How to flip a heavy mattress
To flip or not to flip a mattress is a much-debated topic in private residences as well as commercial settings. Some people put the question aside, as they don't know how to flip a heavy mattress over anyway.
This guide will settle the question, and will also show you the best way to turn a mattress to prolong its life and comfort factors, without injuring yourself!
Why change mattress positions?
One of the first questions should actually be, why would you even bother to flip mattresses? Particularly in hospitals, care homes and other places that source contract beds, where staff have enough work to do keeping on top of making them.
This is all connected to the primary reasons to invest in good quality, heavy-duty beds. Your aim is clearly to source a durable, well-engineered product, designed to help users benefit from a supportive, comfortable and healthy sleep pattern.
Periodically changing the mattress direction can in many cases prolong its life and ability to do its job brilliantly.
After saying that, not all mattresses should be flipped over. Or as the UK Sleep Foundation puts it: “The majority of modern mattresses are designed to be one-sided, meaning that their design is not conducive to flipping.”
That’s not to say you shouldn’t rotate it occasionally though, even if it's commercial mattresses manufactured with a specific ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ surface.
Both rotating and flipping mattresses over will compensate for the fact pressure can be concentrated in certain areas of the structure. This is usually due to the occupant’s weight, how they move in the night or where their hips and shoulders press in. Something as simple as regularly sitting on the edge of a bed can start to impact the mattress over time too.
Rotating or turning double-sided mattresses enables the carefully engineered components inside to ‘reset’ and continue to work hard efficiently to provide even support.
Keep in mind that cheap mattresses can't ‘reset’ and will simply start to sag, punch out springs or generally distort. No amount of turning or flipping can sort a poorly-made mattress out!
Product: Natural Supreme 5000 Mattress
Tips on how to flip a heavy mattress
Some high-quality mattresses for commercial purposes are specifically created to work well both ways up. Periodically turning this sort of product can prolong its life substantially beyond the lifecycle of a standard mattress with a specific top layer.
We have already established that there are advantages to turning your mattress over or around. However, it can be tricky to complete that task. Especially knowing how to flip a heavy mattress on your own.
It is possible to do it safely and with relative ease when you follow our heavy mattress turning tips.
Check the manufacturer’s instructions
This is logical but worth emphasising. Check the label on the mattress to see if it comes with any special instructions. Including a recommendation to keep it one-side-up. You can also search online for product specifications that help you care for and maintain your particular heavy-duty beds and mattresses.
Two people if possible
Turning or flipping a large, thick or heavy mattress is usually a two-person activity. This helps to avoid muscle strains and falls if you inadvertently stray from the mattress turning techniques below. However, if you follow the next steps in how to flip a heavy mattress, you may be able to do it solo.
Clear space around the bed
This too is common sense but important enough for us to issue a reminder. You are going to need considerable room to manoeuvre, and some initial prep can ensure that nothing nearby gets damaged or impedes your task.
Get the bed in a good position
If possible, ease the bed into a good spot for mattress flipping or turning. There's a chance the bed frame is going to move as you do this activity, so make sure it doesn’t bang into anything and become damaged (or cause damage).
Handles help!
Once you’ve stripped the bed, you will be able to see if you have a heavy-duty mattress with handles. These can help with the flip and turn process a great deal. If there are no handles, place hands beneath as you pull and manoeuvre, rather than grabbing handfuls of the mattress cover.
Product: Memory Comfort Mattress
Slide the mattress to an edge
Manoeuvring the mattress away from a headboard, wall or some other obstacle can provide you with enough room to make this activity simpler. If the mattress is slid to be about a third off the bed structure, it makes it a seamless motion to hoist it carefully onto its side.
Choose a direction
The next step in how to flip a heavy mattress depends on what you’re trying to achieve. If you are turning it completely over, then ease the mattress back down to make the previous bottom surface, the top.
If you are rotating the mattress, you should be able to swivel it to reverse its previous direction.
It is possible to do both a flip and turn, with two sets of hands.
No head room manoevre
If you are restricted by low ceilings or overhead equipment and structures, you may need to slide the mattress partially off the bed, pull it up, then do a fold and flip motion. Be careful that the heavy mattress doesn’t hit you as it ‘kicks’ out to its new position.
Adjustments to complete mattress flips
When you lower the mattress down into the direction you want it to go, you may find it is slightly off centre. It’s important to take time to gentle manoeuvre it into a clear alignment with the bed frame. This ensures there is no bunching, overhanging or under-pressure areas of the mattress.
Buy a mattress to flip, that’s not a flop!
Buying sturdy adult bunk beds, hospital beds and other beds for residential facilities such as hotels and hostels will no doubt lead to finding ways to optimise your investment.
That starts with using a supplier of high quality reinforced beds that match specific purposes. Then, ensuring any tasks needed to erect or install a specialist bed are carried out according to manufacturers instructions. Finally, knowing how to flip a heavy mattress, or at least rotate it, can add to the durability and efficiency of your purchases.
For every step of that, you need The Reinforced Bed Company, to be sure you get a ‘flipping’ great bed at the best price.