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Although the days of flipping mattresses are pretty much over thanks to the improved composition of modern mattresses, there are still some pretty major things you can do to help extend the life and long-term comfort of an old or new mattress.
Rotating your mattress on a set schedule is one of the easiest and most effective things you can do to extend its lifespan beyond warranty and ensure you always get a good night’s sleep.
Benefits Of Rotating A Mattress
When you buy a new mattress that is perfectly suited to your body weight and sleeping style, it will likely be the best mattress you’ve ever slept on.
As a result, you’ll want to preserve its comfort and support and ensure you have it for as many years as possible.
Rotating the mattress is one of the most important care tasks to perform regularly to ensure that your mattress is always performing at its best.
Let’s take a look at some of the most notable benefits of rotating a mattress on a regular schedule.
Prevent Indentations In The Top Layer
When you sleep on a mattress every night in the same place and same position, it will begin to lose its elasticity over time.
You’ll start to notice permanent indentations in the mattress, and they will appear more quickly the heavier you are.
Rotating your mattress will give these areas time to breathe and recover, so when it is time to rotate again, it will feel like a brand new mattress.
Even if you sleep with a partner and both sides of the mattress are used every night, rotating can still help prevent indentations and restless sleep.
Even Wear Of The Mattress
Even wear of the mattress is the number one reason why mattress companies recommend a regular rotation cycle.
Especially if you only sleep on one side of the mattress, or you sleep with a partner and have differing body weights, rotating a mattress will guarantee that one side of the bed does now give out before the other.
It will also contribute to better sleep and a longer lasting mattress overall.
Staves Off Back Pain
Rotating your mattress regularly will help ensure that your mattress is always capable of supporting your spine properly, no matter what kind of sleeper you are.
Poor spinal alignment can affect both your sleep quality and your pain level while you’re awake, so this is one benefit you don’t want to miss out on.
Joint pain can also be combated by frequent rotations since the contouring abilities of your mattress will always be at their best.
Do All Types of Mattresses Need To Be Rotated?
Mattress care does not vary much based on what type of mattress you own.
Every type of mattress can and should be rotated in order to ensure that you get maximum life out of it.
Every quality mattress, whether it comes from a brick-and-mortar store or as a bed in a box, will benefit from regular rotation.
Since the days of flippable mattresses are pretty much over, rotating a mattress, and your mattress topper if you have one, is the best way to keep a new bed free of wear and tear for as long as possible.
Even though your mattress type doesn’t matter too much, your room arrangement and bed frame type will affect how easy it is to rotate the mattress.
Nightstands and other obstacles from the foot of the bed should always be moved out of the way, and if you have a headboard and/or foot board, you’ll need a helper, especially if you have a heavy mattress.
Your box spring will also benefit from mattress rotation.
How Often Should A Mattress Be Rotated?
Whether you own an innerspring mattress, memory foam mattress, hybrid mattress, latex mattress, pillow top mattress, or any other type, your mattress should be rotated on a regular basis.
The recommendation is usually every three months for every mattress type, but the mattress manufacturer will usually have a timeline to offer you that indicates what your specific mattress needs.
A great way to remember to rotate your mattress is to line it up with holidays: New Years, April Fools, and 4th of July are a good start, and then you’ll just have to remember October 1st.
If holidays don’t work for you or you’d prefer a different schedule, just set a recurring reminder in your phone to alert you every three months.
Sticking to this schedule will also give you the opportunity to clean your mattress, wash the bedding, bed skirt, mattress protector, and any other items, as well as clean the area around the bed.
These things will also help extend the life of your bed and protect the integrity of its cushioning, durability, and hygiene.
Should I Flip My Mattress As Well?
Most mattresses are no longer candidates for flipping.
With intricate layering and newer material types, most mattresses are now referred to as one-sided mattresses.
This means they are designed to lay one way, with a bottom support layer, transition layer, and comfort layer on top.
You would not have a good sleeping experience if you flipped a mattress of that kind, and it would be pretty damaging for the mattress as well.
The only type of mattress that can be flipped is a traditional double-sided spring coil mattress.
This is because the mattress has the same composition no matter what side is facing up.
Flipping and rotating a traditional innerspring mattress will ensure it lasts as long as possible and that you wake up each day feeling rested.
Older innerspring mattresses tend to be quite uncomfortable, but flipping and rotating the mattress, especially if you only ever sleep on one side of the bed, will help you achieve your best sleep possible.
