Queen Size Mattress History

  Queen size Mattress History!

  It was in the 18th century when mattresses started to match modern-day counterparts. Cotton and wool were used as fillings and later included items like horsehair and coconut fibers. Around 1850, cast iron spring beds came into existence. Initially, the technology was used in chair seats from which it developed the concept of the coil spring bed.

Heinrich Westphal invented the first innerspring mattress in Germany during 1871. However, sadly he never earned much recognition or money for his invention and spent his days in poverty. It took more than 60 years for his creation to be accepted by the common man.

Since then, there have been so many modifications & enhancements to the original products being made with so many options to the consumer.

TODAY's Mattress 101:

There are four types of mattress coils:

· Bonnell coils are the oldest and most common. First adapted from buggy seat springs of the 19th century, they are still prevalent in mid-priced mattresses. Bonnell springs are a knotted, round-top, hourglass-shaped steel wire coil. When laced together with cross wire helicals, these coils form the simplest innerspring unit, also referred to as a Bonnell unit.

· Offset coils are an hourglass type coil on which portions of the top and bottom convolutions have been flattened. In assembling the innerspring unit, these flat segments of wire are hinged together with helical wires. The hinging effect of the unit is designed to conform to body shape. LFK coils are an unknotted offset coil with a cylindrical or columnar shape.

· Continuous coils (the Leggett & Platt brand name is "Mira-coil") is an innerspring configuration in which the rows of coils are formed from a single piece of wire. They work in a hinging effect similar to that of offset coils.

· Marshall coils, also known as wrapped or encased coils or pocket springs, are thin-gauge, barrel-shaped, knot-less coils individually encased in fabric pockets—normally a fabric from man-made, non-woven fiber. Some manufacturers pre-compress these coils, which makes the mattress firmer and allows for motion separation between the sides of the bed. As the springs are not wired together, they work more or less independently: the weight on one spring does not affect its neighbors. More than half the consumers who participated in a survey had chosen to buy pocket spring mattresses. In 1899 James Marshall introduced the first individually wrapped pocketed spring coil mattress now commonly known as Marshall coils. 

And then the comfort layers:

  All-foam mattresses use different weights and densities of petrochemical-based flexible polyurethane foams and viscoelastic foams or memory foam, and latex rubber foams. A number of mattress manufacturers have incorporated polyurethane and visco-elastic foams with a portion of plant-based content. All-foam mattresses are often paired with platform bases.

Latex foam

Latex foam in mattresses is generally a blend of the latex of the Hevea brasiliensis tree and synthetic latex, which is derived from petrochemicals and other substances and fillers. There are, however, natural latex mattresses that leave out polyurethane-based chemicals. Latex foam is produced using either the Talalay or the Dunlop process.

Memory foam

Memory foam mattresses use conforming viscoelastic foam over firmer polyurethane base foam. Some innerspring mattresses have memory foam in their upholstery layer. Different feels and comfort levels are achieved by varying the thickness, weight and formulation of the viscoelastic foams and the base foams. Latex and memory foam mattresses each provide a unique feel. This type of mattress is good at relieving pressure on painful joints. Many memory foam mattresses are more expensive than standard spring mattresses. Memory foam is affected by temperature. In a cool bedroom, a memory foam mattress will feel firmer than it does in a warm bedroom. Memory softens and conforms to the sleeper in response to body temperature and body weight. Traditional memory foam molds to the body creating a depression the sleeper must roll out of when changing sleep positions. Mattress manufacturers have responded to this issue by using "faster response" memory foams. They spring back more quickly when the sleeper moves. Foam mattresses are also known to generally "sleep warmer" than innerspring mattresses. Mattress makers have addressed the issue with "open-cell" memory foams, pinhole cored memory foam, gel-infused memory foams, channel-cut foam cores, reticulated foam support layers and other technologies to improve air circulation through all-foam beds.

High density foam

Similar to memory foam mattresses, a high density foam mattress uses a more compact foam typically made from polyurethane. This kind of foam is made largely from open cells that are packed together tightly. High density foam mattresses offer comfort and longevity because they are more dense than a traditional foam mattress. High density foam mattresses that have an innerspring system last even longer and eliminate mattress sagging.

Information provided by Mostly Mattress located in Ocala, FL