When you buy a new mattress, make repairs in the house, or your children have grown up and left for another city, you think about how to store a mattress that it does not lose its properties.
This article will cover how to store a mattress properly and unique considerations for different types.
Here are the Best Methods How to Store a Mattress
Preventative measures can ensure that your mattress’s quality is maintained throughout its storage life. These measures include thoroughly cleaning your mattress before you store it. Protective layers are also used to preserve it.
Clean Your Mattress
Your bed sheets get regular washing, but when is the last time you sanitized your mattress? Storing a dirty mattress will cause dirt, dust mites, dead skin, and sweat to accumulate, potentially forming a breeding ground for bacteria-causing mold. Let’s take a look at the best way to sterilize your mattress before transferring it to storage.
- To remove dirt, dust, and dead skin, vacuum the mattress’ top, bottom, sides, and edges.
- Let the mattress sit for about an hour before lightly coating it with baking soda. Baking soda will absorb any stains, and remove odors. You may prefer upholstery cleaner if your mattress is foam-free. However, be sure to follow all directions on the product.
- After one hour, vacuum your upholstery or baking soda with your vacuum cleaner.
You can transport and store your mattress in a plastic mattress cover
To protect the mattress from dirt and dust mattress storage, wrap the mattress in plastic. Be sure to choose breathable plastic covers because thicker films such as tarps can trap moisture and cause mold and mildew to grow.
A mattress storage bag is a way how to store a mattress. These plastic bags are specially designed to protect during mattress storage. They are also available for all mattress sizes for ease of application and proper fit.
When you storing your mattress long-term, remove the plastic wrap the mattress every few months to let it air out.
Transport your mattress in a covered moving truck
Do not strap your mattress to the roof of a vehicle. Any internal springs will be spoiled. Instead, use a covered moving truck to protect your mattress from rain, hail, snow, and dust storms. It’s normal to keep the mattress on its side to make more space in the moving truck.
Climate Controlled Storage Unit is a good choice
Do not store your mattress in an attic or basement, or garage. If you will storing a mattress in these areas can be highly subject to temperature fluctuations, which could cause serious damage to your mattress’s longevity. A controlled storage unit is a perfect solution for it
A climate-controlled professional mattress storage facility will prevent mold and mildew growth from high-humidity weather. A dehumidifier can be placed in the same area where you storing your mattress to remove moisture and prevent mold growth.
Place Your Mattress Flat
It is essential to keep the mattress in its natural position during storage to ensure it lasts for a long time. To save storage space in your facility, you can place the bed against a wall. However, gravity will eventually force your mattress’s inner workings toward one side, causing latex or memory foam to hunch over and coil support cores to collapse from the pressure.
To keep your mattress safe, place a tarp on your storage area and storing your mattress flat on it. You can also elevate your mattress with wooden pallets if you don’t want it to touch the ground. If your mattress cannot be stored flat, you can create an even surface with other furniture and then lay your mattress on it.
Although it is okay to store your mattress on top of furniture, you should not place household items on it. The constant pressure will cause your mattress’s foam layers and springs to fail.
There are other factors to consider how to store a mattress
These guidelines work for storage all types and sizes of mattresses. Various types of mattresses can make from different materials, so they require sundry care.
Type of mattress
This section will go over extra precautions you should take when storage each type of mattress specifically.
Memory Foam Mattress
When it comes to memory foam mattresses, the cleaning process is one of the most important factors to consider before storing them.
It would help if you did not use upholstery cleaners on foam mattresses. They are porous and can absorb liquid-based products. These cleaners seep through the mattress, so even though the surface may feel dry, moisture could still be present at the bottom. Mold and mildew can form if the mattress is not completely dried before it is placed.
Hybrid Mattress
Like memory foam, hybrid mattresses typically have foam comfort layers just beneath the mattress cover, so steer clear of upholstery cleaners, but most importantly, avoid storing other household items on top of the mattress.
