This weekend marks the unofficial start of summer. The flowers are blooming, the leaves have once again returned to their homes high upon arching branches, and pretty soon it will be hot. Like, unbearably hot. Seriously, it’s been kind of a chilly spring, so you probably haven’t considered how hot the summer is. Think about it. Humidity will soar and your patience for sweaty nights will dwindle. Look, I’m just being a realist. Just pointing out the facts.

If you haven’t experienced the joy of linen during hot, sticky months, then this summer is the perfect time for you to rethink your bedding. Linen is the perfect fabric for hot, sweaty days and nights. It makes for excellent clothing, table linens, and bedding, so there’s room to enjoy linen in every area of your life.

Linen is made from the fibers of the flax plant, and it’s one of the oldest textiles known to man. It’s favored in hot parts of the world because of its durability and absorbency. It’s also a great conductor, taking heat away from your body to cool you down. Linen is also 2 to 3 times stronger than cotton, and it’s a smooth fiber so it doesn’t pill or produce lint. Linen is relatively easy to take care of, and it resists dirt and stains so your linen fabric stays looking new for longer.

Head to US-Mattress for great deals on linen bedding. While you might not have your eyes on summer’s heat yet, it’s never too early to plan so that you can ensure cool, restful nights all summer long.

Sleep Well,

The Snooze Guru

Looking for the Simmons Beautyrest Cottage Recharge Pillow Top mattress? Well, you’re in luck! At US-Mattress, we have the exact same mattress, only it has a different model name. Our Simmons Beautyrest Recharge Kenosha Place Plush Pillow Top is the exact same mattress – top to bottom, inside and out.

The Beautyrest Recharge Kenosha Place Plush Pillow Top has a ranking of 7 on the US-Mattress Comfort Scale. This means that it’s soft enough to contour to the curves of your body, yet firm enough to feel quite supportive. This mattress has a number of high quality comfort materials that are all CertiPUR-US certified, meaning that they meet or exceed the highest standards in bedding today. One impressive comfort material is Gel Touch, which combines high quality poly foam with the pressure relief and durability of gel to reduce your tossing and turning and add durability to the mattress. Another impressive material is AirCool Foam, which enhances body contouring and has an open-celled design to allow for airflow, helping to regulate your temperature throughout the night. The Kenosha Place Plush Pillow Top gives top notch support through the Beautyrest Super Pocketed Coil. This coil system excels in contouring to your body and providing deep down support. Also, this coil system is great for reducing motion transfer between couples, which is a great feature for light sleepers. This mattress also comes with Beautyrest’s Ventilated AirCool BeautyEdge Foam Encasement, which allows you to experience uniform comfort, no matter where you sleep on the mattress. The ventilated design helps air to flow through the mattress, which also helps in regulating your temperature while you sleep. The Kenosha Place Plush Pillow Top comes with a 20-year warranty, so you can count on getting great sleep with exceptional support for years to come.

Why does our mattress have a different name?

Manufacturers assign mattresses different names depending on where they’re sold. This helps to level the playing field for retailers, but it creates a challenge for shoppers trying to find the best deal. That’s why we’re here to help! We’re more than happy to help you match any mattress you’ve found in another store. Call us at 1-800-455-1052 and speak with one of our friendly mattress experts who can help you decipher the mattress name game.

Sleep Well,

The Snooze Guru

When you’re looking for the top of the line. When you’re looking for cutting edge. When you insist on sleeping on the most luxurious, supportive mattress you can find, point your eyes in the direction of Beautyrest Black. These top-of-the-line mattresses combine the legendary Beautyrest Recharge technology with today’s finest comfort materials to provide premium comfort and exceptional support. Every component in Beautyrest Black mattresses is designed with comfort and rejuvenation in mind, so you can be sure that your days will begin and end in supreme comfort.

Beautyrest Black mattresses feature the innovative, open celled AirCool Memory Foam that is more supportive and responds more quickly than traditional memory foam. You’ll never experience a sinking or quicksand feeling when you rest on AirCool Memory Foam. Beautyrest Black mattresses also feature the support of the Veriform Advanced Pocketed Coil. This triple wire braided coil provides lasting, deep down support and greatly reduces motion transfer, allowing you to sleep soundly, even next to a restless sleeper. Also, layers of premium comfort materials like EuroCool foam and Gel Touch work together to improve blood circulation and reduce pressure points, allowing you to sleep deeper without disruptive tossing and turning.

