How to Move a Mattress
How to move a mattress and bed without bending, tearing or dirtying it: folding, doorways, stairs, wrapping, the van and the old one.
Three things decide whether a mattress survives a move: whether it gets bent (it shouldn’t be), whether it goes through the door (on its side, from a single up) and whether the stairs let it turn. Measure the week before as part of planning the move, keep it straight and carry it on its side, and the rest is straightforward.
The quick answer
Fold or roll it: No, the trade body says it damages the springs
Through the door: On its side, from a single up, too wide for a door flat
The hard part: The stair turn, measure headroom and landings first
Carrying: Two people, hands underneath, not on the handles
Can You Fold, Bend or Roll a Mattress to Move It?
No. The National Bed Federation, the trade body for UK bed makers, says a mattress delivered flat should never be bent or rolled.
Folded, or kept straight
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The National Bed Federation says don’t bend or roll a mattress that was delivered flat: it permanently damages the spring unit and invalidates any warranty or guarantee.
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Carry it on its side instead. It stays straight, and it usually fits through a door that way.
Source: the National Bed Federation, the bed industry’s trade body.
Can you roll a mattress to move it? Only the factory can do that properly. A mattress that arrived rolled in a box was squashed by machine; one manufacturer’s care guide says rolling it up again at home can crush the layers inside and void the guarantee.
Inside the mattress, by type
Open coil
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The springs are wired to one another into one connected unit
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Keep it flat, or on its side to carry
Pocket sprung
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Each spring sits in its own fabric pocket, built to lie flat
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Don’t fold it, even for a few minutes
Foam and hybrid
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One manufacturer’s care guide warns a fold can damage the layers inside for good, even if it looks fine afterwards
Latex
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The trade body notes latex can be heavy to move: plan for two people or more
Arrived rolled in a box
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That was factory packing, done by machine
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One manufacturer’s care guide says don’t try to roll it up again at home
Sources: the National Bed Federation and its guide to latex; manufacturers’ care guides.
Will a Mattress Fit Through the Door?
Lying flat, almost never. Turn it on its side and it usually will, because then only its depth has to pass between the door frames.
Mattress widths against a modern door
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UK mattress widths, from the National Bed Federation: small single 75 cm, single 90 cm, small double 120 cm, double 135 cm, king 150 cm and super king 180 cm.
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Building regulations for new homes ask for at least 750 mm of clear width at doors to the main rooms on the entrance floor, and treat a standard 826 mm door as giving about 775 mm.
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So from a single up, a mattress is wider than the gap and has to go through on its side. Only a small single might pass flat through a modern wide door.
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Older homes can have narrower doors, so measure yours, from the door stop to the face of the open door.
Sources: the National Bed Federation size guide and Approved Document M.
Through the door on its long edge
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On its side, what passes through the frame is the depth of the mattress, not its width.
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Mattresses range from about 16 to 34 cm deep, according to one manufacturer’s guide, so measure yours as well as the doorway.
The Stairs Are Where Mattresses Get Bent
A mattress on its side is a soft panel around two metres long. It usually clears the door; the turn is harder. Before anyone lifts, look at three things: the half landing, where the mattress turns back on itself and needs room on the diagonal; the headroom over the first flight; and the newel post, which can stop the turn.
Two people on the stairs
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Building regulations only ask for 2 m of headroom over a staircase, and a king or super king mattress is 2 m long. Check the headroom over the first flight and at any half landing before you lift.
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On stairs, the person at the lower end can end up taking most of the weight. One person should plan the lift and call each move.
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A two-handed carry on stairs raises the risk of a fall: you can’t see your feet well or hold the handrail. Clear the stairs first.
Sources: Approved Document K and the HSE’s manual handling guidance (L23).
The turn, from above
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At a half landing the mattress has to swing round the newel post. Its full length needs room on the diagonal, not just the width of the stairs.
