How to Store a Mattress? Tips and Tricks to Do It Right!

Would you love to keep your bed in top condition for a long time? If you answered yes, you need to learn how to store a mattress. Read on! We will show how in this article.
By
Romeo Vitelli
Romeo Vitelli
Expert Writer
Received his doctorate in Psychology in 1987, spent fifteen years as a staff psychologist in Millbrook Correctional Centre. In 2003 went into full-time private practice. read more
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Reviewed By
Medical Advisory Team
Medical Advisory Team
Includes well-known professionals, who together provide decades of sleep medicine experience that enables Talk About Sleep to fulfill its mission of creating access to high- read more
Last updated: August 31, 2023
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The essence of a mattress in helping you sleep peacefully can not be underestimated, especially when you use the best organic mattress. In fact, buying a quality mattress is the biggest investment you can make if you wish to sleep comfortably. But truth be told, finding a suitable option with excellent quality can be tasking.

Normally, the most expensive ones on the market are the go-to options. However, you don’t have to break the bank to get a good mattress. Yes, you can get a high-quality mattress at an affordable price when you buy the best budget mattress.

Once you scale this hurdle and purchase a good mattress, you have to “protect your investment.” And there’s no better way to go about this than storing your mattress properly. Here’s the thing, there is a right and wrong way to store your mattress. As you keep reading, you will be able to tell the differences between the two. Let’s get started.

Why Do You Need to Store Your Mattress Properly?

How to Store a Mattress? Tips and Tricks to Do It Right!
No doubt, you can easily leave your mattress in any spot. However, it is much better when you are deliberate about how you store your mattress Trusted Source Softly does it: how to choose the perfect mattress | Sleep | The Guardian Kapadia recommends investing time trying them out. “Some people just go into the shop and press them to see how they feel, ” she says, “but I would say you should lie down for 20 minutes on each one. If you just hop on and off, it’s hard to imagine how you will feel after an eight-hour sleep.” www.theguardian.com , as it benefits you in many ways than one. The benefits include:

  • Avoiding odors
  • Avoiding molds
  • Retaining the shape

Avoiding Odors

In most cases, new mattresses have unpleasant odors, which are caused by a combination of chemicals like Benzene, Naphthalene, and Formaldehyde. This is called Off-gassing. You can get rid of the smell by discarding the plastic wraps, aerating the mattress, using baking soda, room refresher, or the white sock approach. Having said that, if you don’t want any unpleasant smell, later on, you need to store your mattress properly.

You see, deliberately storing your mattress in a designated area helps in preventing it from absorbing odors within your house and poor circulation of air between the different structural layers. By doing this, you can be sure that your mattress won’t have any funky odor.

Avoiding Molds

Storing your bed just anywhere exposes your mattress to molds Trusted Source Mold can trigger allergies, asthma, other health issues. Here are 6 ways to keep it out of your house - The Washington Post Fungus needs moisture to thrive, so keeping dampness and water from collecting where it doesn’t belong inside your home is key. www.washingtonpost.com that can damage your mattress, as they thrive in humid surroundings. This is why keeping your mattress in a specified area is helpful.

Retaining the Shape

Indeed, it feels good to see that your mattress has retained its shape after a few months or years. This doesn’t just happen; you have to do the needful. So, if this is what you want, you have to store your mattress the right way, as it prevents any damages to the structure of your mattress.

Best Places to Store a Mattress

How to Store a Mattress? Tips and Tricks to Do It Right!
Now that you know how beneficial mattress storage is, it is time to show you the best and worst places to store your mattress. This will guide your storage location choice. First, let’s begin with the best places. Below are the best places to store a mattress:

  • Storage units
  • Ventilated rooms

Storage Units

Storing your mattress in a climate-controlled storage unit is undoubtedly the best option. This is because it creates the perfect atmosphere required to store your mattress properly and retain its structural layers.

Ventilated Rooms

If you don’t have or can’t get a storage unit, that is no problem at all. You can also select a room within your house that isn’t damp and has enough air circulation. This implies that it must have either windows or vents.

Additionally, ensure you wrap your mattress so it doesn’t have direct contact with the floor.

Not The Best Places to Store a Mattress

This is where we show you the worst places to store your mattress. Let’s walk you through the list of places that are not ideal for mattress storage:

  • Basement or garage
  • Anywhere near a heat source
  • Near sharp objects

Basement or Garage

These are the worst places to store your mattress because they have high humidity and encourage the growth of microorganisms like fungi and bacteria that can ruin your mattress.

Anywhere Near a Heat Source

Most mattresses consist of materials like synthetic memory foam and natural latex. These materials are not heat resistant. Hence, if they come in contact with heat, they will either deform or melt, leading to discomfort when you sleep on them.

Near Sharp Objects

Sharp objects can easily penetrate the fabric and structural layers of your mattress. This leads to both external and internal damages to your mattress that expose it to bed bugs, dust mites, and mildew.

Make sure you steer clear of this option when you want to store your mattress.

How To Prepare a Mattress For Storage?

Before you move on to store your mattress, you have to ensure you prepare it. So, here are the little but important details that shouldn’t be overlooked when storing your mattress. They include:

  • Clean it
  • Find or buy a mattress storage bag
  • Store it on a flat surface

Clean It

How to Store a Mattress? Tips and Tricks to Do It Right!
This is the first step you have to take before storing your mattress. It is possible that your mattress has accumulated some debris or dust while you were using it. This is why cleaning it before storing it is such a good idea.

