How to Storage a Mattress
Mattresses aren’t cheap, and there’s no reason to toss a good one in the trash just because you don’t need it. Knowing how to store a mattress can become necessary at any point. Whether your living situation changes, you’re decluttering your home, or you can’t bring yourself to throw away a perfectly good mattress just because you upgraded and got a new one, storing a mattress correctly can extend its life.
Unfortunately, you can’t just toss a mattress in a storage unit and leave it there. Storing furniture means taking the time to protect it from the elements, fluctuations in temperature, pests, and dirt.
Keep reading to learn the best way to store a mattress so it remains just as clean and comfortable as the last time you used it.
1. Clean Your Mattress
Cleaning your mattress will ensure it’s 100% clean and bacteria, dust, and dirt-free before you store it so you can use it immediately after you take it out of storage. However, cleaning your mattress doesn’t just make it more convenient to use when you need it again; it prevents bacteria, mold, and mildew growth.
Mattresses are typically made of foam and other materials that attract and trap moisture. If you don’t clean your mattress before storing it, moisture trapped in it could become a breeding ground for bacteria and promote mold growth, making it unusable.
Luckily, you can clean a mattress at home with a few simple household items: baking soda and a vacuum. Once you’ve stripped your mattress, you can sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on it to absorb moisture and odors. You can let it sit for as long as you like to ensure it’s done its job, but at a minimum, aim to leave it on the mattress for at least a half hour.
Then, you can take your vacuum and vacuum the baking soda before letting your mattress air out for a few hours. If you have any stains on your mattress, you can address those with baking soda, dish soap, white vinegar, or laundry detergent. However, if you get your bed wet, let it fully dry before continuing to the next steps.
2. Wrap Your Mattress
One of our favorite tips for packing smarter is wrapping your furniture and other items prone to dust, dampness, and pests.
Wrapping your mattress will ensure it stays clean in transport and while in your storage unit. Since dirt and moisture can accumulate anywhere, keeping your mattress wrapped will help prevent deterioration and pest damage. The best way to wrap your mattress is with some type of cloth. It’s usually best to avoid plastic because it can trap moisture if any happens to enter.
If you must wrap a mattress in plastic, find a light and breathable plastic that won’t trap any moisture that enters. You can also use household items like old sheets duct-taped together to create your own mattress bag.
3. Find a Storage Solution
After you’ve prepped your mattress for storage, the next step is to find a storage option. You can store the item in your home, which means having extra space available. Usually, the best option is to rent a storage unit to store all your personal belongings, including your mattress and other furniture.
Storage units prevent clutter in your home and offer features like climate control to reduce the humidity that can lead to mold, mildew, and odors.
You can store your mattress in your basement or garage, but we don’t recommend it. Learning how to store a mattress in a garage takes extra care because people are moving in and out of it all day, which increases the risk of dirt, mold, and mildew if it’s not taken care of properly.
4. Store Your Mattress Flat
Understanding how to store a mattress in a storage unit can be challenging. Most people want to store it against a wall to save space. Organizing your storage unit will help you maximize your space, but many people make the mistake of storing their mattresses vertically. While this might help you save space, it can be detrimental to your mattress. Mattresses should be stored flat to prevent lumps, bumps, and deformations that make the mattress uncomfortable.
You should also never store items on top of a mattress because they can cause indentations and prevent the materials from being able to breathe.
Mattress Storage FAQs
What should you avoid when storing a mattress?
Storing a mattress may seem easy because they’re made of fabric and other materials that won’t break. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t be damaged. Here are a few things to avoid when storing your mattress:
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Don’t place your mattress on its side: Placing your mattress on its side can cause deformations, especially when storing it long-term. Your cushioning can be flattened or reshaped from constant pressure, causing lumps and bumps where you don’t want them.
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Don’t place your mattress on the ground: Placing your mattress on the ground makes it more likely to come into contact with pests, dirt, and moisture. Even if your mattress is wrapped, you should keep your mattress off the ground since small amounts of moisture can seep into the cover.
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Don’t place items on top of your mattress: Placing items on top of your mattress can cause lumps and bumps the same way your body does after years of use. Instead, your mattress should lay flat without anything on top of it.
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Don’t wrap your mattress in plastic: Wrapping a mattress in plastic can trap moisture. If moisture happens to seep in, it has no escape, making your mattress more prone to mildew and mold.
Do you need to store a mattress in a climate-controlled storage unit?
Using a climate-controlled storage unit for your mattress isn’t necessary, but it’s recommended since climate control features remove humidity from the air that can contribute to mildew and odors.
Can you fold a mattress for storage?
Most mattresses can’t be folded in half, but even if you could do it, you should never store your mattress folded. Keeping your mattress folded will create dents at the fold and shift the inner materials of your mattress.
How long can you store a mattress?
You can store a mattress for several years if necessary, but you should visit your unit regularly to clean, remove dust, and check on it to ensure no moisture is present. Improperly storing your mattress can cause serious irreparable damage that means it won’t be able to be used.
Wrapping Up: How to Store a Mattress
Storing a mattress properly can extend its life, but storing it improperly can cause serious damage or mold and mildew growth that affect your health if you sleep on it. With these tips, you can ensure your mattress is cared for for many years while in storage.
Key Storage offers many convenient storage locations and options to ensure you find the right solution for your mattress. We have climate-controlled options to ensure humidity and pests won’t cause damage, or for shorter-term storage, you can try our other units to protect your mattress and keep your home clutter-free.