US-Mattress is proud to offer Beautyrest Black mattresses for those who refuse to accept anything but the best in comfort, support, and sleep technology. It’s time to get the best sleep of your life. It’s time for Beautyrest Black.

Sleep Well,

The Snooze Guru

Dear Snooze Guru,

-Roland, Sacramento, CA

Dear Roland,

Thank you for your letter. I know the frustration you must be feeling. I love getting new sheets too, and it’s such a bummer when they start to pill right away. Pilling is caused by fibers of the fabric breaking and tangling with each other, creating little balls on the surface of the fabric. These little balls don’t just make the fabric less comfortable, but they’re also unsightly (see picture above). The shorter a fiber is, the easier it can break and tangle. Many budget sheet sets are made with short fibers, and that’s why they tend to pill quickly. Nicer sheets that feature long staple cotton will not pill as readily as those with short fibers.

Even the finest fabrics can pill without the proper care. That’s why it’s very important that you closely follow the directions for handling and laundering your sheets. Washing your sheets with chlorine bleach or excessive fabric softener can weaken the fibers of the fabric, and drying them on high heat can cause them to break. We recommend washing your sheets on a gentle cycle with a gentle detergent, and the drying them on a low heat setting. Remove your sheets when they’re still slightly damp to reduce wrinkles. We also recommend that you avoid washing your sheets in large loads or with rough items like towels and clothes with zippers or buttons that can agitate the fabric.

Hopefully, these tips will help you keep your sheets feeling fresh and free of those pesky little balls. When it’s time for new bedding, head to US-Mattress.com for the best deals on high quality linens for every bed in your home.

Sleep Well,

The Snooze Guru

In the spring of 1997, I joined my friends from In Stitches, a local arts and crafts club, on a trip to South America. I had been with the group for some time by then, and I was really starting to come in to my own. My friends noted and applauded my progress regularly. “You know, your arts and crafts skills have just soared lately, Snoozy [my friends from In Stitches were always calling me "Snoozy" in those days]. Way to go, man. Way to go.” I was really feeling great about my skills, and the club was doing wonders for my self esteem, which, by the way, was at an all time low thanks to a certain Janet VanAnderton who had broken my heart just weeks before and her boyfriend, Andy, who was very intimidating and often made fun of my braces when he’d notice me gazing into Janet’s window at night.

Excitement was high, and we were carefree as we got off of the bus and stepped into the hot Patagonian sun. Kevin declared that he was going to catch a lizard that night. Karyn said she wanted to eat a coconut. Kathy thumbed her way through an encyclopedia, always eager to learn about local vegetation. I gazed into the distance and wondered aloud, “Say, what’s that furry animal? There, just below the horizon.” Jorge, our guide, pulled me aside and said, “That is my alpaca, Henry.” I didn’t know what an alpaca was, but I thought Henry was probably an odd name for one. Jorge called out to Henry with a swift “huuuaagghh” on his throat. As Henry approached, I told Jorge that he looked a little bit like my neighbor’s llama, David. “Yes,” Jorge said, “He gets that a lot.” “Wait, you mean you know my neighbors, Tom and Denise?” I asked, very surprised. “No,” said Jorge, “People say he looks like a llama.” “Oh,” I said, more than a little disappointed that he didn’t actually know Tom and Denise because that would have just been so neat.

Jorge told me that alpacas produce a warm, silky wool. He told me how it resembles sheep’s wool, but that it doesn’t have lanolin, so it’s hypoallergenic. He told me how he loved to harvest Henry’s wool and weave it into blankets and throws because alpaca wool is soft and warm like cashmere, but more durable and also lighter in weight. Last, he pulled out a blanket he had recently weaved. I marveled at the warm sheen and brilliant luster of the wool. I said to Jorge, “Why, this is beautiful! I didn’t know that you were a weaver. I have a lot of respect for you. Did you know that this group is an arts and crafts club? Do you think you could do a weaving demonstration? Everyone will love it!” As it turns out, Jorge was hired specially because of his weaving skills, which makes a lot of sense now that I think about it.

