Air mattresses are a convenient way to sleep comfortably on the road or at home. They have grown in popularity since their market release in the past decade or so, due to the great convenience they offer.
If you have ever slept on an air mattress away from home, you’d probably agree they can be life savers.
Short on beds at home? Air mattresses are a great solution that saves time and money. Inflating and deflating your air mattress can be done quickly and easily, even without a pump.
Deflating Your Air Mattress
If you have ever owned an inflatable mattress, you know the importance of properly deflating your air mattress for storage. A fully-deflated air mattress can easily be stored in a small closet or space.
Fully deflating your air mattress before storing it can protect the overall integrity of the mattress, as well as save you time when you next need to access it.
Preparing to Deflate Your Air Mattress
The first step in deflating your air mattress is to move the fully-inflated air mattress onto a hard surface, such as the floor, instead of on a bed frame.
Remove pillows, duvet covers, air mattress toppers, or other items lying on the bed before beginning the deflation process.
The next step is to deflate your air mattress. The method for deflating depends on the type of mattress you own.
Let’s take a look at the different procedures for deflating the different types of air mattresses.
Deflating Your Built-In Pump Air Mattress
An air mattress with an internal pump is designed to ensure effortless inflation and deflation. If you own one of these, you’re in luck! You should have no issues getting your bed fully deflated for storage or travel with the simple flick of a switch.
- Flip on the “deflate” dial on your air mattress. Note that each brand is different, so some airbeds may directly display a “deflate” button, while other brands may display an “0” or “Minus (–)” sign to indicate deflation.
Once the deflate button has been pressed, the internal pump immediately begins releasing air from the mattress. Depending on the brand, the deflation process may take between 30 seconds to 5 minutes.
One of the advantages of having an air mattress with an internal pump is that they can fully deflate themselves without supervision!
Deflating Your Separate-Pump Air Mattress
If you own an airbed that does not have its own built-in pump, having an external pump on hand will make the deflation process quick and easy.
Air mattresses that operate with external pumps usually require that the pump have two distinct nozzles: a wide-opening nozzle and a narrow-opening nozzle.
Attaching the pump’s wide-opening nozzle to the airbed’s wide-opening mouth is the first step in deflating the mattress.
The last step is to switch on the pump. Once the pump is on, the air mattress will automatically begin deflating.
Some pumps may have issues contacting the valve, which can slow deflation.
If you think your air mattress is deflating too slowly, try holding the pump to the valve while the pump is in operation to avoid any issues.
Having a friend apply pressure to the mattress or lie on the mattress while the pump is in operation will also help speed up the deflation process.
No Pump? No Problem
What do you do when deflating your mattress without a pump? Is there a way to completely deflate your mattress in such a scenario?
The good news is that pressure from your hands and knees can just as easily deflate your air mattress. Just open the wide-opening valve and apply constant pressure as the mattress deflates.
Your air mattress could become completely flat within 10 minutes, depending on its size and pressure applied.
The Verdict
An internal pump makes the deflation process very easy and hands-off. If you want to avoid any stress the next time you need to deflate your mattress, an internal-pump airbed is the way to go.
However, internal-pump airbeds are usually not designed for outdoor use since they rely on access to a power source.
If you are searching for an air mattress to meet your camping or outdoor needs, purchasing an external-pump air mattress is the way to go.
Whichever route works best for your needs, air mattresses are great for their convenience, and, as we’ve seen, they can be easy to deflate, too!