How To Blow Up An Air Mattress Without A Pump

If you want to know how to blow up an air mattress without a pump, we will teach you how to utilize two everyday household items to do the job for you! It would be useful to learn if your pump is broken or if you happen not to have one and you need to inflate your mattress. While they still require electricity like an electric pump, they make useful alternatives if you don’t have the latter at hand. 

You don’t have to immediately consider blowing the mattress yourself because a vacuum and a leaf blower can inflate an air bed! We’ll also talk about some tricks to make the process quick and smooth. So without further ado, here is a pump-free way of inflating an air bed!

how to blow up an air mattress without a pump

 

How To Blow Up An Air Mattress Without A Pump Using Household Items

 

Using a vacuum

The first and perhaps most popular household item you can use to inflate an air bed is the vacuum cleaner. Understandably, you might be confused about how it will work to blow up your mattress since vacuum cleaners suck air. However, some models in the market come with a reverse mode and hose attachment. 

Instead of sucking air, these vacuum cleaners will exhaust out air, and you can use the hose attachment as you would a pump. To begin, ensure that you have removed the dirt container before using it to inflate the mattress. Run the vacuum for 10 seconds and replace the nozzle with something smaller to match the mattress valve. 

You can also skip the nozzle and simply attach the hose to the valve with an adapter or reinforce the connection with duct tape to keep the air from leaking. Once you’re sure that the link is sealed, select the lowest speed setting of the exhaust mode and increase as you inflate the bed. Fill your mattress to the required firmness, and then remove the vacuum to seal completely. 

 

Using a leaf blower

If you want something more straightforward, get your leaf blower out of the garage because its blowing feature can be useful for inflating an air mattress without a pump. Therefore, you can also use a snowblower as an air pump substitute because it has the same air-blowing mechanism. And what’s even better is you can use your vacuum hose to create a connection between the leaf blower and mattress valve securely.

Again, you want to start with the lowest setting and then gradually increase it as you fill your mattress. You also don’t want to overfill the bed to avoid putting stress on the seams. Once you’re done with the inflation, simply remove the hose from the valve and place the lid or cap of the valve back. 

 

Can You Use A Hair Dryer To Blow Up An Air Mattress?

If you have a smaller air mattress, you should successfully inflate it with a hairdryer. However, you can also expect that it won’t be as smooth as using something more powerful like a vacuum cleaner’s exhaust feature. For one, the connection between the hairdryer and the valve will be more prone to leaks because you can’t use an adapter like in a vacuum cleaner, and the hair dryer’s outlet is big. 

A useful way to make the air outlet of the hairdryer more complementary to the air bed’s valve is to wrap the former with a paper sheet to create a cone. Once you’re sure that no air will escape during blowing, select the heat-free or the cool setting of your hairdryer since heat can damage the mattress. It’s also why you should be mindful of continuously using this method because hairdryers tend to heat up after a while.

 

Can I Fill An Air Mattress With Water?

While it’s possible to blow up an air mattress without a pump, it’s still a lot of work. Won’t it be much quicker if you just use water? Before you go with this wild idea of yours, please stop. 

Water and air have different properties, and replacing air with water in an air mattress will only damage the material. You can test the theory, and the air bed will indeed restore its form. However, you risk mold growth because of the moisture. 

Furthermore, filling an air bed with water is asking too much for the seams. When you lie on an air bed filled with water, it’s more than likely to tear at the seams and, before you know it, have you a river in the room. Remember that water does not compress like air, which means it won’t support your weight successfully. 

 

Conclusion

Did you lost your air pump, and you need to inflate your air bed? You have two common household items to learn how to blow up an air mattress without a pump. First, check if your vacuum cleaner has a reverse mode to produce air and not suck it.

Find the right adapter for the hose to attach to the mattress valve, and you should blow up the bed without issues. You can also use a leaf blower using the same mechanism and ensuring a safe connection to the mattress valve. Once you filled your air bed, remove the hose, and that’s it!