A subtle issue not many people pay attention to is a sliding mattress. Your mattress moves when you sleep since you do as well. Some people may not even notice their mattress moving at night, so this can barely be considered an issue. But for those who do notice the movement and who have to refit it every morning or even during the night, it’s a big problem. So, here’s how to keep a mattress from sliding!
Mattress Basics
First, it’s best to take a look at some basic mattress features in order to determine what you’re paying attention to when you’re trying to solve the dilemma of shuffling beds.
— Mattress Size and Dimensions
Many people see Twin, Queen, and King, and immediately assume all things underneath this label go together. This, in fact, is not true. While mattresses can be called that same thing, their dimensions may differ by mere inches and make all the difference. It’s always important to cross-check dimensions yourself when buying a mattress, mattress frame, and bedding accessories.
Standard mattress sizes are as listed below:
- Twin Mattresses – 38” x 75” (XL – 38” x 80”)
- Full Mattresses – 54” x 75”
- Queen Mattresses – 60” x 80”
- King Mattresses – 76” x 80”
- California King Mattresses – 72” x 84”
— Mattress Materials
Here, we’re paying more attention to the cover materials than the actual interior of the mattress. These layers are referred to as the upholstery layers. There are three layers to the upholstery or ‘comfort’ layer; the insulator, the middle upholstery, and the quilt.
What covers the top of the mattress is the quilt, made from fibers or light foam. Fibers tend to be much cheaper, yet much smoother. Their grip, depending on the sourced material, isn’t always the best which can lead to shuffling at night when you move around.
It could be cotton, polyester, jacquard, silk, or any other fiber. Cotton and polyester are most commonly found, with the latter having better grip than the former.
Why Do Mattresses Slide Around?
The first step to finding a solution to your slipping and sliding mattress is to know why exactly it is sliding. There are a couple of common reasons, all of which we’ll be going over briefly with you below.
No Friction or Grip
One reason why your mattress doesn’t stay in place could be the lack of grip or friction between the frame and the mattress. This could either be due to a smooth mattress cover or smooth frame. If there is no friction, then the mattress is bound to move around at night.
Dual sided mattresses suffer the most in this area. Since both of their sides are suitable for sleeping on, they’re both considerably smoother. They don’t grip the frame as well as they should and therefore slip whenever you move around.
Frame is Too Large
This is probably the most common reason as not a lot of people pay attention to this; the frame is too large for your mattress. You should never assume so long as the mattress fits in the frame, it’s fine because this is where the problem stirs from. If there is shuffle room between the mattress and frame, then you can count on the mattress to shuffle.
Most frames which don’t have railing, a headboard, or a backboard also tend to be problematic. Mattresses tend to droop off the sides of these frames, misshaping and reforming the mattress into uncomfortable lumps.
A frame of the right size and dimensions is extremely important if you don’t want your mattress to slide around.
Old Mattress
Everything has a lifespan in which they serve their purpose until they can’t anymore. Mattresses have a lifespan of 7 years before they start to sag, become uncomfortable, and are no longer ideal to sleep on. The end of this lifespan can also lead to the mattress sliding around your frame as well.
This happens when the grip underneath the mattress has most probably worn out, and the mattress deflated from all the years of sleeping, tossing, and turning it’s encountered. Mattresses also absorb the dirt, dead skin, and bodily fluids they’re exposed to every night, which collect at the bottom of the mattress. This results in a slippery bottom that refuses to stay in one place.
Tips on How to Keep Your Mattress from Sliding
Now that you know why your mattress slips and slides at night, it’s time to find yourself a plausible solution that’ll help you sleep with ease throughout future nights.
Tip 1: Rubber Matting or a Non-Slip Pad
Rubber matting or non-slip pads are what you place underneath carpets and rugs to ensure they don’t slip when people walk over them, these pads can also be used underneath your mattress to keep it in place!
Rubber matting doesn’t make your sleep uncomfortable. In fact, you probably won’t even feel the matting at all! All you have to do is place it underneath your mattress to secure it to the frame and there is no more shuffling.
You can purchase a mat or pad in a large size, and then trim or cut it down to your desired size. If you sleep on a King or California King mattress, you may have to use two smaller mats together to keep it in place. Just be sure that the entire surface area of the bed frame and underbelly of your mattress are covered to keep it secured in place.
Tip 2: Velcro Strips
Another investment you can investigate are Velcro strips. There are two ways you can utilize them. First, there is the Hook and Loop method, in which you place one hook on the underside of the mattress and the loop on the frame. This will keep the two secured to one another and prevent them from slipping.
The second method is to place a Velcro strip extending from the foot of the mattress and frame to the head of the mattress and frame. This will also keep your mattress in place.
If you can’t find Velcro strips, then double-sided carpet tape is an alternative solution, though it’s not as reliable as Velcro strips nor does it last as long.
Tip 3: Vacuum the Bottom of the Mattress
We have already mentioned that debris, dirt, and dead skin tend to collect on your mattress, making their way to the bottom of the bed. In order to prevent this from collecting, you can vacuum your mattress’s bottom.
The optimum solution is to not only vacuum it, but deodorize it as well. First, you’ll need to flip the mattress over so the underside is on top. Go over the mattress once briefly with your upholstered vacuum brush to remove larger, solid chunks.
Now it’s time to coat the surface with an even layer of baking soda and let it sit for a couple of hours. If you want to induce a pleasant scent as well, combine your baking soda with essential oils beforehand.
Once you’ve allowed the baking soda to sit, vacuum it off thoroughly to leave no debris behind. You can do this on both the top and the bottom of the mattress for best results.
Tip 4: Assess the Bed Frame
The bed frame, as mentioned before, is one of the most common problems which many people overlook. There are two ways to go about fixing this error. You can either choose to temporarily fix it, or find a more permanent solution.
The short-term solution involves filling up the gaps. If you know where the mattress shuffles, then place a wooden plank or rolled-up towel in between the frame and mattress to prevent it from moving. You’ll have to keep readjusting these, however, as they’ll lose shape and firmness overtime.
The long-term solution is to purchase a new bed frame. This time, be sure to match the inner dimensions of the frame with your mattress’s actual dimensions, so there is little to no shuffle room at all. Try to find a frame which offers railing and edge support, a headboard, and a footboard. These will keep your mattress from moving too much or completely sliding off the foundation.
You might want to read: How to Make Your Bed: Fast and Efficient
Conclusion
Sliding mattresses never seem like an immense issue at first, but the more nights you have to deal with it, the more of a nuisance it becomes. Rather than learning to cope with it, consider finding a solution that’ll make sleeping easier for you.
Find a way to stop the shuffling with one of our solutions given above or one of your own! If you do know of any solutions we haven’t covered, be sure to include them in the comments below, and share this article with others who have sliding mattresses so they can sleep easier too! And be sure to check out our other awesome tips like the best sheets for your bed.
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