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Mattress Care
Glossary of Mattress Terms
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- Bonnell Coil:
- An innerspring mattress coil with an hourglass shape.
- Border Rod:
- Heavy wire that forms the outer edge of an innerspring unit. The border rod usually is clipped to the outermost coils and the ends of the helicals.
- Boxspring:
- Designed to support an innerspring mattress. Together, a mattress and boxspring comprise a sleep set (see innerspring construction).
- Built-up Foundation:
- A boxspring supported solely by wood and foam.
- Bulb and Capillary:
- A type of temperature control unit that utilizes a sensor consisting of a copper bulb filled with ethylene glycol that expands and contracts according to the temperature of the mattress.
- California King:
- A bed that measures 72 inches wide and 84 inches long.
- Canopy:
- A fabric covering suspended above the bed, usually with posts.
- Coil Count:
- The number of innerspring coils in a mattress. The standard for a double bed is 312, 374 for a queen and 450 for a king-size bed. Coil count doesn't necessarily guarantee a better or more effective mattress.
- Coil Spring:
- Spirals of wire in varying heights, sizes and gauges that form the supportive structure of an innerspring mattress.
- Comfort:
- A general term to describe the overall feel of a mattress.
- Contouring:
- The ability to follow or fit the natural curves (contours) of the body.
- Continuous Coil:
- An innerspring mattress coil configuration whereby each row of coils is made from a single piece of wire.
- Cushioning:
- Polyurethane foam, cotton felt or other materials that lie above the insulator and below the ticking of an innerspring mattress.
- Density:
- The weight per cubic foot of foam. Density is independent of firmness, but is considered an important indicator of foam quality.
- Dish:
- An undesirable characteristic common with four- and five-inch low-density mattress cores. When weight is placed in the center of a low-density foam mattress, the corners rise and bow in response to the deep compression.
- Double Bed:
- Also known as a full or regular size, a double bed measures 54 inches wide by 74 inches long.
- Double Extra Long:
- bed that measures 54 inches wide by 80 inches long.
- Fatigue:
- A softening or loss of load bearing capacity. This condition frequently is a cause of complaints with innerspring bedding and low quality foam mattresses.
- Firmness:
- A general term to describe how much resistance the mattress applies to body weight and the resulting "give".
- Firmness Ratio:
- The measure of the tendency of a spring to become firmer as greater weight is placed on it.
- Foundation:
- The foundation absorbs much of the stress of the mattress set and also provides added comfort and support. For maximum value, always purchase a matching set (see boxspring).
- Free-end Offset Coil Design:
- Coils unknotted with a free end at top and bottom, laced together with helical wires.
- Gauge:
- The thickness measure of the wire used in innerspring mattresses. A lower gauge number denotes a heavier wire.
- Helicals:
- Wire spirals that usually hold together adjacent rows of coil springs.
- Innerspring:
- A mattress that includes tempered coiled springs. This type of mattress is the most popular. The insulation is layered several times with upholstery to provide comfort and cushioning. Some types of innerspring mattresses have each coil separately covered in a protective material for even more comfort and support.
- Innerspring Unit:
- The spring and wire unit consisting primarily of coils, helicals and border rods, which form the heart of an innerspring mattress.
- Insulator:
- A tough fiber padding, wire or netting that separates innerspring mattress coils from the cushioning.
- King size:
- Any mattress, bed frame or foundation that measures 76" wide by 80" long.
- Loft:
- The height or "lift" gained by the depth of the filling material.
- Matelassé:
- fabric finish that suggests or imitates the indentations of a quilt.
- Offset Coils:
- An innerspring mattress coil that has an hourglass shape and a squared off section at the top and bottom of the coil.
- Pillow Top Mattress:
- A finishing treatment for the mattress top whereby a big pillow of soft material is sewn over the entire surface of the mattress.
- Pocket Coils:
- Cylindrical innerspring mattress coils enclosed in separate flexible fabric pockets. The pockets are attached to adjacent pockets.
- Pressure Points:
- The points at which capillaries will close due to pressure against the body. A mattress that supports evenly can reduce this undesirable condition.
- Quilting:
- Patterns that are sewn into the mattress ticking. For surface softness, many manufacturers quilt the ticking to soft urethane foam of varying thickness.
- Resiliency:
- Surface liveliness and spring-back ability.
- Support:
- A general term to describe how the mattress distributes and stabilizes body weight and maintains proper body alignment.
- Tempering:
- A process using heat or electricity to relieve stress in coils, helicals, border rods, etc. to assure that the wire returns to its original height after compression.
- Ticking:
- Ticking is the outer fabric covering on a sleep set. These fabrics are often attractive prints or woven damasks.
- Topper Pad:
- Insulation and padding material that lies on top of the spring assembly in an innerspring mattress.
- Twin Extra Long:
- Any mattress, bed frame or foundation that measures 39" wide by 80" long.
- Twin Size:
- Any mattress, bed frame or foundation that measures 39" wide by 75" long.