Home And Gardens

As the easiest way to improve a mattress’ comfort level with minimal cost and hassle, mattress toppers have never been more popular than they are now. Available in a wide range of materials and sizes, a mattress topper can help remedy sleep issues, whether you have an extra firm mattress for back pain that isn’t as comfortable as you’d like, or you want to extend the life of your older mattress while saving to upgrade to a more contemporary bedroom.

After purchasing a mattress topper, people are often so excited to get home and try it out, they tear it out of its packaging, throw it on the bed and climb on immediately. However, there are a few steps to take before jumping into bed that can help you maximize its benefits, so here are a few tips:

1. Allow it to expand! The majority of mattress toppers are made from traditional foam, latex foam or memory foam, resulting in a packaging process requiring vacuum sealing to minimize size for shipping. When you first remove a new topper from its packaging, spread the firm mattress pad out in a spare room or open area and let it expand fully before use. Using a topper before it fully expands may cause the foam to never reach its original fullness, reducing its strength and comfort.

2. Be gentle with it! A topper’s job is to hold and support your body’s weight, a testament to its strength, but that shouldn’t imply it has no weaknesses. When putting a foam topper on the bed or adjusting its positioning, avoid grabbing corners or pulling from edges. Given the weight of the topper and the friction that sliding it over a mattress can create, a topper is prone to tearing when adjusted in such a way. Do your best to roll or fold the foam to gently situate it.

3. Keep it covered! Some people may think that to get the full mattress topper experience, they should sleep directly on it without a cover. This is one of the worst things you can do to a topper. Sleeping directly on the topper leaves it open to messes and dirt. It will also lack the durability a well-made cover offers. Either covering the topper on its own or putting it directly on the mattress under the sheets is key to keeping it clean and in top shape for a long time.

Traditional mattresses are constructed of materials that can cause allergic reactions in many people. This can happen as a mattress ages and houses irritants or even when they are brand new and the user is sensitive to the materials used in its construction. As mattresses age, dust mites make their way into the interior and cause congestion and other symptoms that make a good night’s sleep difficult. If you suffer from allergies or are simply searching for a more natural alternative to traditional bedding products, a latex mattress may be exactly what you’re looking for.

A natural Dunlop or Talalay latex mattress is a hypoallergenic product that doesn’t contain any synthetic ingredients or chemical additives. These two varieties of mattress are slightly different based upon the engineering of their respective formulas but they share the same general qualities. With their open-cell foam structure combined with the pin-core design they feature as a result of their manufacture, latex mattresses are aerating and one of the coolest bedding products in terms of temperature, perfect for people who “sleep hot.” Latex bedding molds to the body in a supportive but pressure-relieving style that immediately responds to your every movement. The material springs in support as you roll and situate yourself, providing constant comfort. Latex has many density levels for beds, so people can enjoy its material benefits whether they like a soft or firm mattress. It can even be formed into a latex pillow for an all-latex bedding setup, as well as mattress toppers for individuals searching for premium comfort.

If you’re looking for better health, improved sleep and spectacular comfort, you can find all three in a natural latex mattress.

Foam is often viewed as a work product, used in building or home furnishing applications. Open-cell foams are used in couch cushions and mattresses and closed-cell foam is routinely used in sound treatment and home insulation. There is a lighter side to foam however, one that doesn’t require it to be used in a work capacity. Because of its unique textures and shapability, foams are an excellent material for use in arts and crafts and particularly in stamping and painting applications.

Whether you’re trying to create a professional-grade paint job in your home or finger painting with your children, customized foam stamping materials can be a fun and practical painting product.

It’s easy to make clean foam cuts with closed-cell materials like neoprene or minicell by using a sharp, non-serrated blade. The consistency of these kinds of foams allows very detailed stamps to be created that can make one-of-a-kind designs for home DIY projects or arts and crafts. They’re an interactive way to give your children a say in their environment by letting them create patterns for a teen bedroom design. Stamps can just as easily be implemented in the planning of the nursery for a new arrival to the family.

Open-cell foam on the other hand, can create a sponge-like pattern. Many pre-cut shapes are made for toys, so depending on what design you’re going for, you can likely find a pre-made form. Open-cell foam is also excellent for applying paint to tight areas where brushes aren’t getting the job done.

Be it a DIY construction job or playtime with the family, foam stamping is a simple and effective process no matter what your project is.

Working in the garden or on the car in the garage is truly a labor of love, with all the time spent on hands and knees, in awkward, uncomfortable positions. But the resulting blooming flower bed or the throaty roar of an engine as you punch the accelerator is always worth it. The path to that satisfaction doesn’t need to be unpleasant though, and something as simple as adding foam knee pads to your garden or garage supplies can make things much more enjoyable.

Working in the garden, any number of sticks, twigs and mulch pieces can poke or scrape you as you go about your work. Kneeling in the dirt will also ruin a pair of pants and pack down the soil in the areas you rest, making the area harder to grow in. With a kneeling pad, essentially a trimmed down camp mat, you can keep your clothes clean and spread your weight across a broader area, a much healthier solution for the soil and your saplings and bulbs.

