You should know how to vacuum seal a mattress in three steps because it’s the safest way to pack or store a mattress. We will also talk about some tips to apply to avoid damaging the material as you compress it. But why should you bother vacuum sealing your bed?
For one, it makes the mattress less bulky for more comfortable transport and storage. It will also keep the mattress protected from damages or dirt. However, the emphasis is necessary on checking with your manufacturer if they recommend this practice as some may void your warranty.
How To Vacuum Seal A Mattress At Home
Step #1. Bag the mattress
To start, you want to remove all the accessories on your mattress and then put it in a mattress bag. A helpful tip to ensure that you’re getting the right size bag is to check the dimensions. A king-size mattress bag would be ideal for a king-size mattress, but remember that some brands might have different sizes from the standard dimensions.
If you have trouble bagging your mattress, stand it to a wall and place the bag on top. Then, you can slide it down to fully cover the bed. Seal the bag using the zipper and reinforce the edges with duct tape.
This way, you can ensure that no air escapes during the vacuum sealing process. Up next, prepare the hole for the vacuum bag’s valve by placing the valve on the plastic cover to get the measurements you need to cut. Once done, you can put the valve through and tape the hole to keep everything airtight.
Step #2. Turn on the vacuum
At this point, you’ll turn on your vacuum cleaner after you attach the hose to the valve. You’ll notice that the mattress will compress as the air gets sucked by the vacuum. To avoid issues in this step, please check if the valve’s size matches the vacuum hose.
When you shop for the vacuum bag, make sure that the valve’s diameter matches the width of your hose. Otherwise, this step will be wasted since the seal is not reliable. When your mattress flattens, you also want to start rolling with the vacuum still on to finish the sealing.
Step #3. Finish
With your mattress flat horizontally on the ground, you’ll start rolling it to ensure that there is no excess air inside. The vacuum that’s still on will suck any remaining air, so you’ll end up with an airtight vacuum-sealed mattress. You’re finished rolling once your reach the other end of the bed.
Finally, secure the rolled mattress with ratchet straps. Place one in the middle and on both sides to keep the bed compressed regardless. You can also use these straps as the mattress’s handles for transporting the bed.
Are Vacuum-Packed Mattresses Any Good?
Did you know that you can also buy mattresses that are vacuum-sealed, to begin with? They are also called boxed mattresses or bed-in-a-box since they are compressed and sealed to fit inside a box for shipping. The smaller bulk is more convenient for portability, and some users note that the compression made the bed more comfortable.
Remember that when you compress a mattress, the material’s cell structure will change, and the foam’s overall feel loses resistance. The resulting bed feels softer, even when new, compared to regular mattresses that feel stiff upon arriving. However, compression can also crush the material and might deform the mattress.
If it is compressed for several weeks, the foam might fail to return to its proper structure. This depends on the overall quality of the product, so keep in mind the potential drawbacks. Nonetheless, vacuum-packed mattresses also have benefits as long as the foam won’t get deformed.
How Long Can A Mattress Stay Vacuum-Sealed?
If you vacuum-sealed your mattress, it also means that it will stay compressed and rolled until you unroll it. Always follow the recommendations on the label to know how long it should stay this way. Some materials like memory foam shouldn’t remain vacuum sealed longer than two weeks to avoid damaging the material.
But if you have a new mattress that came in a box, you have to open it within a week. This will also allow the bed to ventilate and adjust so that you can use it quicker. Remember that memory foam, for example, takes one to two days to finish expanding until you can experience its conforming characteristic satisfactorily.
How Do You Seal A Mattress For Storage?
The best way to seal a mattress for storage is to put it in the right-size mattress bag and cover the ends with duct tape. This will prevent holes and tears where dust, bugs, or moisture can enter and damage the material. Then, place your mattress somewhere with a stable environment since fluctuating humidity and temperature can encourage mold and mildew.
Conclusion
Do you need to transport or store your mattress? You can lessen its overall bulk by learning how to vacuum seal a mattress. Start by getting the bed bare and then put it in a mattress bag.
Make a hole for the valve and secure the attachment with the vacuum hose. At this point, you’ll just let the vacuum do the work. Finally, roll the mattress and secure it with ratchet straps.