If the stairs won’t take it, don’t fold it. In some houses the answer is a window, as in our sofa through a window move; our spiral staircase job shows how a tight turn is planned. If you’d rather we planned yours, ask for a free survey.
How to Wrap a Mattress for Moving
Use a proper mattress cover, tape it shut rather than tucking it in, and mark which way up it goes. A mattress gets carried past door frames, down a path and across a van floor, and unwrapped it picks up every mark on the way. Bin bags split on the corners. Our box shop sells a plastic mattress cover.
Wrapping, step by step
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1. Strip it: bedding and the washable protector off.
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2. Check the seams for small dark spots before it’s packed.
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3. Bag it in a proper mattress cover, not bin bags.
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4. Tape it shut and mark which way up it goes.
Bedbug check: the City of Westminster, the NHS and the National Bed Federation.
Before it’s packed, look along the seams. Bedbugs hide in mattress seams and bed frames, and the NHS advises washing bedding at 60°C and giving it at least 30 minutes in a hot tumble dryer. If you think you have them, contact your council or a pest control service before you move.
How to Carry a Mattress
Two people, one at each end, carrying it on its side. Where you hold it matters.
Where to hold it
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Manufacturers’ care guides say the side handles are for turning and positioning the mattress, not carrying it, and aren’t built to take its full weight. Lift from underneath.
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HSE guidance says any load more than about 75 cm across is harder to handle safely, more so when it is that big in two directions. Every mattress from a single up is.
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A mattress in front of your face hides the way ahead; with two people, the one at the other end can often see it.
Sources: the HSE’s manual handling guidance (L23); manufacturers’ care guides.
Never drag it: a dragged mattress picks up the dirt of the whole route and snags on the door strip. Our guide to lifting heavy objects covers the lift itself.
How to Transport a Mattress
In a van, upright and strapped; avoid the car roof. A double is 135 cm by 190 cm, so standing it upright against the bulkhead or a solid load saves floor space.
Transporting a double mattress: van or car roof
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Government guidance: never put a load straight onto a car roof. On a roof rack it must be held with ratchet straps, not rope or bungee cords. A mattress is a big, light sheet that catches the wind.
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In a van, load against the bulkhead and strap large items to the vehicle. A mattress travels upright against a wall or a solid load, strapped so it can’t slide or fall.
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An unsecured load can count as a vehicle in a dangerous condition, which can mean a fine, penalty points or a ban.
Source: GOV.UK’s guidance on securing loads.
Flat on the van floor is fine too, but it takes far more floor space. What matters is that it’s supported and can’t move. No van? Hire one, or ask a removal company, rather than using the car roof.
How to Move a Bed, Divan Base or Ottoman
The base needs as much planning as the mattress. You can move a bed without taking it apart only if the frame or divan clears the same doorways and stair turn as the mattress. If it doesn’t, take it apart; a one-piece base may need another way in, such as a window.
Divans and ottomans
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A divan is an upholstered box base; an ottoman is a divan or frame with a lift-up storage top.
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Many larger divan bases come in two halves held together by metal clips or brackets, so they separate for the move. Take the drawers out and keep the clips together.
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An ottoman lid lifts on gas struts. One manufacturer’s care guide treats the moving lid as a trapping risk, so keep children and pets clear and never prop it with something makeshift.
Sources: the National Bed Federation; manufacturers’ care guides.
For a bed frame, photograph the joints before you undo anything, then bag the fixings and tape the bag to the largest part of the frame. Loose fixings in a box can stop a bed going back together on the first night. Our guides to moving a wardrobe and moving a fridge cover the other big bedroom and kitchen pieces.
Storing a Mattress
A few hours on its side for the move is fine. Weeks in storage is different.
For the move, or for storage
For the move: A plastic mattress cover keeps it clean and dry in the van.
For storage: Use a breathable cover, or don’t seal plastic airtight: trapped moisture leads to mould.
For the move: On its side is fine to carry it and to travel.
