How to make an air mattress more comfortable for guests

Inflate the bed until it is firm but gives a little, then add a 1 to 2 inch topper and a fitted sheet that matches the bed’s height. Put it on carpet or a rug, head against a wall, and top it up at bedtime. In a cold room, add insulating layers between the sleeper and the vinyl.

The fixes below run in the order that makes the most difference for the least money. The first two cost nothing.

1. Get the firmness right

Most complaints about an air mattress come down to air pressure. Too little and the sleeper sags toward the floor; a certified sleep science coach quoted by Hunker puts it simply: a bed without enough air inside cannot support you. Too much and the surface feels like a drum.

SoundAsleep’s advice is to watch the bed while it inflates and switch the pump off as soon as it reaches the firmness you want. Mattress Clarity suggests trying a few inflation levels before bedtime rather than at midnight. Let your guest make the final adjustment: a few seconds on the pump dial changes the feel more than any accessory.

Two limits apply. Intex told the New Zealand consumer program Fair Go that overfilling puts the seams under stress and can cause leaks. And a bed filled in a warm afternoon feels softer once the room cools, because the air inside contracts, as Intex’s and Outwell’s manuals both explain.

2. Top it up, especially when the bed is new

A new air mattress that is softer by morning is usually stretching, not leaking. Intex calls stretching a natural characteristic of new vinyl during the first few uses, and SoundAsleep says its PVC stretches during the first few uses too.

SoundAsleep also gives a routine for longer stays: when a bed is used more than 2 nights in a row, top it up with about 10 seconds of air. Make that part of turning down the bed each evening.

If the bed keeps going flat after the first few nights, it is time for the leak guide.

3. Add a topper

On an air mattress the sleeper lies on a flocked vinyl surface over air chambers, without the padded layers of a regular mattress. A topper adds that padding. A sleep psychologist quoted by Hunker says a 1 to 2 inch topper provides extra cushioning and helps prevent pressure points, and Mattress Clarity lists options from basic egg crate foam to memory foam.

Keep two things in mind:

• The bed still has to be firm. A topper on an underinflated bed sags with it.
• It adds height. A 2 inch topper on a 20 inch bed needs a fitted sheet with a pocket of 22 inches or more.

Toppers, mattress pads and deep-pocket sheets

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4. Make it up like a real bed

Intex says normal sheets work on its airbeds when the pocket is the correct depth for the bed. A fitted sheet that grips the sides stops the bedding sliding on the flocked top, which is a large part of why an air bed can feel temporary. The sheets, toppers and frames guide has a pocket-depth table by bed height.

Then add what you would put on any guest bed: a mattress pad or protector under the fitted sheet, a proper pillow, a duvet or blankets. Mattress Clarity singles out a good pillow for neck support.

5. Put it on the right floor, against a wall

Where the bed sits changes how it feels and sounds.

Carpet or a rug. Mattress Clarity says moving the bed to a softer surface keeps it from sliding around or squeaking when the sleeper moves. A sleep psychologist quoted by Hunker adds that carpet absorbs some of the movement and noise of an air mattress. On a hard floor, a rug or a folded blanket under the bed does the same job and protects the underside; Fair Go’s air bed tips include a protective layer under the bed.

A grippy base. Some beds are built for hard floors. SoundAsleep lists a “SureGrip” bottom on its Dream Series and CloudNine queens for stability in a guest room.

Head to the wall. Both Hunker’s and Mattress Clarity’s guides suggest placing the head of the bed against a wall, so pillows stay put and the sleeper has something to lean on.

Clear the floor of anything sharp first.

6. Raise it

Getting up from a bed at floor level is harder than sleeping on it. There are three ways to add height.

Buy a raised bed. Maker pages list raised air mattresses at 18 to 20 inches, close to regular bed height. The raised air mattress guide compares them. King Koil lists its Luxury line in 13, 16 and 20 inch heights, and its own store listing rates the 20 inch queen at 650 lb.

Raised air mattresses, 18 to 20 inches

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Put a low bed on a frame. Intex says its airbeds may be placed on any serviceable bedspring or solid foundation, perform best on solid foundations, and can be damaged by old or worn bedsprings. Mattress Clarity suggests a box spring or a cot-style frame for easier access, which helps older guests most. Use a flat platform with no sharp edges, and check the frame’s own weight rating against the bed plus its sleepers.

Choose a bed with its own frame. A few air beds come attached to a folding stand. On Ivation’s EZ-Bed, the quick start manual says the frame extends from its wheeled case on its own as the bed inflates, a comfort dial sets the firmness, and the pump restarts when pressure drops below the chosen level. The manual gives weight capacities of 300 lb for the twin, 400 lb for the full, 450 lb for the queen and 600 lb for the king.

7. Keep it warm and quiet

An air mattress is a large pocket of air with no insulation in it. In a cool room, that air settles at room temperature, and the sleeper feels it through a thin sheet. Pads made for camping are rated by R-value, which Cascade Designs describes as a measure of resistance to heat loss; home air beds rarely publish one.

The fix is the same indoors as at a campsite: put the insulation between the sleeper and the bed. A topper, a quilted mattress pad or a folded blanket under the fitted sheet all work. A rug under the bed helps on a cold hard floor, but it does not warm the air already inside the mattress. Some beds build a layer in: Intex says the top of its 20 inch Thermalux insulates in cold weather and wicks moisture on warm, humid nights.

For noise, separate the surfaces that rub. A rug stops vinyl squeaking against a hard floor, and a fitted sheet with a mattress pad under it stops bedding rustling on the flocked top. A gap between the bed and the wall stops the side of the bed rubbing as the sleeper turns.

Before Thanksgiving and holiday guests arrive

Holiday visits are when an air mattress gets its hardest use: several nights in a row, in a spare room that may be cooler than the rest of the house. A short routine covers most of the fixes above.

1. A week ahead, inflate the bed and leave it overnight. If it is new, this lets the vinyl stretch. If it has been in storage, it shows you a leak while there is still time to patch it.
2. The day before, set the bed up where it will be used, on a rug, with the head against a wall. Add the topper and the fitted sheet.
3. That evening, top the bed up once the room is at its night temperature, and show your guest the pump control so they can set the firmness themselves.
4. Each night of the stay, add about 10 seconds of air, as SoundAsleep suggests for stays of more than 2 nights.

A built-in pump makes the nightly top-up quick. King Koil fits one to every bed in its Luxury line, and the King Koil guide lists the sizes and heights.

King Koil air mattresses with a built-in pump

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One rule sits outside comfort altogether. If a family is visiting with a baby, no amount of padding makes an air mattress a safe place for the baby to sleep. The CPSC says never to place infants 15 months and younger to sleep on an inflatable air mattress, and the AAP says babies sleep in a crib, bassinet, portable crib or play yard that meets CPSC standards. The air mattress for guests guide has the full holiday timeline and a table of who sleeps where.

When comfort fixes are not enough

If a guest needs a firmer, foam sleeping surface, or the bed will be used for weeks, a different kind of guest bed may suit them better. The guest bed options comparison sets an air mattress against rollaway beds, folding foam mattresses, sleeper sofas and cots.

To choose a bed by size, height and pump type from the start, see the air mattress overview and the size chart.