Beds and Mattresses in the United States

12/22/2016 English German

Edition # 118
San Francisco, 12-22-2016

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Beds and Mattresses in the United States

Figure [1]: Our new king-size bed

Michael When we moved to the USA in 1996, we brought our bed frame and mattress set with us from Germany. It measured 2 x 1.60 meters. From our experience with numerous hotel stays, we knew that American Queen-size beds (203cm x 152cm) were slightly narrower than our German bed, and King-size beds (203cm x 193cm), which can be booked at additional cost, offer significantly more comfort.

Sometimes in hotel rooms you'll find two single beds, which are often in the so-called "twin" format, i.e. 191 cm x 99 cm, but they are usually only intended to sleep individuals. In the size "double" (also called "full size"), beds sometimes measure even 191 cm x 137 cm, but that is rather rare. And super-luxury hotel suites sometimes offer "California King" beds, which are, surprisingly, 10 cm narrower (!) than king beds, but offer 10 cm more leg room: 213 cm x 183 cm.

Buying a mattress with German measurements in the USA for a new bed is downright impossible, normal stores only offer twin, queen or king mattresses. Mr. and Mrs. Rockefeller have their mattresses custom-made, but it's not worth it for average Joe who throws his affordable German bed in the trash and buys a new American one with standard measurements instead. By the way, German fitted sheets for their 160 cm wide beds also fit a queen-sized mattresses. Conversely, American queen-sized stretchy fitted sheets made of elastic material with a little effort can also fit a 160 cm wide mattress.

Americans typically share a large bedspread that covers the entire bed on double beds. If one of the two sleepers has the habit of constantly grabbing a lot of bedding during sleep, it can lead to arguments. For that reason, we've always had individual covers in twin size, so that each of us can toss and turn without waking up the other.

There are many types of mattresses in the USA, especially those with spring cores ("spring mattress"), that can sometimes protrude up to 50 cm out of the bed frame, much like the beds at Neuschwanstein Castle. Latex or memory foam mattresses, on the other hand, are only about half as thick. The latter are particularly helpful for people with back problems by remembering the contours of the body when sinking in. However, they emit a foul chemical odor for weeks after installation and can become extremely hot in summer months, making them recommended only in cooler climates or homes with air conditioning.

Figure [2]: "Slats" in an American bed frame Photo: flickr (brownpau/18863524008)

Spring mattresses sit on top of slats mounted into the bed frame. Slats are often separated into two equal individual parts for king-size beds that lay side by side in the bed frame. Also, regarding the bed frame, America has some unexpected options. Many memory foam mattress manufacturers write in their warranty instructions that a traditional bed frame with flexible slats should not be placed underneath the mattress, but only a so-called "box spring", which is a rigid yet air-permeable wooden framework that offers no cushioning, but ensures that the mattress does not sink or collapse.

We finally settled on the Ikea mattress "HESSTUN" in King Ludwig format and a bed from EQ3 and are very satisfied with the setup. However, the delivery of a king-size mattress into a rental unit can be challenging as we found out the hard way. The two Ikea delivery men who lifted the 70 kg heavy mattress in the format 203 cm x 193 cm x 50 cm off their truck, couldn't manage to fit it into our elevator. I convinced them by angels' tongues to carry it through the stairwell to the second floor, because apparently the mattress hauler's union at Ikea prohibited them from entering higher elevations, such as our third floor.

Figure [3]: A wheeled trolley helps with moving mattresses.

After some back and forth, it turned out that the mattress was too big to fit around the corner in the staircase. Gritting my teeth, I had the guys put the mattress by the front door and sent them away. Armed with a wooden ruler and geometric formulas, I found out that the mattress, after removing the cardboard packaging using a cushion cutter (the two experts had refused to do so citing their extensive moving regulations), could be folded into the elevator forming a hyperbolic paraboloid. I got into the elevator and threw my weight against the mattress, Angelika pushed from outside, and as the mattress crossed the threshold, Angelika stepped back, and I quickly pressed the button for the third floor.

The door closed, and the elevator started moving upwards. Upon arriving at the third floor, it was easy to wheel the mattress along the hallway using a so-called "furniture dolly," which I always keep handy. We brought it into the apartment and placed it in the bedroom. Contrast that ordeal to the bed delivery that happened a few weeks later: Although the EQ3 commissioned delivery service couldn't fit all the parts into the elevator, the two deliverymen carried the giant headboard up the stairwell with ease and assembled the bed in under an hour. I happily gave them a killer tip.