When your mattress slides on the bed frame, it can be a pain to fix. Especially for larger sized mattresses, moving the mattress can be difficult to do by yourself.
This becomes especially difficult when the mattress slips every time or almost every time you try to adjust the bed.
A mattress that has slid on an adjustable bed is simple enough to fix in the moment, but can be an aggravating problem when it happens regularly.
When you adjust your bed, chances are that you’re about to get into bed. That is the last time that you would want to stop and have to fix something.
You might feel a little stuck in this cycle of adjusting your bed and then having to go back and fix the placement of the mattress, but there are solutions that you can use to fix this problem.
The following are a few different options that you can consider trying, and some ways that you can troubleshoot if there is a different root to this problem other than just the mattress shifting place when you adjust the bed frame.
Why Do Mattresses Slide on Adjustable Beds?
It can seem confusing when you notice that your mattress has moved. When you first get an adjustable bed, you might not expect the mattress moving to be an issue that you might have.
If your mattress slips while you’re adjusting your bed, it can be annoying at best.
Mattresses can slide on adjustable beds because they are not properly secured to the bed frame. Another cause for mattresses slipping is that the actual fabric or material of your mattress isn’t compatible with the material or texture that is the base of your bed frame.
This could cause them to slide around since there isn’t enough friction between the two textures to keep them both in place.
In most cases, there is an easy fix for this problem. You can fix your mattress and make it so that it no longer slides every time you want to adjust your bed.
When your mattress won’t stop moving, and you’re tired at the end of the day, it’s hard to stay patient with it.
Just know that there are several solutions for this problem, and you have plenty of things that you can try before giving up on your adjustable bed.
Ways to Stop Mattresses From Sliding
There are a lot of good ways that you can fix a mattress that sides when you adjust your bed. Most of the ways to solve this problem involve spending only a small amount of money.
If you find that your mattress is slipping, it’s best to try the least expensive fixes before you invest in something that will take up more time and money.
Try to start with the solutions that seem like they would be the easiest for you to manage with the resources that you have. If that first method doesn’t work, then you’ll have to try to work your way up to other solutions that might be harder on your wallet.
1 – Use a Non-Slip Surface Material
There are plenty of non-slip materials available in any store that sells home goods.
Non-slip materials may be used to place between your mattress and the adjustable bed frame. This will help to make sure that when the bed moves, the mattress doesn’t come out of place.
You can buy a non-slip pad made specifically for mattresses. You might be able to purchase a non-slip mattress pad from the same retailer where you purchased either your adjustable bed frame, mattress, or both.
Some great materials to use are actually very commonplace, and you might already have versions of this in your own home. You can use carpet pads, which you can then cut down to match the size of your mattress.
Yoga mats are also a great option. However, yoga mats can be more expensive to use than a carpet pad, and they do not come in as many sizes.
Using a yoga mat might be better to use as a short-term solution, rather than for the long-term. If you notice that your mattress is slipping when you adjust your bed, and you already have a yoga mat in your home, you can use it as a quick fix.
It’s also great to use a yoga mat if you know that you won’t have time to go to the store for a while, or when you have ordered a different non-slip material online, and are waiting for it to ship to your house.
If you have a larger sized mattress, it could be hard to make yoga mats useful. They are best used with twin sized mattresses, and anything larger than that size might need two or more yoga mats to effectively hold it in place.
2 – Use Tape to Secure the Mattress
It might seem a little too easy, but taping down the perimeter of your mattress can be a great way to keep it from moving when you adjust the bed.
However, you have to use the right kind of tape. Not any regular tape will be able to handle the weight and size of a mattress.
Try to use Velcro to keep your mattress in place. Velcro is especially durable, and won’t come apart. It’s a really easy way to be able to make sure that your mattress is placed correctly on the frame.
Velcro can be bought in strips or as a roll that you would then cut down into smaller sections.
If you use Velcro to tape your mattress down, make sure that the adhesive backing of the Velcro is strong enough to handle the weight of the mattress. You might need to invest in a stronger adhesive to add to the back of the Velcro strips that you have.
If your Velcro strips come off the bed, you can always re-attach them with more adhesive, or look into a stronger kind of adhesive to use instead.
The Velcro itself will most likely still be intact, and will only have become detached from the mattress or the bed frame.
