Futon Beds

There are many names given to this king of all mattresses. Yes, you read that right. Futon beds are the new kings of the mattress world. In the past, you would never have believed this possible, but now there are a variety of reasons to make such a claim. We will go over those reasons here. Suffice it to say, comfort, flexibility and cost are the main reasons why these types of mattresses are the new beds of choice.

From entertaining guests, beds in second homes to mattresses for primary sleeping arrangements, futons are now on par with the traditional mattress. In fact, because of advances made in futon mattress designs and materials, one could even say that the differences between a futon and traditional bed are negligible. In other words, if you can get the same level of comfort and save some money, why not go with the better deal.

 As mentioned, the comfort factor that exists with the futon is miles above what it was in the past.  If you owned a futon in the 1980s, then you likely had a very good looking sofa-coach futon that lasted for a brief period before turning into a flattened pancake.  The in-fill materials were not as high of quality as they are today.  In addition to that, the way that the mattresses were assembled had less oversight and regulation than the industry has today.  Often, those old futon mattresses were sprayed with fire retardants and other chemicals that produced toxic off-gassing that led some to experience respiratory and other health challenges. 

Now, law suits the way they are, certain measures are still necessary to prevent liability to a company, but this doesn't mean you have to get an unhealthy mattress to sleep on.  There are organic futon beds that are made with organic cotton or wool and cotton blends  for the in-fill with organic cotton used as the mattress covering.  Then, if you get organic cotton bedding or natural silks, you can have a very healthy and sustainable night's sleep.  There are also bamboo fabrics made now for even more sustainable options.  Because bamboo is a grass, it is able to be harvested and grows back rather quickly - much like sheering a sheep.  The sheep do not run out of wool, it just keeps growing. 

You may not know that there are also futon beds that have inner coil springs like the conventional mattress.  Because of issues that have been raised with sleeping on metal springs, some come with air coils too.  About that metal spring issue, some experts in fields of alternative healing and energetic medicine suggest that the metal in beds affect how our energetic bodies reset and affects our sleep.  They suggest sleeping on only fabric materials, cotton, wool, or other foams, etc. and wood.  There are many natural bed mattresses as they are called that have a wood slat system of support.  They are extremely comfortable and built by hand to exacting standards and craftsmanship. These will end up costing you much more, we'll discuss in the futon bed costs section below. 

Yet another option is getting a memory foam futon bed.  These are just like the conventional memory foam beds but without the added cost.  You can find these online as well and will be amazed at how they feel.  Some people get the best sleep they've ever had on these types of memory foam beds.  There are properties in the foam that distributes weight so that pressure points are not created and distributes body temperature better so that you don't get too warm sleeping. 

Briefly, let's discuss what it is about futons that make them such a flexible and attractive option. First of all, the whole idea of the futon in the first place was that it could not only save space but be used for dual purposes. For this reason alone, it made sense as a way of eliminating one piece of large furniture in a room. This opens up more room for other pieces or just makes it feel larger. This is one of those ingenious decor strategies that the Japanese are known for. Partly by necessity and partly functional, having a sofa become a bed is a great option. Customarily, the Japanese futon is made up of two layers - the mattress and the quilted topper. They are set on tatami mats on the floor and then hung in the sun to air. Cleaning these mattresses consists of beating them with a bamboo cane or pole.

Futons are not the only sofa-beds of course, but they have several beneficial features. Because of their nature, you can use your futon for entertaining and then fold it out into a bed for any overnight guests. All you need to do is put on the right sofa bed sheets and you're ready to go. When it is being used as a couch, getting a nice futon cover could go a long way towards disguising it in a way. It will still look like a futon obviously, but with an animal print or nice leather cover, it will have a much more fashionable appeal. The speed in which that same couch can become a bed is what makes the futon stand apart from the classic fold-out couch.

Another way that you can make use of your futon's flexibility is by using a cover to make it change looks about as quickly as a chameleon.  Using futon covers can be as simple as zipping them on and zipping them off.  These types of covers come in a variety of colors, materials and sizes to fit most any futon mattress.

 Prices depend upon the size of the futon you get of course, but relative to their traditional bed cousins, they are still a deal.  These range in price from several hundred to no more than one thousand U.S. dollars.  This often includes the frame and even a cover.  Most conventional mattresses cost in the mid $500s to thousands, that is just for the mattress.  And, that 'natural mattress bed' mentioned above has been selling for upwards of $2,500 USD.  Keep in mind that since your futon also serves as a couch, you are getting twice the use from one piece, so these prices are not being equally compared.  You would have to throw in the cost of a sofa or couch with that traditional mattress to get the same amount of furniture for the price.  With the competition among mattress companies, we may see costs come down on all models, time will tell.   

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Futon Mattress

Here you will find all sorts of information regarding futon mattresses, covers, and other accessories for your futon bed.