Fun ideas to give new life to your old mattress

We use our mattress every single day. It is our comfort zone at night, ensuring we get a great nights rest. But have you ever thought of using your mattress for more than just sleep? Here are a few ideas for you.

The Famous Family Bed

Another example of how to use an old mattress in your living room.

Making a family bed in the living room, with a couple of family movies and popcorn is probably one of the most comfortable cinemas. And here is how to make a family bed:

• take as many mattresses as your living room will allow and place all of them next to each other, preferably on the side where you are going to sit against a wall,
• At the foot, place a small table with snacks and drinks and put big pillows up against the wall.

An example of how to use a mattress in your living room

And it’s as simple as that!

Spending quality time with your family is one of your main priorities in life and this is one of the best ways to do it. Having a sluggish old mattress that makes your body sore after sitting an hour on is not ideal for the family cinema. So keep in mind that purchasing a good quality mattress for the entire family will help to ensure that your family night is a success.

Kids Room Trampoline

On those rainy days in the middle of the school holiday, mothers quickly run out of entertainment for the kids.

Here is an idea: if you have purchased a good, strong and durable mattress and then place it on the floor (on a blanket if you do not have carpets so it doesn’t slide) and then place the kid’s mattresses on top, you are building them their own trampoline.

Make sure that there are no sharp edges close by or items that can break. The kids will work out all that energy in no time, giving you some space to enjoy that book you have had your eye on for weeks.  Remember to teach the kids that this is the only time that they are allowed to jump on the mattresses. If they do it on their beds they might break the base.

Kids Castle

Another idea for those rainy days is to help the kids build their own castles from mattresses, pillows, and blankets. Give them a “King of the North” storyline and let their imaginations run. This is particularly popular if they have friends over or if they have a sleepover. Clean out a room of all valuables and give them as many materials as you can, then let them build their kingdom. Food choice for such an evening: KFC as this ensures that mom has a proper night off.  This way dad can catch up on the golf games or F1 that he recorded and mom on her book or both can relax with a good movie.

DIY on the Patio

You recently purchased the best quality mattresses for your kids however now you have one or two extra old ones that are just lying around. Are you very crafty with your hands? Here is an idea, why not build a patio swing. Easy, quick plans for a swing can be drawn up in minutes on the internet, you can even watch a YouTube tutorial that will show you step by step what to do.

This is how you can include a mattress on your stoep.

Make a list of the materials you will need as well as the size of your mattress as it all has to be built accordingly and then purchase them from your local hardware store. Also remember to ask your friendly store clerk what material you can cover your mattress with so that it can withstand the weather and wipe off easily. Once all materials are together you can turn it into a quality family time project. Once the frame is done, cover your mattress and place it onto your swing. This is also the perfect morning spot for mom and dad to enjoy a cup of coffee before the rush of the day starts.

Outside Movie night kids party

All parents reach a stage where they run out of ideas for the kids birthday parties. Well here is one that is truly becoming a trend, an outside movie night, almost like a drive-in except you don’t need to worry about anyone crashing into your car.

How to create an outside movie night:

• Take out the old mattresses that you have been storing after you purchased your new, comfortable mattresses. You can choose whether you want to use the bases of the mattresses or not.
• Decorate your backyard to look like a theatre or with any items that are related to movies, buy a few lanterns and arrange them around the garden as it will be a night event.
• Use a piece of projector material (can be purchased at any fabric store) and place it onto a wooden frame or you can just ensure that you tie it very tightly to wooden polls as this will be your screen,
• Connect your computer to your surround sound, and to the projector, and you have picture and sound.

• Once that is sorted start making the beds. Place them on the grass so all can see the screen easily and decorate them with lots of pillows and blankets. To make it feel more like a movie night you can rent a popcorn and slushy machine and place it at the entrance.

With just a few easy steps and a making use of your old mattresses you know have the perfect birthday party. This idea could also work for a family gathering.

Perfect living room for students

There comes a time when mom and dad have to face the fact that the kids will be leaving home and going to university. But instead of it being an extremely tearful situation, why not take this opportunity to assist your child in setting up the place that will be his/her home for the next four years.

You can use this time to clean out your home, especially those old mattresses and pillows that have been standing in the garage since you purchased the new mattresses. Why not build your child’s new living room seating? Let’s face it, at that age, it is all about the TV, surround sound, Xbox, series and movies, so why not make it comfortable?

