How to Break in a New Mattress

Before you place your new mattress onto your box spring, lay a plastic trash bag flat in the middle of the box spring. You'll be turning your mattress periodically, and the trash bag will make it possible for you to slide and spin your mattress without picking it up.

Carefully lay the mattress on top of the box spring, keeping the trash bag relatively centered underneath.

Take note of how your mattress feels during the first two weeks. If you share your bed with someone else, sleep on the same side every night as you consider the quality of the mattress.

After two weeks, remove the sheets from the bed. Pull the mattress a few inches towards the foot of the bed, and then rotate it 180 degrees. The trash bag should make it easy to spin. When it has been rotated, push it back into place and put the sheets back on.

Sleep on the rotated mattress for the next two weeks. If after four weeks, you are unsatisfied with the comfort or firmness level of your mattress, it's time to consider taking it back. Mattress warranties vary in length, and mattress quality won't often improve after four weeks of use. If you like your mattress and want to keep it, rotate it 180 degrees again.

Rotate the mattress 180 degrees once per month for the next five months. If you sleep alone or if your bed partner is of a significantly different size or weight than you, this will help ensure that the mattress padding gets even wear during the first several months, which is when it gets compressed the most.

Stop rotating the mattress after a total of six months if you have a bed partner that is roughly the same size and weight as you. If, however, you sleep alone or have a bed partner of a different size or weight, make a habit of rotating the mattress 180 degrees every three months. This will help ensure even wear throughout the lifetime of the mattress.