Quick Summary
Pros
- Superior softness for side and stomach sleepers
- Top-notch heat regulation
- Majority of owners noticed no smell
Cons
- Could be too soft for back sleepers
Today we review the Zinus 8-inch Memory Foam Mattress – a mattress that is not only quite popular with our readers, but is also one of the only mattresses we’ve reviewed with a near-perfect score for both smell and heat regulation. The Zinus 8-inch Memory Foam Mattress is a comfortable solution for a lot of sleepers, but definitely not for all! Read on to find out why.
Quick FAQ
The Zinus 8-inch memory foam mattress (Queen-size) is being offered on Amazon at under $210 (a 60% discount)!
The Zinus 8-inch Queen-size memory foam mattress arrives in a shipping box that weighs roughly 54 pounds with dimensions 42in x 18in x 18in. The mattress will be rolled up in an airtight plastic bag.
The top layer contains memory foam, has a 2-inch thickness and a density of 3 lb pcf. The manufacturer has not responded to our requests for information about the ILD rating.
Comfort is highly subjective and will vary widely from person to person. That being said, we at Zen Sleeping believe that the majority of sleepers, regardless of weight or sleeping position, will find this mattress to range from super-soft to medium-soft.
On the contrary, this mattress is quite soft for side and stomach sleepers.
Yes, it comes with a knit jacquard cover.
You will probably find the mattress has either no smell, a light odor, or a mild odor – but most probably no smell at all.
Unless you are an extremely heat-sensitive individual, you should have no issues with heat buildup.
The warranty is only available at a customer’s request; that being said, Zinus is extremely supportive and highly reachable for customer support, and typically refunds the entire cost of the mattress if it comes with any defects.
The Zinus 8-inch Green Tea memory foam mattress has been reviewed using the Zen Score System, which gives a score out of 100 based on 6 main factors: Unpacking (20pts), Smell (20 pts), Feel & Firmness (20 pts), Durability (20 pts), and Heat Regulation (20 pts) . We have also conducted interviews with over 300 verified purchasers of the mattress to give you very relevant statistics for all these categories.
Contents
TIP: Open the mattress in a room that is currently unoccupied, well-ventilated and receives a good amount of sunlight per day. When mattresses are first opened out of their vacuum-sealed bags, they immediately start to expand and typically give off a “new memory foam” smell which can sometimes be quite strong and bothersome. Letting the mattress air out and expand in a ventilated room for a few days is the best way to get rid of the smell. Also, don’t sleep on it during this period of time, or place any sheets or mattress protectors over it.
Where Was The Zinus 8-inch Made?
The mattress was manufactured in China by Zinus. We only recommend China-made mattresses if the manufacturer passes either CertiPUR-US or PURGreen certification standards; in this case, Zinus passes the former.
Is It Made From Safe Materials?
Yes, the Zinus 8-inch memory foam mattress is CertiPUR-US certified, which means their mattresses are :
– Made without ozone depletes
– Made without PBDE flame retardants
– Made without mercury, lead, and other heavy materials
– Made without phthalates regulated by Consumer Product Safety Commission
– Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions for indoor air quality
Thickness & Density
The Zinus 8-inch is a bit similar to the Spa Sensations 8-inch in that both contain 3 layers. Normally I like to see 8-inch and thinner mattresses have only 2 layers, because any more could possibly make the mattress feel unstable when you’re moving around. Fortunately, I can already tell you that from our feel and firmness tests (as well as our verified purchaser responses), this was not an issue for the Zinus 8-inch memory foam mattress.
The top layer is 2 inches thick and made with memory foam. Its density is 3 lb pcf, which is the standard density for all memory foam mattresses made by Zinus. The density is good, but the thickness of the top layer is a bit low. I usually like to see a top layer that is thicker than 2 inches. However, since this mattress has a middle layer, it’s not really a big deal.
The middle layer is also 2 inches thick and made from pressure relieving comfort foam. This foam layer is usually just as dense as the top layer, essentially making up for the fact that the top layer is so thin.
The bottom layer is 4 inches thick and consists of high-density base support foam.
Lastly, Zinus infuses green tea extract into the memory foam layer of this mattress, which maintains product freshness and is a good odor repellent.
Total points awarded for Unpacking: 17 / 20
Smell
How much will a new Zinus 8-inch memory foam mattress smell? Well, typically a memory foam mattress will come with a “new memory foam” smell, but it’s pretty hard to say exactly how much it will smell because it differs a lot (even among the same model). However, to get as good an idea as possible about the general level of smell, we’ve asked 300 verified purchasers for their opinions. Here’s what they had to say:
- No Smell - 70%
- Light odor, gone in 3 days - 14%
- Mild odor, gone in 5 days - 11%
- Strong odor, gone in 7 days - 5%
Amazing!! Over 95% of respondents said there was either no smell, a light smell, or a medium one; and in all cases, the smell vanished within a maximum of 5 days after unpacking. This is really good, since the average we’ve typically seen is around 75-85% of none/light/medium smell.
