A good question! But of course, context plays a role. The question ‘Is it okay to roll up a mattress?’ is very broad. Do you mean rolling it up briefly or folding it for a move? Or do you want to store it long-term? Are you considering buying a new mattress that will be delivered to you rolled up and wondering if it will hurt? We dive into all the possible questions and are happy to make you wiser!
How can you store your mattress safely?
You should not roll or fold a mattress for (temporary) storage. Nor is it wise to place a mattress upright or sideways. With great preference, always lay a mattress flat to ensure quality. Also, make sure not to place heavy objects on the mattress. These compress and cause cracks or deformation.
How can you transport a mattress?
The best way to transport a mattress is to lay it down flat. When transporting multiple mattresses, you can stack them on top of each other to save space. The heaviest mattress is at the bottom and the lightest at the top.
If you want to transport a spring, foam, or latex mattress to your new address, it is perfectly possible to roll or fold it temporarily and briefly. Be careful though, because rolling up a mattress can cause serious damage to the padding. Depending on the padding in the mattress, it may end up tearing, breaking, or causing distortions in the springing.
Mattresses with a steel band around the springs can hardly be folded. So don’t try that! Too bad, but these are best transported as one unit without too much folding or rolling. Use a specialized company or at least the right transport!
How long may a rolled mattress stay rolled up after purchase?
More and more often, mattresses appear that are sent rolled in a box. Manufacturers and shops find this convenient because they need less storage space and can take more mattresses on one load. And it’s also quite nice for you to take the mattress with you in the car right away without any hassle.
These mattresses are made to be rolled up for a while. Depending on the quality, this goes well for a maximum of 6 to 12 months after production. The speed at which your mattress later regains its original shape is linked to the quality of the mattress construction and the duration the mattress has been rolled up. The longer it has been rolled up, the longer you wait before the mattress regains its original shape.
Does a rolled-up mattress fit in a car?
A rolled-up mattress in a box is usually a maximum of 45 cm x 45 cm x 185 cm (2 persons) and can therefore be transported much more easily in a car.
A non-rolled mattress usually only fits in adapted commercial vehicles or SUVs with folding rear seats, in small vans, or in a station wagon. At the rear, the load may protrude 1 meter. So if you secure the load safely, you can also transport the mattress with the tailgate open!
Is it bad to leave a mattress in a box?
Long-term compression of a mattress affects the mattress returning to its shape. In short, it will take longer, and if your mattress has been rolled up for too long, it will not return to its shape even after a few days. Why is that?
This is mainly due to the foams and not so much the (pocket) springs. Springs are also rolled up and delivered under tension to the manufacturers (see photo) and sometimes lie there for some time without any loss of quality.
Can you sleep directly on a mattress that you bought rolled up?
New mattresses are regularly delivered by mail in a rolled position, but they cannot stay that way forever, of course. When you take a mattress out of the packaging, it will normally regain its original shape quite quickly. Depending on the storage time, we are talking about a few minutes to a few hours and sometimes up to 48 hours. How long it takes depends on the time the mattress was already rolled up and especially on the quality of the mattress.
Shops or manufacturers often recommend letting the mattress air for 72 hours after opening so that the mattress has enough time to regain its original shape. The typical smell of plastic and foam will also disappear then. When you buy European products, you can be at ease regarding harmful substances. Thanks to strict European rules, harmful substances are strictly controlled.
Is there a difference in sleeping comfort between a rolled and a non-rolled mattress?
Yes! There is a difference, but you won’t notice much of it over time. To understand this well, you should know that foam that is not compressed often becomes more flexible during use. Your mattress will therefore adapt to your body and become slightly more flexible.
When you compress a mattress, the various foams will become more flexible. So you already get a more flexible mattress at home. Gradually, the mattress adapts to your body and because it is no longer compressed, the support also increases. So after a few weeks, both mattresses are equivalent in support.
Frequently Asked Questions – Is it OK to roll up a mattress:
Can all mattresses be rolled up?
Almost all mattresses can be rolled up nowadays without loss of quality, but of course, they cannot be rolled up again after unrolling. To roll them, a machine with pressure presses and a special vacuum process is used.
Can you roll up a memory foam mattress?
Yes, just like all other mattresses, you can also roll up memory foam mattresses. However, they return to their original shape slightly slower than other polyether foams.