If you need to know how to make a mattress firmer, we have a few practical tips for you. We’ll address practical solutions you can implement without buying a new mattress. And some of these tips make a mattress firmer without having to buy additional items.
Check Your Bedding
A quick fix is pulling your sheets tight and removing extra quilts and blankets others added for softness. Depending on the bed configuration, you may also ease the sag by replacing the foam border, if it has one. And you’ll extend the life of the mattress by not sitting on the edge when getting dressed.
Firming Up an Air Mattress
If you own an air mattress, the first step is to increase the pressure. Greater air pressure equals greater firmness. What if you’re already adding air to it and it seems too soft? Start looking for air leaks you need to seal.
Firming Up a Spring Mattress
First and foremost, make sure that when you flipped things over, you didn’t end up sleeping on the foundation instead of the box springs. Second, if you have the box springs on top, make sure you’re sleeping on a side that isn’t already sagging. Note that not all box springs are made to be flipped over onto the other side.
If the mattress doesn’t have a sleep surface on the bottom, you can try to improve things by turning it 180 degrees. This won’t restore it to its full firmness, but now you’re not sleeping on the same section you’ve slept on so much that it sags.
If that’s no longer an option, you can try to add a foam mattress topper. The foam layer adds firmness, and this is an option if your mattress springs are just too soft. You could use either a latex or high density foam mattress topper. Note that you shouldn’t use a latex mattress topper if you are already proven allergic to latex gloves.
Another option is a plywood bed support. What if you already have support slats under the bed? Make sure the support slats under the mattress are evenly distributed.
A child’s bed in particular is prone to having slats break because a child was breaking on them. If the child’s bed is sagging in one specific area, you may need to put new support slats under the bed. You may benefit from replacing the plywood base or box springs, too, if they’re sagging.
However, this won’t do much good if the mattress itself has developed a permanent sag in the middle. Another option is removing the bed from the sagging foundation and putting it on the floor. If you have a steel frame, adding extra steel legs will improve its sagging if it is sagging to that level.
Firming Up a Memory Foam Mattress
Latex memory foam layer can be put on top of a memory foam bed. If the mattress has a core support layer, you could replace that to make it firmer without replacing the outer layers.
Another issue that memory foam beds are particularly prone to is moisture. If your memory foam bed is sagging more than expected, air it out and dry it out.
This won’t solve everything, but it could make a difference. And unlike buying a new mattress topper, it doesn’t cost you anything but your time. In general, you also want to keep the room dry and cool to slow down the deterioration process of the memory foam mattress. However, once it has started deteriorating, environmental conditions won’t restore its firmness.