In the garage, the cement floor can quickly cut short a tune-up by offering up aching knees and a sore back. A kneeling pad is just thick enough to cushion you against the hard cement without lofting you to the point you can’t get under the vehicle. It’s very affordable to buy foam rubber so you can cut shapes that match your needs, whether you want a longer pad to stretch out on or a small one to save space. For people with the rolling garage dollies called creepers, a soft foam pad is a great way to increase comfort as well. Whichever hobby you are passionate about, foam kneeling pads are a great way to make it more enjoyable and more comfortable.

If space and money weren’t factors, a king-size bed would be the ideal sleeping surface for most people. With enough room to spread out, stretch and relax, a bed that big is the ultimate in luxury and comfort. Unfortunately, mattresses this size can run into the thousands of dollars and are very difficult to move due to their size and weight. Luckily, there is a shortcut for people wanting the comfort and luxury of a king-size bed without breaking the bank or their backs.

Through the use of a foam bed bridge, two twin mattresses can be combined into one large mattress, without a center seam or the cost or hassle of a king bed. This is great for making a temporary guest mattress for visiting friends and family. If you have children who had a bunk bed mattress setup but have grown up and moved away, those two mattresses can be converted into one for when they return. For platform beds without a frame to hold mattresses, ratcheted straps can be gently wrapped around the edges of the two mattresses to hold them together and then covered with sheets for a bed nobody would ever know is actually two.

Bed bridges are made of soft foam with a wedge that dips into the gap for support when rolling over the seam and a taper that gently stretches across the face of the two mattresses to provide even, consistent comfort. When you cover foam bed bridges with a mattress pad and sheets, they may as well not even be there. Quality-made bed bridges are durable enough for everyday use, so whether you’re converting a room or looking to increase the size and comfort of your existing sleeping situation, a bed bridge is a smart, affordable option.

A body wedge offers benefits people often aren’t aware of until they have the experience of using one. Most of us think we’re getting on fine in life, but when a versatile body or seat wedge is added to our routines, we realize how much comfort we’ve been missing out on.

Foam body wedges can be made in sizes large or small and used for practically any use. One of their most popular uses is as a booster for your furniture and bed. Under your back, wedges can give you a comfortable viewing angle for watching TV or reading without packing pillows and lumpy blankets under your back. They can also be moved under the legs for a lower-body boost, comfort, or improved circulation. They can even be used to adjust the angle of exercises during a workout.

Smaller body wedges can be used for seating cushions to provide comfort, relieve pressure, and help align the spine better. A seat wedge for the office or car can help you sit straighter more naturally, reducing tension and discomfort in your back, neck and shoulders.

Foam body wedges can be made from any number of material types, from the softest comfort foam to the firmest support foam. Coverings are also incredibly customizable, whether you want a plush fabric for sleep assistance or a durable vinyl for exercise products. A body wedge can help improve your comfort in nearly every area of your life.

Air filters make for very crucial equipment in homes and business environments. Whether they are air conditioner filters or stand alone filters deployed to clear the air off smoke, they are indispensable.  Clean air is a living necessity. Unfortunately in urban centers and other heavily polluted areas, clean air is getting scarcer. This means people have to rely more and more on air filters to deliver clean air. The air cleaner is probably working 24 hours around the clock. As such, the unit can wear out very fast and become clogged if not properly maintained.

Air filters should be cleaned regularly to decongest them. Replacement of the filters for example space gard filters should be done ideally every 3 months. The air filter handles a lot of particles. As these particles get left on one side of the filter, it gradually becomes clogged. If it goes unchecked, the filter can clog to a point where it is unable to handle any more air. The air way becomes blocked by the dirt rendering the whole unit useless. This is very dangerous in places like homes where clean air is badly needed.

For other parts that move, oiling is necessary to make sure that the movements are smooth and the parts do not wear and tear. Humidifiers filters replacement should also be done to ensure that the unit is able to dry the air more efficiently. This regular maintenance ensures that the costs of keeping the unit are low and the unit gives better service for longer.

Memory foam mattresses have been a buzz-topic ever since they were introduced, with their “space-age technology” and famous commercials. Sure, there’s a lot of hype about this material, but does it live up to it? In reality, memory foam is one of those rare products that actually meets expectations.

This temperature-sensitive material forms to the body of the user, softening around curves and contours from your body heat. This incredible pressure reduction minimizes circulation issues, giving you a custom sleep surface every evening, whether you have an elaborate canopy bed or are squatting on a friend’s floor for the weekend with a folding mattress. Some beds can cause pressure points which lead to tossing and turning, limbs falling asleep or even numbness. With memory foam supporting areas like your lower back as it yields to higher pressure areas like the hips and shoulders, these issues are negated, giving you peaceful sleep.

People describe their memory foam mattress experience like being enveloped in a cloud, as the visco-elastic polyurethane foam warms to their body and slowly cushions all their aches and pains with soft, supportive comfort. Memory foam is very versatile as a bedding material as well, coming in multiple densities and able to be cut into many sizes and shapes, from a mattress to a mattress topper to even unique accessories like a bed pillow or body bolster.

If you have trouble sleeping, are in the market for a new mattress or are curious to see if you can sleep better than you already do, try memory foam. Chances are, it’ll be everything you expect it to be.