Some mattresses have a “pillow-top” on one side. Usually, these mattresses aren’t intended to be flipped, but can be rotated. [3] X Research source In some cases, the pillow-top of your mattress may not be uniform. Check the directions of pillow-top mattresses carefully; some might not require rotation. If you have torn the tag from your mattress, or if the tag was somehow pulled free from it at some point, you should look up your mattress care instructions online. Type the name, manufacturer, and size of your mattress into an online search engine to find your care instructions.
Write the name of the month you plan to rotate your mattress at the top of your card. For a mattress that requires flipping and rotating, turn your card upside down so the month you wrote at the top is now at the bottom of the card. Then write the month three months after the first month you wrote. Take your second index card and write the name of the month three months after the second month you wrote along the top. For a mattress that requires flipping and rotating, turn your card upside down so the third month you wrote is now at the bottom of the card. Write the next month three months after the third month. For example, on your first card you could have “March” at the top and “June” at the bottom and upside down. Your second card, in this case, would have “September” at the top and “December” at the bottom and upside down. [6] X Research source
You might also want to mark these dates on your calendar, put an alert in your phone, or use an online calendar service to keep track of your mattress maintenance.
Move lamps, heaters, knick-knacks on your nightstand, cups, glasses, clocks, wall hangings, and other breakable items out of the way before flipping or rotating. You should also move stationary objects that might get in the way while flipping the mattress, or might be a hazard while flipping. For example, you might want to scoot your nightstand out of the way a little bit so you don’t bump your toe on it while reorienting your mattress. [8] X Research source
Check the sides of your mattress for handles. Some mattresses include side handles to make maneuvering and transportation easier. You can rotate your mattress to whatever side is most convenient. Your end goal is to re-position the foot of your bed so it becomes the head. Recenter your mattress after you have pointed the bottom to either the left or the right. The starting head and foot of your bed should be hanging off the left and right sides now, with the mattress roughly in the middle of your box springs or frame. King and Queen sized mattresses may be hard to maneuver with just one corner. If you have a bed this size or larger, you will likely have the easiest time rotating your mattress by propping it on the head- or footboard and sliding it a little at a time until the foot and head of the mattress are pointing off to the sides. You should not prop and pivot your mattress on your head- or footboard if either have sharp angles that might catch on your mattress or if these are not stable. In this case, offset your mattress by pushing one corner of the foot of the mattress inward with respect to the frame and one corner of the head of the mattress outward. The resulting orientation should be offset and tilted on an angle. [9] X Research source
The size of king mattresses makes these prone to developing a hump in the middle. Thanks to the fact that these mattresses are mostly square, you can prevent this hump from forming by only rotating these mattresses 90-degrees and not finishing the rotation. Except for king size mattress, your bed should now be oriented normally, with its long side running from the head of the bed to the foot of the bed. The head and foot of your mattress should now be in exchanged positions. [10] X Research source
Generally, you should flip your mattress alternating between side-to-side flipping and end-over-end flipping unless your mattress tag/instructions indicate otherwise. After flipping your mattress, it should overhang the opposite side of the bed. However, at this point it is rotated and flipped. All you need to do is push your mattress into place on your box spring or frame and you’re done.
