Knowing how to roll a mattress is easy and straightforward with the use of ratchet straps. We’ll talk about some tricks to ensure that you won’t damage the material when rolling. And if you’re dealing with memory foam, you can also learn how to roll when you compressed it.
Rolling the mattress is a valuable skill to have because you’ll eventually do it when moving or storing your bed. However, we like to emphasize the importance of checking your mattress tag. Should you fold or roll your bed?
How To Roll A Mattress At Home
Use straps
Rolling is generally more preferred than folding when transporting or storing the bed. However, we still like to remind you that the best way to keep your bed is to lay it flat. You also want to check the manufacturer’s recommendation if you can roll the mattress in the first place.
To save space and lessen the bulk of the mattress, you need to compress it first before rolling. Then, start rolling from one end to another and secure it with ratchet straps. You may also want to have a piece of fabric between the mattress and the straps to keep them from digging in the material.
The straps should be snug before you place the rolled mattress in its corresponding bag. We recommend that you also put the bed in a box when moving it as additional protection. Again, please keep your mattress rolled for only a short period to ensure that you can maintain its materials’ integrity.
What about memory foam mattresses?
Memory foam beds should be handled with extra care when rolling. More so, this foam’s very characteristic, which is to return to its proper structure after being applied with pressure, can make rolling trickier. Our advice?
Have someone help you at the other end when you start rolling. This would make it easier, especially when dealing with a larger-size bed. You also want to compress the mattress with the vacuum on.
Then, roll forward until you reach the vacuum while still pushing down to keep it compressed. The vacuum ensures that no air remains inside the bag. Once done, secure the mattress on both ends by having the strap underneath the roll and then pull it tightly using the ratchet at the top.
Can You Refold A Memory Foam Mattress?
Some manufacturers allow folding of their memory foam beds but only for a short time. Typically, this is common for mattresses with boundaries in the middle for folding, but never in thick mattresses. You can quickly move through tight spaces like stairs when you have your bed folded.
However, we don’t recommend this position for an extended period because it can encourage creases. You might even risk not having the material pop back up to its actual shape.
Should you fold a memory foam mattress back in the box?
If you want to have the mattress back to its box, we recommend having it rolled than folded. You are probably trying to recreate how it got shipped to you, but note that the manufacturer used a factory-grade machine to compress it. More so, you don’t want to lose the foam’s overall feel by folding the layers that make it.
How mattress-in-a-box works
Nowadays, manufacturers come up with bed-in-a-box models. From the name itself, these mattresses arrive at your doorstep inside a box. You can’t recreate this technique because they use automated compression technology on the memory foam.
More so, you had already allowed the foam to regain its original shape when you used it. Using the typical way to compress a memory foam bed with a vacuum can only have the bed to a particular compression level. The safest way to ensure that you won’t get your mattress damaged and develop lumps or creases is by rolling it instead of folding it.
How Long Before You Can Sleep On A Rolled Mattress?
Depending on the specific product you have, you can use an unrolled mattress after 24 hours. However, you must allow it to finish expanding and off-gassing first to get the ideal sleep. The memory foam may not reach its proper shape yet, so you might not feel the mattress’s promised conformability.
Besides, memory foam has to finish off-gassing to have the chemical smell fully dissipate. Please check if your mattress is CetiPUR-US certified to guarantee that it’s free from harmful chemicals. Some people might also be more sensitive to the smell than others.
It would be best to use your mattress after 48 hours or according to the brand’s recommendation. However, you can hasten the break-in period by applying pressure to the mattress. Use this as your adjustment period, and be sure to ventilate the bed to allow the chemical odor to disappear.
Conclusion
Do you need to move your bed? Then you must know how to roll a mattress correctly. It’s as easy as rolling from one end to the other and then securing the mattress with ratchet straps.
Still, we advocate having the mattress laid flat during transport or storage. You can have it rolled for a short period, but you don’t want to keep it in that form for too long to avoid developing creases and dents.