Glossary

Amicor
Amicor Pure is a material that provides a healthy sanctuary from allergens night after night. Gentle and effective, Amicor Pure products have been designed scientifically to create a better sleeping environment for those with house dust mite allergy..... and for those who look after their own health and their childrens'
visit their site at: www.amicor.co.uk

Air Bed
Air beds are a category of beds where air is used for the support. Small motors pump air into mattress bladders to make them different levels of firmness. The advantage of air beds is that you can adjust the level of firmness to suit you, and your partner can do the same. The disadvantages are that some of the pumps are noisy and require maintenance, and the air bladders can develop leaks.

Body Impression
Indentations in a mattress that happen when the mattress compresses over time are known as body impressions. People talk about the 2 valleys or compressions or holes in a mattress when a couple is sleeping on it. When you notice compression, it’s probably time to change your mattress.

Coil Count
This refers to the number of innerspring coils in a mattress. The number given will usually be in reference to a double (full) size bed. A high coil count does not necessarily indicate better quality. Rather, it is the design of a coil, the gauge of wire used and the way the coil is engineered that determines the comfort, support and durability that it will provide.

CoolMax®
CoolMax®, developed by Dupont, dries faster than any fabric. In moisture management and breathability tests versus competition, CoolMax® is proven to have the fastest drying rate, the quickest and most efficient movement away from the skin, and the best breathability.

CoolMax® performance fabrics help regulate your body's temperature to keep you cool. In bedding, and energy-optimizing effect called "thermo regulation" takes place. CoolMax® cools the body-core temperature by drawing heat-generated moisture away from the body.

Cotton
Cotton is a natural product and is excellent for clothing, sheets, and material that is close to your skin. However, it has disadvantages in that it absorbs moisture, is a haven for dust mites, and it compresses.

Density
Density is a measurement of the mass per unit volume (e.g. 5.3 lb memory foam) and is one of the most important of all properties. Density is a function of the chemistry and additives used to produce foam. Density affects foam durability and support. Typically, the higher the density, the better the foam will retain its original properties and provide the support and comfort it was originally designed to produce.

Damask
Textile of woven linen, cotton, wool, or silk, with a reversible figured pattern. It was first made in the city of Damascus, Syria.

Dunlop
Dunlop is a method used in producing latex mattresses. The serum is collected from rubber trees, then poured into a mold and baked. Dunlop is normally a natural process for producing latex, but not always.

Dust Mites
These pests are in the arachnid family which includes spiders, scorpions and ticks. Dust mites feed on dead skin that sloughs from our bodies. They live their whole lives in mattresses, pillows, and in dark corner dust bunnies: hatching, growing, eating, defecating, mating, laying eggs. Yes, this is pretty gross. Dust mites do very well in fibers like cotton, wool, and polyester; they cannot survive in natural latex and don’t do well in memory foam, either. Allergies like rashes and trouble breathing are often attributable to dust mites.

Gauge
The thickness of the wire used in a mattress and/or foundation coils. A lower gauge denotes a heavier/thicker wire.

High Resilience (HR) Foam
A variety of polyurethane foam produced using a blend of polymer or graft polyols. High resilience foam has a less uniform (more random) cell structure different from conventional products. The different cell structure helps add support, comfort, and resilience or bounce. High resilience foams have a high support factor and greater surface resilience than conventional foams.

Hollowfill fiber
Dupont's single-hole polyester insulation used in sleeping bags and mattresses.

IFD
Indentation Force Deflection (IFD) is a measurement of foam firmness. Firmness is independent of foam density, although it is often thought that higher density foams are firmer. It is possible to have high-density foams that are soft or low density foams that are firm, depending on the IFD specification. IFD specification relates to comfort. It is a measurement of the surface feel of the foam. IFD is measured by indenting (compressing) a foam sample 25 percent of its original height. The amount of force (in pounds) required to indent the foam is its 25 percent IFD measurement. The more force required, the firmer the foam. Flexible foam IFD measurements range from 10 pounds (supersoft) to about 80 pounds (very firm).

ILD
Indentation Load Deflection (ILD) is a measurement of foam firmness. Firmness is independent of foam density, although it is often thought that higher density foams are firmer. It is possible to have high density foams that are soft – or low density foams that are firm, depending on the ILD specification. ILD specification relates to comfort. It is a measurement of the surface feel of the foam. ILD is measured by indenting (compressing) a foam sample 25 percent of its original height. The amount of force (in pounds) required to indent the foam is its 25 percent ILD measurement. The more force required, the firmer the foam. Flexible foam ILD measurements range from 10 pounds (supersoft) to about 80 pounds (very firm).

