by People who spend the right amount of sleep are more productive during the day. Most people, usually adults, suffer from sleep disturbances due to the wrong type of mattress. Low back pain is one of the major causes of poor sleep. Many Research papers found that the right mattress saves you from back issues and improves the quality of your sleep (check 10 amazing mattresses for back pain).
A pillow top mattress is perfect for people who want a medium-firm mattress with extra cushions (check the top rated medium firm mattresses). The top is sewn with an additional layer to give you a different soft feel while lying down. Although pretty comfy and soft, these mattresses usually come as single-sided.
Let’s find out why you should not rotate a mattress with a pillow top.
What Is a Mattress with Pillow Top?
It is a perfect blend of the right kind of support with extra cushioning.
Their support system usually comprises innerspring coils. Then, an extra cushioning is sewn on top of the mattress. Materials like cotton, fiberfill, and wool are mostly used in the top layers. It increases the cushions of the mattress, giving you a wonderful sleeping experience (check the top rated pillow top mattresses).
Pillow-top mattresses are usually of two types:
- Regular pillow top mattress
- Euro pillow top mattress
The only visible difference between the two is the padding. In a regular pillow top mattress, the top is sewn with a visible gap, giving the idea of extra padding.
On the other hand, the Euro pillow top mattress has padding sewn inside the mattress. This gives the mattress a better edge grip and a more uniform and luxurious look (check the best selling luxury mattresses).
Who Can Benefit from Mattress with a Pillow Top?
These are some of the benefits of investing your money in a pillow top mattress:
- This mattress is a treat for side sleepers. It gives their hips and shoulder the optimum support, making them fall asleep quicker and better. The right support removes extra strain from their back, resulting in a night free of stiff joints and aching muscles.
- People who cannot afford a costly mattress can invest in a pillow-top mattress. They are a little less costly than your regular memory foam and hybrid mattresses.
- The mattress is ideal for couples due to less motion transfer. During movement, the foam allows less or no disturbance to your partner (check the top rated mattresses for couples).
Simple Hacks To Find Out If Your Mattress Is Flippable or Not
Most Pillow top mattresses are one-sided, and you cannot overturn them. But if your mattress is double-sided, you can flip it and enjoy sleeping on a mattress that is both comfortable and supportive (check 8 great flippable mattresses). Flipping a single-sided pillow top mattress can not only damage your mattress beyond repair. The uneven surface and inadequate support will cause joint pain and misalign your spine. If you are unsure whether to flip your pillow top bed, you can look for these signs.
Examine the Mattress Specifications
Before tossing, check your mattress for any written specifications. If your mattress is marked as flippable, you may continue with the overturning.
Uncover the Mattress Layers
If you are still unsure about the mattress specifications, there is another way. You can check out multi layers of the mattress by unzipping the cover. Make sure the mattress doesn’t have fiberglass in its composition, as it can harm you and your family.
While unzipping, if you observe the core layers underneath, along with the support that holds the mattress, it concludes that the mattress is one-sided, and you cannot flip it on the other side.
If you open the layers and find the mattress consists of soft cushioning on both the top and bottom sides, then it is a double-sided mattress. In this case, it is quite safe to flip the mattress on the opposite side, as it will not affect the composition, shape, and support of your mattress.
Why You Should not Flip a Mattress with Pillow Top?
The Top Will Get Damaged
A pillow top mattress is eminent for its cushioning. The foam in the mattress is made of very soft material that contours your body in the right places.
If you flip a partial pillow top, it will crush the soft top layer. It will neither give the right support to your back nor relieve any pressure from your joints.
A regular pillow top mattress is prone to more damage than a Euro top pillow mattress. This is because the top layer in a regular mattress is not sewn and moves from side to side.
Unsupportive Feel
The one-sided pillow top mattress provides support and extra cushioning to the sleeper. If you flip this mattress, the top pillow will go underneath. On top, you will get an uneven mattress side that does not contour your spine. Less support will make you sleep in an uncomfortable position, and you may suffer chronic back pain, stiff joints, or muscles.
Warranty Claim Will Be Rejected
If you flip a mattress, you should not toss it; you can lose its warranty. Most companies do not cover the warranty of mattresses due to inappropriate usage.
That’s why you should always handle your mattress with care. If one-sided, you should not even for a minute flip it on the other side. You can, however, rotate it clockwise to ensure durability.
How Often Should You Rotate a Mattress with a Pillow Top?
Rotating a mattress once every three months ensures it does not sag or have any indent signs. Rotating the mattress at 180 degrees every three months can increase the life of your mattress. It makes sure the pressure doesn’t exert on a single side. So, you must reverse it on the opposite side every three months.
