Wirecutter - Are you shopping for a mattress wrong?

How to pick a mattress, based on your sleep style

A WinkBed mattress on top of a dark wood bed frame in a simplistic bedroom.

Sarah Kobos

There’s no such thing as the perfect mattress. But we’re confident that our hundreds of hours of research and sleep testing can help you find one you’ll happily sleep on for years.

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If it’s time to upgrade your mattress (which it probably is if you’re waking with aches and pains, and it definitely is if your current mattress visibly sags or has a permanent indent in the shape of your body), the first thing to consider is how you like to sleep.

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We’ve got picks for those of you who prefer to sleep on your side—and a whole different set of recommendations if you normally find yourself sleeping on your stomach.

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A memory foam mattress feels like a warm, enveloping hug. But if you sleep hot and don’t want to feel like you’re napping on quicksand, you might prefer an innerspring mattress. For a mattress that truly offers the best of both worlds, a hybrid might be the one for you—it offers plenty of bounce and pressure-relieving support, while also providing comfort and cushioning (without that sinky feeling).

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Once you’ve nailed down your preferences, the next step is to hit check out on your mattress. Great news: This weekend’s Labor Day sales pose the perfect opportunity to save.

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What else is going on

A black empty front-loading washing machine with a bottle of Tide laundry detergent resting on top and a row of beige cabinets and a full laundry basket on the right.

Our favorite washers

We’ve found a handful of great washing machines—and most of them are front-loaders. In almost all our tests, front-loaders caused less damage, removed more stains, and used less water than top-loaders.

A person walking away from the camera down a paved, tree-lined pathway wearing a dark gray and teal Cotopaxi Allpa 35L backpack.

Ditch your extra baggage

With travel mishaps and checked luggage fees both on the rise, traveling with just a carry-on backpack is becoming less of a choice and more of a necessity. Here are our picks.

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A player POV of a Nintendo Switch Sports tennis match.

Bring the US Open home to you

Tennis is just one of the many motion-control games featured on Nintendo Switch Sports, which, if you played and loved the original Wii Sports, will feel like a comfortably familiar upgrade.

Today’s best deals

Matches Low

Apple AirPods Max Headphones

Deal price: $430 | Street price: $480

The Apple AirPods Max provides the best noise cancellation in the airplane band that we’ve ever tested, with an average of 29.4 dB. The sleek and distinctive headphones offer excellent call quality and great sound. The AirPods Max pairs with other Apple products seamlessly, so they’re great if you’re already integrated into the ecosystem.

Buy now from Amazon

New Low

Apple iPad (9th generation, 64 GB)

Deal price: $280 | Street price: $330

You won’t find a better, more affordable general use-tablet option than the iPad (9th generation)—especially if you’re already an Apple user. It offers an unbeatable selection of apps, long battery life, stellar hardware quality, and unrivaled customer support. Our experts think 64 GB of memory should be sufficient for most.

Buy now from Target

Matches Low

Aura Mason Digital Photo Frame

Deal price: $180 | Street price: $200

A good digital photo frame, like our top pick, the Aura Mason, makes it easy to upload and display precious memories wherever, whenever. Of all the frames we tried, the Aura Mason came the closest to mimicking a regular photo frame. Its simple, black hardware is good-looking, its screen offers sharp resolution, and its paired app is intuitive to use.

Buy now from Amazon

Tineco iFloor3 Mop-Vacuum Combo

Deal price: $230 | Street price: $300

Vacuum-mop combos can wash the filthiest bare floors much faster than any other cleaning tools. Generally, we recommend corded options, but if you’re willing to pay more for maximum convenience, we recommend the Tineco. It can handle nearly any stain or solid or spill, and it runs more or less automatically. Just turn it on, and it’ll start to mop and vacuum instantly—no need to fiddle with any buttons or settings.

Buy now from Best Buy

For more deals on our picks, check out the Wirecutter Deals page.

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