As with all mattress reviews and comparisons on Mattress-Reviews.com, Novosbed tests major online mattress brands in order to continually update and improve its own products. Analyzing the builds, brands, and specifications of competitor mattresses ensures Novosbed always offers the best possible value to its customers.

To provide a consistent benchmark for our tests, we commission third-party engineers to test every mattress in the exact same way. You can view the methodology of testing and the APEGA-stamped results document here.

Without further ado, our Zinus Mattress Review:

Company Overview	Zinus
Launched:	2004
Price (Queen):	$339 USD $399 CAD
Available in:	USA, Canada
Made in:	China
Trial length:	100 nights
Warranty:	10 years
Where to buy:	Online

Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, Zinus launched their first line of bedding products in 2004. They have since expanded operations to six countries across the globe. Their mattress tested in this review – the 12-inch Zinus Green Tea memory foam mattress – is recognizable for its top layer of green memory foam. It is infused with green tea extract, which Zinus promotes as offering odor-reducing and antimicrobial properties.

Though the company offers their products through their own website, Zinus mattresses are sold primarily on major online retail websites like Amazon, Lowe’s, and eBay. Their Chinese operations keep manufacturing costs low, helping them to entice customers for whom price is the leading consideration in mattress shopping.

Delivery, Trial, Returns	Zinus
Shipping cost:	Dependent on retailer
Shipping time:	2–7 business days (plus 48hrs expansion time)
Sleep trial length:	100 nights
Return ease:	Company arranges return
Refund:	Yes, full refund (conditional)
Additional fees:	No

Thanks to modern compression methods and the rising popularity of the bed-in-a-box, mattresses can now be shipped far more efficiently and conveniently than ever before. Customers no longer need to take a day off work to accept a delivery. Boxed beds are now delivered with the same convenience as most Amazon orders. Some bed-in-a-box companies even offer same-day delivery to certain areas.

In Canada and the United States, Zinus uses specialist logistics companies FedEx and UPS to deliver the Zinus Green Tea mattress directly to customers’ doors. In some cases, the delivery can even be left on a porch or deck while the customer is away from home. Though shipping costs vary depending on the online retailer, free shipping is available through both Amazon.ca and Amazon.com. Zinus customers can expect their new mattress to be delivered anywhere within 2 to 7 business days after purchase, depending on the shipping method chosen.

Like many bed-in-a-box companies, Zinus allows customers to try out their mattress at home with the option of a full refund within a certain time frame. This refund time frame, however, depends on the place of purchase. Most Zinus mattresses are sold through Amazon. Amazon allows up to 30 days to return opened mattresses. The longest trial window is available through the Zinus website. At 100 nights, this sleep trial is average in length. The Zinus return policy is also conditional on the state of the mattress (“no drool, stains or mysterious smells”). Special refund instructions are offered based on whether the mattress is opened and decompressed or still in the box.

If returned, many online mattress companies arrange for lightly used mattresses to be sent to a local charity or recycling facility. No mention of either policy is listed on the Zinus website.

It is worth noting that Mattress-Reviews.com did not complete the return process, but received this information via the Shipping and Returns sections of Amazon.ca and the Zinus retail website.

Out of the Box	Zinus
Delivered in a box:	Yes
Box dimensions:	21.5” x 21.5” x 42”
Box opening:	Scissors required
Box/mattress fitting:	Tight
Protection layers:	4
Expansion time:	48–72 hours

The Zinus mattress we ordered through Amazon.ca was delivered to us within the estimated time frame, with some minor discoloration to the box (pictured above). This is normal of mattresses in boxes. It’s why specialist bed-in-a-box retailers include multiple layers of durable plastic protection to compensate for any mishaps during the transit process.

The Zinus mattress box was sealed well with heavy-duty tape. A pair of scissors or a knife is needed to open the box. To avoid harm to yourself or your new purchase, remember to be extra careful when using sharp objects to open the box.

Once opened, the compressed mattress is easy to remove from the box. We recommend a ‘tip-and-pull’ motion to slowly slide the mattress out from its cardboard container. Simply tip the box from a vertical position down onto its side, and then pull the lightweight box away from the bundled mattress. It’s most efficient to do this process in the room where you intend to use the mattress.

The Zinus Green Tea mattress is protected with four layers of heavy-duty plastic – a thick inner layer to keep it compressed in a vacuum seal, and three thinner outer layers to keep the mattress tightly rolled in a cylinder shape.

Customers will need to unwrap the outer layers in order to unroll the mattress, which will still be in its compressed form. Some helpful advice at this stage is to place the rolled up mattress onto the designated bed frame. Next, like the end of a roll of tape, find and peel back the outer layer of plastic. You can use the momentum of unrolling the compressed mattress along the bed frame to help remove the rest of this layer, which could be up to a few meters long. After completing this process, the mattress will be lying unrolled before you.

Next, cut the final layer of plastic. The vacuum seal now broken, the mattress will begin to decompress. Remove this final layer of plastic as the mattress expands to its full height. For the Zinus Green Tea 12” mattress, full expansion took around 48 hours. This means owners of this Zinus mattress should not expect to sleep on their Zinus mattress for the first few nights.

Construction	Zinus
Mattress height:	12"
Number of layers:	4
Comfort layers:	3” BioFoam memory foam with green tea extract; 2” Comfort Foam®
Transition layer:	3.5” Airflow foam
Support layer:	3.5” Airflow base support foam
Cover materials:	Polyester
Machine washable:	No
Made in:	China

The Zinus we tested is a 12-inch-tall combination foam mattress. By combining different foam types, densities, and firmness levels, Zinus has designed a configuration that offers reasonable comfort, cooling, and support.

