Business can be cold hearted and for many companies their bottom line boils down solely to the dollar made. But what is that dollar really worth if it was made at the expense of the customer-especially if chances are slim and none that the customer will ever do repeat business with you or refer customers to you because of their overall dissatisfaction in dealing with your company and the product they received?

When was the last time you dealt with a place of business and left feeling………

• they really listened to you and tried to address your needs?
• they drew you out with additional questions to get to the heart of what you were trying to accomplish?
• they took whatever time necessary to show you or tell you what they had to offer you?
• they were forthright and very thorough in their answers to your questions?
• if they didn’t have an answer they told you so and promised to research it for you?
• they didn’t try to high pressure you into a decision to buy that you weren’t quite ready to make?
• they delivered the product as promised to you?
• they treated you after the sale with the same interest and concern for your satisfaction as before the sale?
• they made it right if by chance they didn’t get it right the first time?

If your company got immediate customer reviews each day on these items how would it rate? 

There’s nothing better than a satisfied customer who spreads the word with great enthusiasm about your business. And there’s nothing worse than an unhappy customer that spreads negativity about your business. It costs a lot financially in this day and age to advertise and bring the customer to your place of business in order to have the opportunity to make the sale. Wouldn’t it be nice if all businesses thought about how they “really” treat their customers so they could build a happy, loyal, satisfied customer base who acted as an army of “foot soldiers” for the company… spreading the word. Building longevity in a business is strengthened by solid customer satisfaction.

Numerous studies have been done to look at the links between infant crib mattresses and infant health problems which include Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Autism, and Attention Deficit Disorder. As a bed manufacturer for 36 years I’d like to comment on this very serious problem of toxicity and the effects on a small infant placed on a crib mattress who obviously doesn’t have the ability to make any adjustments to this crib environment. So let’s take a look at what could be in the crib environment you’ve introduced your baby to.

What causes the toxicity? Well, it’s related to the fumes from the materials that were used to make the mattress. When these fumes leave the materials it’s called degassing. Your usual crib mattresses are comprised of vinyl, acrylic, polyester or memory foam which are all man-made synthetic materials.

Additionally, federal regulations require that all manufacturers make the mattress flame retardant and the large majority of manufacturers use chemicals that discourage fire. While that obviously can be a good thing in terms of fire danger remember an infants’ respiratory system hasn’t sufficiently developed to be able to handle the  fumes from these materials. Who would want to take a chance on allowing their infant to breath these chemicals and not suspect there might be a build up leading to the infant experiencing health problems from continuous exposure?

Perhaps this is why there has been an upsurge in the sale of all natural products.  Latex crib mattresses are one of the best choices you can make as a natural mattress for your baby.   It gives the right  amount of support  for your baby along with enough contour give and softness to let your baby sleep well. Another healthy benefit is that latex is hypoallergenic. And one of the things we’ve all witnessed is a little baby sweating on a plastic mattress. The properties of latex are such that it breathes and is warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer which allows your infant to sleep more comfortably.

Organic wool is naturally fire resistant and will absorb moisture while leaving a dry surface. Combine the latex mattress with a natural fire retardant such as this in a wool backed  cotton cover and you’ve made the best possible choice for your baby.

Remember this when you start to shop for the baby crib mattress.  Health and safety factors should be paramount in your decision on which crib mattress to buy.  Buying an all natural latex crib mattress surrounded by all natural products can give you peace of mind that your baby is sleeping in a non toxic, safe, and comfortable environment. 

Bed bugs can show up anywhere-and they are. There is some debate about the “why” but generally this surge of bed bugs for the first time in 50 years is attributed to international travel, immigration and that the EPA banned products that used to work on bed bugs.. They’re now found in hotels, retail stores, movie theaters, wherever people go– no place is off limits. They hitch a ride whenever they get the chance and you can unknowingly bring them into your home. Since their source of food is either you or your pets’ blood they soon make their way to those areas where they can come out at night and have their feast-in your bed or Fido’s bed.