How to Extend the Life of a Mattress with a Pillow Top?
The pillow top mattress is more short-lived than other mattresses available. Still, if you take proper care and follow these useful and simple hacks, you can extend its life.
Vacuuming
Regularly vacuum the mattress to remove debris, leftover food, or dust mites. Other than that, vacuuming gives volume and plumps up the pillow top.
Avoid Cleaning Agents
Never clean the pillow top with cleaning agents or spot cleaners. The chemical in these products decreases the life of the pillow top, making it stiff and hard. Instead, you can clean out the stain by softly dabbing a solution of mild detergent and water.
Change Sheets
You cannot remove the pillow top from the mattress. Instead of changing and washing the sheet once a week, keep the pillow top clean.
Ways to Fix a Mattress with a Pillow Top
If, after excessive usage, your mattress has started sagging and becomes uncomfortable to sleep on, you can follow these easy steps:
Get a mattress topper separately
Instead of buying a new mattress, you can invest in a well-founded mattress topper. Put it over the sagging pillow top mattress, and you will find the right support and comfort (check the best selling mattress toppers for sagging mattress).
You can invest in a latex mattress topper as it offers ample bounce. Memory foam polyfoam mattress toppers are a nice option to place on your pillow-top mattress.
Place the mattress directly on your floor
If you cannot afford to invest in a new mattress, you can place your mattress directly on the floor (check 8 amazing floor mattresses). Not only will it provide the right amount of support, but it will also increase the firmness of the mattress.
Use a wooden plank or a box spring
You can use a wooden plank or box spring under your sagging mattress as a temporary solution. It will increase the firmness of the mattress, giving the right support to your spine and back.
Can I Remove The Pillow Top From My Mattress?
It is possible to remove the pillow top from your mattress. You must follow these steps to remove the extra padding from your mattress. You can then get customized cushioning and insert it into your old pillow top mattress.
- Locate the zipper on the side of your mattress. You can easily remove the pillow’s top layer if it’s present. If a zipper is not present, you may need to cut open the sides with the help of scissors or a knife.
- Make a small cut on the seams on the pillow top around the mattress’s perimeter.
- After cutting it from all around, you can easily remove the pillow top from the mattress.
Can I flip a pillow top mattress occasionally?
Flipping a true pillow top mattress, even occasionally, is not recommended. The pillow top layer is designed to be on top at all times. Flipping will damage the materials and compromise comfort and support. Rotate the mattress regularly instead of flipping.
What if my pillow top mattress can be flipped?
Some mattresses may be labeled as flippable pillow tops. In those cases, follow the manufacturer’s instructions on rotation and flipping to get the full life span. Flipping a flippable pillow top gives even wear and extends its usability.
How do I know if my pillow top mattress is flippable?
Check the law tag and documentation from the manufacturer. Usually one-sided pillow tops will be labeled “do not flip.” Flippable pillow tops will give instructions for periodic flipping. You can also examine the mattress layers for identical comfort materials on both sides.
Conclusion
According to research, about 30 to 40% of the body is distressed while sleeping. So, when you buy a mattress, you must take its proper care. One way to extend the mattress’s life is to flip or rotate it every three months.
Unfortunately, if you own a single-sided pillow top mattress, you cannot reverse it. Rotating a pillow top mattress makes it lose its durability. It misaligns the spine, making you uncomfortable throughout your sleeping time.
Other than flipping, keep the mattress clean, avoid sitting on the mattress edges and rotate it once every three months.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8151739/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8655046/
Flip a pillow top mattress FAQs
Why Do a Mattress with Pillow top Sag?
The biggest issue with a pillow too mattress is the sagging phenomenon. This is because the material used in the cushioning layer compress over time. As a result, it causes the mattress to lose the extra support system causing your back to ache and a bad case of stiff joints.
How Long Should A Pillow Top Mattress Last?
The pillow top mattress lasts less time than your average memory and hybrid foam. The actual life of a memory top mattress is for about 5 to 7 years, while your regular mattresses last for about 9 to 10 years. The extra layer wears out with time, causing you to sleep on an uncomfortable and harsh mattress.
What Happens If You Flip A No-Flip Mattress?
If you flip a no-flip mattress, you will sleep on the uncomfortable side. This less supportive side will cause back pain and stiff joints.
Tossing a mattress specially marked as one-sided will crush the top pillow layer, causing irreversible damage to the mattress while voiding you of the warranty.
How to Correctly Rotate a Mattress with Pillow Top?
The best way to revolve a pillow top mattress is to move it by an angle of 180 degrees. If you turn the mattress clockwise or anti-clockwise, it increases its shelf life and increases its durability. It prevents the mattress from unnecessarily sagging and evenly distributes your weight on all sides.