster here: I haven't had a pain-free night of sleep in several months.

You need to try out mattresses in person, and you have to have a really good frame of mind to do it, because pretty quickly they all feel the same. Plus, egads mattress salespeople are the worst worst worst.

The best bed I've ever slept in, by far, was a memory foam mattress. Unfortunately, I don't own it and don't even know what model it was. The one I own is killing me.
posted by mcstayinskool at 3:19 PM on November 2, 2014

I don't know about that particular mattress. I use a slat base but I got a few extra planks from the hardware store so the gaps are smaller. And last time I bought a mattress I had to fight for a refund because the glue smell just wouldn't go away. Turns out the maker had used the wrong sort of glue when they ran out of the right sort. Good luck, anything can happen!
posted by Julanna at 3:38 PM on November 2, 2014

I want to thank everybody for their advice so far. I took a look at The Mattress Underground and Sleep Like The Dead and there was quite a bit of good information there. So far, I'm appreciating the advice I'm seeing here on AskMeFi--it is putting us as ease as we make this decision.

I also have to agree (and commiserate) with mcstayinskool--so far I've had nothing but negative experiences with mattress salespeople at my local stores. I think that's part of the reason I appreciated the Ikea experience: we got to try the mattresses without any pressure. Best of luck to you in finding a mattress you love!
posted by merikus at 5:54 PM on November 2, 2014

Everyone who has an IKEA mattress who I know has enjoyed it. Personally, I love their latex topped coil mattresses.

They do have a 90 day return policy. It sounds like it is worth to try it for a month.
posted by troytroy at 6:33 PM on November 2, 2014

Four years ago we purchased the Ikea Sultan Holga for our guest room, and our guests have said again & again that they have slept like a dream. So recently, while revamping the master bedroom, we started sleeping on it, and my husband wants to use the mattress permanently, even tho we have a very nice Serta set that was much more expensive. Both of us sleep very well on the Ikea bed. I'm never underrating Ikea mattresses again.

We got the box spring mattress for it because it made the total height (bed frame height + box spring + mattress) the better height for guests, such as my parents and my in-laws, who have a harder time getting in & out of beds lower to the ground.
posted by apennington at 6:59 PM on November 2, 2014

We have the MORGONGÅVA mattress from Ikea. Had it about a year and it's the best mattress we've ever owned. We have the bed base with lots of smaller slats. It was a pain in the ass to put together but it's great. I'm extremely sensitive to hot temps and this mattress is great for me.
posted by MjrMjr at 7:29 PM on November 2, 2014

If you have a bed with slats, make sure they are fine first. Easiest way is to put the mattress on the floor and try sleeping on it for a night.

I replaced a sagging mattresses, only to find that it was actually the slats that were the problem and the original mattress was probably fine.

That was a £700 ($1100) mistake
posted by mr_silver at 12:15 AM on November 3, 2014

We have one of the cheaper spring mattresses from Ikea on the regular slats. Never had a problem with it...and my parents were also on the Ikea bandwagon, and I've grown up on Ikea mattresses. For what it's worth, I sleep like a log and have no back problems. :)
posted by aggyface at 8:52 AM on November 3, 2014

merikus, my mother-in-law loved her IKEA mattress. She eventually got a new one, and gave it to a friend of ours (a MeFite too!) and we just got a thank you note saying it was the best night's sleep she and her new husband remember having.

turtlegirl and I love our Design Within Reach Sonno Mattress. We have had it for about 7 years or so. We were in DC visiting friends, went to their store. Tried it out there, and ordered online. It came a few days latter in a large, but manageable box. Once released from the plastic it took it's full size and was ready. We put it in another room for a few days as it did have that off-gas smell, but it went away quickly.

But having lay on my MiL's bed, I would totally go that route now. Much cheaper!
posted by terrapin at 11:48 AM on November 3, 2014