The retailer Mattress Firm is running national television ads saying “if it’s over eight, it’s time to replace.”
This is, in my view, nuts! Having been through Mattress Warranty Hell, I got a crash course in mattress design. A typical mattress is designed to last ten years, and there typically is no need to be replaced simply because it has hit the eight year mark.
Mattress Firm claims this is due to, basically… sweat, sag, bacteria, and insects. Bunch of hooey. The claim is based on the notion that such wear *could* accumulate over eight years. If you are seriously concerned (and if you use a mattress pad, and wash it when it gets dirty – you shouldn’t) then get a waterproof cover. A waterproof cover will act as a barrier, not just for your bladder – but for everything else too. And if you’re really afraid of bedbugs or other things, there are complete mattress covers.
Only replace a mattress when sag exceeds 1.5 to 2 inches, or when it gets really (as in, actually) dirty or infested with bedbugs/insects. That could be eight years, it could be twelve years. Why replace a mattress when it has a third of its life left – or heck, even more?
And I’m not alone on this opinion, others on social media are turning on Mattress Firm’s position, using their own marketing lingo:
#ReplaceEvery8 is like oil companies saying change oil at 3k miles. Don't be so gullible America. #werenotthatstupid #saveyourmoney #badad
— Keri Robinson (@Nukeman86) September 17, 2016
Now, I am a realist. If this is more than just a sexy marketing opinion and ad blitz – I’m open to hearing it. If Mattress Firm has a research paper, statistics, or hard survey… I want to see it. I see none of that on their microsite or hashtag (#ReplaceEvery8 – insert eyeroll here).
And unlike Mattress Firm, I come to the tablet with hard data to back my claim, that mattresses are designed to last ten years. A plurality of mattresses on the market today, based on my tabulations, offer ten year limited warranties. Why replace a mattress that is still under warranty!?
The only actually-hard evidence that Mattress Firm brings to the table, is clearly something that they admit is an opinion. They add on the microsite that mattress technology has evolved over the past eight years, making newer mattresses better. But that is no reason for you to go run out and replace yours, unless you are uncomfortable or it genuinely needs to be replaced due to sag, or noticeable dirtiness/allergens/insects.