For storage: Store it flat, not left on its side for weeks.
For the move: Strapped upright so it can’t slide.
For storage: Somewhere dry and even in temperature, off a concrete floor, with nothing heavy on top.
Sources: manufacturers’ care guides and conservation guidance on storing under polythene.
Getting Rid of an Old Mattress
A move is a good time to buy a new mattress, and the old one needs to go somewhere legal.
Where old mattresses end up
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The National Bed Federation reported in 2023 that about a quarter (24%) of UK mattresses were being sent for recycling, but only around 14% were actually recycled once sorted. Roughly 4.75 million a year still went to landfill or incineration.
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An old mattress is household waste. Your council may collect it as a bulky item or take it at the tip.
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If you hand it to someone else, gov.uk says you can be fined if they aren’t legally allowed to take it. The trade body suggests a licensed waste carrier, or asking whoever delivers the new bed whether they take the old one back.
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If you suspect bedbugs, don’t pass it on: council guidance is to seal it in a bag before it goes.
Sources: the National Bed Federation (2023), GOV.UK, the trade body’s recycling advice and Brighton & Hove City Council.
Do Removal Companies Move Mattresses and Beds?
Yes. On a household move a bed is part of the job, not a separate booking. Taking a bed apart and putting it back together is priced on how involved it is: unclipping a divan base costs next to nothing, while an intricate bunk bed with hundreds of parts takes longer and costs more. It’s included in our full packing service, and beds are rebuilt at the other end, so you can sleep there that night.
When we move it
Mattresses
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Wrapped in a proper mattress cover, carried on edge by two people
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Covers in the usual bed sizes are in our packing materials range
Beds
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Frames and divans taken apart and rebuilt, with the fixings bagged and labelled
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Rebuilt at the other end, so you can sleep there that night
How it’s priced
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Included in our full packing service
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Otherwise priced on how involved the bed is, agreed at the survey
From our house removals, full packing and full unpacking pages.
About this guide. The building rules described apply in England. Mattress care advice comes from manufacturers’ UK care guides; we don’t name them, because each maker’s advice is for its own mattresses. Other sources: the National Bed Federation, Approved Documents M and K, the HSE, the NHS, GOV.UK, local councils and a museum conservation factsheet, each linked where it is used.
Moving a bed or two?
Tell us about the beds and the stairs at a free video or in-home survey, and we’ll plan the access before moving day.
The Wolves Removals Team
Family-run removals · Ashington, West Sussex
We have moved families and businesses across West and East Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Kent since 2016, from our Ashington base. We are fully insured, Checkatrade-verified and a LAPADA Approved Service Provider for antiques and fine art. More about us, or read our reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, don’t fold a mattress. The National Bed Federation says a mattress delivered flat should never be bent or rolled, because it permanently damages the spring unit and invalidates any warranty or guarantee. Carry it on its side instead.
You can’t roll it again at home. A mattress that arrived rolled in a box was packed by factory machinery, and one manufacturer’s care guide says rolling it up again can crush the layers inside and void the guarantee.
Yes, a mattress can travel on its side for the move itself. Upright and strapped against a wall or a solid load in the van is fine. For storage, manufacturers’ care guides say to keep a mattress flat rather than on its side for weeks.
A double won’t fit through lying flat. A double is 135 cm wide and a modern door gives about 77.5 cm of clear width, so it goes through on its side, where only its depth has to pass.
Put it in a proper mattress cover and tape it shut, carry it rather than drag it, and keep it off the floor of the route. Bin bags split on the corners.
Not safely on stairs. HSE guidance says a load more than about 75 cm across is harder to handle, and a two-handed carry on stairs leaves no hand for the rail. Every mattress from a single up is wider than that, so use two people, one at each end.
Yes, we take beds apart and rebuild them. Frames and divans are taken apart and rebuilt with the fixings bagged and labelled. It is included in our full packing service; otherwise it is priced on how involved the bed is, agreed at the survey.
