How To Blow Up An Air Mattress Without A Pump? Comprehensive Guide

We will show you how to use two common household items to inflate your air mattress without the need for a pump. If you need to fill your air mattress and either your pump is malfunctioning or you don’t have one, knowing this information might be helpful. Although they are not as convenient as an electric pump, they can be used in its place if you don’t have one on hand.

An air bed can be inflated using a vacuum and a leaf blower, so you won’t have to do it yourself. We’ll go through some time-saving techniques as well. Without further ado, then, here is how to inflate an air bed without a pump!

Air Mattress Pros

Custom Firmness

When used as a primary bed in the home, the adjustable firmness of an air mattress is a major perk. Adjust to your desired level of firmness or leniency. To get a firmer surface, more air should be used, while a softer one requires less. Everyone has their own sleeping arrangement, so this is perfect for when you have company around.

Back Pain

Adjustable firmness is a big benefit for persons with back difficulties and other sorts of body or joint pains, and although an inflatable mattress isn’t universally hailed as the best option, it does provide some unique advantages. This is because there will inevitably be nights when the bed is too soft; on these occasions, a single press of a button will allow you to instantly pump air to the mattress, making it firmer and better able to support your body as you sleep. Sometimes a bed can be excessively hard, but it’s easy to make it softer with the touch of a button.

Sharing a Bed

However, if you or your spouse like one side to be firmer than the other, you may do it on practically any full-size and larger mattress because of the two interior chambers. Put an end to arguments over how stiff or soft it should be by adjusting it to your personal preference.

Odor-Free

There is no off-gassing stench as you may encounter with a brand new memory foam mattress due to the PVC material utilized in its construction.

No Sagging

Sagging occurs when the surface gradually gives way over time, creating a crater-like effect where the person sleeps due to the weight of their body. When drooping becomes noticeable, it is probably time to start considering a replacement. Unlike a standard full-size memory foam or some innerspring variants, which will droop after years of use, an air bed can easily be re-inflated to get rid of the sag.

Increased Durability

PVC’s durability and anti-sag properties make it superior to innerspring, latex, and foam in terms of durability and longevity. While the lifespan of a standard latex or spring mattress ranges from 7 to 10 years, an air bed can easily last 15 years. If you have an air mattress with a built-in pump, the pump is more likely to break down before the mattress itself, but it’s cheap and easy to replace.

Rapid Inflation

To give you an idea, it takes about 5 minutes to fully inflate a raised twin size air bed, depending on the quality of the pump. In roughly three minutes, you can blow up a non-raised, slightly smaller camper mattress.

Low Price

Brands like Coleman and Intex, which are widely known and respected, have reduced their costs significantly. For example, a twin air mattress can be purchased for as little as $30 online, whereas a twin memory foam mattress can easily cost $300 for a decent quality one.

Many Uses

An inflatable mattress, depending on its size, can be used either inside or outside. A twin size low profile alternative, for instance, can be folded up and stored away for use on camping vacations, or it can be set up quickly and conveniently on the living room floor for unexpected visitors. Similar to how some people prefer to sleep in the backseat rather than the car seat, others lay them across the backseat while traveling.

Air Mattress Cons

Lengthy Assembly

It may take up to an hour and two persons to set up a larger inflatable mattress intended for permanent or fixed use. However, after it is put together, the only adjustment you will need to make is the amount of air, which can be altered to suit individual taste.

Noisy Pump

Some consumers have voiced displeasure with the pump’s noise, but this is more common in cheaper models. In addition, you generally won’t be utilizing the pump very often because it can only be used to inflate or deflate.

Replacing Pumps

Because of its mechanical make-up and dependence on the internal pump, you’ll need to get it serviced under warranty or at your own expense if it ever breaks down. If you have an air mattress that needs an external pump, you can get a replacement for under $15 on Amazon.

Shorter Warranty

When compared to latex and innerspring mattresses, warranties for PVC beds are typically shorter, so if the bed’s structure or pump fails, you may be responsible for some or all of the cost of repairs. However, the price of a new replacement is typically the same as the price of a repair these days, so it’s preferable to look for a new replacement than to pay towards a repair.

How To Blow Up An Air Mattress Without A Pump Using Household Items

Using a vacuum

One of the first and most common ways to inflate an air bed is with a vacuum cleaner. You may be wondering how using a vacuum cleaner to inflate your mattress could possibly work. However, there are models available that feature a reversing function and a hose connector.

These vacuums don’t actually vacuum air; rather, they exhaust it out through a hose that can be used as a pump. Prior to utilizing the dirt container to inflate the mattress, be sure it has been emptied. After 10 seconds, remove the nozzle and replace it with one that is smaller to fit the mattress valve.

