Would I regret buying an Ikea mattress?

October 24, 2024 2:56 PM

I've put off buying a new mattress for far too long, because I dread the process of choosing one! I have no idea what kind of mattress I want, but I don't want to go to a bunch of stores to compare. Ikea is convenient and has a lot of different styles, so I'd love to just go there, try all their demos, and pick one. But - are they any good, or is this a bad idea from the start?

For purposes of this question, I am not interested in mail order mattresses, even if they used to advertise on all my favorite podcasts.

posted by moonmilk to Home & Garden (19 answers total)

I have purchased the Ikea Morgangava Latex mattress twice. (Now discontinued.) It had a 25 year warranty, which they reduced to 10 because it is not that durable. But it's a nice mattress for 5-7 years or so. I have a couple of cheaper Ikea mattresses and they're great too. Much better than the bottom-of-the-line mattress store one I also bought once. I would definitely buy Ikea mattresses again, especially if they ever bring back a 100% latex one.
posted by shadygrove at 3:02 PM on October 24

I slept on a pocket spring one for many years, and have another one in the spare bedroom that is a little soft (their 'medium') but comfortable to me. I gravitate there over the bed stores and the mail order options. And if it matters this is on slats rather than a box spring in both cases.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 3:08 PM on October 24

If you are a bigger person, watch out for the memory foam mattresses. I bought one which I believe was either the Abrotten or something similar and within a few months it compressed enough that it really damaged my back and I had to replace it (with a spring mattress, springs for the win). It looked fine - when you weren't lying on it it looked normal - but when you were on the bed it compressed so much that it was just absolute agony unless you lay contorted and propped on your side.
posted by Frowner at 3:12 PM on October 24 [5 favorites]

I’ve had good experiences with several of their hybrid mattresses, especially for the price. HOWEVER, I was looking at their website a few months ago, and it seemed like there were a lot of reviews saying that the quality has dropped sharply—several mattresses had quite poor ratings & comments saying people missed previous offerings. (My last mattress purchase there was in 2021, it is still meeting my needs.)
posted by needs more cowbell at 3:14 PM on October 24

We have IKEA mattresses in our child's room, as well as both guest rooms, and people love them.

(And I know you don't want one, but for anyone coming to this thread for mattress recommendations: we just replaced the (non-IKEA) mattress in our primary bedroom with a Leesa, and have been very happy so far.)
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 3:32 PM on October 24 [1 favorite]

Have bought several over the years and been happy with them - the decline in quality that needs more cowbell references is concerning.
posted by leslies at 3:32 PM on October 24

I joined BJs Wholesale Club just for the mattresses..Very happy with my purchase.
posted by Czjewel at 3:36 PM on October 24

I’m hoping someone who has bought a model that’s still for sale can weigh in. I don’t know if they’ve all decreased in quality or there were a few poor models, but it was striking to see comments, especially several saying certain models were poor replacements for the haugesund (which is what I have & was potentially looking to replace with a larger size of the same mattress.)
posted by needs more cowbell at 3:44 PM on October 24 [1 favorite]

If you are heavy, don’t bother with ikea, unless you want to buy another mattress in two years. If you have chronic pain, also don’t bother. If you like a soft as clouds but still supportive feeling, don’t bother because the cost of a good enough mattress pad to compensate will probably be as much as the mattress. But if you’re able bodied, have a small frame or weight, and not overly particular about what you need to fall asleep and stay asleep, then ikea mattresses are fine.

I can say that as someone who used to fit those criteria, none of the ikea mattresses I had were better than the times I sprung for (get it?) a mattress from the nearby big mattress chain store. Those typically have big sales a few times a year on holiday weekends, so if you can postpone for a bit, until Black Friday, Memorial Day, or Labor Day, you can get a deal that’s as affordable as ikea with a retail trying out experience and people who will remove your old mattress and help place your new one. If you need a bed tomorrow though, ikea will serve you well.
posted by Mizu at 3:48 PM on October 24 [2 favorites]

I had an IKEA Abrotten, and it was not the worst mattress I've had, but close. Lasted not quite 4 years before developing a terrible body impression, and a mattress protector was used for its entire life. I will say, having gone down that road, I wouldn't again. For the same price, the memory foam mattress we got from Amazon (I know, you said no mail order) has been far superior in every way.

