How to Unroll a Bed in a Box

The one thing that goes wrong is cutting through the mattress while cutting the wrapping. Everything else is patience.

Before you open it

• Get it to the room first. A rolled mattress goes up a staircase that an expanded one never will. Once it is out of the plastic there is no putting it back.
• Have the base ready. Frame assembled, slats in, protector to hand.
• Check which way up it goes. There is usually a label. Rolled mattresses are one-sided.
• Open a window. Not essential, but the first hour is when new foam smells strongest.

Opening it

1. Lay the roll on the base, in the middle, oriented the way the bed runs.
2. Cut the outer bag along its length — use scissors, not a knife. A blade goes through a mattress cover far more easily than you expect, and that damage is not a manufacturing fault.
3. Slide the bag off. The mattress will begin to unroll on its own.
4. Once it is flat, cut the inner vacuum wrap at one end only and let the air in gradually. It will inflate over a few minutes with an audible hiss.
5. Pull the remaining plastic out from underneath.

How long it takes

Most of the expansion happens in the first hour and it is usually sleepable the same night. Full recovery to its stated depth takes 24 to 72 hours, and longer in a cold room — foam expands more slowly below about 18 °C. If the room is cold, put the heating on for a few hours.

Sleeping on it the first night does no harm and actually helps it finish expanding.

What is normal in the first week

• A smell. 24 to 72 hours, strongest at the start. Harmless off-gassing.
• Slightly uneven edges. They even out as the foam relaxes.
• Feeling firmer than expected. Very common. Foam that has been compressed for weeks takes a while to soften to its true feel.
• Feeling wrong generally. Your body has adapted to the old mattress. Give it three weeks before you judge — this is why the trial is 100 nights.

What is not normal

• Still noticeably short of its stated depth after 72 hours in a warm room.
• A visible dip or ridge that does not even out.
• A tear or a cut — tell us straight away, and before you sleep on it.

Which of ours arrive rolled

Foam, latex and most sprung builds up to about 30 cm roll and box. Deeper pillow-top builds and anything hand-tufted with natural fillings ship flat, because rolling would damage the tufting. The product page says which, and the basket says it again before you pay.

Common questions

Can I stand it up while it expands?

No — lay it flat. Standing it up while the foam is still recovering can set a bend into it.

What if I need to move it later?

You cannot re-roll it. Once expanded, it moves flat.

Can I put it on the floor?

For a night or two. Long term it will collect moisture underneath with no airflow.