If you don’t have a nozzle, you can use an adaptor to join the hose to the valve, or you can reinforce the connection with duct tape. Select the exhaust mode’s slowest speed setting once you’re sure the connection is secure, then crank it up as you fill the bed. When you’ve achieved the desired level of firmness in your mattress, you may turn off the vacuum and let the seal take effect.

Using a leaf blower

If you’re looking for something easier, you can utilize the blowing capability of a leaf blower to inflate an air mattress without a pump. Because of this similarity in air-blowing mechanism, a snowblower can also be used in place of an air pump. The vacuum hose can be used to make a tight connection between the leaf blower and the mattress valve.

Again, you should begin at the lowest setting and gradually increase it as you add more water to your mattress. Overstuffing the bed might cause the seams to come undone, so that’s another thing to keep in mind. When you’re finished inflating, just take the hose off the valve and replace the cap.

Can You Use A Hair Dryer To Blow Up An Air Mattress?

If your air mattress is on the smaller side, you can use a hairdryer to inflate it. You can expect it to work, but it won’t be as quiet as the exhaust on a strong appliance like a vacuum. For one, you can’t use an adapter like you would with a vacuum cleaner, and the hair dryer’s outlet is quite large, so the connection between the hair dryer and the valve will be more likely to leak.

Wrapping the hairdryer’s air output in a sheet of paper to construct a cone is a handy solution to make it work better with the air bed’s valve. Heat might damage the mattress, so once you’re sure no air will escape when blowing, switch to the heat-free or cool setting. This is especially true if you want to use the hairdryer for an extended period of time, as they can become dangerously hot.

Can I Fill An Air Mattress With Water?

While it is feasible to inflate an air mattress without a pump, it will take a lot of effort. Wouldn’t it be simpler to just use water instead? Please reconsider moving forward with this very outlandish plan of yours.

Since water and air have very different qualities, using water to fill an air mattress can ruin the mattress. You may put this hypothesis to the test by trying to deflate the air bed and watching as it quickly returns to its original shape. However, due of the dampness, mold growth is possible.

As an added precaution, never put water in an air mattress. There will soon be a river in your bedroom if you sleep on an air bed that has been filled with water. Keep in mind that water doesn’t compress like air does, therefore it won’t be able to bear your body weight.

Do’s & Don’ts for Air Mattresses

Do: Keep Inflated When in Use

Your air mattress’ seams may wear out faster if you deflate and inflate it too often. Rather than inflating and deflating the mattress every day, for example, leave it inflated throughout the duration of the stay if the guest will be staying for multiple nights.

Do: Deflate for Storage

Although air mattresses can be inflated quickly using electronic or battery-powered pumps, deflation can take several hours or more. There’s the temptation to roll up the mattress, deflate it, and then store it. The mattress, though, may suffer damage if you do this. By forcing the air out, you risk tearing the seams and damaging the seals. Before storing the mattress, unplug the valve and let it deflate entirely. Allow the air to escape from your air mattress if it has a quick deflation option. If you hear a tiny hissing sound at the valve, the air mattress is still losing air.

Don’t: Allow Pets

Household pets, even those accustomed to sleeping in beds or on furniture, should be kept away from air mattresses. Holes can be easily punctured in the air mattress by any animal with sharp claws. Animals have a habit of pushing off or jumping off of furniture, which puts strain on the joints.

Don’t: Overfill

Extreme inflation puts unnecessary pressure on air mattress seams. When using an air mattress for the first time, it is advised that it be inflated to no more than 90% of its maximum capacity. The risk of the mattress bursting increases as more weight is added to it.

Don’t: Sharp Objects

Patching a torn air mattress can be challenging. Duct tape and vinyl patch kits are only a temporary fix, so you’ll probably have to buy a new air mattress. Put away any sharp objects, such pencils, safety pins, needles, paper clips, etc., from the mattress to prevent damage. If you plan on sleeping on the bed, it’s a good idea to remove anything that could potentially puncture the mattress from your pockets.

Conclusion

Have you misplaced your air pump and find yourself in need of an air-filled mattress? Using just two everyday things, you can learn how to inflate an air mattress manually. First, you should see if the vacuum has a setting that allows it to blow air instead of sucking it.

You can easily inflate the mattress so long as you use the correct adapter to connect the hose to the valve. In the same way, and after making sure the mattress valve is properly connected, a leaf blower can be used. After the air bed has been filled, the hose can be disconnected and the bed is ready to go.