Last updated: January 19, 2017
With more and more companies entering the bed-in-a-box marketplace, it’s becoming more difficult to determine the differences between them. In this Ghostbed review, I will shed some light on what separates this foam mattress from the competition.
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Review of: Ghostbed
Use: Mattress
Our Rating
Great, low cost, high quality mattress
Price
Excellent quality for the price
We Like
- Economical-the lowest price available for the quality of the mattress
- 101-day no risk trial-this gives you enough time to evaluate whether or not this mattress is really for you
- Medium firm-this could be a positive or negative depending on your needs
- No overheating-the top layer of latex foam is aerated and lets air flow through the mattress keeping you cool
- Great support and very responsive-latex offers some bounce, so it responds immediately to your body giving you back support
- No motion transfer-your partner won’t feel you moving around or getting out of bed
We Don't Like
- Must use for 30 days before it can be returned-we understand the reason, but this might not work for some people
- Takes a while to break in-the 30- day wait is because it takes some time for the mattress to fully respond to your body
Summary: Being a veteran in the mattress industry means that they can beat their competitor's price while still providing a very high quality mattress.
At this point in your research, no doubt you have made a list of properties that you want to have in your new mattress. Take a look at what the Ghostbed is offering and how it stacks up against your needs and wants.
If you have never purchased a bed online without trying it in a showroom, you may be skeptical about doing so. Before we get into the review, I would like to point out that the Ghostbed is made by Nature’s Sleep, a company that is not new to the mattress industry as it has been in business for 15 years. When making a decision about whether to buy online or not, consider the history of the company.
Ghostbed Construction
The mattress is made of three distinct layers of foam, making it a total of 11 inches thick. The top layer is a 1.5 inch thick, aerated latex foam. Latex is a great supportive material as it has some bounce. You get the benefits of memory foam without some of the negatives.
For instance, aerated latex is much more breathable than many of the memory foams on the market. Overheating is much less of an issue when sleeping on latex. Some latex foams are more cooling than others, however. The Ghostbed mattress excels in cool sleeping with their latex layer.
At 1.5 inches thick, this mattress offers enough support without being too firm. Your shoulders and hips will sink in immediately but with enough pushback to keep your back supported. I like the fact that it isn’t too thick, which I will explain in a moment.
Unless you have a specific allergy to latex, you will experience relief from allergies due to the hypoallergenic properties of latex. The middle layer is two inches of gel memory foam. This layer helps distribute your weight evenly and softens up the support from the latex layer. This is why I like that the latex is only 1.5 inches thick. It’s a thin enough layer that you are able to sink into this layer of memory foam. This is what makes the Ghostbed soft while still providing you good back support.
The gel infusion of the memory foam helps to keep the air flowing through the mattress and reduces the chance of you overheating. The bottom layer is 7.5 inches of high density memory foam. This is the foundation and support of the mattress. It is soft enough to be responsive, especially with heavier bodies, but firm enough to push back a bit and keep you from sinking in. You won’t have any feeling of being stuck in this mattress as you often would with many memory foam mattresses.
The mattress is then covered with a dimpled polyester shell. It is very stretchy and will return to its original shape without wrinkling. It resists becoming pilled, so it will stay comfortable. The dimples also help to distribute your body heat and prevent overheating. The cover is removable if you need to wash it, but be warned that it is not easy to get it back on the mattress. Spot cleaning is recommended.
Ghostbed Support
On a scale of one to ten, with one being the softest, you will likely find the firmness to be around a 6.5 to 7. It’s firm enough to give support but soft enough to still feel comfortable. This medium firm support will be perfect for most people. If you like your mattress firm, you will probably be satisfied with this mattress. If you like it soft, you may want to try a different mattress.
One thing you will notice when you first lay on the Ghostbed mattress is that it does feel firmer than you think it should. The latex layer is on the firm side, and it is instantly responsive so your pressure points sink in immediately. As you lay on it, the middle layer will respond, and you will sink a little further into the mattress. Once the middle layer fully responds, you will find your body cradled by the layers.
Sinking and that feeling of getting stuck in the foam is not an issue with the Ghostbed. Unless you are very heavy, you won’t notice much more than approximately 1-2 inches of sinkage into the mattress. This is enough for you to feel comfortable, but responsive enough for you to freely move around.
These layers do need some time to break in. This is the reason for the 30-day waiting period before you can return your Ghostbed for a refund. You may not feel like this bed is as comfortable as advertised when you first sleep on it. As time progresses and the foam adapts to your body, you will notice it becoming more comfortable and conforming much better to your contours than it first did.