We stayed up late into the night, laughing and weaving the hours away. By the time we departed from Jorge the next day, all of our lives were forever changed. We gained an appreciation for alpaca wool that I’ll always carry deep in my heart. I still have the blanket that I made that night, alternating my gazes between the fabric in my hands and the billions of stars above that smiled approvingly upon us. If you would like to experience the luxury of alpaca wool, I recommend Sferra’s Bristol Throw Blanket. Its soft warmth reminds me of Patagonian mornings, and the beautiful colors remind me of Jorge’s sincere, caring eyes that looked back at us as he rode off into the distance to meet new travelers whose lives he would mark with his skill and gentle mastery.

Sleep Well,

The Snooze Guru

Dear Snooze Guru,

-Leighton from Auburn, IN

Dear Leighton,

Thank you for your letter. Oh, the great foam debate. Which is better? Which is more comfortable? Which will last longer? These are common questions people have when they consider which type of foam mattress to purchase. Both latex and memory foam are excellent comfort materials that do a great job of relieving those pesky pressure points that can cause you to toss and turn at night. Both memory foam and latex will aid in reducing motion transfer between couples, and both do a good job of adding durability to a mattress. For more information on the differences between the two, and to determine which one is right for you, I suggest that you watch this video from Jed, our buyer and resident mattress expert.

As you can see, both have characteristics that will help you get great sleep, but they do so in different ways. Hopefully Jed’s information about the ways in which they differ will help you decide which one is the right choice for you. Best of luck!

Sleep Well,

The Snooze Guru

Dear Snooze Guru,

-Todd from Bethlehem, PA

Dear Todd,

Thank you for your letter. This is a common problem sleepers face, but fortunately it’s correctable. First, you need to determine if it’s the mattress or your foundation (box spring) that’s the source of the problem. Take your mattress off of your bed to inspect the foundation (or the slats of your platform bed if you don’t use a foundation). If the center support is weakened or missing, then that could be the cause of the rolling. Also, try putting your mattress on the floor and laying on it with your wife. If you don’t experience rolling, then your foundation is likely the source of your problem. If you still experience rolling, then your mattress is to blame. There may be nothing inherently wrong with the mattress, but rather, it might not contain the right coil system for you. If your mattress has a tied coil system, then that could be the reason you roll together. The steel wires in a tied system are all connected, so they tend to transfer motion across the mattress. Purchasing a mattress with an individually pocketed or wrapped coil system (shown above) will likely solve your problem. This coil system gives more support to your shoulders and hips while conforming to the curves of your body. It does an excellent job of preventing motion transfer, meaning you and your wife will receive independent support and not feel each other move throughout the night.

Whether the source of your problem is the foundation or your mattress, you can find relief when you shop with US-Mattress. With an enormous selection of mattresses and foundations, you’ll find everything that you and your wife need to get deep, undisturbed rest throughout the night.

Sleep Well,

The Snooze Guru

Dear Snooze Guru,

-Art from Angola, IN

Dear Art,

Thank you for your letter. And look, I’m sure you’re good at a lot of things, ok? And your wife knows that. Probably. Regarding your laundry skills, there are some simple steps you can take to ensure you’ll get the most out of the looks and comfort of your bedding.

Washing

Wash your linens before you use them for the first time. You’ll want to wash them alone, or at least without any other items with heavy zippers or buttons, to prevent the fabric from pilling. Also, don’t wash them in too large of a load, as excessive abrasion and agitation will shorten the life of your linens. Most bedding can be washed in warm water on a gentle cycle with a cold rinse, but always refer to the washing instructions of each item.

Detergent

Wash your linens with a mild detergent containing no bleach, whiteners, or fabric softeners. Add detergent to the tub as the water fills rather than dumping it directly on the fabric. This prevents the possibility of supersaturation or staining. If you wish to bleach white linens, use only an oxygen-based bleach. Chlorine bleach will cause your linens to yellow over time.

Drying

While line drawing sheets outside is a safe and ecologically responsible way of drying, it’s not always the most practical. Most linens can be machine dried on low heat, but refer to the drying instructions on each item. Never use a high heat setting, as it weakens the fibers and causes them to wear out faster. To prevent excessive wrinkling, Promptly remove your linens from the dryer while they’re still a little damp.

