The Box Spring, or the ‘Foundation’ as some of the mattress pro’s call it, is just a waste of money. It’s not even a second thought when most people look at buying a mattress. It’s like the jelly of PP&J.
The box spring used to be important. It used to act like an extra layer of protection, another spring for the mattress. It was vital at one point our history. But now it’s just plain old history with the modern beds we have now.
Does Memory Foam Mattress Need A Box Spring?
A common question I get is “do memory foam mattress need box spring”. You don’t need a Box Spring for a Memory Foam mattress. You can use a box spring if you want, but most of the memory foam manufacturers actually recommend you don’t use a box spring.
I find it better to use a platform bed frame or foundation instead. These bed frames usually work better for foam or even latex mattress as it gives better support.
The Only Thing Box Springs Got Going For Them
The only purpose a box spring serves today is the bed frames that only work with them. You don’t see these frames as much as you use to. You can get bed frames that will work without a box spring needed.
Before the 2000’s the box spring use to actually have springs inside of them to help support the mattress and give it bounce. The bounce was needed to prolong the life of the mattress and keep it from breaking under pressure.
Well…. it’s not 1998 anymore and box springs (foundations) don’t have springs anymore either. So they needed a new name and foundation was settled on. Just like how the name sounds foundations are just a place to put your mattress on. It’s like having jelly with no flavor to it, just pointless to put on your sandwich.
Why Did We Need One In The First Place?
It often made me wonder why we ever needed the box spring in the first place? Why did they not just make one big mattress with the box spring attached to the bottom? Well – you needed to flip the mattress from time to time.
Then they came out with mattresses that didn’t need to be flipped, just rotated. So why did they not make the box spring built in? Because the world was already used to it being this way.
Just Because.
I hate those two words. “Just Because” is the like the go-to answers your parents had when they couldn’t explain the reason why we do things.
That’s why I’ve and many others have broken this rule. I refuse to buy a box spring. Every time I go to buy a mattress or even look at one they try to force a box spring with it. WHY? We have phones that can search the web to find me an answer to anything, but yet that silly box spring is still needed?
About the only thing a box spring is good for in today’s world is giving you more height or to make the mattress taller. There are other ways to make a mattress taller by place bed risers under them, but the look of a thick bed is much more appealing.
Make It Thicker?
Which brings me back to my point before, why don’t they make mattresses thicker? Include the box spring and mattress as one. There is something about sleeping on a high mattress that makes us feel like kings – like we have made it! Kids don’t fight over the bottom bunk of the bunk beds, they fight over the top bunk. Our need to be sleeping high start a young age and the mattress world is missing out on this. I actually go into making a mattress taller here.
About all you need is simply a platform bed and not a box spring combo. Platform beds are the most modern-looking beds and the way the slats are designed still give you the best support compared to a box spring. Plus if you never need to move the platform beds are so easy to take apart and store.
The other option is to place the mattress on the floor. Not really what you want when trying to get in and out of bed.
The Warranties
It is important that you do have some type of hard surface to place your mattress on. Not doing so can void many mattress warranties. If you do a warranty claim and the mattress was not supported on a hard surface or some type of surface that supported the mattress than they might not do the claim. Another reason to go with a platform bed as it gives better support.
Just Buy Foam Or Latex Mattress
I do see box springs or the foundations going away due to the movement of foam and latex beds. Box springs made sense when we had spring mattresses. But due to manufactures cutting cost on box springs to make them simply boxes of wood and renaming them foundations is cause people to have less comfort with the regular spring mattress.
People then start looking for a new more comfortable mattress which leads them to foam or latex mattresses. That’s okay with me as I’m a big fan of the foam ones. My latest favorite is the Purple Mattress!
That One Guy
I did find that one guy who says box springs are needed. It’s only fair to have his point of view in this post.