Best boxed mattress deals for January: discounts on Emma, Simba, Nectar, Eve, Dreamcloud and OTTY
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Experts suggest that mattresses should be changed ever seven to 10 years, so it’s been a few years since you bought your mattress - of if yours is generally feeling uncomfortablee and you are no longer refreshed when you wake up from sleep - then it’s time to consider a new one.
If you do want to buy a new mattress then a boxed one is a great choice as it will be delivered straight to your door and that means you can soon be having a better night’s sleep hassle free.
Now is the perfect time to buy as there are some great deals available for the new year - and you can get up to 50% off some of the top mattress brands.
But, you’ll have to be quick if you do want to take advantage of these brillaint offers as they are all only available for a limited time - some are only available until the end of the weekend, January 15/16.
How to shop for a boxed mattress
There are a fair few factors to pay mind to when purchasing a new mattress, and it isn’t a decision that should be taken lightly (particularly since you’ll be sleeping on it every night for the best part of a decade).
Boxed mattresses tend to be made from foam or a combo of foam and springs (called a hybrid), and both have pros and cons. Full foam mattresses tend to provide a warmer sleep, though they have hypo-allergenic properties and mould to your body shape. Hybrid mattresses, on the other hand, are more breathable and more durable.
How do you sleep?
The most important consideration is your sleep style and support requirements. Side-sleepers are most likely to get a sound night’s sleep from a soft-medium mattress, whilst back and stomach sleepers tend to benefit more from medium-firm mattresses. Combination sleepers – those who change position throughout the night – should choose a mattress based on the position they spend the most time in, and also bear in mind ease of movement.
Unfortunately, if you suffer from back pain there’s a bit more trial and error involved in finding your ideal mattress as it largely depends on the type and location of pain (lower, mid or upper back) and your preferred sleeping position.
Is it wise to buy a boxed mattress without trying it?
Many remain sceptical about investing in a vacuum-packed mattress without first testing, but most makers offer generous trial periods that allow for lengthy at-home testing (up to 365 days is the most we’ve found) and easy returns within that timeframe if you find that the mattress isn’t for you. Always check the trial period and returns policy before purchasing to save yourself 10 years of sub-standard sleep.
Try and get mattress-disposal as part of your purchase
Keep an eye out for companies offering collection of your old mattress when you purchase a new boxed mattress from them, as this can save the stress of donating or disposing of it yourself, and read up on the weight and dimensions of your chosen mattress before adding it to your virtual basket – particularly if you plan on unpacking it alone. Some are heavy and awkward to navigate up stairs.
To help make your decision a little easier, we’ve summarised 7 of the best boxed mattresses we tested, rating them on everything from comfort and ease of unpacking to motion transfer and smell (yes, really).
Want a perfect night sleep? Read our guide to how to pick a set of bed sheets - linen or cotton, thread count, and the best sets of bed linen UK, or the best earbuds for a sound night’s sleep.
If you have trouble sleeping in the winter, check out our guide to six of the best SAD lamps, as well as our review of the Lumie Sunrise Alarm.
Or, if you’re looking for a way to warm up your new bed so you’ll be extra cosy as soon as you get in it then take a look at our guide to the best electric blankets.
Here are our favourite boxed mattresses.
Sizes available: single, small double, double, king, super king
Mattress depth: 25cm
Trial period: 200 nights
Guarantee: 10 years
Sleeping on an Emma Original Mattress is akin to (we imagine) sleeping on a marshmallow. It’s doughy and soft, yet feels supportive on your frame thanks to the HRX foam, which is intended to keep spines aligned.
A firmness rating of 6-7 out of 10 makes Emma’s Original Mattress a good mid-way mattress with medium firmness suitable for most people, with a few exceptions.
Made entirely of memory foam, it’s the lightest mattress we tested (23.4kg for a double), which made unpacking and positioning incredibly easy – even for a person on their own. Along with the HRX foam, which helps to isolate motion so there’s no bed-shake when someone moves in the night, there’s also a viscoelastic layer, which contours to your body, and an Airgocell foam top layer, which absorbs moisture and provides a surprisingly cool sleep for a foam mattress.