Not to be confused with dust mites which cannot be seen with the naked eye, bed bugs will usually be found in your mattress and foundation or within 15 feet of your bed according to studies. Some companies may say that bed bugs cannot live in a latex mattress and that is absolutely FALSE. Bedbugs live anywhere they can find a live host. While you can visually see them as little black specks, and can see evidence of them from their excretions, you cannot see their eggs or young….they are microscopic.

It ‘s a wise idea as a preventive measure to encase your latex mattress with a zippered cover that is tightly woven to prevent the mattress from harboring bed bugs. This protective bedding works by encasing your entire mattress and preventing any infestation from occurring. If bed bugs are already present the bugs will be eradicated over time because the mattress is sealed. It will take at least one year in a sealed encasement for all the bed bugs to die! This fact alone might be an incentive to take preventive measures ahead of time. Likewise, your foundation and pillows should be encased as well. While a bed bug bite isn’t life threatening many people are affected by the bites or rash and need to apply a topical cream to counteract the skin reaction. Living with these critters is more than annoying.

Bed bugs are flat, as thin as the width of a sheet of paper or credit card. They move from bed to bed quite fast in your home and can be a major problem. They are black and visible to the naked eye, the size of a flattened apple seed. Their color changes when they have engorged on blood. They avoid light and come out at night most often but if they are hungry they’ll venture out and get their meal from a person sitting in a computer chair in broad daylight.

The look of their bite can vary. It generally looks like a white or red welt. If they bite the vein you may have one bite. Other times there may be a series of bites where they searched for food or as they were biting they may have been interrupted by your movements which caused them to start over. Bedbugs are attracted to warmth and carbon dioxide. You can have two people in the same bed bitten by the bug and one has a reaction and the other doesn’t.

How they arrive? Any place that harbors bed bugs can be a place where they hide and become the secret traveler. You visit a hotel and toss your suitcase on the floor or on the bed. You buy some second hand furniture or pick up items at a garage sale. Your college kids drag their bags home from the dorm. They’re showing up in movie theaters, health clubs, hospitals, and nursing homes.

Where they hide? Since they avoid light if they haven’t burrowed into your mattress or found a spot under your bed frame they will hide behind your baseboard at the head of your bed, in nightstand drawers, electrical sockets, light fixtures, soft cushioned chairs and sofas or on your walls behind pictures. Although they’re usually concentrated in a small area in the home that can change.

How to combat? Number one is always prevention by encasing your mattress, foundation and pillows. Additionally, inspect and vacuum thoroughly all areas around your bed. Wash all of your bed linen in very hot water. Dry your linen twice. If you discover them in your bed don’t go to another bed as this can spread them fast. There are chemical sprays of course and pest control companies with a variety of remedies from sprays to powders to heat treatment machines.

Remember this…..prevention is always the best medicine!

Phoenix Mattress Firm, Sleep EZ, Reveals the Secrets to a Great Night’s Sleep

Standard Layers are one piece of either soft, medium, firm, or extra firm ‘natural latex’. You can customize, at no extra charge, for a his and her firmness with split layers.

Click here for details

No other product has the comfort and durability of latex, and why we make it the cornerstone of our ‘Lifetime Dreams’ Latex lineup. We purchase our latex from the largest most respected SUPPLIERS in the world to create the best latex mattresses in the market. ‘The ultimate in comfort for 70 years.’

PHOENIX, AZ–(Marketwire – July 27, 2010) – “As the alarm rings and you reach for the snooze button, you can’t help but wonder why you’re so tired. You went to bed at 10 p.m. and its 6 a.m. right now. That’s a full eight hours. But then you remember all that tossing and turning. And you’re not the only guilty party — your wife seemed to toss and turn every time you finally found a comfortable spot and began to drift off.” If that scenario sounds familiar, Sleep EZ, a Tempe-based mattress firm, provides its customer a better night’s sleep through finding a better mattress. 

Sleep EZ believes it’s likely your mattress is keeping you from getting your beauty sleep. But it’s not just your physical appearance and sunny disposition that sleep deprivation robs you of — studies show insufficient sleep can lead to high blood pressure, depression, diabetes and obesity.

