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How can you sleep a wink when you have a mattress that’s dancing all over your bed frame all night long? When you move, your mattress shouldn’t. If you’re unfortunate enough to have a sliding mattress problem, there are seven easy solutions you can do to stop it and they are either free or don’t cost much to apply. These are tips that actually work and that will give you good restorative sleep.
Prevent Your Mattress From Sliding
We have compiled a list of seven quick tips for you on how to keep a mattress from sliding. Depending on your situation, you may use just one or maybe even a couple of these solutions, all of which include adding friction between the mattress and the support structure (slats or a platform).
- Non-slip mattress pads. These pads are specifically made to prevent a sliding mattress. They are not expensive and most come in the standard mattress sizes, such as the Queen or Twin XL. If you like things done properly, a non-slip pad is the way to go.
- Rubber rug pad or carpet tape. You’ll also easily solve the problem by simply using materials that are designed to keep a carpet or an area rug in place. A rubber pad adds friction, is super thin, and will not be much different than a non-slip pad for mattresses. It will work even if it’s not the exact size of the mattress. Just place it in the middle of the bed frame. As for the double-sided carpet tape, it will also do the job well, but you need to be careful about its placement. If you’re using a fitted sheet with elasticized ends, you may inadvertently cover the carpet tape.
- Rubber mat for exercise. Exercise rubber mats are excellent and could be the fastest solution because a lot of households have at least one of them lying around. Just like a rubber rug pad, it can be smaller than a mattress and still keep it from sliding, but two placed side by side would be ideal if you don’t want to risk any bed sliding. If a mat is a bit longer than the mattress, you can just let it rise up against the head and foot part of the mattress.
- Velcro strips (hook and loop strips). If you have some sticky velcro tape at home, it’s enough to attach the hook side along the top and bottom sides of the mattress and the loop side at the same places on the bed frame. This will give your mattress a good grip and will stop it from moving around.
- Mattress stoppers. There’s a wide variety of products designed to be installed onto a bed frame to prevent a mattress from sliding – corner kits, tiny gaskets that hold the mattress on all sides, retainer bars, railing systems, and many more. They all work well, with some being super easy to install by simply putting them in the right place, and others requiring some screwdriver skills.
- Mattress extenders or gap fillers. If mattress slipping occurs because you have a too-small mattress for the frame, you can get a mattress extender. The good news is, you can probably find one that’s as long as you need it to be and as tall as your mattress because they make extenders in a variety of sizes. Just pop one into the gap and you’re good to go. Rolling up blankets and stuffing them into the extra space is a good quick fix.
- Vacuuming. Here’s an easy solution. Your mattress might be so old and dirty that there’s a lot of dust and that’s why it slides. It’s not very likely that this is the case except in extreme situations, but still, it’s a good idea to vacuum the bottom of the mattress first and see if that does it. Maybe you won’t need that non-slip mattress pad after all. Also, if you have an old box spring, vacuum its surface as well.
Prevent Mattress From Sliding on a Box Spring
The best solution for a mattress sliding on a box spring is either one of the rubber matting or rubber padding options or Velcro strips.
Prevent Mattress From Sliding on a Platform Bed
Platform beds usually have wood planks that don’t offer much friction, so to fix that you can utilize a simple exercise mat or carpet tape. No need to go with thick gorilla grip mats, just a simple non-slip mat that covers a good portion of the platform bed. Other than that, you can put Velcro tape on the top and bottom portion of the mattress you’re using on your platform bed or install one of the mattress retainers.
Prevent Mattress From Sliding on a Metal Bed Frame
You can keep a mattress from sliding on a metal bed frame by attaching some gaskets or retainer bars, but it would probably be easier to use a non-slip pad or a yoga mat.
Keep Mattress From Sliding on a Bed Skirt
Bed skirts can make normal beds super slippery when they are made of soft material. If that’s the case with you, use some foam rubber matting, either a mat made specifically to prevent mattresses from sliding or one of the yoga/exercise pads. Since bed skirts serve the purpose of making the bed look nicer by hiding the legs and the frame, you probably don’t want to install any railing that could mess with the looks of your bed.
Keep an Air Mattress From Sliding
If you keep an air mattress on a bed frame, you definitely need to get some retainers, either plastic or metal ones. Alternatively, try using the rubber rug pad, a non-slip pad, or an exercise pad. Don’t use any carpet tape or Velcro on an air mattress.
Keep a Memory Foam Mattress From Sliding
Memory foam mattresses can be held by any of the above methods – from matting and padding, over retainers, to simply vacuuming the mattress.
What Causes a Mattress to Slide?
Before you take any action, you should discover the root cause of the sliding mattress. It might be connected to the mattress age, design, or bed frame.
These are the most common factors that make your mattress slide:
- Mattress material or build. Some people put an air mattress on a bed frame. Air mattresses slide the most. Another problem may be that it’s a one-sided mattress with both slick sides, so none of them adds friction to the base.
- Silky bed skirt. If you put anything that doesn’t have enough friction under your mattress such as silk or satin, it will probably slide.
- Mattress and frame size. A too-small mattress on a too-big frame is a recipe for sliding because nothing is holding the mattress in one place, so it’ll slide onto the additional space. And that brings us to the next point.
- No raised edges on the frame. Frames that have no raised edges on the sides and a headboard/footboard allow sliding. If you put a mattress without friction (like a two-sided mattress) onto such a frame, you’re going to experience sliding.
- Improper support. Old bed frames with missing or too-wide slats can throw a mattress off-balance and this unstable structure could push the mattress away from its initial position.
- Old mattress. If you have an old mattress, there may be a layer of dust, dirt, pet hair, and body oil below the mattress. When it gets too gross between the mattress and box spring or bed frame, it may start sliding off. This won’t cause poor sleep because of sliding, but also because you’re exposed to a lot of dirt particles in your sleep.
Frequently Asked Questions
Air mattresses, flippable mattresses, mattresses with a size too small for the bed frame or box spring, or (this isn’t a type, but still) those that are placed on a slippery material, such as a silky bed skirt. Either way, a sliding mattress should be your last concern when you’re narrowing down your choice prior to buying a new one because this problem can be easily fixed.
Those that are shaped like a box with raised edges on all four sides, or at least have a headboard and a footboard. Also, the new bed frame should be specifically made for your mattress size, that is, don’t put a Twin into a Queen frame unless you want your mattress sliding around.
A lot of metal bed frames are made to support a foundation or a box spring. If your bed frame has a small number of slats, like five or so, it’s not meant for a mattress, but a bed frame with over ten slats is.
You can use rubber matting, foam rubber, Velcro strips, a non-slip mattress pad, carpet tape, or an exercise mat.
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