How Often Should You Rotate Your Mattress?

Caring for and maintaining your mattress is an important aspect of ensuring its integrity for years to come. Using a mattress cover and cleaning your mattress on a regular basis helps keep it protected and benefits your health by removing dust particles and bacteria. Furthermore, properly caring for your mattress helps avoid natural wear and tear and keeps your mattress comfortable and supportive.

While you may change the sheets regularly and spot clean your mattress when needed, did you know that another way to care for your mattress is by periodically rotating or flipping it? Whether or not you should rotate and/or flip your mattress depends upon the material and the manufacturer, so before you rotate or flip your mattress, be sure to check the warranty or ask your mattress company for advice. However, if your mattress can be flipped or rotated, these forms of maintenance help prevent issues like lumps, sagging, and hammocking and can further ensure that your mattress maintains a high quality of support.

Understanding Mattress Flipping

Flipping a mattress involves completely turning your mattress over so that the side that was previously facing up now faces down. Because flipping is not common among most modern, one-sided mattresses, we highly advise against it unless the manufacturer says otherwise. For BedInABox® mattresses in particular, our memory foam and hybrid mattresses should never be flipped because they are built to offer one side of support, although they can and should be rotated every 6 to 12 months. However, the traditional, double-sided innerspring mattress can be both rotated and flipped, as can beds that are made with two different firmness levels on the top and bottom of the mattress.

Understanding Mattress Rotation

Rotating a mattress means turning it 180 degrees so that the head of the bed becomes the foot and vice versa. As we sleep on our mattress in the same spot, it inevitably begins to shift. Mattress rotation can help prevent this and keep the pressure evenly balanced. Over time, this helps slow down natural wear and tear and can even prevent the onset of discomfort that can result from a sagging or lumpy mattress.

Examining Different Types of Mattresses and Their Rotation Needs

In general, memory foam, latex, innerspring, and hybrid mattresses can be rotated, though some mattresses with features such as zoned support cannot, as this will ruin their targeted support features. If your mattress can be rotated, here are some guidelines to help you properly rotate each type of mattress.

Hybrid Mattresses: Rotate every 3-6 months

Memory Foam Mattresses: Rotate every 6-12 months

Latex Mattresses: Rotate every 6-12 months

Two-sided Innerspring Mattresses (New): Rotate every 6-12 months

Two-sided Innerspring Mattresses (Old): Rotate 2-5 times per year (the older the innerspring mattress is, the more it may need to be rotated)

Time to give your BedInABox® mattress a little twist! Remember: your BedInABox® mattress should never be flipped as they are built to offer one side of support, but rotating it every 6 to 12 months ensures optimal support. 🛏 pic.twitter.com/7HedgaIgFm

— BedInABox.com (@BedInABox) January 15, 2024

Guide to Proper Mattress Rotation

Rotating your mattress may sound challenging, but following these techniques can help ensure it goes smoothly.

1. First, ensure that any nearby furniture is moved out of the way so that your mattress won’t hit anything during rotation.
2. Remove any blankets, sheets, or mattress covers to avoid tangling them while moving the mattress.
3. Keeping your mattress on top of your bed or box spring, begin to rotate it until the foot of the bed sits at the head.
4. After you’ve rotated it, adjust the mattress as needed so that it’s properly aligned.

Tips to Avoid Damaging Your Mattress During Rotation

Mattress rotation can be difficult, so here are some tips to avoid damaging your mattress or surrounding area.

1. Move delicate objects to a safe place before rotating your mattress. You can also move pieces of furniture so you don’t get hurt or damage the mattress on sharp edges.
2. If your bed rests against a wall, move the frame away before rotation. The mattress may move around during rotation, which can cause the frame to shift and bang against nearby walls.
3. Grab a partner to help you move furniture and the mattress if it’s your first time rotating or if you’re unsure of the best method to rotate it in the available space. Mattress rotation can be challenging on your own, so asking for help can make the process go more smoothly.

The Benefits of Regular Mattress Rotation

Regularly rotating your mattress extends its lifespan by preventing issues like lumps and bumps, sagging, hammocking, dust buildup, and wear and tear. Lumps and bumps occur when the material of the mattress gets bunched up, usually as a result from tossing and turning. Sagging shows unevenness in the mattress and can be caused by uneven weight distribution, and hammocking causes you to roll toward the middle of your bed throughout the night. All of this wear and tear can be slowed with regular mattress rotation. Furthermore, preventing lumps, sagging, and hammocking can help relieve pain, particularly in the back and hips, that may result from a lack of support.

Mattress rotation comes with many other health benefits as well, such as removing dust particles and dander to promote a safer sleep space. Rotating your mattress helps stimulate airflow and, in conjunction with cleaning and using a mattress protector, can help remove allergens that build up over time.

Consider a BedInABox®

Rotating or flipping your mattress on a regular basis is an important part of its care and maintenance. While rotating and flipping is not meant for every mattress, these actions can come with health benefits such as relieving pain, increasing support and quality of sleep, and averting wear and tear to help prolong the lifespan of the mattress. Always check your warranty to see if your mattress can be flipped or rotated, and be sure to keep an eye on your mattress for signs of lumps, sagging, or hammocking that may indicate that you need a new mattress.

If your old mattress simply isn’t providing the comfort and support you need anymore, a memory foam or hybrid mattress fromBedInABox® should offer the perfect solution. All of our mattresses are designed with longevity and optimal comfort in mind, made withCertiPUR-US® and OEKO-TEX® certified materials. Check out our selection of sleep products, or contact one of our sleep experts today to help you choose the best mattress for your sleep needs.