Hybrid mattresses combine a pocketed coil support base with a memory foam or latex comfort layer. Under pressure, the coils and foam contract. The coils instantly spring back when we move. The mattress can also be rotated frequently to prevent wear from the repeated pressures of sleeping positions.
Important do not keep items on the top of the mattress during storage. Because you can’t rotate the mattress often in storage. If you will storing something on the top of the mattress the foam will eventually break down, and the coils will fall, creating soft, lumpy places.
Latex Mattress
Latex foam is made of sap from rubber trees. It is denser than other beds and heavier than others. Although durable, latex mattresses were not designed to sustain their weight, so laying them in their intended position during storage is critical.
The upright side of a latex mattress will fall toward the bottom if you keep it up on one side. The foam will begin to deteriorate, and the mattress will sink toward one side.
Innerspring Mattress
You should pay particular attention to how you transport innerspring mattresses.
Innerspring beds aren’t as flexible as memory or latex foam mattresses. The mattress could be bent slightly during transport, which could cause one or more coils to break through the mattress cover or weaken them, causing damage to the support system.
For innerspring mattress should have plenty of space to be transported in its original position.
How can you store box springs safely?
Store box springs and mattress foundations the same way you store your mattress. The bed base should be vacuumed from the top, bottom, and sides. Next, use baking soda or upholstery cleaner to clean the mattress foundation. Protect the box springs like your mattress by covering them with plastic and using a covered vehicle for transportation.
If you assume that box springs will be stored in the same storage unit that your mattress makes sure it is temperature-controlled. You can also avoid over-exerting the springs by placing your bed base flat rather than on one side. To save space, you can place your mattress on top of the box springs.
How can you store a wooden frame bed?
Before storing your wooden bed frame, dust it off. You can clean your wooden bed frame with a vacuum, a duster, or a dry cloth. Water with vinegar, or antibacterial cleaners, such as dish soap, will disinfect it. After cleaning the frame, let it dry, and then apply wood polish to seal in the moisture. Your frame will not crack or dry out if it is moistened.
To make it easier to transport and save space, clean and polish the wooden frame. You can make future repairs easier by storing any bolts, nuts, or screws in a Ziploc bag and then attaching it to your headboard. Protect the wood by covering it with old blankets or moving pads. Plastic wrap should be avoided as it can cause condensation due to the trapped moisture. This could lead to mildew or mold growth in storage. To prevent the wood from rotting, you can also use a climate control storage unit.
Is it possible to roll up and storing a mattress before you use it again?
You may have wondered if your bed arrived in a compressed, rolled-up box.
Mattress companies have special machines to compress and roll mattresses safely. You can easily damage the mattress layers and reduce its support if you try to compress and roll it yourself for self-storage. It is difficult to maintain the natural position of your mattress in storage, but it will protect it from wear.
Is it possible for a mattress to become infested by bed bugs?
Storage companies take precautionary measures to ward off pests like bed bugs, but they are not always avoidable. Bed bugs can sneak into storage unit through cracks in doors and furniture. You can use a plastic cover to protect your mattress against these pests. You can ensure the mattress’s protection by inspecting it after transport for any openings. You can seal any cracks with packing tape.
Is it okay to transport a mattress on its side?
Storing a mattress on its side for more than a few weeks or months can cause structural damage to a mattress. It is not possible to cause damage by simply transporting a mattress on its side from one place to another for a few minutes or hours in a moving truck. Make sure you lay the bed flat when you put it in storage.
Conclusion
You or a loved one will likely use the bed in the future if you make the effort to store it. You can take several steps to make sure it stays in perfect condition until then.
For instance, cleaning the bed before self-storage, placing the mattress in plastic to protection, choosing a climate-controlled storage space, and storing it flat will keep even an old mattress in good shape. These steps can be done with care, paying attention to your mattress type and specific needs.
It is not an easy task to transport and store a mattress, but it will give you peace of mind and be beneficial over time.
