How To Inflate An Air Mattress

By Philip Yiga | October 6, 2015

In case you are a kind of person who loves camping, having friends come over to spend a night at your place or just looking for a convenient place to sleep, then an air-mattress will work perfectly for you. In fact, air-mattresses are very handy yet they can offer the user with a comfortable sleeping experience. These air-mattresses can also be compresses to a fraction of their original/full-size and this actually makes them very portable and convenient to use. However, air-mattresses need to be inflated before usage by either using a mattress compatible-pump or by using any handy inflating tools around because inflating air into a mattress is a very simple process that almost anyone can do if provided with the right inflating-tools. All in all, I have provided you with some of the methods that you may use to inflate an air-mattress hence you will need to take a quick look through this article in case you have just acquired an air-mattress.

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METHOD-1: INFLATING AN AIR-MATTRESS USING A PUMP:

1. Begin by opening the valve-cover: most air-mattresses are equipped with either a one-way air valve which allows air to easily enter into the mattress and not leave it or a simple hole anywhere on the sides of the mattress. In fact, the first step should be to first locate this hole/valve and then remove that protective cap. However, some modern air-mattresses feature built-in pumps placed on the sides and this means that the user simply needs to turn on the switch after connecting the mattress to a power-outlet and the air-inflation process will begin.

2. Insert the pump into an open valve/hole: whether you’re using a manual or electric pump, you will have to insert this pump into a hole/valve opening and make sure that the pump makes a tight seal with the material around the valve/hole because if it doesn’t, there is a probability of air escaping around the pump hence making it hard to fully inflate your air-mattress. However, you can try putting duct-tape around the pump in order to keep it seated into the valve or even melt plastic around the pump to make it thicker and give it a tighter seal.

3. Incase mattress has an automatic-pump, switch it on: most modern air-mattresses actually come pre-packaged with an electric air-pump and if this is the type of mattress you’re having, then just make sure that its plugged into power-supply then turn it on and your mattress will immediately begin to inflate itself. However, built-in electric pumps tend to be quite loud and this means that you will have to be very careful while running them around people who are sleeping.

4. If you’re using a manual-pump then start pumping air inside the mattress: in case you have a have an older air-mattress or when you have lost an electric-pump, then you may use may use a manual-pump to inflate air into your mattress although manual-pumps are not as quick and effortless like electric-pumps but they can still work effectively if used in a proper way. In fact, there are 2-types of manual-pumps used to inflate air-mattresses and these include; hand-pumps and foot-pumps.

5. Screw the latch/cap back-on: when your air-mattress is fully inflated and firm enough, remove the pump and then screw the valve or cap back onto hole in order to trap the air inside. Grab some sheets, pillows and blankets in order to prepare your bed and then you will be ready to enjoy sleep.

 

METHOD-2: INFLATING AN AIR-MATTRESS WITHOUT USING A PUMP:

• Use a hair-dryer: in case you don’t have a pump to inflate your mattress with then you may actually use an electric hair-dryer to fill your mattress with air. In fact, all you have to do is to simply turn-on the hair-dryer and then hold it against an open valve/hole in order to begin filling your mattress with air. However, most hair-dryers don’t fit perfectly into the mattress’s valve/hole and this actually makes the inflation process a bit slower compared to using a pump.

 

• Use a vacuum-cleaner or shop-vacuum: Any machines that can blow-air can also be used to inflate an air-mattress. In fact, some shop-vacuums have blow-function in addition to the ordinary suck-function, vacuum-cleaners can also be used air inflating purposes and there also other tools like snow-blowers and leaf blowers that are specially formulated for blowing. With such blowing-tools, you will just have to hold the nozzle and blow air into the mattress air hole/valve in order to inflate it.

 

• Use a tire or bike pump: if you have a bike or car, then you are most likely to purchase a handy pump for filling air into the tires. In fact, most standard bike and tire pumps can be used to inflate an air-mattress but the only problem is getting a tight seal around the pump nozzle when filling your mattress with air.

 

• Use a garbage-bag: it is very possible to inflate an air-mattress with a standard-size plastic garbage-bag. In fact, all you have to do is to first open-up the bag and swing it up-and-down in order to fetch the air around and then secure the open-end of the bag. After, take this bag close to the mattress’s air-hole and then place the open-end of the bag around this hole. Gently squeeze the bag in order to force air out and into the mattress. Repeat this process until your air-mattress is fully inflated and it’s also recommended to use a heavy-duty trash bag for this method because weaker trash-bags are vulnerable to popping when placed under your weight.

 

• Inflate the mattress using your breath: in case you don’t have any of the objects featured above to help you inflate that mattress, then just take a deep-breath to fill it with air. However, try to use a sanitizer to ensure that the mattress’s valve/hole is clean and then place the mouth against it, begin exhaling while releasing air into the mattress until it gets full and firm but this will actually take you some good time.