There’s also a removable and washable top cover, which is handy for – sorry for sounding gross – sweat stains and general signs of wear. It’s worth nothing that, because the mattress is made entirely from foam, it does have a slight smell upon opening. However, our tester found it almost entirely disappeared after a few hours of airing with the windows open.
Happily, Emma Original mattresses are made in the UK, and are entirely vegan.
It generally takes 2-4 hours for the Emma Original to fully inflate, though on occasion it can take up to 48 hours to expand completely.
For a limited time, you can get up to 50% off this mattress, so act quickly if you want to take advantage of this fantastic deal.
A 200-night trial allows you to take your time testing the mattress to be 100% certain it’s for you (it can take up to 6 weeks to fully adjust to a new mattress) and return for free if you find it unsuitable.
Sizes available: single, small double, double, king, super king
Mattress depth: 25cm
Trial period: 365 nights
Guarantee: Forever
Nectar’s Memory Foam mattress feels like a big, warm hug and, boy, do we need those more than ever right now. Its three layer foam construction (two of viscoelastic foam and a base layer of support foam) is designed to relieve pressure points and promote better spine alignment, whilst also providing that wonderful melting sensation you get with a good quality memory foam mattress.
It is rated 6.5 for firmness, so a fraction firmer than middle of the road, which means that it has those lovely spongy qualities about it whilst remaining supportive and allowing unhindered movement for combinations sleepers (and no motion transfer to the person sharing the bed either). In short: it’s suitable for most people.
It has a cooling polyester cover, however we still found the mattress to veer a little on the warm side, particularly when used in combination with a feather duvet.
It’s a fairly heavy, handleless mattress, and our tester found it to be one of the trickiest to unpack alone. It was packed very tightly, and took slightly longer than other mattresses tested to fully inflate, so allow plenty of time for it to expand before using. It also has a mild, although not massively offensive, smell to begin with.
Nectar recommends speeding up the odor removal by placing a bowl of white vinegar in the room or sprinkling baking soda on the mattress then vacuuming to absorb the fragrance of the foam.
The mattress comes with two free memory foam pillows (win), a 365-day trial – the longest we’ve seen – and an impressive forever warranty, which guarantees a free replacement mattress if yours breaks from normal use. Oh, and, fun fact, it’s also naturally resistant to bed bugs.
For a limited time, you can get up to 40% off any mattress -plus a free mattress protector so you save even more money on that too.
Sizes available: single, double, king, super king
Mattress depth: 28cm
Trial period: 200 nights
Guarantee: 10 years
We won’t beat around the bush here, Simba’s Hybrid Pro mattress is supremely comfy. As in, risk a danger-sit during the day and there’s a chance you’ll stay there for some time. Not ideal for productivity (particularly when so many of us are still working from home), but an absolute dream come sleep time.
It features a combo of foam and Titanium Aerocoil Spring-Comfort layers which, although make for quite a heavy mattress (you might need an extra pair of hands to carry it through your home), provides enhanced airflow and that hug feeling you get from a good quality mattress. Plus, a 100% natural wool top layer aids with temperature regulation, though if you run hot it might still be a little on the warm side.
The Hybrid Pro has a firm feel about it, so it’s a popular choice for those who experience back pain and individuals who require more support, and there’s absolutely no motion transfer, so you can snooze soundly even if your partner moves a lot during the night. Its biggest downfall, we think, is the strong, chemical smell it emits upon first opening.
This is fairly normal for a foam mattress, but we found the odor of the Hybrid Pro to be strong for the first two nights. It fades over time, and after a few days we found the smell to have gone, however, if you’re unable to air the mattress for a while before using expect there to be an adjustment period whilst the fragrance disappears.
It’s ready to use three hours after unboxing but, as with all vacuum-packed mattresses, it can take a few days to reach full expansion. Happily, Simba offers a 200-night trial, during which time you’re welcome to change your mind and return your mattress, and the Hybrid Pro comes with a 10-year guarantee, so if anything goes wrong you can have it replaced for free.
Right now, you can 35% off, but that price is only guaranteed for a limited time, so act now if you want this mattress.
Delivery is speedy – three business days – and we appreciated the cutting tool provided to assist with unpacking.
Sizes available: single, small double, double, king, super king, EU single, EU double, EU king, emperor
Mattress depth: 25cm