Archive for the ‘Care And Maintainance’ Category

Health Benefits of Adjustable Beds

Monday, December 10th, 2007

There are thousands of myths and facts about adjustable beds and what health benefits they can have, such as people no longer suffer from aches and pains on a morning as a result, and also some people have reported that their back pains upon waking have completely subsided.

The reason people get aches and pains on a morning is down to a multitude of reasons, the main of which being that the body isn’t flat, it’s curved, meaning that when you’re sleeping on a flat mattress your spine isn’t straight, leading to back pains. Also when you sleep you will be applying weight onto your bodies various pressure points, leading to general aches and pains upon waking.

An adjustable bed can help with this. By adjusting either the neck or feet ends, you can adjust the bed to get your spine as straight as possible and into the most comfortable position.

When buying an adjustable bed, your best choice is to buy one with a memory foam mattress. Rather than a flat surface like a normal mattress, memory foam will mould around your body, giving you the most support where it’s needed. This combined with an adjustable bed will give you the optimum sleeping position and will greatly improve your aches and pains on a morning.

General aches and pains isn’t all that an adjustable bed could help with. Tension that builds up during the day can be massively reduced by raising different parts of the body to allow the blood to circulate around the body properly. Asthma sufferers can also benefit by the upper body being raised. Some asthma sufferers have reported that due to the increased comfort and less pressure felt around the body, they were able to breathe easier.

The facts are that if you are looking to improve your sleeping quality an adjustable bed is definitely an option, and combined with a memory foam mattress, it will provide you will an excellent nights sleep for years to come.

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Contract Bed Safety Standards

Friday, November 16th, 2007

Requirements in the contract bed area are a voluntary standards regime but if specified, by a customer, become subject to Contract Law. Requirements are given by British Standards (BS) but test methods are a mixture of BS and European Standards (Norms) (EN). This is because of differences between European National law and UK law.

The requirements standards are graded, meaning that they have more than one level to cater for different types of use, in some cases there is discretion as to which level can be chosen. Although the fact that fire resistance is a voluntary regime, custom and practice dictates that the accepted standards should be adhered to.

Divans, Mattresses and Bed Bases

The requirements are laid down in BS7177: 1996 Incorporating Amendment No. 1 and provides for the testing of a composite and for testing of individual fillings of different types. Divans, mattresses and bases can be tested on their own or as a complete bed assembly where the bed coverings are known (which is the normal situation in the contract field). Where the bedding is specified, Section 3 of BS6807 provides the method of testing and where the bedding is not known, Section 2 of BS6807 provides the test method.

The difference is in the detailed positioning of the sources of ignition. Normally the requirements are Medium Hazard, which covers day centers, messes, old peoples’ homes, boarding schools, residential schools, hotels, hostels, holiday camp chalets and halls of residence.

Medium Hazard requires resistance to the ignition sources specified in BS EN597-1 (cigarette), BS EN597-2 (match) and the Ignition Source 5 specified in BS6807 Section 2 or 3. Hotels, hostels and old peoples’ homes can also be High Hazard, in which case they have to be resistant to ignition with Ignition Source 7 of BS6807 Section 2 or 3 in place of Ignition Source 5. The level of hazard required will be dependent on the usage of the premises and it’s individual features. These ignition sources equate to the ignition sources of BS5852 and BS EN1021-1 & 2.

Bedcovers and Pillows

BS7175: 1989 gives test methods for assessing the resistance to ignitions of bedcovers and pillows. It draws on BS5852 and BS6807 for ignition sources. Requirements are not laid down but could be inferred from BS7177. The test results are either a straight pass/fail against each ignition source.

If you’re looking to buy contract beds, take a look at bedstar’s extensive product range for some great deals.

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Posted in Care And Maintainance, Mattress, contract bed | 1 Comment »

Caring for Your Bed

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007

Proper care will keep your bed or mattress in good condition. Always read and retain manufacturers care instructions and ask your retailer for advice, too. Otherwise, the following tips will help you to get the best out of your bed during its natural life.

Use a washable, protective cover to protect your beds, mattresses and pillows from stains. Barrier fabrics for allergy sufferers are also available.

In the mornings, throw back the bed clothes and leave the bed to air for 20 minutes to allow body moisture to evaporate.

Turning a mattress over from side and side and end to end every few months (every week for the first three months) helps upholstery fillings to settle down more evenly. Some more luxurious mattresses, with much thicker layers of fillings designed to mould themselves to the contours of your body, may retain signs of these impressions, despite turning.

Don’t make a habit of sitting on the edge of the mattress and don’t let the kids bounce on it.

Don’t roll up or squash mattresses to store or transport it - this can cause permanent damage.

Handles are designed to help you position a mattress on the beds base - do not use them to support the full weight of the mattress - they may pull out and damage the fabric.

Don’t leave polythene wrappings on a new mattress - dampness, mildew and rotting could all result from a build-up of condensation.

