Mattresses don’t need to be expensive. We’ve had the pleasure of reviewing a few of the best queen mattresses under $200, and they’re comfortable, durable and affordable. But before we go into our reviews, let’s take a look at how to properly choose a mattress.
Zinus Memory Foam 10 Inch Green Tea Mattress
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Our top choice in 2020
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Dreamfoam Bedding Spring Dreams Queen 9-Inch Two-Sided Pocket Coil Mattress
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Best two-sided mattress offering superb longevity
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Best Price Mattress 7-Inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress
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Top-of-the-line cooling and airflow for added comfort
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There are a few basic options that will help make your choice a little easier.
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How to Choose the Best Queen Mattress
You’re buying a new mattress, and aside from comfort, you don’t know much about your choices. I know I didn’t know much about mattresses when I purchased my first mattress – there were a lot of choices to pick among.
I’ve learned a lot about mattresses over the years, and each has its own perks, with a few minor details that make a big difference.
A few of the things you’ll want to consider when choosing your mattress are:
- Thickness: The thicker the mattress, the more support it will normally A larger mattress will have a thicker base, which will provide stability to the mattress and more support to the user, too.
- Cooling: If you’re the type of person who sweats at night, you may want a gel The entire mattress won’t be gel, but the gel layer will provide a cooling effect that makes it more comfortable to sleep at night. There’s also airflow mattresses that provide the same cooling effect.
- Pressure Relief: If you wake up with sores hips, knees or a back, chances are that your mattress isn’t providing the pressure relief that you need. Mattresses that offer a layer of pressure relief material, such as foam, will provide the pressure relief you need for a comfortable sleep at night.
- Bacteria and Odor: A lot of mattresses have a “synthetic” smell to them. There’s also the concern that sweat and general dirt and grime will lead to bacteria growth and mattress smells. You’ll find that some mattresses offer protectants against these odors and bacteria, such as green tea and castor oil.
If you keep these few points in mind, you’ll find that it’s much easier to choose a mattress that fits you perfectly.
Advantages of Owning a New Mattress
When you have a mattress that still “works,” it’s often very difficult to decide to buy a new one. A mattress may not be on your list of want-to-buy items, and a lot of mattresses are quite expensive.
But the right mattress does come with its own advantages:
- Studies show that new beds provide a significant decrease in stress. This is associated with better sleep quality and lower pain thanks to a firmer mattress.
- Dust mites cause 20 million people to suffer from allergies every year. Old mattresses are overrun with dust mites, which may cause irritation and side effects in a person who has asthma.
- If you’re tossing and turning all night long, there’s a chance that your mattress is causing you to have a restless night of sleep. A new mattress will often eliminate this tossing and turning, especially if it’s a new problem that has just recently presented itself.
Sleep is vital to your health, and when you purchase a new mattress, you’re able to sleep better at night with less aches, pains, tossing and turning involved.
Common Mattress Questions and Answers
There are a lot of questions to consider when choosing a mattress, and some of the most commonly asked questions, along with their answers, include:
- When is it time to replace your mattress? Most mattresses will need to be replaced every 8 – 10 years, with the Better Sleep Council recommending that you replace your mattress every 5 – 7 years. If your mattress is showing other signs of wear and tear, you may need to replace it earlier, of course.
- Do I need a new box spring? It depends. If the box spring is also 5 – 7 years old, it may be worth spending the extra money to replace it. The problem with not replacing your box spring is that a worn box spring will reduce the lifespan of a new mattress. If your box spring doesn’t match the size of the new mattress, you’re going to buy a new one.
- What’s the best material for a mattress? Mattresses come in a variety of different materials, from springs to memory foam and even gel. A lot of people choose memory foam because the mattress conforms to the user’s body and will provide ample pressure relief and support. Gel is also a great option as a layer because it will provide some additional cooling. Pressure relief foam is also an option and will provide the extra relief a person needs when sleeping if they wake up with aches and pains.
- What do I need to know about warranties? A mattress warranty will protect against any defects in the mattress material or workmanship. The gradual loss in support and comfort is not part of the warranty and will not be covered by warranty.
Review 5 Top Queen Mattresses Under $200 in 2020
Zinus Memory Foam 10-Inch Green Tea Mattress
Zinus offers a leading queen mattress that’s a mix between affordability, function and longevity. This mattress offers green tea memory foam that provides comfort and support while also relieving pressure on the joints.
The mattress’ 10-inch thickness is divided between 2.5″ of memory foam, 2″ of pressure relieving foam and 5.5″ of airflow, high-density foam.
CertiPU – US Certified, this mattress is designed for durability and function. The green tea infusion repels odors and bacteria, while the addition of Castor natural seed oil amplifies the positive benefits of green tea.
Compressed, this mattress ships in a box and is easily rolled out at your home.
Memory foam was the ideal choice for my back pain and offers a comfortable yet body conforming design that’s supportive. Support keeps the spine and vertebra in place to alleviate aches and pains.
The mattress is 60″ x 80″ x 10″.
Pros
- Comes compressed and ships to your door
- Offers ample support for side and back sleepers
- Doesn’t have an “off” smell
Cons
- Takes nearly a day to fully expand
The only downside of a compressed mattress is that the decompression time can be a few days. While not a big issue, it’s something you’ll need to consider. Otherwise, Zinus offers a mattress that tackles odor, bacteria and is priced for the budget shopper.
Click here to view pricing and availability of the Zinus, 10″ Green Tea mattress.
