If you’re an avid camper, you probably agree with me when I state that the most comfortable bedding item hands down has to be the humble air mattress. I’m one of the lucky ones. I still recall being introduced to the whole experience of camping for the first time as a child. My parents had a reputation for being adventurists with their friends. They came prepared and had already purchased a miniature air bed for me.
From then on, I can honestly say that I can’t remember going on a camping trip in which I have not had my handy air bed in tow. But there was one tip that my parents never told me. And that was How To Raise An Air Mattress Off The Floor.
If you want to learn how to find a hole in your Air Mattress, check out this article. If you have never done so, expect an earth-shattering experience.
Air mattress benefits.
Air mattresses are popular because they are so easy to transport. They are only cumbersome once you unpack and inflate them. They are considered durable to dirt, dust, and surface knocks.
Unfortunately, there is one glaring vulnerability to the air mattress, that is that it’s all too easy to puncture or cut its surface. You only have to go to sleep with a pen or a paperclip and wake up to a sore back and a flat air bed to know how fragile it is.
To avoid this experience and save your back, the first obvious step we recommend is to inflate the air mattress fully. After that, the next step should be to Raise the Air Mattress Up Off The Floor.
Methods to raise an air mattress off the floor.
How to raise an air mattress off the floor is an easy solution, just visit your local hardware store.
The process of raising an air bed is far more interesting than you realize. This is because there are so many different approaches for you to take, for instance:
Frames.
This is one of the more straightforward methods of raising an air mattress because it involves the use of frames. You can find them in any number of stores. But you need to apply caution when selecting them.
Consider the material.
Typical framing materials from your local hardware store will be timber and metal frame. If you are going to attempt to make your air bed frames, I suggest you try and replicate Futon bed frames. Simply put, Futon frames are made with utility in mind and are purposely constructed to be folded up and transported easily.
However, you could just skip the inconvenience of a do it yourself project and buy a mattress bed frame. A single fold up bed frame should do the trick.
Just be aware that if you’re going to buy a frame, make sure to scrutinize its edges and corners.
You will want to make sure that A, its dimensions will fit your air mattress. And B, that the manufactured framed doesn’t have any sharp objects that can pierce your air mattress.
Plywood.
How to raise an air mattress off the floor, with a plywood bed air mattress frame of course.
If you want a simple solution and don’t want the bells and whistles of a air mattress frame, then laying down plywood for your air mattress to rest on might be the solution for you.
The plywood method is usually implemented as a protective measure. Also, plywood will only lift the air mattress off the ground by 1 inch.
But if it only takes an inch between your $100 air mattress being damaged or not, it’s well worth it.
One concern by having a plywood layer between your air mattress and the ground is the threat of timber rot. An easy workaround you can apply is to wrap the plywood in a water-resistant material like a tarp if you want to go above and beyond.
What you can do is place the plywood on bed frames (that you constructed or purchased in the step above) before laying the air mattress on top of it. This gives you double the protection.
Box Spring.
While frames and plywood are simple enough to use, a box spring might be the most convenient option for some of you, especially if you cannot access plywood or frames.
Box springs are straightforward. It’s a simple matter of placing the air mattress on the box spring. Naturally, because air mattresses are a little more delicate than a foam mattress. You’re going to want to protect them from the damage that the box spring might cause.
You will need somewhat of a protective barrier to lie between the air mattress and the box springs. The solution for this is to lie plywood over the box springs and then place the air mattress on top.
The plywood will prevent the sharpness of the Box Springs from cutting up the mattress. Leaving you with a springier jumping castle experience.
Reasons for raising your air mattress off the floor.
For many, raising an air bed probably sounds like an unnecessary time and money-wasting activity. A task better left to those with nothing better to do. But that thinking is wrong.
People raise their air mattresses because it benefits them in the long run, benefits such as the following:
Longevity.
This is the primary reason why people raise their air mattresses. It allows them to last longer. A floor is a dangerous place for a thin layered air mattress.
The cleanest floor can still harbor anything from pins to needles and jagged rocks. An air mattress resting on the ground has a higher chance of being snagged and punctured. Raising it protects the mattress from such dangers.
Posture.
A raised air mattress is better placed to support your posture. Poor sleeping posture can lead to issues like joint pain, migraines, and lower back pain.
A person that sleeps on an elevated air mattress doesn’t strain as much as someone that is sleeping on the floor.
Comfort.
An elevated sleeping surface is merely more comfortable than a non-elevated one. Just ask people that sleep on camping tent cots. Your body is more relaxed when it is lying on a surface that has been raised from the ground. You can expect this same comfort from a raised air mattress.
Also, you are going to have more peace of mind knowing that on a raised platform. You are away from creepy crawlies that scurry and feed on the crumbs left on the floor.
Hygiene.
Raising your air mattress will keep it clean. Tents will eventually start to get sand, dirt, and occasionally mud walked into them no matter how hard you try to keep it contained. An air mattress lying directly against the floor will need more frequent washing. This is because it attracts and accumulates dirt at a much faster pace than off ground mattresses.
Deflation.
An air mattress that is in direct contact with the floor will deflate at a faster rate than one that has separation.
Increased deflation is due to the clash of contrasting temperatures of the ground and its internal air temperature.
Conclusion.
While the methods listed above are the most effective ways of raising an air mattress, there are numerous other approaches that you can experiment with depending on your means and the tools you have on hand.
Regardless of the method you choose, you must raise your mattress. This is the only way to protect it adequately and yourself.