Instead of spending thousands on a lounge set, build one, if you are allowed to alter the dorm room of flat that is being rented.  Here is how you can do it:

• Contact a carpenter to cut a perfect hole where the couches would be as deep as a normal size bed (base & mattress) and as wide with a few extra centimetres as you still need to fit the pillows on the side.
• Have the hole lined, so that it doesn’t splinter if it is wood flooring.
• Take those old outdoor pillows and have all of them covered in a colour that would suit the room.
• Place the mattress in the middle after covering it with material that can easily be wiped off or taken off to wash and put the pillows on the sides.

Decorate as you please and in no time you have a modern day living room. You can also have a look at some tutorials on how to do this on YouTube. This idea can be converted to suit boys and girls and it is not only for college kids but you can do this your own home if you have a play/game room for the kids.

A girl’s space

Soon to be parents of a little girl, here is something to consider. Girls like their space and privacy. They like it when they can crawl into their own little spot and let their imaginations run wild. Why not give them that perfect spot? By using an old single bed mattress you can do it.

Start by making that spot the one, perhaps where mom’s rocking chair is standing now. Once she starts to walk, make it her own little play corner filled with all her toys, and once she has outgrown those toys, place an old mattress there. By using a hula hoop and some material, make it look like a princess tower (see tutorials on YouTube) where she can go in, close the curtains and escape to her own world. Make it her personal space where she can go to relax.

Children’s friends can come over, no problem

Every mother dreads is a sleepover. The biggest issue with a sleepover for moms is where everyone is going to sleep, especially if you have a boy and a girl and both of their friends are visiting.

As kids grow older and we redo their bedrooms we are intrigued by the idea to purchase bunk beds, but what if that is not enough sleeping space? Here is an idea:

• When you purchase a new mattress for either your bed or the kid’s beds, place the old mattresses underneath their bed(if possible) or store it close by,
• Once all the kids come over pull them out and your sleeping space problem is solved.

You can make use of an air mattress but the problem with those is you have to take the time to blow them up. But with the old mattresses, you can just instruct the kids that they are there and once they are ready to sleep they pull them out. Quick, easy and effortless. Sleepover crisis averted.

Using a bed as a couch

Always too little seating space in your living room? No problem. Remember the mattress and base you replaced last week for that perfect, strong, comfortable new bed?

Well here is an idea, have a look at how you can arrange your living room so that you can place the bed in there and use it as a couch, and an extra bed for when the family comes to visit. There are so many great ideas for this type of interior design on Pinterest and Google that you are bound to find one that will suit the style of your home. This option saves you money as you are re-using an item and you do not have to purchase an extra couch.

Camping in the backyard

Do you still remember when you use to set up your tent in the backyard and pretend that you were camping? Well, this is one of those memories that every kid should have and to make a fun and comfortable night of camping all you have to do is save that old worn out mattress. To ensure that you do not have to take out your entire camping set that you and your husband have been putting together for that December holiday and risk the air mattresses getting a puncher and the tent getting a tear, use an old blanket to build the tent and the old mattress to sleep on. Make them a small campfire and teach them to fry marshmallows (after dinner of course) and get them excited for your December camping trip.

Dog needs a new bed

Are you quite creative and crafty with your hands? Here is an idea, why not build the dogs a new bed instead of spending money on buying a new one? Gather a few pallets, paint, paintbrushes, varnish if needed, large pieces of material and that old mattress standing in the garage.

Start by cleaning the pallets and shaping it into the shape you would like the beds to be, then paint them. While they are drying you can cut the mattress into the size you require for the bed and cover it with the material. Once the pallet is dry, place the mattress on and you have your bed. Just an idea, use chalk paint on the pallet, that why you can write the dog’s name on his bed.

Story corner

One thing all kids love to do is gather around for a good story. With technology taking over it is important to make the time to teach kids that it is okay to put down the computer, tablet, and cellphone and read a book. By creating a story corner and making it a tradition that once or twice a week the kids, mom, and dad sit in the story corner and a book is read, we create that perfect family time and show them the importance of a book.

To create a story corner all you need is an open space, a few strong planks, an old mattress, a few good pillows, some old material and a lot of good stories.  Place the plank up against the wall and fasten it, using smaller pieces build compartments underneath as this will also help to strengthen it. Then take that old mattress and cut it so that it fits onto the plank, cover it with the material and place it on top, decorate it with the pillows and fill the holes with the different genres of books and in no time you have your perfect story corner.  (Instead of using wood you are also able to use old crates.)

When purchasing a new mattress, don’t always just throw away or sell the old one. There is so much that you can do with them, just use your imagination. So next time you purchase a new one, have a look at this blog again and see which of these ideas you can implement into your home using the old mattresses.

Guest author: Vasti Lourens