If you move ahead to store the mattress without cleaning it, you will only be giving room to dust mites. You can prevent this occurrence by thoroughly cleaning your mattress before storage. Here’s how to go about it:

  • Take off the mattress protector and bedding and vacuum-clean every side.
  • Next, look out for stains and get rid of them. Get a spray bottle and pour a combination of baking soda, dish soap, and lukewarm water into it. Spray the mixture directly on the stains and its surrounding. Allow it to stay for between 10 to 15 mins and soak up the stains using a cloth. After doing this, leave the mattress to dry.
  • Ensure you disinfect the surface to limit the number of microorganisms in it.

Find or Buy a Storage Bag

The best way to protect your mattress is by wrapping it. So, ensure you purchase a perforated plastic bag. You can decide to buy a mattress storage bag if you need something fancy.

Store It on a Flat Surface

If you want to keep the structure — base, transitional layers, comfort layers, and top — of your mattress intact, you should lay it on a flat surface or the floor. Few mattresses are classified as “mattresses in a box.” However, the sole aim of these boxes is to make transportation easier. They are not ideal for mattress storage over a long period.

Note that folding, rolling, or placing your mattress on the side will likely cause each part of the structure to bend or shift, leading to broken coils or lumps. In addition, ensure the storage room you use is large enough to contain your mattress.

How to Store Different Types of Mattresses?

There are different types of mattresses on the market. They include Hybrid, Spring, Latex, and memory foam mattresses. Regardless of the type of mattress you are storing, always ensure that you don’t place them directly on the floor or an unbalanced surface. In addition, make sure you keep them in an environment free from dust mites and molds. Having said that, these mattresses possess distinct features that may make storing them slightly different. 

  • Memory Foam Mattress

Memory foam mattresses can easily adapt to your body curves, as it doesn’t have coils. These mattresses are soft and prone to mildew growth. This is why the best way to store them is by wrapping them in a plastic or storage bag.

Based on customer reviews, a memory foam mattress that helps to relax the bones in the back, hip, and shoulder is a preferred option. And Winkbeds fits the bill, thanks to its Tencel cover and patented air cell memory foam.

  • Latex Mattress 

Naturally, latex is heavy and thick. This makes this mattress the most likely to bend. To prevent this from happening, place the latex mattress on a flat supportive surface. Do not store it in an upright position or on the sides.

  • Hybrid Mattress

They are the heaviest mattresses on the market. Additionally, the core of this mattress contains an inflexible core layer. According to expert reviews, a hybrid mattress should provide contour and making sleeping more comfortable. With regards to this, Organic Luxury is a suitable option, as it is firm and contains 100% cotton.

  • Spring Mattress

Spring mattresses come with a reinforced coil unit and wire perimeter, which helps to keep the shape better. Nonetheless, they are still vulnerable to bending. This is why it is advisable to lay it flat when you want to store it.

How to Store a Big Mattress

Big mattresses like King, California King, and a few others weigh a lot. Therefore, storing these mattresses on their sides or a lumpy surface will likely lead to bending, as it weakens their supportive structures.

It is best to lie these big mattresses flat on the floor without placing any object on them.

Important Tips

At this point, you can now confidently say that you have all the information you need to store a mattress. That being said, there are some things you need to pay attention to when storing your mattress. If you don’t want things to go south when you store your mattress, you should apply these important tips below:

  • Don’t store it in an upright position
  • Make sure to prevent bed bugs
  • Don’t fold it

Don’t Store It in an Upright Position

Some manufacturers suggest that you store your mattress in an upright position, but you shouldn’t. It increases the possibility of your mattress becoming bent or crooked. Instead, you should store your mattress by laying it on the floor, as the chances of it bending are slim.

Make Sure to Prevent Bed Bugs

A bed bug on your mattress is never a good fit. Not only is it an unpleasant sight, but also it can lead to discomfort when you lie on it.  Research has shown that bed bugs can’t penetrate plastic lining or thick fabrics.

So, if you want to protect your mattress from bed bugs, you should buy a protector with concealed zippers that covers it on every side. Once you do this, you can rest assured that your mattress is safe.

Don’t Fold It

Unlike air mattresses, the design of the standard mattresses makes them almost impossible to fold. Hence, you shouldn’t try to fold them, as it can ruin the mattress.

Final Thoughts

Indeed, you need to spend a lot of money to buy your mattress. However, it is one thing to buy a mattress and another thing to store it properly. Do not downplay the importance of storing your mattress the right way, irrespective of its high quality. You see, effective storage helps you keep your mattress for a long time. Put simply, if you don’t want to buy a mattress anytime soon, you should place a high priority on how you store it.

Fortunately, in this article, we have shown you how to store a mattress properly. Now, it is up to you to do things the right way. Whenever you are in doubt about the right or wrong way to store your mattress, feel free to make reference to this post. It will guide your decision-making. Cheers to a long-lasting mattress experience!

References

1.
Softly does it: how to choose the perfect mattress | Sleep | The Guardian
Kapadia recommends investing time trying them out. “Some people just go into the shop and press them to see how they feel, ” she says, “but I would say you should lie down for 20 minutes on each one. If you just hop on and off, it’s hard to imagine how you will feel after an eight-hour sleep.”
2.
Mold can trigger allergies, asthma, other health issues. Here are 6 ways to keep it out of your house - The Washington Post
Fungus needs moisture to thrive, so keeping dampness and water from collecting where it doesn’t belong inside your home is key.
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