Selden's Home Furnishings

Mattresses (492)

Mattresses and bedding is in this section in a wide variety of values and types.

A mattress is a mat or pad, usually placed on top of a bed, upon which to sleep or lie.

The word mattress is derived from Arabic words meaning "to throw" and "place where something is thrown" or "mat, cushion." During the Crusades, Europeans adopted the Arabic method of sleeping on cushions thrown on the floor, and the word materas eventually descended into Middle English through the Romance languages.

Though a mattress may be placed directly on the floor, it is usually placed on top of a platform (such as a platform bed or a metal box spring or a slatted foundation) to be further from the ground. Historically, mattresses have been filled with a variety of natural materials, including straw and feathers. Modern mattresses usually contain either an inner spring core or materials such as latex, viscoelastic, or other polyurethane-type foams. Mattresses may also be filled with air or water, or a variety of natural fibres, such as in futons.

Air mattresses

Air mattresses use one or more air chambers instead of springs to provide support. Quality and price can range from inexpensive ones used occasionally for camping, all the way up to high-end luxury beds. Air mattresses designed for typical bedroom use cost about the same as inner-spring mattresses with comparable features.

Foam mattresses

Foam mattresses use shape-conforming latex or viscoelastic memory foam rather than springs to provide support. Mattresses manufactured using memory foam or latex are generally hypoallergenic. Since foam varies in quality, prices can vary widely. Most mattress manufacturers offer a line of memory foam mattresses.