3 – Vacuum Under the Mattress
It’s possible that the problem that is causing your mattress to slip is not the materials that the mattress and bed frame are made of, or the fit of the mattress. It could be that there is loose dust or other debris that has accumulated under the mattress.
This is normal, especially if you have had the mattress and bed frame for a long period of time. It does not mean that you need to invest in other products, or do any serious work. To clean the bed frame, it’s best to use a vacuum to suck up any dust or dirt.
All you have to do is take your mattress off the bed and set it to the side, or lean it against the wall. Then, you should have access to the bed frame underneath.
Then, take a vacuum and run it over the base of the adjustable bed frame. If you can, it is good to also clean off the bottom of the mattress, which can also be holding onto dust or debris, even if it’s not as visible on the mattress as it is on the bed frame.
If you notice that there is a significant amount of dust underneath the bed, it might be a good idea to move the entire frame and vacuum under where the bed usually sits in your room.
If you leave the dust under the bed, it might cause more dust to build up on the mattress later. While you have the bed taken apart, it’s a good time to be proactive and prevent this from happening again too soon in the future.
If you don’t have a vacuum, you can try to use a broom and a dustpan to clean up the dust and debris from the bed frame or the floor area under the bed.
This will not work as well as a vacuum, and if the problem continues you might need to look into purchasing a vacuum. It will likely be less expensive to invest in a vacuum than to invest in a whole new mattress.
4 – Use an Object to Secure the Mattress in the Frame
If the mattress doesn’t fit well within the bed frame, you can try to use some household objects to make the fit better.
When you put other objects in between the mattress and the bed frame, it will make it so there is less room for the mattress to move around, which can be a cause of significant slipping.
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 empty space between the mattress and the bed frame.
They are great because they are soft, large, and durable. Plus, you probably have a few extra towels somewhere in your house.
If you don’t have any extra towels, try to use old clothing that you no longer want. Roll them up in the same way that you would a towel, and place them between the mattress and the bed frame.
Any cloth such as a towel or clothing would be a good option because it will likely move with your adjustable bed frame in the way that you want it, and it will not slip out of place easily.
This might not be the best way to fix the problem for a long amount of time, though, because it might not look very pleasing to the eye. If this is something that bothers you, look into the reason why your mattress doesn’t fit within the bed frame.
If Nothing Else Works
If you have tried every method of keeping your mattress from sliding off of your adjustable bed, it’s likely that there is some incompatibility between your bed and your mattress.
Look into the places that you bought each of these. If there are reviews on the website that you purchased from, did other users have similar issues?
It’s more likely that the problem is due to your mattress not fitting properly, rather than something wrong with the adjustable bed frame. Check to make sure that your mattress is compatible with an adjustable bed by reviewing the original listing on the website or manufacturer that you purchased it from.
The mattress could also be the wrong size for the bed frame. Make sure that the bed frame that you have is the same size as the mattress you purchased.
Do the edges of the mattress and the bed frame line up well? If there is more than an inch of space on either side that doesn’t match up, it’s likely that you have two different sizes.
If you’re unsure what size your mattress and bed frame are, take a tape measure and follow this size guide of some of the most common mattress sizes, listed here in inches.
- Twin: 38 x 75
- Twin XL: 38 x 80
- Full: 54 x 74
- Queen: 60 x 80
- King: 76 x 80
In general, if your mattress and the bed frame have two measurements that don’t match, it’s possible that you mistakenly purchased the wrong size mattress.
When no other methods have helped you stop your mattress from slipping when you adjust your bed, you should look into buying a new mattress that might fit the bed better.
How to Buy the Right Mattress
If you buy the wrong mattress, chances are that it isn’t going to work with your adjustable bed. This can be confusing, especially if this is your first time using an adjustable bed.
Try to do some research on the specific type of adjustable bed frame that you own.
If you are still looking to purchase an adjustable bed frame, make sure that the mattress you purchase is compatible with the bed frame.
Many companies that make bed frames will also sell mattresses to go with them. Check the website that you are using to purchase your adjustable bed frame, and see if they have any mattresses designed to be used with that particular frame.
I have a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When I’m not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies…I’m at home with my wife, two daughters and a dog. Outside of family, I love grilling and barbequing on my Big Green Egg and working on projects around the house.
Patricia A DeRenzo
Friday 1st of April 2022
Helpful information. thank you.