How to Move Your Mattress: A 3-Step Guide

Moving can be a hassle! Packing boxes, organizing cupboards, wondering whether that old water bottle sparks joy… it’s a lot of work. Moving your mattress should be your number one priority among the chaos of packing tape and cardboard. After all, you can’t fully experience your new home without a comfortable place to sleep. We’re here to help you discover the best way to transport your mattress while protecting it from damage so you can get your best night’s sleep in your new home.

What You’ll Need

• Rope, ratchet straps, or bungee cords
• Duct tape
• Scissors
• Mattress bag
• Dolly
• Flat cardboard (optional)

Step 1: Prepare Your Mattress

Strip the bed

Before anything else, ensure your bedding is removed and packed in a labelled box. This will make moving the mattress easier while protecting your linens from damage.

Seal the mattress

Place your mattress into a U-Haul or Home Depot bag and seal any open edges with duct tape. Ensure your bed is completely covered with the plastic bag, and all the air is released. Having your mattress packed without air bubbles makes it easier to grip and prevents it from getting dirty. These same instructions apply to moving your box spring!

The Endy Mattress has a convenient machine-washable cover in case dust or debris finds a way into your mattress bag. Simply throw it in the laundry on a cold water cycle and let it air dry!

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Step 2: Prepare Your Route

Clear a pathway

The mattress will be relatively heavy and awkward to carry, so planning a clear route to your vehicle is essential. Take note of staircases or narrow hallways where you’ll need to dismount the mattress from the dolly and lift it with your moving buddy.

Clear your vehicle

Have your rope, bungee cords, or straps ready in the vehicle. Remember that foam mattresses should be laid flat without any boxes or weight on top of it during transportation, so leave lots of room to place the mattress down and remove any additional seats if you’re moving in a van.¹ It’s not recommended to move your bed on the roof of a car or small van. The mattress can slip off if it’s not secured correctly, and it can be easily damaged.²

Step 3: Move Your Mattress

Move your mattress out of the house

Since foam mattresses are hard to grip, you may need to provide additional structure by securing it to a flat piece of cardboard with straps.³ Now that you’ve optimized your mattress for moving and sealed it from the elements, it’s ready for transport. We recommend moving your mattress with a partner, though with some elbow grease, you may be able to move it solo. Lifting with your knees, place the bed on your dolly or cart and secure it with ratchet straps, then simply roll it to your vehicle.

If you are moving out of a unit with plenty of narrow spaces or a staircase, it may make more sense to lift and move the mattress without a dolly. The person lifting with the best vantage point should guide the bed & give directions, while the other person should just help raise and support the mattress.

Move your mattress into the vehicle

Once you’ve moved the mattress to the vehicle, you can either secure it with straps in the back of the truck or place it inside a bubble wrap-lined mattress shipping box.

We’re often asked, “Does the Endy Mattress fit into the back of a car?” A new Endy Mattress still in its box will fit into the trunk or back seat of most vehicles—the box is also perfect for transporting up narrow hallways and stairwells. However, when moving an unboxed Endy Mattress, we suggest following the instructions outlined above. If you’re curious about whether the Endy Mattress is compatible with your car or van, here’s a handy sizing chart:

Start snoozing

At your destination, carefully use scissors to tear open the sealed mattress bag making sure not to cut the mattress itself. Congrats! You’re all set for your best night’s sleep in your new home.

If all that seems like a ton of work for an old mattress…you’re probably right. If your mattress is 10+ years old, it’s likely time to retire it. A fantastic replacement (especially if you’re moving) is the Endy Mattress–it ships in an easy-to-handle box, and like all our products, it’s delivered fast and free to all Canadian provinces. Shop Endy for thoughtfully designed products created for your comfort.

All our products are designed to make moving comfortable. They are packaged in compact boxes for easy transport and ship fast and free to every Canadian province!

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