Should You and Can You Flip Your Mattress

Should you and can you flip your mattress? Well, you can, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Most mattresses these days aren’t designed to be flipped, and doing so could damage them or make them rather uncomfortable to sleep on. A mattress rotation, though, is something most people will want to do with some regularity, and it’s recommended to do so at least bi-annually.

Rotating your mattress can extend its lifespan and help prevent indentations and sagging from uneven wear.

There are a small number of mattresses that can be flipped, but these must be constructed with comfort layers on either side of the support layers.

Due to modern advancements in mattress technology, manufacturing processes, and the materials used, the majority of mattresses made are designed to have a designated top side that features a number of different foam comfort layers, which makes flipping unnecessary and counterproductive to personal comfort. These would include pillowtop innerspring mattresses,  hybrids such as the Serta iComfort Eco Hybrid S50, and many memory foam and latex mattresses from top brands like Tempurpedic, Sealy and Posh + Lavish.

Are You Supposed To Flip Your Mattress

If I flip my mattress, will it feel better? The primary reason that most mattresses should not be flipped is that many of today’s mattresses feature a variety of comfort layers on the top because they are designed to be softer and cradle your body better than the firm layers underneath that exist to support your body and keep your spine correctly aligned. These lighter, less-dense foams on top also allow for better airflow so that flipping the mattress could make you feel noticeably warmer due to the denser material being closer to the heat source – your (hopefully) snoozing body

In addition to the thermal issues you may face, having the firmer layers on the surface will create painful pressure points and uneven weight distribution and give you an all-around unsatisfactory feel. Hybrid mattresses and their complicated network of innerspring coils can even become damaged from being turned over, voiding any manufacturer warranty that you may have. Mattresses that are one-sided are typically made of higher-quality materials than their two-sided cousins and feature twice the amount of body-hugging comfort layers closer to the surface to provide the most comfortable experience for the sleeper.

How Often Should You Flip Your Mattress?

If you do have a mattress that is two-sided and can be flipped, it’s recommended that you flip it multiple times per year. While the flippable mattresses of yesteryear were primarily innerspring, today, there are flippable mattresses available in latex, memory foam, and hybrid. Some of them have two different firmness options on either side.

If you have a natural fiber bed, you should try to flip your mattress a couple of times a week during the first couple of months to help the fibers settle in evenly.

If you sleep on the mattress every night, you should flip it more often than if it’s in a guest room, an RV, or a boat mattress. Flipping your mattress won’t be the same as a brand new mattress, and if your mattress is seven years old, it’s probably time to look at getting a replacement. The knowledgeable sleep specialists at Mattress World Northwest are familiar with the wide array of mattresses from top manufacturers today and can help give you advice on how to choose a new mattress.

How Often Should You Rotate Your Mattress?

Rotating your mattress means that you will leave it with the same side facing up but rotated 180 degrees so that your head is lying on the part where your feet were lying prior to rotating it. This will help smooth out any uneven wear. Mattresses can develop indentations underneath the parts of your body that cause more pressure, such as your hips and shoulders, and, if you co-sleep, underneath the heavier sleeper. Most mattresses, including split-head mattresses such as the Tempurpedic Pro Adapt, should be rotated at least twice per year.

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How To Move A Mattress

Moving a mattress can be tricky, especially the larger sizes like king and queen. Other factors that can provide difficulty are smaller room sizes and whatever furniture in the room that you need to navigate around. Some mattresses are equipped with handles; if your mattress has these, be sure to use them to make the mattress rotating easier.

Flipping Mattress

• Step 1: Remove everything from the mattress, sheets, duvet, mattress cover, etc. Toss these items in the wash to ensure a fresh, clean bed.
• Step 2: Clear a space for the mattress to sit on the floor and remove all smaller objects and furniture around the bed (lamps, knickknacks, side tables, tie-up curtains, etc.).
• Step 3: Flip the mattress: Slide the mattress down to the floor so that it’s resting on one of its edges. If you have a small room, rotate it vertically; if you have more floor space, horizontally will be easier. Spin it around so that the previous bottom side is now facing away from the bed. Inch it back toward the bed and tip it back onto the foundation.
• Step 4: Pull it into place, making sure that the edges are perfectly in line with the foundation so they can be properly supported.
• Step 5: Put on clean bedding.
• Step 6: Sleep like a baby.

Rotating Mattress

• Step 1: Strip the mattress of all linens, pillows, and blankets, then throw them in the wash.
• Step 2: Clear the area around your bed of breakable items like lamps, decor, smaller furniture, and even picture frames.
• Step 3 Rotate the mattress by simply sliding it around on the base 180 degrees.
• Step 4: Tug the mattress into place, lining it up as best as possible with the foundation to add stability to the edges.
• Step 5: Dig some clean bedding out from the linen closet or wait for the laundry.
• Step 6: Sweet dreams!

Mattress Flipping Doesn’t Make A Mattress Last Longer

Mattress flipping isn’t going to make your mattress feel brand new. If you feel like your mattress isn’t supporting your body as well as it used to, you might be tempted to flip it. But it isn’t quite the easy fix that you might think, and whether they are two-sided or one, all mattresses break down over a number of years and won’t be able to provide you with the comfort and support that they used to.

Some of the signs of an aging mattress are pain and fatigue upon waking, visible indentations after a period of non-use, and a sinking feeling when lying on it. Due to the way most mattresses are manufactured now, mattress flipping is largely an outdated practice, and the vast majority of mattresses made in the past 20 years are one-sided pillow tops, hybrids, memory foam, or latex mattresses. Therefore, you should always ask either your sales associate or the mattress manufacturer whether you are supposed to flip your mattress to avoid potentially damaging your product when doing so.

If you have one of the few that can be flipped, go right ahead! Rotating your mattress is something that you should do, and for larger mattresses it’s easier to accomplish with help. If you think your mattress is no longer living up to its fullest potential, the sleep specialists at Mattress World Northwest can help you decide if it’s time to look into a replacement and show you personalized options for your lifestyle and needs. We have 25 locations in the Portland Metro area for our customers to come try before they buy and an online store with sleep specialists ready to chat. Mattress World Northwest wants you to be sure you’re making the right choice when it comes to your sleep, and sometimes, it takes time to bond with a new mattress, so we offer a 90-day comfort guarantee to all of our customers.