A new business model for mattresses seems to have the solution.
Forward-thinking start-ups, such as Australian online company Ecosa, offer an entirely new take on mattress buying, including a rethink on materials, mark-up costs and consumer satisfaction.
Their latex and gel memory-foam mattress will arrive in a box, at your door, with no delivery cost, a 15 year warranty and the option to try it out for more than three months and be able to return it if you don't like it. This was enough reassurance for me, so we ordered the king-size, which showed up as promised, in a box just a metre by half a metre or so in size.
It seemed ridiculous to think there was a proper mattress in there, but out it came, expanding rapidly into something more heavy and solid than I expected, given the materials. Lucky we unboxed it in the right place.
Unzipping the washable cover, the thick, dense latex and gel memory foam layers were revealed. You can switch these around to get a firmer or more medium surface, but overall, it certainly does feel very firm at first. This is deceptive though. As you lie on it, you notice it subtly giving and moulding to your body shape, in a sensation bordering on relief, and if it's still too firm, they make a separate topper you can add, which softens it a lot, without losing the support.
Over the next week, it softened a little more, and we started to sleep better, actually missing it when we stayed overnight at a friend's place.
The materials are designed for breathability, and the gel layer regulates temperature - something I was concerned about as I had visions of sweating on clammy foam. It didn't happen though - if anything, there's a slightly cool feel to it.
Ecosa also measures up to environmental, allergy and fire-retardant standards, the cover is dust-mite resistant, and made of fabric that feels completely normal and cottony, but is inexplicably waterproof - meaning no bacteria growth in the mattress below, as often happens unnoticed in the depths of sprung ones. (Yuck.)
At around a third of the cost of regular decent-quality mattresses - which the company says is because they have removed the need for warehouse storage, showrooms and pushy salespeople, Ecosa and its main competitors, Koala and Napp, have challenged the marked-up prices of their industry.
The offer of 100 days to sleep on the thing, and still be able to return it at no cost, with free collection and donation to charity, shows how much they back their product and adds a safety net that will be the tipping point for those unsure whether to chance.
As online retail continues to grow, companies coming up with ideas that challenge the traditional ways we purchase are coming to the forefront.
Removing the built-in mark-up costs is one of the positive effects. Coupled with the consumer safeguards companies like Ecosa offer with their products, the risks associated with buying things unseen become vastly reduced, and the game is lifted for other online traders to back themselves in terms of quality and accurate marketing.
It's taken a couple of weeks of adjustment, but I have decided I really like this mattress. Whether that's wrapped up in the fact that I like the idea of cutting out middlemen and supporting a business model that looks to have its ethics as well aligned as my back has been lately, is another matter.
Think I'll sleep on it.
