How to Blow up an Air Mattress Without a Pump: What You Need To Know

Inflating An Air Mattress Using Hairdryer
How to Blow up an Air Mattress Without a Pump: What You Need To Know

Inflate Air Mattress Without Pump

Air mattresses have become quite popular these days. They come in handy in various situations which are why most households have one. Let’s say, you have guests coming over and you have no extra bed to accommodate them. In such scenarios, an air mattress can be a great saviour.

Not just indoors, but you can also carry an air mattress on a road trip or camping. They are highly travel-friendly and can be used to sleep anywhere you want.

 

Speaking of air mattresses, there are two types available. One that has an inbuilt pump and the other one that uses an external pump. Whether internal or external, an air mattress pump helps you to inflate an air mattress. But how to blow up an air mattress without a pump? In this post, we will share with you some tricks that will help you to blow up an airbed without using a pump.


Inflating An Air Mattress Using Home Appliances

The right answer to “how to blow up an air mattress” is with a pump. But what do you do when the pump is broken? No worries, because there are plenty of other ways to blow up an air mattress. You can use various home appliances to quickly inflate an airbed. To know more in detail, read through this section.

 

Inflating An Air Mattress using vacuum cleaner

 

    1. Vacuum Cleaner

If you want to inflate air mattress without pump, using a vacuum cleaner is one of the best ways to try. It is a fast and efficient method and works every time. All you need is a vacuum with a hose attachment and an exhaust.

 

Here are the steps to follow:

  • Before you start using a vacuum, make sure it is clean. Run it without the dirt-bag for at least 10 to 15 seconds to clear out any remaining debris in the hose.
  • Now attach a thin nozzle in the place of a cleaning nozzle. In case, your model doesn’t have a nozzle, just use the hose without one.
  • Once you get your vacuum ready, lay the air mattress flat on the ground. This will help you to inflate it faster.
  • Attach the hose to the inflation valve of the vacuum. Make sure the connection is tight. You can also use an adapter.
  • Now turn the exhaust mode on and blow up your mattress. If your vacuum cleaner has the settings to control the stream power, then set it at the lowest speed and increase it gradually. This will ensure less stress on the mattress seams.

 

Well, that’s all you have to do to blow up air mattress with vacuum cleaner. Since most households have a vacuum, you will find this method useful.

 

    2. Leaf Blower

Yes, you can also use a leaf blower or a snowblower to inflate an airbed. It’s similar to the vacuum cleaner method. By now, you should have got an idea of what you need to do.

Make sure that the connection between the leaf blower and the mattress valve is tight. You can even use a vacuum hose as a mediator and blow the air into the mattress. Once again, you should start with the lowest setting and gradually increase it.

 

Inflating An Air Mattress Using Hairdryer

 

    3. Hairdryer

A hairdryer is yet another common appliance found in the majority of households. If you don’t have a leaf blower, you can try blowing up air mattress using a simple hairdryer. If you know the mechanism of a hairdryer, it takes in air from the back and blows it out at the front. If you can channel this air into the air mattress, it can be inflated within no time.

 

Here is what you need to do:

  • The first thing you need to do is connect the hairdryer to the inflation valve of the mattress.
  • Make sure that the connection is tight.
  • Now switch on the hairdryer and use cold air at the highest settings.
  • Keep the dryer on until the airbed acquires the desired volume. After that turn off the hairdryer and close the valve.

 

Even this method is similar to the previous two methods. However, there are certain important things to keep in mind.

  • The outlet of a hairdryer may not fit into the inflation valve. In this case, you may have to use an adapter to seal the connection. Create a cone using a paper sheet and wrap it one side around the hairdryer and fit the other side into the inflation valve.
  • Airbed valves are not easy to close. It requires a bit of effort, so you may want to practice it. You need to learn how to close the valve quickly so that the air doesn’t escape from the mattress. Practice opening and closing the valve a few times without losing much air and you should be good to go.
  • You should never blow hot air into the air mattress. Luckily, most modern hairdryers have a cool air setting. You should use the cooling feature to prevent any damage to the airbed. When your hairdryer starts to warm up, turn it off and allow it to cool down before using it again.

 

If you think using a hairdryer to blow up an air mattress is difficult, you can try the other two methods.

 

    4. Blowing Up Air Mattress Using A Garbage Bag

All the above methods including vacuum cleaner, leaf blower, and hairdryer require a power source to operate. This means you cannot use any of these methods outdoors. So how do you inflate an airbed at a campsite? No worries, we have got you covered.

You can inflate an airbed with just a garbage bag. Yes, you read that right! You can also use a regular plastic bag if you want.

 

Here is what you need to do:

  • At first, lay the airbed flat on the ground. If you trying this method somewhere outdoors, make sure that there are no sharp objects on the ground as they may puncture the mattress.
  • Now take a plastic or garbage bag and swing it around until it inflates with air.
  • Next, hold the open end tightly with your hands to trap the air inside.
  • Don’t forget to open the mattress valve before swinging the plastic bag. Place the bag’s open end around the valve and secure it with rubber bands to create a tighter connection.
  • All you have to do is just press the air from the plastic bag into the mattress. Make sure not to use too much pressure as it may rip the bag.
  • Once all the air is filled into the mattress, remove the plastic bag and quickly close the valve.
  • You need to repeat this multiple times until the airbed reaches the desired volume.

 

This may be a time-consuming process, but it’s the best you can do outdoors. To close the valve quickly, you can ask for a helping hand. As soon as you remove the plastic bag, ask your friend to close the valve, so that the air doesn’t escape the mattress.

 

    5. Blow Into The Air Mattress

When nothing works, you have to blow up the air mattress. Yes, you guessed it right! We are asking you to blow air from your mouth into the airbed. This method may not be suitable for everyone, especially someone with weak lungs. However, you can still give it a try if you have no other option to use.

 

All you have to do is take a deep breath and blow the air into the airbed. But before that clean the inlet, so you don’t have to put anything dirty in your mouth. Put your mouth against the valve and blow. You need to repeat this until the entire mattress is inflated.

This is the traditional way of blowing an air mattress. But this method can become more difficult if your airbed doesn’t have a one-way valve.

 

If you are going to try this method, you should do it carefully. That’s because it can make you feel a little lightheaded by the time you finish blowing air. Also, you shouldn’t try this method if you have breathing problems, asthma, or weak lungs.

 

    6. Using A Bike Pump To Inflate An Air Mattress

You can also use a bike pump to blow up an air mattress. This is an easy method to try. All you have to do is establish a secure connection between the nozzle and valve and you are good to go.

You can use duct tape to tighten the seal between the valve and nozzle. This method will become much easier if the airbed has a one-way valve. You can ask your partner to hold the nozzle up to the valve, while you use the bike pump to inflate the mattress.

 

If you don’t have a pump, no worries because you can try other methods to inflate your air mattress. You can try any of these methods to complete the task. Some methods are a bit difficult than others, but they are all worth trying. Each of the methods can come in handy in different situations.


FAQs

Despite the fact that we've only had it for a week, our air mattress continues to lose air. We keep refilling it and closing the valve. What's the problem?
All air mattresses lose air naturally, but if it goes flat in less than a day, you most likely have a leak that has to be repaired.
How can I know when the air mattress is completely inflated?
When the mattress is filled, it may be as firm or soft as you choose. When the mattress is full, most pumps will produce a higher-pitched, louder noise to avoid overfilling.