The Zinus mattress is available only in one firmness option. This is standard for the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach commonly used by bed-in-a-box companies. The Zinus Green Tea mattress line also includes 6-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch versions, each of which uses a different number and composition of foam layers to offer a custom feel and comfort.

Zinus Mattress Layers

The 12” Zinus Green Tea mattress contains four layers of foam. Like many of the memory foam mattresses on the market today, each layer of foam in the Zinus mattress works with the others to provide an overall level of comfort and support.

The first layer of the Zinus mattress is 3 inches of BioFoam memory foam infused with green tea extract, charcoal, and castor seed oil. This layer stands out among the others and shows slightly through the white polyester cover. It is designed to confirm to your body as you sleep, while the natural additives infused into the foam are meant to reduce odor, absorb excess moisture, and delay the suppress the growth of bacteria.

The second layer of the Zinus mattress is 2 inches of Comfort Foam®. This layer is designed to eliminate pressure points that tend to cause discomfort through the night, especially around the hips, shoulders, and other joints.

The third layer is 3.5 inches of Airflow foam. This “egg carton” shaped transition layer encourages hot air trapped within the foam mattress to escape from the sides.

The final layer of foam is another 3.5 inches of Airflow base support foam. This bottom layer gives the mattress its structure and prevents sleepers from sinking in too far, while also allowing another passageway for warm air to escape.

Of note: Unfortunately, the density information for the layers is not available on the Zinus website.

Zinus Mattress Cover

The Zinus mattress has a very understated white cover, without any brand emblems, stripes, tufting, or piping. The 100% polyester surface is finely knit in a Jacquard style. This soft surface includes subtle floral accents, as seen in the images for this section. As mentioned, the green top layer of memory foam subtly shows through the thin white cover.

Top covers are sometimes removable and machine washable; however, the Zinus Green Tea mattress cover is not washable. Despite the assurances of some Amazon reviewers, Zinus clearly mentions on its support website that the mattress cover is not washable, and to always leave the cover on so as not to inhibit the fire safety barrier.

Consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious when making purchases. Retailers both in and out of the mattress industry have been incorporating more eco-friendly and ethical policies when selling products and choosing suppliers. Novosbed Inc. carried out a survey in February 2017, discovering that almost 50% of Canadians are willing to spend more money for more environmentally friendly products. Therefore, in every review on Mattress-Reviews.com, we will highlight each mattress company’s green philosophy, as well as how prominent their policies are on their websites.

Eco-Friendliness	Zinus
Green policies:	Replaces some petroleum with natural plant oils (BioFoam)
Social responsibility:	No mention on website
Box materials:	Cardboard
Foam materials:	Polyurethane
Cover materials:	Polyester
CertiPUR-US®:	Yes
Green manufacturing:	Replaces some petroleum with natural plant oils (BioFoam)

Feel & Firmness	Zinus
Feel:	Medium-soft
Firmness	3.3 / 10
Edge support:	5.7 / 10
Motion isolation:	7.4 / 10
Bounce:	1.9 / 10

Feel & Firmness

The 12” Zinus Green Tea mattress is a medium-soft mattress. According to the testing conducted by third-party engineers (commissioned by us), it comes in at a 3.3 / 10 on the firmness spectrum. The Zinus mattress has plenty of ‘hug,’ and the comfort layer gives it an extra degree of softness as you lie down. Its layers of supportive foam ensure there is no excessive sinkage.

Motion Isolation

Motion isolation in foam mattresses is usually very good and one of the main reasons couples make the switch from innerspring to memory foam. According to the testing conducted by third-party engineers (commissioned by us), minimal motion transfer was detected with the Zinus mattress: it ranked right around 7.4 /10 on the motion isolation scale.

Edge Support

Foam mattresses are not known for their edge support; in fact, it is often one of the main considerations for customers who move from innerspring mattresses to foam. According to the testing conducted by third-party engineers (commissioned by us), the Zinus mattress has an edge support rating at 5.7 / 10. This rates in the middle of the pack for a bed-in-a-box.

Bounce

Due to the fact that motion isolation for foam mattresses is very high, bounce is usually very low. According to the testing conducted by third-party engineers (commissioned by us), the Zinus mattress ranked 1.9 / 10 on the bounce scale. This is to be expected for a thicker, medium-soft mattress with lots of hug.

Overview	Zinus
Price (Queen):	$339 USD $399 CAD
Available in:	USA, Canada
Made in:	China
Trial length:	100 nights
Warranty:	10 years
Number of layers:	4
Cover materials:	Polyester
Machine washable:	No
Green policies:	Replaces some petroleum with natural plant oils (BioFoam)
Feel:	Medium-soft
Firmness:	3.3 / 10
Edge support:	5.7 / 10
Motion isolation:	7.4 / 10
Bounce:	1.9 / 10
Where to buy:	Online

Remember, Mattress-Reviews.com is owned, operated, and paid for by Novosbed Inc. and advertises the Novosbed, Douglas and Logan & Cove mattress brands. The following is strictly our competitive opinion:

Zinus competes in the ultra-competitive, budget bed-in-a-box segment, catering to a demographic of mattress shoppers who are very price sensitive. These shoppers are likely to place less emphasis on qualities like construction, return policies, or corporate social responsibility if the price is right. Customers in the United States and Canada who want a cushy, low-price mattress with plenty of Amazon reviews should consider a Zinus mattress.