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Why Do Mattresses Slide on Adjustable Beds?

Why Do Mattresses Slide on Adjustable Beds?

There’s nothing like a mattress that keeps sliding to the side of your bed frame when you want to enjoy your sleep. It’s even more horrible if you’ve got a larger bed and a heavier mattress that’s a pain in the neck to move by yourself.

If your mattress keeps sliding regularly, the frustrating truth is, you’ll not know quality sleep until you can find a lasting solution. The last thing you want is to keep waking up at night just to fix your bed.

However, you don’t need to live in this vicious cycle of adjusting your bed then going and fixing the mattress several times a night. This article proposes several solutions you can pursue so that you put this issue behind you once and for all.

Why Do Mattresses Slide on Adjustable Beds?

But before we delve into the specific solutions, it’s good that you understand the reasons why the mattress keeps sliding on your adjustable bed. The following are the 3 most prevalent causes of this problem.

1. There’s No Traction

Lack of traction comes about when the bed has a poor base foundation, especially if your mattress has double polyurethane. That makes the cloth of the mattress lack sufficient traction with the bed framework such that it’s impossible to keep things settled for an extended period.

2. An Old Mattress

Can you remember the last time you replace your mattress? Is it a period that’s running into decades? If that’s another plausible justification for your woes. You see, as mattresses age, they collect coatings of oil creams and other substances from your body, the base of the bed, and the floor.

These substances make the edges of the mattress slippery, making it hard for them to settle in the bed frame, hence the frustrating slidings that are denying you precious sleep.

3. Adjustable Bed is Too Big

If your adjustable bed is too big for your mattress, that explains why your mattress keeps sliding around. In some cases, it’s not possibly anything to do with the mattress but the bed’s legs. When the legs slip around, especially when you exert a lot of pressure on the bed, it also slides.

7 Ways to Keep a Mattress From Sliding on Your Adjustable Bed

Regardless of the reasons causing your mattress to stay put on your adjustable, there are more than enough options to help you solve the problem. Even better, nearly all of the methods don’t require you to spend a colossal amount of money just to fix your bed.

Before thinking of expensive remedies, it’s a good idea that you start by trying the simple hacks that we’re recommending below. If things turn out otherwise (which is highly unlikely), you can resort to relatively costly options.

Let’s dive right into our list of top solutions.

1. Non-Slip Mattress Pad

There are dozens of options for non-slip mattress pads that you’ll find in stores selling home goods. The pads work simply and straightforwardly; you place them between the bed frame and the mattress. After inserting the non-slip pads, the mattress will remain intact even if the bed slips around.

Start your search for the pads at the same retailer who sold you the adjustable bed or the mattress. If you can’t get to them, you can explore the online option and see what comes up.

You can also think of improvising with the materials that are already available in your home. For instance, do you have carpet pads lying around in the house? Those can make great improvised non-slip pads for your bed. Cut these into a size that can fit on your bed.

Maybe, you’ve also got a yoga mat that isn’t in use right now. You can take and use it as a short-term remedy as you work out a longer-lasting solution or as you wait for your order of the non-slip mattress pad to arrive.

However, yoga mats won’t be as effective as you would want them to be if you’ve got a large mattress. Don’t shy away from using two or more yoga mats if you have them around.

2. Use Tape or Velcro

There are many reviews online of people attesting to the effectiveness of dual-sided carpet tape as non-slip mattress pads. At this point, you don’t want to write off any idea before you first try it out. Try this method out and see if it works for you since it’s an inexpensive and easy one to implement.

Instead of the tapes, you can also use Velcro strips with glue on both sides. Stick one side of the strips to the mattress and the other one to the bed frame. Give the bed a try and see if the solution works out fine for you.

3. Get the Right a Perfect Mattress

You need a new mattress as the long-term solution to your problem. Before you go shopping for one, you need to know the right mattress qualities for your adjustable bed.

It’s easy to fall for a flippable mattress or one that’s two-sided, given its aesthetic appeal. However, these mattresses are of slip materials meaning that they might start giving you a problem as soon as they arrive. 

