How Often Should You Flip Your Mattress? (Explained)

You change your sheets once a week and wash your comforter as need. But how often should you flip your mattress? Do you flip it at all?

You may not think of your mattress as something that needs to be maintained, but proper maintenance is essential to ensure mattress longevity. Not only should you be cleaning your mattress regularly, but you should be flipping or rotating it as well. Read on to learn why it’s important to flip or rotate your mattress and how often to do it.

Benefits of Rotating a Mattress

The average mattress lasts between 7 and 10 years. That being said, the lifespan of a mattress is affected by its original quality, the materials, and how well you maintain it. Improper care of a mattress can lead to premature sagging and the formation of indentations.

Rotating a mattress can improve the longevity of your mattress in the following ways:

It helps distribute your weight more evenly across the mattress over time to prevent lumps or indentations from forming.
It can prevent the mattress from sagging if you tend to sleep on one side of the bed more than the other or with a partner who is heavier than you.
It may help prevent hammocking – a tendency to roll toward the middle of the bed overnight.
It gives the mattress a chance to breathe which can help prevent the accumulation of dust mites, dander, and sweat.

Mattresses are prone to wear and tear like anything else but flipping or rotating them can help slow the process. Basically, you want to avoid sleeping on the same part of the mattress for its entire lifespan. By changing where and how you sleep by flipping the mattress you can get some extra life out of it.

Should You Flip Your Mattress?

Rotating a mattress is almost always recommended and most mattresses can be rotated. Generally speaking, you should be rotating your mattress by 180 degrees every 6 to 12 months. You can certainly rotate your mattress more often, but it’s typically not necessary more than every 3 months.

While most mattresses can be rotated, flipping a mattress is another story.

In the same way that rotating a mattress helps reduce wear and tear, flipping a mattress can help fluff the re-invigorate the internal structures. This is only true, however, in two-sided mattresses. Innerspring mattresses and pillow-top mattresses are particularly one-sided and should not be flipped.

Most mattresses are designed from the bottom up. The lower layers are designed for support and the upper layers for comfort. Flipping the mattress could not only impact your comfort but could cause the mattress to wear out sooner.

Two-sided mattresses are built from the core out, so they are designed specifically to be flipped from time to time – about every 6 to 12 months.

How to Rotate and Flip a Mattress

As a general rule, it’s a good idea to rotate your mattress twice a year – about every 6 months. You can always check the owner’s manual to determine whether you should rotate the mattress more or less often. The owner’s manual will also tell you whether your mattress is designed to be flipped.

Here’s how to rotate a mattress properly:

Remove pillows, sheets, and other bedding and move furniture away from the bed.
Have a friend or partner help you move the mattress.
Check for handles on the sides of the mattress or grip the mattress from the bottom.
Lift and rotate the mattress 180-degrees so the head of the bed is at the foot.

Here’s how to flip a two-sided mattress properly:

Remove pillows, sheets, and other bedding and move furniture away from the bed.
Have a friend or partner help you move the mattress.
Check for handles on the sides of the mattress or grip the mattress from the bottom.
Lift and rotate the mattress 90-degrees so the longer side is parallel to the head of the bed.
Vacuum the mattress on both sides as well as the bed base.
Carefully flip the mattress end-over-end.
Rotate the mattress another 90-degrees so the head is now at the foot.

Rotating your mattress on a regular basis can significantly extend its lifespan. With proper care and maintenance, your mattress could last you a good 7 to 10 years. When it comes to flipping a mattress, however, it’s important to ensure your mattress is actually designed to be flipped otherwise you could do more harm than good.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should you flip your mattress?

Most mattresses are not designed to be flipped but most can be rotated. Rotate your mattress every 6 to 12 months. If you have a two-sided mattress, it can be flipped every 6 to 12 months as well.

Does flipping your mattress help?

Only if your mattress is designed to be flipped. Two-sided mattresses are built from the core out, so they have support in the middle and padding on both sides. Flipping a two-sided mattress can help fluff and re-invigorate the materials but flipping a one-sided mattress may compromise its integrity.

Can you flip a mattress to the other side?

It depends. If your mattress is designed to be flipped, yes. Most mattresses – including innerspring, hybrid, and pillow-top mattresses – are not designed to be flipped.

Why do mattresses sag?

Mattresses sag over time because the pressure of your body weight causes the materials to compress or deteriorate. Flipping or rotating a mattress can help spread that pressure out more evenly across the mattress to reduce wear and tear. If you’re searching for a new mattress altogether, checkout our best mattresses that won’t sag guide. Spoiler alert: we chose the Nectar mattress as our Best Overall pick.