Give it time, and you will be rewarded with a very comfortable and supportive mattress.
How cool does the Ghostbed sleep?
The aerated latex foam and the gel memory foam work together to keep the air flowing through the mattress and not reflected back onto your body.
This makes for a very comfortable and cool sleeping experience. The polyester cover also helps let the body heat through and contributes to a cool experience. Just make sure you are using breathable sheets over the mattress, and you will not overheat. When asked, many of the owners reported the Ghostbed being much cooler than its competitors when it comes to body heat retention.
Optional foundation for the Ghostbed
The Ghostbed offers a 20-year warranty. The first ten years are prorated which means, if there is any structural defect due to the manufacturing, you can return your mattress and get a full refund. The next ten years of the warranty provide a bit of added protection; you won’t get a full refund, but you will receive a portion of your money back.
Stains will void the warranty, so make sure you are taking care of your mattress. If you are concerned about getting your money back, invest in a mattress protector to prevent any staining. Of course, keeping your mattress clean is always a wise idea.
Since you can’t try the Ghostbed ahead of purchasing it, just as with any other online only mattresses, they offer a generous 101-day money back guarantee. No questions asked. If you don’t like the mattress, you can get a full refund. Because it will be difficult, if not impossible, to put the mattress back into the box, you don’t have to worry about shipping. The company will come and remove the mattress for you.
Remember, you can’t send the mattress back within thirty days as I previously mentioned. The foam layers take time to adapt to your contours and break in. It will not be as comfortable the first day you sleep on it as it will be on day 31.
Unboxing and offgassing
Your Ghostbed mattress will arrive compressed and vacuum packed in a box. If you already have the foundation or box spring, I recommend opening the box next to the foundation, then laying the vacuum packed mattress on it. Cut the bag open very carefully, and you will see the mattress spring to life. Lay it out flat onto the foundation.
Doing it this way makes it much less awkward since you aren’t trying to maneuver a large foam mattress. There will be some slight off gassing of the mattress. It isn’t nearly as much as you may experience with other brands, and it will dissipate quickly. If you get your mattress by the afternoon, you can sleep on it that evening without any noticeable smell.
The mattress does need some time to fully inflate but, again, you will be able to sleep on it that night with no issues. It won’t be as comfortable as it will eventually become, but this shouldn't be a deterrent to sleeping on it right away.
Who is the Ghostbed best for?
In a nutshell, anyone who wants a foam mattress that is comfortable but still offers back support will love sleeping on the Ghostbed. Side sleepers, especially, like how responsive the latex foam layer is. When you flip over, it is very easy to do since you aren’t stuck deep in the foam.
Your shoulders and hips will still be lined up with your spine while sleeping on your side. The comfort of side sleeping on this bed can’t be beat. Back sleepers will find that the mattress is firm enough for them without being too firm. Mattresses that are too firm don’t allow for the natural curvature of the spine. They tend to flatten the spine and cause lower back pain.
The "give" of the latex allows your lower back to curve, but the bounce pushes the spine enough to keep it from curving too much. Stomach sleepers, especially larger people, may feel that they need a softer mattress. Even a medium firm mattress like the Ghostbed may leave them feeling like they can take deep breaths since the foam will push back a bit.
Ghostbed Review Final Thoughts
Comparing the Ghostbed to other medium firm foam mattresses may leave you feeling that it doesn’t really stand out. There is nothing wrong with that. Many of the bed-in-a-box mattresses are all of the same high quality with few differentiating factors. They all have their traits that could make or break a purchase decision, but honestly, you get a great mattress with whichever one you go with.
It is the low price of the Ghostbed that tilts the decision in its favor. You simply cannot spend less than what you would pay for the Ghostbed and still get that kind of quality. The level of quality drops off dramatically when you try to compare the Ghostbed to more budget mattresses. In other words, a cheaper mattress is simply just diminished quality.
If you are on the fence and having trouble deciding between the Ghostbed and other online mattresses, then let the price decide for you. There is no need to spend hundreds more to get the same quality. Did this Ghostbed review help you or make it even harder to decide if you should buy it? Leave a comment below and ask me anything. If you already have a Ghostbed, let the other readers know what you think about it.
Is the Ghostbed not what you're looking for? Check out our review of the Loom and Leaf mattress to see if that better suits your needs.
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