For many, the solution to insomnia may be as simple as buying a new mattress. To evaluate if your mattress is interfering with a good night’s sleep, answer these two questions: Do you or your partner toss and turn on your current mattress? Do you wake up with stiffness and pains from fighting all night to get comfortable? If you’ve answered yes to either question, it’s time to start mattress shopping.

But how do you choose a new mattress? “I put my trust in latex mattresses to support a good night’s sleep,” says Larry Wolfe, who has manufactured and sold quality mattresses since 1974 as owner of Phoenix-based Sleep EZ. “Latex is a great product with many benefits: it completely conforms to the contour of your body while supporting it, it never needs turning, it’s anti-allergenic, it’s dust-mite resistant, it’s noiseless and it has excellent motion isolation, so you can move without disturbing your partner. A latex mattress outlasts a traditional innerspring mattress by twice the life span, which saves you money.”

To help his customers find their perfect mattress, Wolfe consults with them about their needs and preferences. Then, he helps them select the three mattress layers that will create their customized mattress. “You may unzip the mattress cover and interchange the three layers within the confines of your home to get that ‘just-right’ feel for you and your partner,” Wolfe explains. “For queen and king mattresses, each side can be customized with a firmer or softer feel at no extra charge. Our layered design takes the risk out of selecting your new mattress, because we’ll swap out the layers you’ve chosen if you aren’t fully satisfied.”

A detailed buyer’s guide is available on Sleep EZ’s website to further help customers with their decision and answer any questions they may have about latex. And you don’t have to sacrifice the environment for a good night’s sleep: Sleep EZ even offers a latex mattress made from all-natural materials.

“I’m proud of our products and the savings we’re able to offer as a factory-direct manufacturer of latex mattresses,” says Wolfe. “We’d like to see everyone get their minimum daily requirement of seven hours of sleep a night.” 

For more information on the latex mattress, visit www.sleepez.com.

You’ve been tossing and turning for quite some time….I don’t mean hours…..I mean years! You did your research and decided that all the information you gathered on natural latex would be the answer to your prayers for a good night’s sleep.

Your bed arrived, it’s all set up and you’re ready for that first great sleep you so well deserve. You climb in bed and think “This feels waaaay different than usual! Your body recognizes you are sleeping on something new. The morning comes and you may wake up saying to yourself, “Wait a minute I’m not sure how I feel or how well I slept last night. How can this be?” Everything you read about latex was so great. It was supposed to give the very best support to your body. It was to conform to your shape, spring back to it’s original form immediately when you moved or rolled over on your side and so on so you would wake fresh, rested and ready to go!

When you introduce your body to a new latex bed the adjustment period any one person experiences will vary. Some people will have very little adjustment period. Usually the lighter a person is the less time it will take for them to enjoy the new feel. Others may take a while to adjust.

Our spine while sleeping is supposed to be in the same position as it is when we are standing erect. When our body has been sleeping on a bed for a long period of time that doesn’t give us the support we need the muscles in our back will try to compensate and can become strained. The muscles are working at night when they should have the night off. They become trained over a period of time for what they have to do and they need time on a new bed to realize the change.

If you sleep on a new mattress a couple of nights and feel the need to change it out– you just haven’t begun to give it a chance! Remember how long you put up with your old uncomfortable bed before giving it the boot? We work diligently with our customers to get the right support and the right comfort for them. Our experience has shown that most often the “early caller” who thought the mattress wouldn’t work for them finds out they were wrong and they let us know they made the “I can’t sleep on this” call prematurely. It’s recommended that you give your new mattress a minimum of 30 days. Given sufficient time for your body to adjust to the comfort of an all latex mattress you’ll soon be one of the growing number of people who say, “I would never part with my latex bed”!!

That being said, if you give it sufficient time and it still doesn’t work for you all mattress retailers have a return policy which you can use to exchange your mattress. If you give up too soon you just may miss out on what many believe is the best supporting most comfortable mattress available for that good night’s sleep!