Five Ways to Make an Air Mattress Look Like a Real One

Air mattresses have improved a lot over the years, going from what were essentially large pool floats to bed-high, self-inflating models covered in soft fabric.

While nothing can be as comfortable as a real mattress on a bed frame, you can enhance your experience with an air mattress (or your guests). Here are five ways to make your air mattress look more like a real bed.

How to make an air mattress more comfortable

Whether you’re glamping or renovating a guest room, here are five ways to make your air mattress feel more like the real thing:

Make the bed (with sheets)

As tempting as it is to just toss a blanket and throw a pillow on the mattress and call it a night, making it the same way you would a traditional bed—with a sheet, a flat sheet, duvets, and a real pillow. in a pillowcase – a big difference.

Not only will it be more like crawling into a real bed, it will also help dampen any fluctuations in temperature. Because the mattress is literally filled with air, the air gets warmer in hot weather and cooler in cold weather, according to Sleep Advisor . Putting sheets on top of a mattress will make you feel more comfortable as the air inside heats up or cools down during the night.

Add a mattress pad

Whether it’s an air mattress, futon, or sofa bed, adding a mattress topper (before putting on the sheets) can help a lot. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive: there are plenty of decent mattress toppers for under $20. In addition to making the surface softer, it can make you forget that you are sleeping on a vinyl mattress.

Lay it on a soft surface

Because most air mattresses have a vinyl bottom, when placed on hardwood, laminate, tile, or other hard floor coverings, they can slip while you sleep, resulting in a characteristic creaky sound.

To prevent this from happening, place the air mattress on carpet if possible. If that’s not an option, place a rug, yoga mat, or even a large blanket or towel under your mattress before you make your bed.

Use the wall as a headboard

If you wake up on a mattress floating in the middle of the room, you may also feel like you are sleeping on a floating pool or on a raft. If you (or your guest) usually sleep on a bed with a headboard and/or a bed pushed up against a wall , using an air mattress can help replicate this feeling. If there is not enough free space on the wall, try leaning an air mattress against the sofa.

make a mini bedroom

Depending on how long someone will be sleeping on the air mattress and how much effort you’re willing to put in, surrounding it with a few simple items can make the setup feel more like a real bedroom. Again, this doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated, and you can use items you already have at home.

For example, you can use a stool as a nightstand, a simple kitchen chair (with a flat, unpadded seat), or even a box or container (you can throw a tablecloth or sheet over the top if that looks weird).

In the same vein, if the mattress isn’t near an electrical outlet, add an extension cord or extension cord so the person sleeping on it can plug in their phone and any other devices. In addition, you can use one of the sockets for any type of lamp. It doesn’t have to be a real nightstand lamp – just something that a person can conveniently turn on and off without getting up.

Other options include:

• Place a small rug (or even a clean bath rug) next to your bed.
• Define the space around the mattress with houseplants (fakes are fine), stacks of books, or something similar.
• Lean a mirror against a wall (or at least make it accessible)
• Adding a basket or storage container with clean towels and/or an extra blanket