I know you are very excited because you bought a new memory foam mattress and you unboxed the mattress, also removed the old mattress and the box spring.
But once you read the directions, your all excitement is ruined because the company suggests you need to wait 24 hours before you sleep on that mattress.
so one question may be on your mind how long does a memory foam mattress take to expand?
Come on, I know the feeling when the new mattress is at your doorstep and everything is ready,
You just want to crawl into the new mattress and want to enjoy a comfortable and restful sleep but all your excitement is gone because the company says to wait for 24- 48 hours.
But it is true that an average memory foam mattress takes 24-48 hours to expand but it expands up to 90% in about just 4 to 5 hours.
It takes 24 hours to expand the memory foam mattress topper to expand 100% and memory foam pillow takes around 48 hours to 72 hours to expand fully because they are denser.
There are lots of myths and you don’t have to wait for 24 hours to expand the mattress, in this article we will explain why it is not necessary.
What is the bed in a box concept?
Nowadays everything is online and every memory foam manufacturer sells online.
The internet allows us to research, compare, know their good’s & bad’s, shop and buy anything we want.
If you purchase a mattress online then they send you a mattress in a box, you may wonder how a mattress gets fit in a box?
But the box is the primary mode of shipping the mattress.
Bed-in box mattresses are rolled up and compressed by machines because it’s way easy to ship the company in a box.
Once you get the bed-in box mattress at your doorstep then all you need to do is pop the airtight seal, and unroll the mattress, and watch the expansion process begins or not.
how long does a memory foam mattress take to expand?
As the company and everybody on the internet tells you that it takes 24 hours to expand the mattress.
The expansion of the memory foam mattresses depends upon the product type.
The main three factors that can affect the expansion time of memory foam mattresses are thickness, temperature, and density.
1. Thickness or depth of memory foam mattress can play a major role in the expansion time of the memory foam mattress,
The pillow takes more time to expand because they are thicker. On other hand, the memory foam mattress toppers are very thin so that they can take less time to expand.
2. Temperature is also mattress in expansion time of memory foam mattress,
any memory foam mattress will expand fast in the warmer room because heat reduces the viscosity of the mattress and increases fluidity.
3. Density is different for every mattress and denser foam will take time to expand.
Why is it recommended to wait for 24 hours ?
24-48 hours is recommended to wait before we can use the memory foam mattress until it takes its full shape and expands completely.
Company and manufacturers’ directions say that you need to wait for 24 hours for the expansion process to complete.
If there is any cracking or splitting on the mattress then we can’t see until the mattress is completely expanded so waiting for the expansion process is worth it.
The 24 hours waiting period is just ensuring for customers get a properly expanded mattress, and. And it also gives the mattress off-gassing time until there is no smell left in the mattress.
What happens if you don’t wait for 24 hours to let mattress expand ?
Most mattresses come with instructions that allow waiting for 24-48 hours before using the mattress.
Because once the mattress is fully expanded then it’s easy to see any defects on the mattress.
However, If you don’t follow the instruction and do not wait for 24 hours then it will not damage the memory foam mattress in any way.
It is the myth that busted today.
In fact, sleeping on the new memory foam mattress before 24 hours speed up the process of expansion,
because our body heat can make the mattress more pliable and make it faster to expand.
But if you can not wait for 24 hours then we recommend you to wait at least 4-12 hours before you use the mattress.
The initial 4-12 hours period in which the maximum expansion of memory foam mattress can occur and is called the off-gassing period.
Off-gassing means the mattress lets off chemicals in the form of gas and this process will happen when the mattress expands.
And if you do not give the proper time for expansion then laying on the bed is not perfectly safe for you.
And one more thing you need to keep in your mind is some companies claim that their mattress expands in 8 hours and some claim that their mattress expands in minutes.
So we advise you to contact the manufactures for any troubles you face.
read more: Are Memory Foam Mattresses Good For Your Back?
How to make mattress Faster to expand?
I already said before that density is the key factor that will define how much time your mattress will take to expand.
I know it’s difficult to wait when you bought a brand new mattress and you just want to feel the comforts and softness of the mattress.
But in the memory foam mattress, mattress toppers, and pillows you need to wait for the mattress to expand first.
After then
- the foam responds to the body weight and heat so you need to stretch out and roll out and need to walk across your mattress during a day.
- Raising the room temperature can also improves the speed of expansion.
- You need to create some air flow through the memory foam one way to do this is you need to keep the mattress in well ventilated space
- Also provide the air circulation by using fans
These tips and tricks will improve the speed of expansion of your mattress.
