How To Keep Your Mattress From Sliding – 4 Easy Tips For Prevention

Why Do We Toss and Turn All Night?

Many individuals struggle to get a good night’s sleep; some take a long time to drift off, others grapple to get comfortable, and a few of us wake up frequently in the night. Pay attention to your foundation because slippage could be the culprit.

A bed sliding off the foundation could be a significant contributor to poor sleep, but there are ways to help. Dust, friction, pads, material, and frames can all be factors in a stable foundation. Let’s dive into all the ways this can happen and what you can do to help the issue.

What Is Causing Mattresses to Slip?

Waking up halfway off your frame is not only uncomfortable but can ruin the dreamy aesthetic of your slumber sanctuary. Lack of friction and support can be big culprits, but there are ways to help.

Lack of Friction

Many products lack a thick, textured cover, which helps to secure a product in place. If it has a thin, slick outer material, the lack of friction between the frame and the product could cause your bed to shift and slide off.

You could mitigate this issue by using a thicker cushion cover or something with more texture. Even placing a felt blanket between the frame and your cushion could provide a massive improvement.

Improper Support

Not all frames are made equal. If you have an old frame or faulty box spring, the uneven support could be doing a poor job of securing your foundation in place.

Slatted frames are standard and often less hassle to set up and break down, but if the slats aren’t made with strong materials, they can weaken or sag over time, causing your mattress to shift. Similarly, a poor-quality box spring could provide uneven support, causing the cushion to slip right off the frame.

Check Our Comparison: Box Spring vs. Slats

Sharing a Bed with Children

Sharing your space with several wiggly little humans only increases the amount of shifting a frame has to manage. If you enjoy sleeping next to your little ones— more power to you— kids love to be close to their parents. However, you’ll likely need to throw a non-slip mat under your mattress to manage the wiggles.

You Have a Two-Sided Mattress

Due to their dual-sided design, products that lack a clear bottom or top are often covered with soft layers on both sides. While this can be beneficial for those with evolving needs or appreciate choice, these models can sometimes be more challenging to secure.

Learn More: Best Flippable Mattresses

You Have an Old Mattress

Aging products riddled with lumps and sagging sides or centers aren’t ideal if you’re looking to secure your bed. An old product’s uneven nature could be more challenging for a box spring or frame to support, potentially leading to slippage. If you’re sleeping on an old lumpy product, it might be due for an upgrade— and we already have a list of the Best Mattresses of 2024.

The Mattress is Smaller than Bed Frame

Using a frame that’s larger than your mattress may sound like a great way to keep it from sliding off, but giving your product room to wiggle only encourages more movement. You want your frame and cushion to be a perfect fit, so it sits securely, keeping you comfortable all night long.

Get More Info: Mattress Size Guide

How to Stop Mattress From Sliding

Despite the variety of ways your bed can feel like a flying carpet, we’ve got some smart solutions to solve your problem for good.

Try Rubber Mats

Using a frame that’s larger than your mattress may sound like a great way to keep it from sliding off, but giving your product room to wiggle only encourages more movement. You want your frame and cushion to be a perfect fit, so it sits securely, keeping you comfortable all night long.

Use a Non-Slip Pad

Non-slip pads are similar to rubber mats. However, these products are often created with more specific functions in mind, like gripping furniture to keep chairs or couches in place. The products come in a variety of sizes and typically aren’t as heavy-duty as rubber mats.

Due to their smaller size, they might be easier and more convenient to use than rubber mats; tucking a few of these around the perimeter of your bed could help and save you from pulling off your entire mattress.

Vacuum Under the Mattress

Dust is surprisingly slippery. If you’ve ever walked with rubber shoes on a freshly cleaned floor, you may notice a squeak and some considerable friction, and that’s because it’s clean. A dirty floor can cause slippage, similarly to how oil on pavement or fresh rain can cause cars to hydroplane, so vacuuming could help.

Try Carpet Tape

Carpet tape is used beneath the carpet to prevent it from shifting, so if it can keep something from moving that’s walked on daily, it should be strong enough to keep your bed in place. The product is a solid budget solution and shouldn’t cause any significant harm to your product or frame.

How to Stop Your Mattress From Sliding off a Metal Bed Frame

Metal bed frames often lack the necessary friction to hold a bed firmly in place, especially if it lacks considerably sized side panels. Additionally, many older models only provide a simple design without extra perks like a head or baseboard, which can secure your space.

You can help this by adding a head and baseboard, however, that still leaves the sides to consider. We recommend using one of the strategies above, like a rubber mat or non-slip pad.

How to Keep the Mattress From Sliding of a Box Spring

Box springs provide an excellent foundation as long as they’re the right size, made correctly, and not in poor condition. An old box spring could have a compromised beam or sagging side, causing your cushion to shift in the night as your body is pressing down on it. If your foundation is in good condition, your product could lack friction, in which case a non-slip pad, fleece blanket, or rubber mat can help you secure it.