We have a favorite air mattress that we have had for years. It has a flat top with a couple inches of memory foam on it. It is the closest to a normal bed that we have ever seen or slept on. But like all air mattresses they eventually get little holes in it and you are trying to pump air into it at 3 in the morning. I’ve seen videos on Youtube of people trying to put their air mattress in a pool and try to sink it. With all of the movement and the super small air bubbles it can be incredibly hard to find the holes. My husband has a super easy way to find even the smallest of hole in an air mattress, inner tube, or any other kind of blow up toy like pool toys. Simply grab a rag or wash cloth, get it quite wet to the point it holds the water but when you squeeze it the water comes out easily. Then lather it up with a couple squirts of dish soap. Then scan the surface of the air mattress or tube or other inflatables and look for any irregularities in the surface. Small little discolorations in the surface sometimes are where the small holes are.
Those small holes can be so small that you can’t feel the air coming out but if you run the soapy rag over the hole then it will create soap bubbles. Move the rag around that area till you pin point exactly where the air leak is. Then use you finger and point to the area and dry off the surface. With a permanent marker make a small circle or X directly over the spot, maybe half and inch or finger nail width mark. That way when you use a patch it covers the mark as well. To fix the hole you will need kits based on what type of air mattress you have. Many of the older air mattress are more vinyl then a plastic or pvc type material. You can try to use a rubber cement type kit that most bike inner tubes use. But if it doesn’t stick or adhere to it then the next best thing, and the only thing we use now, is the rubber patch from those kits but instead of rubber cement we use super glue. And glue the same patch from the kit on and press it hard against the mattress till it dries.
Holding a small clear saran wrap or plastic film against it, you can peal it back or if it sticks to it just cut the excess off. It will be firm and not flexible like the rubber cement but it works so much better and wont peel back like rubber cement patches do. Once the patch with super glue has dried, say after 5 or 10 minutes, you can go ahead and fill up the air mattress to sleep on it. We have tried all kinds of repair kits and the rubber patch with the super glue has been the best fix for all types of air mattresses. For inner tubes the rubber cement will work best. It is just that air mattresses are all made out of slightly different materials that the super glue works best. Watch our How to Video Filed Under: Amazon Deals, Camping Ideas, DIY, Free Shipping, HacksInflatable mattresses include Aerobeds and Full, Queen or King Sized Blow-Up Mattresses. To repair an inflatable mattress, we recommend using Seam Grip. Seam Grip is an award winning seam sealer and repair adhesive.
It is permanent, flexible, waterproof, and provides abrasion resistance. How to Make a Repair with Seam Grip: Preparation is vital to a good repair: Completely deflate the mattress Thoroughly clean the repair area with isopropyl alcohol (dirt and body oils can impact bonding strength, so it is extremely important that you clean the surface first) *Optional: You can roughen the surface with sandpaper to help with bonding strength Once the surface has been prepped and is dry: Apply the adhesive (a little goes a long way) Paint a small layer of adhesive over the hole, extending at least 1/2” in all directions around the hole Allow 12 hours to fully cure before attempting to blow the mattress up or get back on *** SPECIAL NOTES *** You do not need to use repair patches in conjunction with Seam Grip. The adhesive will do the job on its own, assuming the area is clean and prepped Inflatable mattresses must be repaired with a permanent adhesive like Seam Grip or Aquaseal
You must allow the adhesive to fully cure before attempting to blow the mattress up Patches alone are not strong enough to hold back the amount of PSI associated with inflatable mattresses Sleeping pads tend to be thinner inflatable mats for personal use (think Therm-A-Rest.) Sleeping pads can be repaired at home by following the steps above for an inflatable mattress. Though Seam Grip is all you need to make a repair to an inflatable, when you're in the field or out camping, you typically will not have 12 hours to wait for the adhesive to cure. With our Seam Grip Field Repair Kit you would make the repair as described above. Once you’ve applied the adhesive, place a patch over the curing adhesive and directly onto the sleeping pad material. This will allow you to use the sleeping pad immediately, as the glue dries. These patches will hold up on sleeping pads and Therm-A-Rest mattresses, but are not recommended being used on a blow-up bed or larger inflatable mattress. Those items contain a great deal of PSI and you need to wait for the glue to properly cure (12 hours) before attempting to get back on blow-up beds or larger inflatable mattresses.
Clean and dry the area to be repaired. Roughen surface if you are able. Apply Seam Grip to cover the hole and spread 1⁄4” (5mm) beyond. Allow to dry level overnight. To speed the cure time, mix a few drops of water into Seam Grip before applying to the hole. Seam Grip cures faster when it’s wet. Technique for small (dime-sized) repairs only. To use the repaired pad at once, mix a few drops of water into Seam Grip before applying to hole. Apply mixture and allow to cure level for 30 minutes. Then center the Tenacious peel-and-stick Patch and apply over Seam Grip. The patch must extend at least 1⁄2” (10mm) beyond the Seam Grip and bond directly, and solidly to pad fabric. This minimizes the possibility of Seam Grip seeping out from under the patch. Press patch firmly onto pad. Your sleeping pad is ready for use. Seam Grip seals small holes and leaks in the nozzle area. Seal with Seam Grip and stand upright overnight. If you've recently discovered a bubble in your air mattress, you're probably wondering how to go about fixing the problem.
While many people might simply purchase a new air mattress in response to this issue, you don't have to. With a thorough instructional guide at your disposal, you'll be able to fix mattress bubbles in a timely and stress-free fashion. Read on to learn everything you'll need to know. Step 1 - Prep Your Mattress Before you can go about fixing the bubble, you must first prepare your mattress. This step is a simple matter of removing any sheets, blankets, or comforters from your mattress and locating the bubble. As an added precaution, if you own an electric air mattress, it might be a good idea to unplug it. Do not attempt to locate the bubble before the mattress has been properly stripped, as you are liable to mistake it for a wrinkle in your sheets. Larger air bubbles can usually be identified without much effort, but you may have to carefully inspect your mattress to locate smaller ones. Once your mattress has been stripped and the bubble has been identified, you will be ready to proceed with the next step.
Step 2 - Apply Pressure to the Mattress Bubble Now that you've located the mattress bubble, it's time to begin getting rid of it. Use your hands to gently press down on it to pop it. Next, twist off your mattress's nozzle cap to allow air to seep out of the mattress. Alternatively, if you own an electric air mattress, you may use your remote control to deflate the mattress, instead of removing your nozzle cap. While the mattress is being deflated, make sure that you continue applying pressure to the bubble. Keep pressing down on the bubble until it has been fully popped. Do not attempt to put air back into your mattress until you're positive the bubble is gone. Step 3 - Re-inflate Your Mattress Having rid yourself of the air bubble, it is now safe to re-inflate your mattress. This is usually a simple matter of attaching your air pump to the uncovered nozzle and inflating the mattress until it reaches a suitable level of firmness. Once the mattress has received a sufficient amount of air, remove your air pump and quickly reattach your nozzle cap, taking care to allow as little air to escape as possible during the transition.