Can You Flip a Pillow Top Mattress?

It may sound strange if you didn’t already know, but flipping a mattress is one of the best ways to maintain its shape and comfort. For traditional mattresses, this remains a pretty important part of maintaining the quality of the mattress and helping it to last longer as well as improving your sleep quality.

However pillow-top mattresses have exploded in popularity over recent years, due to the added comfort they are supposed to provide.

But what actually is a pillow-top mattress?

Where traditional mattresses simply use springs to create an even amount of comfort on both sides of the mattress, pillow-top mattresses actually add additional layers to the sleep surface.

These mattresses supposedly provide added comfort, helping you to sleep more easily. However, there are a few pitfalls that ill-informed customers can fall into.

The biggest problem is that if your mattress only has a pillow top on one side, you won’t really be able to flip it.

This has a lot of ramifications for the longevity of your mattress, its quality, and the comfort it can provide.

Single-sided pillow-top mattresses are designed to provide extra comfort, however, this only works if you continually sleep on that side of the mattress. Flipping it over will leave you sleeping on the unpadded side, which will often be far less comfortable and may even be less comfortable than a traditional mattress that has the same level of finishing on both sides.

This also leaves you in a major catch-22 situation. If you decide you don’t want to sleep on the unpadded side of the mattress, then you’re forced to continue to sleep on the padded side without flipping it at all.

This will put the cushioned side of the mattress under double the strain of a normal mattress, which in turn can make it wear out much faster than mattresses that you are able to flip.

Not being able to flip can lead to bumps as your body slowly wears away the cushioning or springs, which will render the mattress more uncomfortable with each passing night.

Traditional mattresses are typically flipped anywhere from once a month to once every six months depending on the brand and personal preference. This can essentially double the effective life and comfort a mattress can provide as the pressure evens out any squashed or worn parts of the mattress.

However, if your mattress has a pillow top on both sides, things get far simpler, and you will be able to flip your mattress without worrying about being uncomfortable, which in turn will help your mattress to last longer and improve your sleep quality

How to check if your mattress has a pillow top on both sides?

It’s really easy to check whether your mattress is able to be flipped. All you need to do is take a good look at the construction of the pillow layer that is currently on top. Make a note of its feel, its shape, and try to find the seams where it attaches to the main body of the mattress. Once you’ve done this you’ll be able to lift up the mattress and compare what you can see and feel.

If the bottom of the mattress doesn’t feel spongy and soft it’s quite possible your mattress is only single-sided. Double-check around the seams to make sure you aren’t missing anything.

If your mattress is a single topper there may also be a non-slip surface on the underside, which will be very noticeable due to its rough or tacky feel. This would definitely be uncomfortable to sleep on and should be instantly recognizable, and will also let you know whether you can or should flip your mattress or not.

If you do have a single topper, it may be possible for you to flip it for a short time depending on how rough and unforgiving it is. If it’s relatively soft then you could still sleep on it, it just wouldn’t be as comfortable as the intended sleeping side. Another option could be to use an extra mattress topper to provide a little protection against the non-cushioned side of the mattress.

However realistically not everyone will be willing to give up the pillow-top feature they are used to, which will simply mean sticking to sleeping on one side of the mattress. This will of course mean it wears faster, however, some people would prefer this to sleeping on a more uncomfortable surface.

If the mattress does have a cushioned bottom then it is flippable and you should definitely take advantage of this fact by flipping every 3 to 6 months at the least. This will massively extend the lifespan of your mattress and help the cushioning to remain bouncy and soft for longer, as well as recover from extended use.

How do I flip a mattress?

Flipping a mattress is a relatively simple process however a little bit of preparation can make things a whole lot easier.

The first thing you want to do is clear out some space and move anything that might get knocked over. Flipping a mattress can be a cumbersome, clumsy process particularly when flipping a large mattress or trying to do so on your own.

Moving and lamps or breakable objects such as glasses out of the way are key. Once this is done, remove the bedding from your mattress, including the pillows, duvet, and sheets. This can be a good time to launder them since you’re taking them off and putting them back on anyway.

Some mattresses come with handles on sides to make this step easier however not all do. You want to pick up the mattress near the bottom and lift it up so it’s almost vertical. This will normally drag the top part of the mattress towards you. Once you’ve got the mattress nearly perpendicular to the floor you want to slowly lay it down so that the end which previously was at the bottom is now at the top, facing down at the floor. This will mean that your mattress is now fully reversed, with the downside facing up and the head and tail ends switched. This will enable maximum recovery for the cushions and springs.

Change your linen and you’re good to hop back into bed whenever you’re ready!