Waterbed mattresses gained a lot of popularity in the seventies when they first made their appearance. There are different types of waterbed mattresses. Deciding on the pros and cons, you can choose the best one for your house.
If you are planning to get a waterbed, you must know that they are not like water balloons, that have to be simply filled with water from a faucet. There's a lot of hydraulics involved, and purchasing one requires some knowledge and information that we will provide you with.
Selecting the Right Kind
Contrary to the popular notion, all the waterbeds out there are not the same. There are three main types of waterbed mattresses that you should know about. The following are these three types:-
■ Free-flow waterbed mattresses: These have only one water compartment within themselves. Due to this reason, they have more water flow.
■ Fiber-Fill Mattresses: These have a fiber batting inside them, which helps to regulate the flow of water in a uniform manner. These mattresses provide more support and firmness.
■ Hydraulic Mattresses: These are a recent invention and contain round vinyl coils inside the mattress body. These coils have their small ports where the water is filled. In these mattresses, the water is not filled in the entire bulk of the mattress, but only within these small ports.
■ If you like more wavy and rippled comfort, you can go for the free-flow mattresses, but you must remember that these mattresses will be much softer than traditional ones and that could be inconvenient for you, especially when turning in your sleep. Also, free-flow mattresses are much bulkier than the others.
■ The fiber batting inside fiber-fill mattresses gives them a degree of firmness and makes them much more convenient to sleep on. Some of these will also come with extra-fiber batting around the lower back area, which could spell more comfort while sleeping.
■ Hydraulic mattresses are much more expensive than free flow and fiber-fill mattresses. Also, they are inconvenient to drain because the small ports will retain some water.
Normally, in free-flow mattresses, when one person moves, the water passes to the other side of the bed, which becomes inconvenient to the other partner. But, in the hydraulic mattresses, since the coils are kept separate, there is no such problem.
Selecting the Right Surface
■ Waterbeds are generally made of vinyl, and this is definitely the best material. Vinyl is rigid and can prevent leaks. At the same time, it is pliable, so it will adapt to your body shape quite easily.
It can also be easily cleaned and washed with water. That means, the bed can be totally free from dust, mites, and other parasites that exist on traditional beds. However, try to avoid beds that contain surfaces of recycled vinyl as they are less durable.
Buying the Bed Sheets
If you are buying a hard-sided waterbed, you might find it difficult to get bed sheets of the same size later on. So, it is a good idea to stock up on some bed sheets while shopping for the waterbed. However, beds of standard sizes are now being introduced. The recent soft-sided beds all have same sizes, so buying sheets for them is not much of a problem.