Ironing

If you wish to iron your linens, be sure that your steam iron is clean and free from mineral deposits that can stain the fabric. Iron linens while they’re still damp. To bring the luster back to sateen fabrics, iron on the reverse side. Iron embroidered items on the opposite side to preserve the condition of the embroidery. Use a press cloth to protect delicate lace and other intricate details.

Storing

Keep your linens in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area of your home. Avoid storing your linens in plastic bags or boxes that can cause permanent yellowing.

There you go, Art. Follow these steps, and you’ll enjoy your linens for many years. Hopefully your wife will too. It’s hard telling, though.

Sleep Well,

The Snooze Guru

For years, Serta’s Perfect Sleeper mattress have aided sleepers in the quest to eliminate the most common sleep problems: tossing & turning, lack of support, sleep temperature, partner movement, and mattress roll off or sag. The most recent addition to the Perfect Sleeper Mattress, the Smart Surface Quilt, helps sleepers even more by creating a healthier, more supportive, and more comfortable sleep environment.

Serta’s Smart Surface Quilt is a dual stage comfort component that provides pressure relieving comfort and temperature regulation on the surface of the mattress. First, Cool Balance fabric technology helps regulate temperature swings that can disrupt your sleep. Then, the layer of antimicrobial BodyLoft fiber enhances cushioning while wicking away moisture that can cause sweaty sleep and facilitate the growth of dust mites and other microbes. Serta Perfect Sleeper Elite Mattresses feature MicroSupport gel, an additional comfort component that fuses gel with latex foam to create an even more durable and supportive sleep surface.

Smart Surface mattresses also feature a layer of Serta’s CoolTwist gel memory foam. This exclusive liquid gel-enhanced memory foam provides a more supportive feeling than memory foam alone, enhances pressure relief, increases the comfort life of the mattress, and reduces motion transfer between sleeping partners.

Serta Perfect Sleeper Smart Surface mattresses represent some of the latest innovations in innerspring mattress design. The comfort components work in conjunction with Serta’s 814 FreeFlex Coil System to produce the perfect blend of comfort and support. Whether you prefer a firm, medium, or soft level of comfort, there is a Perfect Sleeper Smart Surface mattress that you will love. Head to US-Mattress.com, and find the perfect Smart Surface mattress for you. While you’re there, don’t forget to get some high quality bedding to ensure you experience the kind of supremely comfortable sleep you deserve.

Sleep Well,

The Snooze Guru

Now, I know you probably saw the title of this post and thought, “Wait a minute, Snooze Guru. Yeah, it’s the end of April, but it’s still cold in a lot of parts of the country! Why don’t you take it easy and tell us about summer comforters and duvets in the summer?” I understand your concern. I really do. This spring has been kind of nasty so far. Lots of places are still getting snow, and it’s more than a little depressing. But, you know what? Summer is coming. I can feel it, and I can smell it. And I can see it. It feels humid, it smells like hot dogs, and it looks like a Kool-Aid mustache. No matter what kind of crummy weather you’re getting right now, it’ll be hot before you know it. And while we all look forward to spending our days having fun in the sun, we often forget about those sweaty humid nights. If you live in a house without air conditioning, then you know how hard it can be to find sleep as you toss and turn, sweaty and angry. It’s an awful experience. Just ask this guy.

If you’re like I am, then you like to sleep under the covers, even when it’s hot. There’s just something about curling up under a blanket that helps a lot of us get to sleep. So, in the warmer months, we obviously can’t curl up under the same duvets as we do in the winter. That would just make things worse. Fortunately, you can swap out your winter weight duvet or comforter for a lighter weight summer option. US-Mattress has a number of great summer weight comforters and duvets that will keep you as cozy and comfortable in the summer as the heavier one you sleep with during the winter.

Although you might still be clinging to your warmer bedding during this cold spring, summer will be here before you know it. Order your summer weight comforter or duvet today, and ensure you get the deep, restful sleep you need, even in the midst of sultry, sweaty summer night.

Sleep Well,

The Snooze Guru