Should I Flip or Rotate my Mattress?

Rotating and flipping your mattress can help extend its life and ensure that your mattress gets even wear, which prevents sagging or dipping. This is especially important if you’re the only one sleeping on your mattress — as it will prolong the life you get out of the mattress materials — but still applies if you have a bed partner.

The difference between flipping and rotating

So, a good flip starts with a few solid jumps on the mattress to launch yourself as high as you can above the bed. Okay, kidding. We’re not talking about that kind of flip. Flipping your mattress requires that you have a double-sided mattress, and it entails flipping the face of the mattress over so the side you were laying on ends up face down on the bed frame.

Rotating your mattress, on the other hand, involves spinning the mattress around 180 degrees, so the place you rested your head is rotated to the foot of the bed.

When to flip your mattress

You’ll only want to flip a double-sided (also called two-sided) mattress, which is exactly what it sounds like: a mattress made to be used on either side. Two-sided mattresses are durable and have a long life if you flip and rotate them on a regular basis. They’re most often innerspring mattresses and can be harder to find these days, but Mattress Man carries them.

If you do have a two-sided mattress, make sure that you rotate your mattress in addition to flipping it. Flip and rotate every three to six months. You can check the manufacturer’s information for more details on how often to flip, but the most important thing is that you get it done. Schedule your mattress maintenance with something else you do on a regular basis, like re-setting your clocks for daylight savings time, and it’ll be easier to remember.

When to rotate your mattress

Many mattresses today no longer require flipping, but they do require regular rotation. Memory foam, latex and other modern mattress materials are built into the mattress in a specifically designed manner, and often, the foam at the top is less dense and softer than the foam on the bottom. So while it wouldn’t be impossible to sleep on the bottom of that kind of mattress, you probably wouldn’t want to.

Again, check the manufacturer’s suggestions about rotating your mattress, and if you shop for a mattress with our sleep experts, we’ll let you know exactly how to take care of it. Typically, you should rotate every three to six months, but getting it in once or twice a year is better than not at all.

While you’re at it

When you rotate or flip your mattress, use the time to wash your mattress protector and clean your mattress. Plug in the vacuum and give your mattress a once over before you make the bed back up. Keeping up with this regular maintenance will keep your mattress healthy and your back happy.