People flip mattresses to increase their longevity, but not many care about flipping their box springs. If you’re pushing to get some more life from your aging box spring, you may be considering flipping it. Before doing that, however, do you think you can flip a box spring?
You shouldn’t flip a box spring as they aren’t designed to be flipped. To make your box spring last longer, you can rotate it by 180 degrees every three to six months. Since some mattresses also need rotation at similar intervals, you can do the needful simultaneously and regularly.
You can always flip your box spring since there’s nothing odd in flipping your mattress. In this article, you’ll learn some of the reasons why you may want to flip a box spring and how. I’ll also explain some reasons why flipping your box spring is an unnecessary measure.
What’s the Difference between Flipping and Rotating a Box Spring?
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Mattresses and mattress foundations have two popular maintenance procedures: flipping and rotation. While rotation is still common in mattresses and box springs today, flipping is pretty much nonexistent. Nonetheless, what do you think is the difference between flipping and rotating a box spring exactly?
Flipping a mattress or box spring is the process of turning it to the other side. After using a mattress side, you may want to turn to the other side for a fresh experience. However, it seems like this may not be a very clever idea.
Most modern mattresses are one-sided, and they don’t allow you to flip to the other side. Certain manufacturers will void your bed’s warranty when you flip it to the other side. You should probably avoid flipping your mattress or box spring to be safe.
On the other hand, rotating your mattress is a recommended way to prolong its lifespan. Rotation refers to the process of turning your bed spring or mattress around at a 180 degrees angle. After rotating a box spring, your head will start to rest in the direction in which your feet previously rested.
Regular rotation is recommended for mattresses and box springs to help distribute the human weight evenly across the bed’s surface. Rotating your box spring and mattress is recommended at infrequent intervals, preferably around three to six-month intervals.
How Long Do Box Springs Last?
While box springs are designed to last as long as possible, they have a definite lifespan. Once your box spring reaches its shelf life, no amount of flipping will make it comfortable to use.
To determine if your box spring can still hold up for flipping, you should know how long a typical one lasts. Since box springs are the most durable mattress foundations available on the market, they typically last up to ten years.
While that’s the average time you should expect your box spring to last, the correct answer isn’t as specific. Several factors impact the longevity of your box spring.
Maintenance is the main factor that determines how long your box spring will last. You may be tempted to fall or jump on your bed after a tiring day. However, resisting that urge may add some extra years to your box spring’s lifespan.
You should also rotate your box spring frequently to distribute your weight across it evenly. Since you already rotate your mattress with some frequency, you can also rotate your box springs simultaneously.
Box springs don’t need flipping, and most modern beds no longer require that too. It also helps if you replace the box spring when replacing your bed to keep both at optimum conditions.
In addition to physical maintenance, hygiene is another factor that can make or break your box spring. Microorganisms can deal plenty of damage to your box spring, and practicing bed hygiene is the only way around that.
Even with all of these maintenance procedures, your box spring is unlikely to last for decades. As soon as you notice the signs of a deteriorating box spring, you should consider replacing it.
Why You Shouldn’t Flip Your Box Spring
If you’re looking for justifications to flip your box spring, you’ll find a lot on the internet. Interestingly, all of those advantages of flipping a box spring aren’t necessarily wrong. However, they also shouldn’t convince you to flip your box spring.
Starting from the pros, flipping your box spring and mattress will offer you a completely different sleeping mindset. Since sleeping on one side of the box spring places pressure on it, flipping will make it feel like new.
On the negative side, however, flipping your box spring won’t necessarily make it last longer. Modern mattresses and box springs are designed to receive pressure from one end only. Flipping the box spring and placing your mattress on the other side will only accelerate the destruction of the structure.
However, certain mattresses are designed with a two-way sleeping surface. You can flip and rotate these mattresses, but you should avoid flipping them with the box spring.
When Should You Replace a Box Spring?
Instead of flipping a box spring, you should consider replacing it once it starts to deteriorate. You can easily tell if your box spring requires a replacement through a quick visual inspection. Once you start to feel uncomfortable in your sleep, you should probably inspect your bed for a possible replacement.
One of the symptoms of a faulty box spring is a squeaky sound. This sound may not always indicate a problem requiring replacing your box spring. Lubricating the loose coils in the box spring will fix the squeaky box spring problem in most instances.
If your box spring starts to sag from continuous usage, you can rotate the box spring to redistribute the weight. You’ll eventually have to replace a sagging box spring, but rotating it can serve as a temporary fix.
If the coils on your box spring are over ten years old, you shouldn’t worry about any temporary fixes. The average lifespan of a box spring is around ten years, after which it becomes unable to support your mattress. If your box spring starts to approach 10 years since its initial procurement, you should get ready to replace it.
How to Make a Spring Box Last Longer
With proper care, you can get your spring box to last for as long asten0 years. Your box spring won’t last almost as long if you don’t follow the common maintenance procedures. In addition to everything I’ve recommended earlier, you should also try preventing the accumulation of bacteria on the box spring.
Bacteria can chew through wood pretty quickly, making it easy for them to destroy your spring box. Eating and drinking on the bed could accumulate leftovers, creating the perfect breeding environment for the microorganisms.
You should also consider rotating your box spring every three to six months to distribute your weight evenly. Jumping on the bed also puts unnecessary pressure on certain points of the spring box, accelerating its ruination.
Washing your bed sheets regularly also prevents bacteria from accumulating and transferring onto the spring box. All of these measures will help to ensure that your spring box lasts longer without ever needing a flip.