If you end up buying such a mattress, you’ll be back to the same old routine of slipping, sliding, rocking, and moving all the time. Settle for a one-sided mattress since it stands higher in sticking to the bed frame than many fancy options that will distract at first sight. The mattress has one flat side, which is the one that should face the edge of the bed. 

Another great tip is to buy a mattress with a warranty or one in its trial period. That way, if you take the mattress home and find that it’s not non-slip as the seller claims, then you can take it back to get another one at no extra cost.

If you’ve got a bed that’s more than ten years, it’s probably time you think about getting a new one.

4. Clean and Vacuum Under Your Mattress

One possible cause for a sliding mattress is the kind of material used in manufacturing the bed or mattress or the mattress’s fit. Poor quality material will make it easy for dust and other debris to accumulate on the mattress’s underside.

As these get overtime, the loose dust will initiate the mattress’s random movements around the adjustable bed frame. It’s something that’s bound to occur, especially for mattresses with many years of service.

It’s possible the problem causing your mattress to slip is not the materials but dust and other debris. It could be that there is loose dust or other debris that has accumulated under the bed.

Seeing this problem isn’t an indication that you need to invest in another mattress. Before you head down that route, try vacuuming and cleaning the underside of the bed. Let the vacuum cleaner suck as much of the dust and debris as it can manage.

If the mattress and the bed have a significant amount of debris, move it outdoors before you start the process of cleaning and vacuuming. Consequently, you won’t have to clean your room after being done with the mattress and the bed. Take apart the bed if some areas are inaccessible so that the vacuum cleaner can do a more profound job.

5. Yoga Pad and Rubber Sheetings

You can also get a rubber sheeting or use a yoga pad that’s already sitting underneath the rug. Cut the pad into the right size and put it between the mattress and the adjustable bed frame.

If you also have a yoga pad that’s sitting somewhere in your home, grab it and make use of it in the meantime as you plan on a permanent solution.

6. Secure Your Mattress with an Object

Household objects can also prove helpful when looking for a quick fix for your sliding mattress. At this point, you’re looking for things that will stop the random and annoying movements when placed between the mattress and the bed frame.

For instance, if you’ve been wondering how to make use of those extra towels, this is the time. Roll them up and place them between the mattress and bed

Extra towels are a great item to use for placing in between your mattress and the bed frame. Just roll them up and place them in the space between the mattress and the bed frame. Towels work best since they’re soft, large, and durable.

What if you don’t have extra towels? You can also use old clothes so long as they’re of the material won’t make the situation worse. The alternative isn’t the best solution but a quick fix that you can consider in the meantime.

7. Use Tape

Don’t look too for a solution that’s too far when there’s a simple one near you. All you need for this method to work is a tape with strong adhesive. Start by looking for a suitable tape since the regular tape won’t handle the bed’s constant frictions and movements.

The best tape recommended for this method is Velcro, known to have a strong adhesive that won’t come off without a good fight. Tape the mattress to the frame by cutting Velcro into smaller parts than using it to stick the mattress to the edge.

While at it ensures that the strips’ stronger sidee ones attaching the mattress to handle the weight exerted on the mattress. If you think that the Velcro strips won’t be sufficient for this job, you can reinforce it by buying extra adhesive to add to it.

It’s also possible that the strips will come off the bed, in which case you can reattach them back together using more adhesive. That should keep you going as you look for a better alternative to solve the problem for good.

Bottom Line

Quality sleep is something that not even the sliding mattress on your adjustable bed has the right to deny you. If that’s your current predicament, you need to use any of the above tips and simple DIY hacks to solve the problem and get back your sleep.

Don’t allow the excessive room between your mattress and your bed frame to keep interrupting your sleep throughout the night. Remember, first, by implementing the easiest and less costly tips before determining their effectiveness. If you judge that they’re not responding as you expected, you can then move on to the next step.

Buying a new mattress and bed should be the final solution, but it will be inevitable if the other techniques aren’t giving you the results you want to see. When shopping for the mattress, get one that has one of the sides flat so that it’s able to fit in perfectly with the frame of the bed.