Innerspring Unit
The spring and wire unit made up primarily of coils, helicals and border wires, which is the inside of an innerspring mattress.

Inner Cover
The inner cover is a breathable cotton mesh that prevents wear due to friction, which is the number one cause of early deterioration in memory foam and Latex. Don't buy a memory foam or Latex bed without one!

Latex
A natural foam from the rubber tree or a synthetic rubber product used for premium foam mattresses.

memory foam
Synonymous with visco-elastic foam. This foam is an open cell foam that responds to the weight and heat of your body and relieves pressure. It comes in many thicknesses, densities, and different levels of softness and firmness.

Multi-Needle Quilt
The common quilting process where multiple needles are used to stitch upholstery layers together. The stitching can be sewn into simple or complex patterns but have the common characteristic of the continuous

New Zealand Wool
New Zealand Pure Crimped Wool is made from high quality, clean New Zealand wool, which is further processed to accentuate wool's unique benefits. The result is a wool with additional bulk and consistency, with minimal fibre migration and which is resistant to felting.

Pillow Top
A top finishing on a mattress where a ”pillow“ of soft materials is sewn over the entire surface.

Pressure Points
Specific areas of the body where blood flow through the capillaries is restricted due to pressure against that area, causing discomfort and tossing and turning. stitching across the entire surface of the mattress surface.

Pressure Relief
Traditional mattresses produce an upward pressure on your body, while your body has downward pressure from gravity. Where the 2 forces meet, especially in the shoulders and hips, you can experience pain from prolonged pressure. This pressure reduces circulation. The result can be pain, numbness, or soreness upon awakening. A true pressure relieving mattress will give more in those places where there is pressure, relieving those spots.

Prorate
When redeeming a prorated warranty, a prorated percentage of the applicable replacement cost of the bedding excluding any and all labor, is assessed. The prorated cost is calculated by dividing the number of months remaining in the warranty period by the number of months in the original limited warranty period.

Quiltflex
Quiltflex is a revolutionary new foam designed to replace polyester fiber in the top layer of mattresses. Quiltflex comfort comparable to the highest grades of fiber combined with far greater durability that preserves that premium comfort for years. Quiltflex further enhances mattress comfort by providing 20% greater airflow than polyester fiber and is also capable of picking up and dissipating 9 times the moisture of fiber and actually dissipates that moisture 4 times as fast.

Quilting
The process used to sew fiber or foam to fabric. This product is then used to cover the top of a mattress. Quilting is done in different shapes; sometimes logos are sewn into the cover.

Orthopedic Flexilator
A device used over the core or spring unit of a mattress to evenly distribute weight.

Recovery Time
The time it takes for a piece of foam to return to its original shape. Latex foam has a fast recovery time, and memory foam has a long recovery time. Along with ILD, the Recovery Time is one of the most important factors in determining comfort.

Silk
Silk is a very strong material made from the silkworm. If you find this material in a mattress, most likely it is a very small amount and has little effect. An all silk mattress would require a nation of silworms on steroids.

Tack and Jump
A relatively new quilting process where stitching is in specific spots and not connected as in multi-needle quilting. The result is a more tufted look that allows for upholstery layer to rise to a more fuller loft.

Talalay
One of the processes used in manufacturing latex. Usually chemicals are added in the process because it’s easier to work with than natural latex, but Talalay is technically a process , not necessarily a chemical process. When the latex is poured into the mold and the mold is closed, the material is then vacuumed, and then frozen.

Manufacturers using the Talalay process claim that it makes a more consistent product than those using the Dunlop process, although the Dunlop process has been around a lot longer, and Dunlop mattresses have a record of having lasted up to 30 years.

Tri-Zoned Latex
Latex which has different size holes in different 'zones' of the bed to provide varying body support. Larger holes allow for a comfortable, soft area for the areas of your body that need less support at the head and food of the bed, while smaller holes in the bed's center allow firmer support.

Visco-elastic
Visco-elastic, or memory foam, was developed for NASA in the 1960's. Five times denser than regular foam and temperature sensitive, this foam is made of thousands of tiny cells which mould to any shape and revert back to their originial form. visco-elastic foam is also highly resistant to bacteria, mold and mildew, and dust mites.

Wool
Wool is a natural, renewable material. It is better than cotton because it does not absorb water as well and is dust mite resistant. It does, however, compress much like cotton.