No matter what type of mattress you have – be it memory foam, innerspring, latex, or hybrid – the golden rule is to rotate it end-to-end at least once every three months. The process of rotating your mattress involves a 180-degree turn, promoting even wear and tear and enhancing its durability.
If you have a double-sided mattress, flip your mattress at the same time you rotate it.
Here’s a quick reference for you:
- Single-sided mattress: Rotate from head to toe only
- Double-sided mattress: Rotate head to toe, then flip over
Some mattresses don’t need to be rotated, as doing so will often do more harm than good. This is found with mattresses with comfort zoning features.
These mattresses have different softness and firmness levels in their comfort layer, which corresponds to the pressure points of the body that they accommodate. Rotating them is counterproductive and renders the comfort zoning useless.
How Does Mattress Type Influence The Flipping & Rotating Schedule??
Different mattress types use different comfort and support materials. These include memory foam, latex, innerspring, pocket coils, and hybrids, which depending on the manufacturer may have different rotation timelines.
Here is a table guide to understanding mattress types and how often they should be rotated:
| Mattress Type | How Often Should They Be Rotated |
|---|---|
| Innerspring Mattress (New) | Once or twice a year |
| Innerspring Mattress (Old) | Every three months (Four times a year) |
| Hybrid Mattress | Every three to six months (More often for older ones) |
| Memory Foam Mattress | Once or thrice a year |
| Latex Mattress | Once or twice a year |
| Pocket Coil Mattress | Every three to six months (More often for older ones) |
Benefits of Rotating and Flipping Your Mattress
Rotating your mattress and flipping it if it’s double-sided is an integral part of care and maintenance, but what does rotating and flipping really entail? For the most part, it benefits you and whichever type of mattress you have:
- Helps prevent premature and severe sagging issues from developing
- Helps the mattress maintain its overall comfort and support, helping you sleep better
- Helps the mattress preserve its material integrity; especially for the comfort layer
These all mean you’ll have a mattress with a long lifespan. No headaches about premature sagging issues and no hassle to buy a new one to replace the old one. Simply put, you save more money and time when you regularly rotate or flip your mattress.
Rotating your mattress also means you don’t have to put up with pain the moment you wake up. As mattress sagginess can stress your body’s pressure points, such as the neck, shoulders, spine, hips, knees, and ankles.
How to Rotate a Mattress?
If you’re still unsure how to properly rotate your mattress, here are steps you could follow:
- Remove all bedding accessories such as pillows, duvets, blankets, mattress protectors, mattress pads, mattress toppers, and other items near your bed so it’s easier to rotate.
- Turn your mattress 180 degrees, with the head area becoming the new foot area.
- Make up your bed again
- Set a calendar notification to do the same again in a maximum of 3 months.
- You’re done.
How to Flip a Mattress?
- Remove all bedding (the same as above: pillows, blankets, duvets, protectors, pads, toppers, and other items) to work easier.
- Flip the mattress (that is, the surface you’re sleeping on will go to the bottom, and the bottom side will come up).
- Vacuum the surface of the mattress since dust and other contaminants can accumulate from the bottom of the bed frame.
- Reinstall your bedding, and voila! You just flipped a mattress.
Additional tip: get an extra pair of hands to make things easier, especially for heavier mattresses such as hybrids, memory foam, and latex which are hard to work around.
What’s the Difference Between Rotating and Flipping Mattress?
Rotating means placing the other end of the mattress on its opposite end. In simpler terms, you turn the mattress 180 degrees where the area your head rests goes to the area where your feet rest—and vice versa.
On the other hand, flipping a mattress is like flipping a big pancake. It involves flipping the opposite sides of the mattress: the top and the bottom. Simply put, the top part becomes the bottom part, and the bottom part becomes the top.
Do You Need to Flip Your Mattress?
We’ll answer that as a yes and no. First, some mattress models are manufactured with double comfort layers. We call these double-sided mattresses since both sides promote body comfort and support.
Since they’re double-sided, you can flip them to prevent premature sagging. However, not all mattresses are double-sided and one-sided mattresses are actually more common than double-sided ones.
If you have a one-sided mattress, don’t flip it. The comfort layer will be compressed by the mattress’s weight and your weight, too, leading to sagging and comfort issues in the long run.
How Often Should You Turn A Pocket Sprung Mattress?
Pocket-sprung mattresses should be turned once every four weeks, 12 times a year. Doing this helps ensure that your mattress doesn’t get too compressed, leading to premature sagging.
Flipping pocket spring mattresses has the following advantages:
- Lengthens your mattress’s lifespan
- Minimises coil compression
- Prevents sagging and lumpiness
- Improves sleep surface for more restful sleep
