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After years of sleeping on poor quality air mattresses, you’ve finally decided to invest in a good one. Maybe it even has special features – like a built-in air pump or thicker.
You are confident in your purchase until one morning you wake up after falling asleep on the air mattress in the middle of a pool that feels like a pool that needs more air. Somehow the curse struck the air mattress again.
Sure, it could be a problem with the valve, but it could also be a hole. And while they’re incredibly annoying, these holes can be really hard to find. In an article for BobVila.com, Tony Carrick shares two methods for locating the leak. Here’s what you should know.
First check the valves on the air mattress
While your leak may be the result of a hole in it, there is also a possibility that the air valves are not properly secured (some have a double latch that you have to push in twice). While you’re around, also check the material around the air valves for cracks or tears. Carrick explains. If everything looks normal there, it’s time to find that hole.
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Use dish soap to find holes in an air mattress
Put some dish soap in a spray bottle with water. “The detergent makes the solution more viscous so that it sticks to the surface of the mattress long enough for you to find the leak.” Carrick writes.
Then spray the solution on different parts of the inflated mattress, starting with the places where it is more likely to leak, such as the area around the valve, and then onto the seams. You will know when you hit a hole because the solution will begin to bubble and / or you can see where the air is escaping.
As long as you have come this far, you can continue to spray the mattress in case there are multiple holes and to clean the whole thing. If you find a hole, mark it with a piece of tape or a permanent marker so you know exactly where to mend it.
Spray the air mattress with a garden hose
This method is very similar to using dish soap, and in fact, you can always start with dish soap and then spray the mattress with a garden hose – not just to rinse it, but to identify any villain holes you’ve missed.
Make sure the mattress is inflated as fully as possible and is sitting on a flat surface such as a patio or driveway. Then start spraying the hose (with a spray attachment or blocking part of the opening of the house with your thumb so that it is a fan of water, not just a jet) on different sections of the air mattress. Again, if you see bubbles forming in a particular area, take a closer look at it because there’s a good chance you’ve found a hole.
