The Problem: Large Mattress Won't Fit Up the Stairs Need a Bigger Bed.....A few years ago, I needed to upgrade from a full size mattress to a queen size. The occasion for this change was that I had gotten engaged. There’s obviously more to that story, right? Well, I’ll make that long story very short by saying, I’m still single. But at the time, I was faced with a problem. Well, two problems if you count being engaged, but besides that, I had the problem of needing to get a queen size bed up my stairway that was simply not high enough at one point to allow a mattress and box springs of that size to fit through. I have four suggestions for solving this problem—not the engagement, the other problem—and each will require a bit of an adjustment. The first two suggestions will require an adjustment to your house. The second two suggestions will require an adjustment to your attitude about beds. If the Mattress Won't Fit Up the Stairway, Don't Take it Out on the Mattress
First Suggestion for Getting a Large Mattress Upstairs: Take out the Steps in the StairwayI’ll begin with the method I chose for moving the bed to the upstairs bedroom. This will require an adjustment to your house. I had the mattress wedged through the doorway and into the stairway, and it wasn’t going any further, that much was clear. After assessing the situation, I decided that if the step blocking the way was gone, the bed would go up. So I took all the steps out of the stairway up to and including the one blocking the progress. The next step also blocked the bed. So I removed that step and the next one blocked the way as well. After I had all the steps in the first flight out, the bed fit. The secret in using this method without the trial and error process is to measure the width of the mattress from the bottom edge on one side, to the top edge on the other. This will provide you with the widest measurement for the width of the mattress. Now measure the distance from each step to the closest place on the ceiling.
Find the narrowest opening (step to ceiling) and take out the steps up to that point. You should be able to get the bed through. Measure the Mattress at Its Widest Dimension, i.e. Diagonally, Corner to Corner Second Suggestion for Getting a Large Mattress Upstairs: Put the Mattress Through an Upstairs WindowThe second suggestion that will require an adjustment to your house is to remove an upstairs window, casing and all. Be sure to measure the window and the bed before you start to be sure the bed will fit through. If it will fit, just find a way to get the mattress and box spring up to and through the window, and you are all set. Split Queen or King Size Beds Will Fit Through Most Tight Spaces Third Suggestion for Getting a Large Mattress Upstairs: Purchase a Split Queen or King Size BedThe next two possible solutions will require an adjustment to your attitudes about beds because I will be suggesting alternative types of beds to what we are accustomed too. The first will require the least amount of adjustment on your part.
Typically we purchase a mattress and box spring in a total of two pieces. Queen and king size beds can be purchased as two mattresses and two box springs, thereby enabling them to fit up the stairway. These are referred to as a split queen and a split king. A queen size bed is about 60” wide and a king is about 76” wide. So just cut those numbers in half to know how big each half of the split bed will be. Fourth Suggestion for Getting a Large Mattress Upstairs: Look Into Alternative Types of BedsMy next suggestion is to consider something other than the traditional mattress and box spring for your upstairs bedroom. There are several options such as the Sleep Number Bed, water beds and air beds. Many people apparently like the Sleep Number Bed, but they are expensive. Water beds can present weight issues for second floor bedrooms. Let me give my personal experience with the Aerobed brand of air bed. I travel full time in my work, so I am constantly changing apartments and beds.
While in Philadelphia, I rented a third floor apartment with an extremely small staircase in every dimension. Only after signing the rental agreement did I think about a bed, since the apartment was not furnished. The only traditional bed that would have fit would have been a twin. So I began researching alternatives. I ended up at Bed, Bath and Beyond, looking at the Aerobed. They have an assortment of options, including heights, widths as well as with and without inflatable headboards. I settled on a queen size Aerobed that was the same height as a traditional queen size mattress and box spring. I also like the inflatable headboard, as it gives me something to lean on as I read in bed. This was so successful, that I can now rent unfurnished apartments wherever I go because I have my Aerobed with me. You may be skeptical about using an air bed as your primary bed. I am willing to bet that if you didn’t already know this was an air bed, you would not even question that it was not a traditional mattress.
Queen Size Aerobed With Headboard Design I have presented you with several options for getting a queen or king size bed to your upstairs bedroom when the size of the stairwell is too small. You can take out the stairway or take out a window to fit a traditional bed through. You can also consider alternate kinds of beds such as the Sleep Number Bed, water beds and the Aerobed brand of air bed. As for the other problem I introduced earlier, that of becoming engaged after several years of being single, I suppose I’ll need at least one more article.The tricky part of moving a large item upstairs comes when you reach the top of the stairs and need to maneuver around a hallway corner to reach your destination. Even though it is bulky, a mattress is somewhat flexible, lessening the difficulty of this part of the move. Unless you're moving a crib mattress, though, getting a mattress upstairs by yourself is too burdensome. Enlist help, pay attention to your surroundings, and keep you and your assistant's safety in mind.
Strip all bedding and pull the mattress off the box spring, if necessary. Set the mattress on its edge, running lengthwise. Encase the mattress in a plastic mattress cover to protect the mattress fabric from debris and objects that could damage it. Survey the stairs you will be climbing. Look for any damaged stairs or wall fixtures to avoid. Remove any small items from the stairs that might trip you while walking up with the mattress. Stand at one end of the mattress, with your partner at the other, and lift the mattress with both hands as your assistant does the same. Move the mattress toward the stairs. Inform your assistant, if you are behind the mattress when he reaches the first stair, so he doesn't trip over it. Climb the stairs, with your assistant stepping backward up the stairs with the mattress. Stay toward the middle of the stairs to avoid any wall art or light fixtures. Set the mattress on the floor of the landing when you reach it and slide it toward the next flight of stairs.