Vacuum your mattress and base from time to time to remove fluff and dust. This should be carefully done so as not to dislodge fillings or damage tufts. Open windows while vacuuming -especially if there is an asthma sufferer in the house.

When tackling stains, use mild detergent and warm or cold water. Never over soak mattresses or bed bases.

Putting a new mattress on a base for which it was not intended, a new mattress on an old base or a board between the mattress and base can impede the beds comfort and reduce the useful life of the mattress - as well as affecting any guarantees or warranties.

Out with the Old: Once you’ve bought yourself a new bed, make arrangements to have any old mattresses disposed of. Don’t give it to the children, relatives, guests or neighbours. If it wasn’t good enough for you, it’s not good enough for anyone else, either. In fact, it’s a veritable health hazard - get rid of it.

If you’re an older person looking to buy beds online, you can take a look at our advice article for bed and mattress buying for the over 50s to help you make the right decision.

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Bunk Beds - Safety Measures

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007

Bunks beds were initially designed for children and was a primarily used as a natural progression from a childs cot. Some bunk beds can now be used separately as twin beds for older children or adults.

Due to the upper bed usually been a considerable distance from the floor, safety has to play a major part in the design on bunk beds. Many factors have to be considered for safety as there can be less obvious but potentially very serious hazards in the structure of a bunk bed.

1. Guardrail spacing - On some bunk beds, the space between the guardrail and mattress or the bedframe and mattress is large enough to allow a young child to slip through. Deaths have occurred when children became suspended by the head in these spaces and strangled.

Guardrails which are attached to the bed by hooks and remain in place by their own weight can dislodge, allowing a child to become entrapped under the guardrail or fall.

Attach additional boards to bunk beds to close up any gap more than 31/2 inches (89 mm) between the lower edge of the guardrails and the upper edge of the bed frame to prevent possible entrapment and strangulation.

2. Use of the bed without rails on both sides - Most bunk beds are used with one side located against a wall and are sold with only one guardrail for the upper bunk to prevent falls from the side away from the wall. Deaths have occurred when very young children rolled off the bed and became entrapped between the wall and the side of the bed not having a guardrail. This hazard is not unique to bunk beds. Regular beds can present the same hazard.

3. Dislodgment of mattress foundation - The mattress foundation an some bunk beds merely rests on small ledges attached to the bedframe. They can dislodge, particularly if a child, underneath the bunk, pushes or kicks upwards on the mattress. Suffocation deaths have occurred when mattress foundations fell on children playing on the floor or occupying the lowerbunk.

Fasten additional cross ties underneath the mattress foundation of both beds.

4. Wrong size mattress - The structure of bunk beds and mattresses come in two lengths - regular and extra long. Extra long is 5 inches (127 mm) longer than regular. Therefore, if a regular length mattress is purchased for an extra long bed, there can be a 5-inch (127 mm) opening between the mattress and headboard or footboard. Strangulation deaths have occurred when children fell through openings created between the mattress and headboard or footboard when a regular length mattress was used in an extra long bed frame.

Here are our safety tips for selecting, using, and maintaining bunk beds:

Selecting

a. Guardrails on all sides which are screwed, bolted or otherwise firmly attached to the bed structure.

b. Spacing between bed frame and bottom of guard rails that is no greater than 3-1/2 inches (89 mm).

c. Guardrails that extend at least 5 inches (127 mm) above the mattress surface to prevent a child from rolling off.

d. Cross ties under the mattress foundation which can be securely attached.

e. A ladder that is secured to the bed frame and will not slip when a child climbs on it.

f. A feature which permits the beds to be separated to form two single beds if you have children too young to sleep safety on the upper bunk.

And finally, choose a mattress that correctly fits your bed, whether regular or extra long.

Use

a. Always use two side guardrails on the upper bunk. Keep guardrails securely in place at all times no matter what the age of the child. Children move about during sleep and may roll out of bunk beds if guardrails aren’t used..

b. Do not permit children under 6 years of age to sleep in the upper bunk of bunk beds.

c. Be sure crossties are under the mattress foundation of each bed and that they are secured in place even if bunk beds are used as twin beds.

d. Emphasize to children to use the ladder and not chairs or other pieces of furniture to climb into the top bunk.

e. Teach children that rough play is unsafe around and on beds and other furniture.

f. Consider using a night light so that children will be able to see the ladder if they get up during the night.

Maintenance or Safety Repair

a. If spacing between guard rails and bed frames is more than 3 1/2 inches (89 mm), nail or screw another rail to close the space to prevent head entrapment.

b. Keep guardrails in good repair and securely in place.

c. Replace loose or missing ladder rungs immediately.

d. Repair or replace loose or missing hardware, including cross ties immediately

If you’re looking to buy bunk beds online, bedstar has a great selection - so why not take a look!

Posted in Bunk Beds, Care And Maintainance | 1 Comment »