Let’s be real. Storing a mattress is the worst. It’s like trying to hide a body. It’s big, floppy, and gets in the way everywhere you try to put it. Your first instinct? Probably to just shove it in the farthest, darkest corner of the garage and hope for the best.

I get it. I’ve done it.

And you know what I got for my trouble? A mattress that smelled like a wet dog and had a weird, permanent curve. It was a total write-off. An expensive lesson.

So, learn from my dumb mistakes. Let’s talk about the stuff nobody thinks about until it’s too late.

Mistake #1: Thinking “Out of Sight” Means “Out of Mind”

You strip the sheets. The mattress looks fine. Maybe there’s a vague cereal-shaped stain from that time you ate breakfast in bed three years ago. But it seems clean. So you figure, good enough.

Nope. Not even close.

Your mattress is a secret diary of your grossest habits. Sweat. Dead skin. Spills you’ve forgotten about. If you wrap all that up and leave it in a hot or damp place, you’re basically marinating it. It’s going to come out worse than it went in.

Here’s what you gotta do, and I’m not kidding:

• Vacuum it like you’re trying to suck the soul out of it. Get in those little seam lines. Flip it over and do the bottom. This is the most important step. Do not skip it.
• For stains, a little dish soap and water. Dab it. Don’t rub. You’re not sanding a deck. Then get a clean cloth with just water to dab the soap out.
• The baking soda trick actually works. Sprinkle that stuff all over. Let it sit for a few hours. It soaks up smells. Then vacuum it all up again.
• FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, LET IT DRY. I mean it. If you cleaned a spot, or even if it’s just a humid day, let it sit in a dry room for a bit. Trapped moisture is what turns your bed into a science project.

Mistake #2: The Plastic Wrap Trap

This one seems so logical. You go to the store, buy a giant roll of plastic sheeting, and wrap that mattress up like a leftover burrito. You feel so accomplished! You have sealed the deal!

You have also created a mold incubator.

Plastic doesn’t breathe. It traps every bit of moisture inside. That moisture has nowhere to go, so it just… stews. I learned this the hard way. The faint, musty smell when I unwrapped my mattress still haunts me.

What to use instead?

Go to a U-Haul or a storage place—heck, even some big-box stores sell them—and buy an actual mattress bag. They’re like ten or fifteen bucks. They’re made of this white, crinkly, breathable stuff. It keeps the dust off but lets the mattress air out. It’s a genius invention. Just spend the money.

Mistake #3: Treating It Like a Folding Chair

It’s big. It’s awkward. Standing it on its side in the garage saves a ton of space. I know! But don’t do it.

Mattresses are built to be flat. Standing it up for months on end puts all the pressure on the edges. The innards—the springs or the foam—can warp. You’ll end up with a mattress that has a permanent list to one side, like a sinking ship. It’s ruined.

You have to store it flat:

I know it’s a space-hog. But it’s the only way. And if you’re putting it on a concrete floor, even in a garage, put down some wooden pallets or a couple of 2x4s first. Concrete can wick moisture, and you don’t want the bottom of your mattress sucking that up.

This is the part where I tell you that this is exactly the kind of problem we solve at [Your Storage Unit Company Name]. We have clean, dry, climate-controlled units that are perfect for this stuff. You can lay your mattress flat on a raised pallet, and know it’s not sitting in a puddle or baking in an attic. It’s what I use for my own guest-room mattress, honestly. It just makes life easier.

Mistake #4: The “Where” Matters More Than You Think

Your attic? It’s an oven. Your basement? It’s a swamp. Your garage? It’s a dusty, temperature-swinging nightmare. These places are terrible for a mattress.

You need a spot that’s cool, dry, and doesn’t have wild temperature swings. If your house is like mine, you don’t have a spot like that. That’s the whole reason places like mine exist! We’re that perfect, boring, stable middle ground where your stuff won’t get wrecked.

Mistake #5: The “I’ll Just Stack Stuff On It” Problem

Once it’s lying flat, it becomes the world’s most convenient table. Boxes of books, old photo albums, your kid’s sports equipment… it all finds a home on top of the stored mattress.

Resist the urge! The weight will crush and compress the materials over time. Leave it alone. Let it be.

Look, storing a mattress properly is a bit of a hassle. There’s no way around it. But it’s a lot less hassle than having to throw away a perfectly good mattress because you took shortcuts. A little effort now means it’ll be ready and comfortable when you need it again.

The Bottom Line:

And if your garage is already full of other junk (no judgment), you know who to call. We’re here to help you store your things the right way, so they’re actually usable when you get them back.