As you can imagine there are umpteen combinations that polyester can be used in your mattress and if used in isolation (without any other wadding types) then the price should reflect this option. For example, a 1000 pocket spring double mattress with 1000gsm of polyester sheeting either side should be no more than £300.
On more expensive mattresses, polyester pads may be used above or beneath a more sumptuous comfort layer such as wool, cotton etc, the polyester then acts as a dampener or softener to the comfort layer providing longevity to the ‘plumpness’ and ultimate comfort of the mattress.
The thing to bear in mind is that all mattresses that contains polyester as the main component will be amongst the cheapest mattresses to manufacture / retail.
How long will polyester last?
Polyester wadding is extremely soft and comfortable but – it is not supportive. The 1000gsm weights are obviously going to be more durable than the lower weights. However, having your bodyweight compressing it night after night will eventually take its toll and sooner or later will refuse to spring back to its original shape. It is here and now where you will get that all too familiar body indentation.
Have you ever seen those loose cover sofas that are really plump and soft, when you sit into them – they really cushion you and it seems you are sitting on a cloud? That is when they are new. A year or so of regular usage, the once big fat cushions are now flat and heavy and no amount of plumping will restore them to how they were when you bought the suite.
This is because they contain the same kind of hollow fibre polyester waddings as found on many mattresses. Polyester waddings are indeed soft, warm and inviting but they are not known for having a very long lifespan. Do not think that that the plump cushioning you will see on your mattress when it was new will be the same some years down the line.
Pre-Compressed Polyester.
Many mid range mattresses will incorporate a product called PCP (Pre-Compressed Polyester. This is used as a foundation layer prior to a further complimentary comfort layer such as Soft Polyester, Memory Foam or any other component. Being Pre-Compressed means that the ‘bounce‘ has been taken out and is used as an extremely comfortable and durable ’shock absorber’.
Duopad
This is a premium polyester used combining a firmer polyester with a softer polyester in weights of about 1250. An excellent layer prior to the primary comfort layer(s) being added.
Rebound Polyester.
You spend about 100 days each year lying in the same position on the same space and polyester wadding can only take so much before refusing to spring back into life. This, in some respects can be a good thing. You are moulding the mattress to your body shape .. BUT.. if the polyester waddings are a low weight you will soon be feeling the springs rather than the cushioning of the compressed wadding.
Because of this, an improved version of Poly wadding has recently been introduced for use in the manufacture of mattresses and pillows – Rebound Polyester Wadding. This is not significantly more expensive but is classed as a premium grade wadding and used in the upper middle range of mattresses more commonly with a foam or other layer such as PCP to act as a dampener. This combination considerably extends the lifespan particularly if you really do look after your mattress by twisting and turning it on a regular basis.
The Mattress Showroom.
This brings me to the situation in a mattress showroom, where, believe it or not (many) mattress manufacturers spend more financial resource into making their mattresses look and feel infinitely more attractive for just the initial viewing and testing period. Rather than putting additional, or even enhanced wadding layers, of a suitable quality inside the mattress, their efforts and a bulk of your money is concentrated into making the exterior of the mattress look and feel as attractive as possible, knowing full well that it is is this ‘look’ that will sway you into making your final purchase. Sometimes the mattress can be nothing more than a painted turd!
The fabric and decorative finish of the mattress should really be the very last of your considerations. Weighing up the internal components against the asking price should be your measure of purchase, the outer fabric and quality of finish should only be the decider.
One Side (Non Turn) or Two Side?
Turning a mattress may not feature highly on your list of household duties and manufacturers have cottoned on to the fact that if they advertise their mattress as – ‘Non Turn – Saving you time and effort… they can get away with using half the materials whilst still retaining a healthy selling price. Read more on nonturn one sided mattresses ..
In the case of a non turn mattress where polyester is the main comfort component, it just cannot be practically beneficial – no matter how many times you say it. Of course it is a different story when memory foam or latex is the main component but I will discuss that in a separate section.
For example, In the case of the branded mattress used in the video clip on the front page, the polyester fibre pad was a lot less than 1000gsm. Sure, it was sitting on top of ‘barely‘ one inch of foam but even so, it was a one sided mattress and without the ability to turn the mattress the lifespan would obviously be limited by half.
To summarise this section, if the main comfort layer is polyester, then a non turn – one sided mattress is really not a viable option. .A two sided mattress gives you opportunity to turn the mattress to enable the polyester wadding time to relax.
So how do you compromise with Polyester?
Your ultimate aim is to ensure you keep the poly wadding as good as new for the longest period of time. Sweat and moisture dissipated from your body as you sleep is the waddings worst enemy. Do all you possibly can to keep this away from your mattress. Using some sort of cushioning barrier between the mattress and your bottom sheet will, in the long run save you a fortune and keep your mattress looking like new for considerably longer.
An ideal barrier could be a very basic budget £10 quilt (duvet) from the supermarket – ideally in a cheap washable cover – used as a mattress protector. When this flattens – you will be replacing the £10 quilt rather than the entire mattress. This option is considerably better than a purpose built mattress protector and serves a dual function. Firstly, you are sleeping on an additional layer of polyester (the quilt) which will aid the comfort, and it is also taking the brunt of continuous wear rather than the mattress.
I know this sounds like a lot of effort, but it really is a simple and well worth it procedure. Your mattress should not have been overly expensive to start with and the regular maintenance is just a matter of changing an additional duvet cover now and again.
Read more about Polyester in Waddings, layers and Fillings (Vid Clip)
Hi, we used to have a hi range caravan – absolutely beautiful, double glazed and central heated. Obviously with the compulsory air vents it used to get absolutely freezing at night. So, I used to put a quilt under their bottom sheet (needless to say the coffin-narrow mattresses on the 2ft beds were not the best quality, but my long winded point is that the children found that they sweated and woke up damp. Do you think the polyester quilts would make you sweat in a regular bed – or is it just a case of ‘suck it and see’? Ax.
Hi Alison. In an ideal world people would be sleeping with feather / down duvets and comforters. Polyester is there and used in great number because it is cheap. Being ‘basically’ plastic strands there is nowhere for excess moisture to go so evaporation will be the wicking element. If the room is too cold you will wake up cold and clammy, too warm and you will perspire a lot more during your sleep.
The bulk of all [lower priced] mattresses utilise polyester as the main wadding upholstery. All you are doing when using a polyester duvet beneath your bottom sheet is adding an additional comfort layer. Personally, I think when people complain about waking up feeling clammy it is down to the room environment and not primarilt what they are sleeping on.
How different fibres react to heat / cold etc is a major area of research – Du-Pont is a good example. My depth of knowledge in this area is practically zero but sometimes common sense prevails. The bottom line is that natural fibres are best for a reason. The Cottons, wools, feathers etc will always win over synthetics for quality but like everything in this world, price will be the deciding factor. John and Ryan.