Like anyone, I sometimes find myself in the position of having to set up temporary (or semi-permanent) living accommodations.
Whether you’re having a major remodel or just thinking ahead for that dorm room situation, you’ll need to know how to prevent condensation on the air mattress.
How do you prevent condensation on an air mattress? One way to keep the moisture from building up is to make sure you are not putting the mattress into a damp place: wipe down the walls and floors with a dry cloth or mop, and make sure the mattress can breathe by leaving some space around it.
Although air mattresses are generally not designed to be waterproof, it is possible to protect your mattress from condensation.
I understand that a new, full-size mattress is a significant investment.
But you don’t want the most expensive mattress you can buy to be ruined by excess moisture, mold, and a host of other problems that can arise from an inadequate air mattress!
Here are some tips for how to prevent condensation on air mattresses.
Why does moisture collect on my air mattress?
Summer’s here, which means that you can finally start sleeping in the great outdoors without having to worry about freezing!
You’ve poured yourself a big glass of lemonade, cut out the lawn chairs, and put your sleeping bag on top of your air mattress.
But, as you get ready for bed, you realize there is something very wrong: the air mattress is covered in moisture.
Why is this happening?
This is happening because of two reasons:
- Sweat
- Humidity
1. Sweat
The way your sweat causes moisture to collect on your air mattress is probably one of the most unsavory facts of life, but it is also one of the most important.
The process takes place when perspiration evaporates from your skin, and then rises until it condenses on a cold surface.
The colder the surface, the more moisture will collect, which is why you can see snowflakes collecting on the ground during snowstorms, but not inside your house.
Sweat is more than just a nuisance.
The moisture that sweat creates is one of the main causes of musty odors, mold growth, and mildew on beds.
For many, it can be a major concern, especially for the elderly, who can become especially susceptible to the effects of moisture.
2. Humidity
Is your air mattress or pillow wet almost every morning?
Moisture collects on top of it or under when you sleep?
If so, it’s likely that the humidity level of your bedroom is higher than your air mattress or mattress pad can handle.
It’s not because you’re not trying hard enough to keep your mattress dry.
It’s because of the way humidity works.
Humidity is a measure of the amount of water vapor in the air.
When air gets humid, it is holding more water vapor than normal.
Humidity is a factor that can cause moisture to collect on an air mattress—and it’s sneaky, too.
In the summertime, especially, we often find ourselves fighting against the high humidity that comes with the warm weather.
If you live in a humid area, you may notice that your mattress gets damp or even wet.
This is caused by a combination of the heat and humidity, which causes some of the water in the air to condense on the surface of the mattress or underneath.
Best way to prevent condensation on air mattress
Whether you’re using your air mattress to sleep on while you’re camping or for extra sleeping space at home, you probably don’t want to wake up in the morning to an air mattress that’s covered in moisture.
Condensation is a common problem in most homes.
One room that is particularly affected is the bedroom, where warm, moist air is trapped by the bedding, resulting in the familiar condensation on the windows.
While it’s natural for air mattresses to collect some moisture while they’re being used, it’s important to try to prevent it from collecting on the air mattress itself.
Thankfully, there are a number of simple steps you can take to avoid this problem
1. Insulate the air mattress
Insulate the top
When you live in a warm and humid climate, you’re likely to find a lot of condensation in your air mattress.
It’s not just uncomfortable to sleep with wet sheets; it’s also not good for your health or the mattress itself.
The good news is that you can minimize the condensation by creating a barrier between your body and the air mattress.
The easiest way to do that is to just place a piece of plastic over the mattress and under the sheets.
- picnic rugs
- mattress pads and protectors
- fleece blanket on top of the airbed
- faux sheepskin
- sleeping bag liners
- sleeping mats
Insulate the bottom
When you have a lower air mattress, you can sometimes notice that the bottom of the air mattress gets a little bit wet.
Due to the fact that air mattresses are susceptible to condensation, your body heat and moisture can build up underneath the mattress, creating water droplets that are not only annoying, but can easily lead to mold and mildew growth and an unpleasant sleep experience.
There are some ways to prevent this, such as using a waterproof underlay and drying the mattress with a towel after each use.
Opt for materials that will prevent the water from contacting the mattress such as:
- plastic tarp
- silver sided mat
- den-dry mattress underlayment
- hypervent
2. Lower the temperature
People use air mattresses more frequently during the hot summer.
Air mattresses are soft and comfortable, but if you use the air mattress in a damp room, you will find the mattress becomes wet.
In the summer, the room can be warm at night, and if you sweat, the air mattress can also get wet as the heated moisture settles on and under the mattress.
In order to let your mattress keep dry, you can use the following methods to lower room temperature.
- Keep temperature between 16-20 degrees Celsius in bedroom
- Don’t heat up cold bedrooms in the evening, the warm air will create condensation on the cold wall and floor of the bedroom
3. Increase the amount of ventilation
Ventilation is an important part of ensuring that your air mattress will last you as long as possible.
Setting up your air mattress in a well-ventilated room will not only prevent mildew from forming, but it will also keep you cool from sweating and the air mattress from becoming too hot during the night, which can cause your sheets to stick to it.
The mattress can become damp and clammy, and the resulting mold can lead to health issues.
To ventilate the room, make sure to do the following:
- Open trickle ventilators
- Use extractor fan or dehumidifier
- Do not block air ventilator
4. Arrange your furniture to promote good air circulation
Furniture is an essential element of our everyday life. It is important to have the right place for all our belongings.
It has to be arranged properly to have a good, healthy and happy life.
Furnished homes often suffer from poor air circulation, and this can cause condensation to build up on air mattresses, which can leave the mattress feeling damp.
The best way to prevent mold and mildew from collecting on your air mattress is to give the mattress plenty of air circulation.
Use these tips to avoid this in your home’s bedrooms.
- When you place your air mattress on the floor, make sure it is not surrounded by a lot of furniture—the air mattress needs to breathe.
- Pull furniture and mattress away from external walls and corners
- Place furniture against internal walls
5. Leave gaps between curtains and walls
If you are tired of waking up all sweaty and uncomfortable that your air mattress is soaked and the sheets are all damp in the morning, it’s time to take a look at your curtain and windows during the day.
All you really need to do is just leave some space between them, so that the air circulation can easily travel through the room and dry up all the moisture from the air mattress.
The air circulation will make sure that you have enough fresh air in the room and let the moist air out.
You can also remove the curtains all together from the window for sufficient air to get in and out.
6. Wipe away condensation
The problem with the air mattress convenience is that a slight temperature change is all it takes to cause condensation on the surface and the bottom
When you use an air mattress for some time, you may notice that the surface feels a little damp.
This is due to moisture and air circulation issues within the mattress.
If you live in a humid climate, then you may need to wipe away air mattress condensation to get rid of that sopping wet feeling and before it builds up into something more serious.
Remove any condensed moisture from windows, floors, and small patches of mold before they’re able to spread.
Over to you
You love lounging on your air mattress in the summertime, but you hate the way it feels to wake up with condensation soaking your sheets and sleeping bag.
The culprit is a temperature inversion: as the warm air inside your bedroom starts to cool off at night, the warm moist air from your body’s heat and sweat cannot escape because the outside of the house has already cooled down to below the dew point.
So, your air mattress starts to collect moisture.
The best way to prevent this as we’ve discussed is to vent the moisture out of your room and to insulate your mattress.