Total points awarded for Smell: 19.5 / 20
Feel & Firmness
Time to put the Zinus 8-inch memory foam mattress to the test and see if it’s as comfortable as advertised! Zinus claims the mattress has a ”medium firmness” that is comfortable only for back sleepers. Usually, 8-inch thick memory foam mattresses are only comfortable for back sleepers; they are too thin to provide enough support to side and stomach sleepers. However, as you’ll soon find out below, this was not exactly the case with the Zinus 8-inch.
ILD Rating
Unfortunately, as of the date of this post the manufacturer has not provided us with information regarding the ILD rating of the memory foam layer.
Feel & Firmness Test
To give you a worthy professional opinion, my wife and I both slept on the mattress for a total of 7 nights in different positions and recorded our general opinions. She weighs 140 pounds and is a side/stomach sleeper, while I’m 200 pounds and a back sleeper. With that being said, here’s how the Zinus 8-inch will feel for back sleepers:
Super-soft to soft firmness. I was pretty surprised to be honest, because 8-inch mattresses aren’t thick enough to feel so plushy and soft. To me, the mattress felt super soft, while my wife thought it was soft, but not overly so.
Verdict: if you’re a back sleeper and weigh 150 pounds or less, the mattress will feel soft for you. If you weigh 200 pounds or more, the mattress will feel super soft. For those between 150-200 pounds, the mattress could feel anywhere between super-soft to soft.
Note that “soft”doesn’t directly translate to “comfortable”; it completely depends on an individual’s firmness preference. I prefer medium-firm mattresses, so for me the Zinus 8-inch would be too soft. On the other hand, my wife absolutely loves plushy and super-soft mattress surfaces, so this would be a great match for her.
For side and stomach sleepers, we have some great news:
Typically, memory foam mattresses have to be at least 10-12 inches (and even thicker) before they start to be comfortable for the majority of side/ stomach sleepers. Luckily, the Zinus 8-inch memory foam mattress has once again defied the stereotype of the 8-inch thick mattress. For side/ stomach sleepers weighing 150 pounds or less, the Zinus 8-inch will feel soft, while for sleepers weighing 200 pounds or more, it will feel medium-soft.
Our Verified Purchasers Weigh In
We asked our 300 verified purchasers to tell us how comfortable the Zinus 8-inch memory foam mattress feels, and this is what they had to say:
- Comfortable feel - 91%
- Too firm - 1%
- Too soft - 8%
91% of our verified purchasers said the Zinus 8-inch memory foam mattress is a comfortable sleeping experience.
Verdict: This mattress is perfect for sleepers who love soft and plushy mattresses. Whether you’re a back sleeper or side/ stomach sleeper, the Zinus 8-inch memory foam mattress will likely feel soft!
Total points awarded for Feel: 18 / 20
Durability
How can you tell if a mattress will be durable and last long? Well, there are 4 main things to look for: adequate density, high-quality garment construction, resistance to surface/ edge abrasions, and stain release capabilities. In this section we dive into each of these factors.
Density
With a density of 3 lb pcf, the Zinus 8-inch memory foam mattress is durable enough to stay supportive for years. We typically like to see a density ranging between 2.5 – 4 lb pcf, so a 3 lb pcf density is good. Mattresses with low density run the risk of losing support pretty early on, essentially making the mattress unusable.
Garment Construction
Out of 300 verified purchasers, 93% reported no tears of the knit jacquard cover/b>, and 100% reported no tears of the actual foam material.
Surface / Edge Abrasion
Surface and edge abrasions refer to the wearing away of either the cover or foam material after many nights of repeated use.
95% reported no abrasions on the knit jacquard mattress cover, and <b100% reported no surface or edge abrasions of the foam material.
Stain Release
Of the 300 verified purchasers, 59 had experienced stains on the mattress at some point. Of those 59 cases, the stains were easily removed for 80% of them; the other 20% of stains coudn’t be removed using traditional spot-cleaning methods.
Verdict
The Zinus 8-inch memory foam mattress has turned out to be quite a durable piece of work. Our verdict is that it will last, on average, for 7 years.
Total points awarded for Durability: 18.5 / 20
Heat Regulation
We asked our 300 verified purchasers to give us their opinions on the heat regulating abilities of the Zinus 8-inch memory foam mattress. Remember, memory foam mattresses can tend to trap heat more than other mattress types. This can prove to be very uncomfortable for people who dislike “sleeping hot”. A memory foam mattress that is designed smartly and with high quality material will typically not trap heat at all, thereby providing a cool or neutral temperature sleeping experience. Here’s what our 300 verified purchasers said regarding heat buildup:
- Slept cool - 23%
- Slept neutral - 40%
- Slept warm - 22%
- Slept hot - 15%
The results are quite successful indeed: 85% of respondents said they felt either cool, neutral, or warm, while only 15% felt hot. As long as you are not super sensitive to heat or don’t produce a lot of heat naturally, you will probably feel either cool, neutral, or warm on the Zinus 8-inch.
Total points awarded for Heat Regulation: 17.5 / 20
Zen Score of the Zinus 8-inch Memory Foam Mattress
A memory foam mattress must pass a Zen Score of 70 in order to be recommended by us at Zen Sleeping. The Zinus 8-inch Memory Foam Mattress passes our benchmark with a total Zen Score of 91.5!
Be sure to leave a comment below if you have any questions or concerns.