Best Price Mattress 7-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress
Best Price Mattress offers a 7-inch, gel memory foam mattress that comes in a queen size and provides you with 1″ of gel memory foam, 2″ of pressure relief foam and the remaining 4″ being high density foam.
Sleep cooling power is provided along with gel to provide a balance of cooling and support that many mattresses can’t provide.
The mattress’ gel features thousands of gel beads with an open cell memory foam that’s ideal for air flow movement. A built-in pressure relief system, ideal for any night-time pains, provides support for three key areas: hips, head and shoulders.
Compressed upon arrival, the Best Price Mattress will decompress quickly.
Pros
- Plush and comfortable while still being supported
- Gel memory foam provides superior cooling
- Fully decompresses after just 15 minutes
Cons
- Apparent foam smell initially
There’s a slight foam smell when you first unpack this mattress, but the smell goes away in less than a day. While not a major concern, I felt it was something worth mentioning for anyone who can’t stand the smell of foam.
And with superior cooling power, the Best Price Mattress for anyone, like myself, that wakes up in a sweat every night.
Click here to view pricing and availability of the Best Price Mattress.
LinenSpa 8″ Memory Foam Hybrid Mattress
LinenSpa’s 8-inch memory foam mattress is comfortable with traditional support yet a cozy layer of memory foam that amplifies sleep. This hybrid mattress has both memory foam and an innerspring design.
Medium-firm, the springs provide the support people are accustomed to, while the fabric mattress cover is made with memory foam. There’s also a 1.5″ foam layer beneath the top layer.
The 1.5″ foam layer is designed to minimize pressure points and add to your comfort.
The mattress comes with a 10-year warranty and spans 60″ x 80″ x 8″. The tempered steel coils provide just the right amount of bounce and support to reduce back and shoulder pains when sleeping.
This mattress is also CertiPUR-US certified.
Pros
- Hybrid mattress featuring steel coils and memory foam
- Provides a 10-year warranty
- Comes rolled and in a box
Cons
- Mattress doesn’t expand all the way
LinenSpa’s mattress is described as an 8-inch mattress, yet the mattress has issues expanding all the way. Oftentimes, the mattress will seem “flat,” but this depends on the unit. Some batches seem to have this issue while others are fine.
The warranty will cover this issue if it does happen to you, but the occurrence rate seems to be dropping lately, so it’s much less of an issue than it once was.
Click here to view pricing and availability of the LinenSpa Hybrid Mattress.
Dreamfoam Bedding Spring Dreams Mattress
Dreamfoam Bedding provides a 9-inch, two-sided pocket coil mattress. When it comes to pressure, this mattress excels with 800 wrapped coils that reduce pressure and minimize motion transfer when your partner moves at night.
Quilted foam on the top layer provides you with a comfortable sleeping surface while also reducing the “feel” of the coils.
Pocketed coils are in the middle of the mattress while the bottom features quilted foam. The bottom layer is in the same design as the top layer, allowing you to flip your mattress often and extend its lifespan.
The comfort level is between medium and firm, offering ample support yet being comfortable enough not to add to aches and pains.
Pros
- 800 individually wrapped coils reduce pressure on the joints
- Two-sided mattress allows for extended lifespan
- Very little, almost non-existent chemical smell
Cons
- Some users complain that the mattress “isn’t firm”
The Dreamfoam mattress is a great hybrid mattress that offers a two-sided design and provides a longer lifespan for your mattress. While some users complain about the mattress not being firm enough, it may be a great option for a medium-firm mattress that’s closer to medium.
Pressure is never a problem with this mattress, and with no chemical smell, you’ll be able to use your mattress the same night without worrying about odd smells.
Click here to view pricing and availability of the Dreamfoam Spring Dreams Mattress.
Zinus Sleep Master Ultimate Comfort Mattress
Zinus Sleep also offers the Master Ultimate Comfort mattress in both a Short Queen and Queen size. This 8-inch mattress provides a balance of comfort and support to provide a restful night of sleep.
There are three layers to this mattress: memory foam, pressure relieving foam and a 4″ base foam support.
Bio Foam is used in the mattress’ design to help keep your mattress fresh while also removing some of that odd petroleum smell that most memory foam mattresses leave behind. Natural plant oils are used in the mattress’ design to keep smells to a minimum and reduce bacteria.
Patented compression allows the comfort mattress to be packed and delivered to your door.
Pros
- 3-layer design offers comfort and support
- Plant oil infusion reduces smells and bacteria
- 10-year limited warranty provided
Cons
- Takes 48 hours to fully expand
Zinus’ Sleep Master Ultimate promotes a good nights’ sleep with ample comfort and an infusion of plant oil to reduce that petroleum smell that most memory foam mattresses produce. The 3-layer design adds comfort and support, too.
Aside from this mattress taking nearly two days to fully expand, it’s a great choice for an affordable, memory foam mattress.
Click here to view pricing and availability of the Zinus Sleep Master Ultimate Comfort Mattress.
Conclusion
Zinus’ Green Tea memory foam mattress offers a comfortable mattress that has a 10-inch thickness. This model provides everything from pressure relief to extra airflow to keep the sleeper cool. While the other mattresses are all great options, this is the most complete mattress.
The green tea infusion even removes odors and helps eliminate bacteria to keep your mattress in pristine condition.
But it’s a close call. There are a lot of great mattresses on this list, with each one offering its own benefit. A lot of people like the hybrid mattresses when switching mattress types, and that is something to consider if you’re switching from a spring coil to memory foam model.