You mention not wanting to go to a bunch of stores to compare; something that has been very popular here are mattress fundraisers for schools. It's usually a one-day sale in the high school gymnasium or similar, and they'll have some 20-30 mattresses on display in a wide range of price points and construction types. The prices are usually what you'd find on a good holiday sale at a mattress retailer (or even a bit better) and the school gets a healthy chunk of the sale price. The sales are facilitated by a local or regional distributor, who will then arrange for delivery and such at a later date. But it's a great way to try out lots of different types of mattresses, and help support your schools a bit, too!

That's not a great option if you need something in a hurry, but if not, might be worth checking out.
posted by xedrik at 3:53 PM on October 24 [2 favorites]

My kids and I sleep on firm Ikea innerspring mattresses (approx $300 each iirc?) with a 2 or 3 inch latex topper (approx 120 each) purchased from Amazon. It's fantastic and significantly lower in cost compared to what fancy mattresses which provide the same kind of experience and quality (long-lasting multi-way-flippable firm support) would cost. Highly recommend it. 5 years and still no sign of a dent or sagging or edge slouching etc on mine! But if the latex does start to have a dent, I can flip the topper any which way and get it back to even. I can also rotate the mattress top-bottom.

Also it may be making a difference that all of our mattresses are on sturdy platform beds, not box springs.
posted by MiraK at 4:23 PM on October 24

One thing about testing IKEA mattresses, they get a lotta people through there and the demo units will be considerably less broken in than the new one you’ll be getting.
posted by wnissen at 5:27 PM on October 24

I bought an Ikea mattress after trying Casper and Purple, both of which I hated and returned. I love my Ikea mattress. I don't know the model but I think it was discontinued anyway. No complaints!
posted by dobbs at 7:59 PM on October 24

I have an Ikea mattress. I realized the other day it's almost 10 years old. I love it still.
posted by knownfossils at 10:24 PM on October 24

I’ve had a few Obus Forme mattresses which I adored, and then a few ikea mattresses. The ikea ones aren’t as good … but they’re ok. Certainly the lighter you are the better they feel.

I’m terms of getting a cheaper mattress I would probably trust Ikea over almost any other cheap brand - because they produce things in such high quantities, Because they need to meet safety regulations in so many different countries, and because their brand reputation is important to them, my guess is that they would try to avoid having to recall products or have scandals about the materials they use- so I would trust that they’d probably use the safest materials for the price point, compared to other brands.

I’ve been seeing TikToks about mattresses that are lined with fibreglass (!) as a flame retardant but as far as I know, ikea mattresses never use it - and I’m sure there are lots of other sketchy materials I haven’t heard of that ikea is likelier than other brands to avoid, just to head off the risk of a possible material scandal later. (Note, this is not backed up by evidence - it’s just a guess that influenced my own purchase of an ikea mattress last year)
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:29 AM on October 25

We've had an Ikea ÅSBYGDA (memory foam, one level down from the Årbrotten that's not feeling the love here) for about six months. We're big, and it's not squishy at all. It's way better than the the Ikea spring mattress we'd had for far too long
posted by scruss at 7:38 AM on October 25

~200 lbs, sleep alone. Had a MORGEDAL, firm, with a TISTEDAL topper (no longer for sale in the US, cost more than the mattress) which was a great combo.
posted by booooooze at 10:49 AM on October 25

We've been really happy with our Ikea mattress purchases in the past, and recently retired one that lasted 12 years before we felt the need to replace it. Also have one in the spare bedroom. Recommend going with their most expensive or next best, and choose a spring or spring hybrid for the best support. YMMV: Ikea does subcontract out to different manufacturers from one year to the next, so the quality and exact construction varies. When shopping more recently, we noticed that the top of the line firm spring mattress was not as firm as the one we were replacing.

Pro tip: visit the store on a weekday to avoid bigger crowds so that you can adequately test out the mattresses.
posted by amusebuche at 7:24 PM on October 25

I have happily slept on an IKEA Haugsvar mattress, which is a hybrid (pocket springs and memory foam combined) which is the best of both worlds, according to the sleep experts on the mattress subreddit. It is also currently available for purchase.

I, too, didn't want to try out a lot of models and between Ikea's 10 year warranty and prices that are a fraction of the cost of the big mattress stores, it was an easy decision.

I went to IKEA, sat on the mattress they called "medium firm," and happily bought the thing online later that evening.

In my research, I heard that 100% memory foam is for non-heavy people, aka younger people. YMMV.

Good luck! You can do this, and you will be so much happier with a comfortable mattress.
posted by honey badger at 9:17 PM on October 30