Rotating your mattress has been a common practice for years. Manufacturers have always suggested that to extend the lifespan of your mattress you should rotate and flip your mattresses frequently. Otherwise, sleeping in the same position would cause an impression on the mattress that will make it uneven and ruin its comfort.
But while that is true, is it necessary to still flip or rotate your mattress in the 21st century? If yes, then how often should you rotate your mattress?
Is rotating your mattress necessary in the 21st century? Why should you rotate your mattress?
Rotating your mattress is a practice that ensures that there is as little mattress-wearing tearing as possible. You see, as you sleep on your mattress every day in your preferred position, the weight of your body starts to weaken that particular area of the mattress.
So, if you sleep on your sides your mattress would support both your shoulders and your hips. However over time that creates an impression which slowly sags your mattress in those areas which make it uneven. Sleeping on an uneven mattress would disturb the alignment of your spine causing you to have back pain and muscle stiffness.
By regularly rotating your mattress, you avoid creating sags as you sleep in different places which in turn reduces the overall wear and tear. However, the level of wear and tear and the timespan at which it happens depends on the materials used to make the mattress. The same factors decide the frequency at which you should rotate your mattress.
How often should you rotate your mattress?
Normally you would have the manufacturers suggest the number of times you should rotate the mattress per year. You can visit your manufacturer’s website online and read their FAQs, tips and suggestions about the maintenance of their mattresses.
If not, remember that memory foam single mattresses or double mattresses or ones that use innerspring need to rotate every 3 months, whereas hybrid mattresses should be rotated in between 3-6 months. As for mattresses made of latex, they need rotating every 6 months.
Even if you don’t know the material, as a rule of thumb, you should rotate your mattress every month.
What mattress should you not rotate?
While most mattresses are meant to be rotated, there are some mattresses that are not meant to be rotated at all. For instance, mattresses with zoned construction should never be rotated.
Such mattresses are one that features a zoned level of comfort. It means that in the mattress there are several different zones constructed that offer different levels of comfort. So while some areas may be soft, some would be firmer depending on the level of comfort and amount of support needed.
Rotating a zoned comfort mattress and then sleeping on it would be just cruel to your body. Not only will it be uncomfortable but can also cause back pain due to bad mattress positioning along with new types of pain and discomfort in joints and back.
Another example would be you using foldable mattresses that you use and store away regularly. Such mattresses don’t have determiners for the top or bottom side so you are most likely sleeping on both sides. Hence, it doesn’t matter if it’s a hard foldable mattress or soft foldable mattress, the wear tear is even and there is no need to rotate.
Now that we know the insights of rotating a mattress, let’s work on a few tips on rotating your mattress.
How to rotate your mattress regularly?
Rotating your mattress means that you need to rotate it to 180 degrees. And while you don’t need science to do so, you do need signs that tell you when to do it. This is why the very first thing you do is mark your calendar. Schedule the frequency on your calendar for the days you need to rotate your mattress.
Also ensure that as you are rotating, you also clean the areas around it that are generally isolated. Remove any sort of accessory so you don’t run the risk of breaking anything.
Since most mattresses nowadays use a rigid bottom, rotating them 180 directly proves challenging. So instead of rotating it directly, lift it up at a slanted angle from one side and rotate it at 90 degrees, and then repeat the process once more.
Should you flip your mattress as well?
Flipping your mattress is another common practice to stop the mattress from sagging. Instead of rotating you just flipped the mattress, so the uneven side even out automatically, while you get a new even surface to sleep on. This made sense with an older mattress that used the same material top to bottom.
But modern-day mattresses are meant to be used from one side only. Most mattresses today use different layers of materials from top to bottom to offer a certain level of rigidity and firmness. Generally, you have high-density foam at the bottom layers with soft memory foam on top that ensures optimum comfort while maintaining durability.
So, flipping the mattress would just cause it to not serve its function. But some mattresses need flipping. Like a double-sided innerspring mattress, that needs flipping every six months. Flipping these mattresses prevents the wearing of the springs. You can also flip cheap foldable mattresses or rollable cotton mattresses.
However, a standard mattress should not be flipped today. That being said, despite modern technology, many mattresses do need to be rotated regularly. To ensure that they are long-lasting and serve for long years in your family, you should rotate your mattress at a fixed frequency.