COLUMBIA BASIN — The trick to buying a mattress is simple, according to local furniture dealers: Know what you want.

“Everybody's body's different,” said Wendy Cox, general manager at Home Center in Moses Lake. “Everybody's sleep habits are different … So we have to try and figure out what works best for them. Do they have back problems? Are there issues? Health concerns? Do they prefer a firmer bed? Softer bed? What are their comfort levels?”

Other local dealers agreed with Cox.

“Be honest with yourself with what you're going to ask the mattress to do,” said Matt Moore, manager of Moore Furniture in Ephrata. “This is something that, probably almost more than any other item, you're going to use as part of your life. You're going to spend a third of every day for a long time on it.”

The amount of time you spend on a mattress means it’s not a choice to be made lightly, both dealers said. For some people, memory foam is the way to go; for others the resilience of traditional spring mattresses fits their body shape. A latex mattress may last a really long time, but some people have allergies to them. Good sleep is tied in with all manner of health issues, from back and neck problems to sleep apnea and other breathing conditions.

“It's amazing how much damage you can do over the course of a night on your back, not realizing it,” said Moore. “You know, you can lay in any position you want to for five minutes, but you add five hours with a twisted back and you wake up and you're stiff and sore.”

If you need extra back support, he added, a firmer spring bed is the way to go, something that pushes back and keeps your spine straight. Memory foam, on the other hand, sort of molds itself to the sleeper’s shape and eases strains on pressure points.

Memory foam mattresses, Cox pointed out, trap body heat because of the lack of airflow. Some are made with cooling gels, but they still run warmer than spring mattresses, she said.

So how do you find out what you want? You can’t just look at a mattress and know how it’s going to feel. The best way, Cox said, is to go into the store and try them out, and don’t be shy about it.

“Take your time, that's the biggest thing, is lay on it, try it out,” she said. “You can't tell how a mattress supports your shoulders or your hips by standing up and feeling it. You need to actually get on the bed. Lay there for a while. Get in your sleep position, maybe give it 15, 20 minutes. And a lot of people, I think, sometimes are uncomfortable with that. But you know, you spend more time on your bed than in your car, and if you're putting eight hours on that mattress, you want to make sure it's the right mattress.”

That’s one advantage to buying from a local store that keeps its mattresses in stock, rather than ordering from outside. Another, Moore said, is that you know what you’re getting. Moore Furniture deals specifically in brands that are made in Washington, he said, which means more accountability.

The Home Center, too, Cox said, mostly handles mattresses made in Washington or Idaho. That means a customer can pick out their mattress and get it right away, rather than waiting weeks or longer for an order to arrive.

Then, too, some companies will offer to let the customer try the mattress out for, say, three months, but it’s not always clear what to do if you don’t like it, Moore said.

The process for a return may not be clearly specified or may be very inconvenient, Moore said. Getting products that are locally - or almost-locally - sourced can reduce frustrations and improve the overal customer service experience.

“That’s why it's been beneficial, at least for us, to have an in-state brand. If I have a problem, any kind of warranty claims, I know who I'm asking. And I know exactly what the terms are.”

Cox and Moore were both emphatic about one thing: when it comes to mattresses, you get what you pay for. A customer who wants a comfortable mattress to last for years shouldn’t make low price the highest priority.

“What are you wanting it to do for you?’ Cox said. “Are you wanting it to last? Or does that not matter? Those are the two things you really need to think about. Because it's an investment. Yes, we have $399 queen mattresses in here, but they're not going to give you the same thing that $799 would. It's just a matter of you get what you pay for.”

Cox also suggested watching for sales. Furniture stores frequently offer sale events on holidays that can save the customer money. Layaway and in-store financing can also make the purchase have less of an impact on a customer’s pocketbook.

“I think that there's something for everybody, every consumer, every price point, and we want to do our best to help you get into what's going to work the best for your situation, at the best possible value. So that's why it's important that you know what you're looking for, what you really want from the mattress and come in and spend the time to really figure out what fits the best for you.”

Joel Martin can be reached via email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com and appreciates reader tips on home and lifestyle features that highlight local concerns and sources.