If you’re ready to move and need advice on how to store a mattress, don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Over the seven years that Jack Mitcham sold mattresses, he encountered too many customers who had little-to-no knowledge about the product they planned to spend hundreds of dollars acquiring.

“A lot of customers were coming in to the store that didn’t know a lot about mattresses, and because of that sales people, in general, had an advantage over customers,”; he said. “I wanted to flip the advantage the other way.”;

To better educate consumers, Mitcham created his blog MattressNerd.com in 2014. Since then, the site has reached a million visitors searching for tips on making a purchase, moving and more, according to his estimates.

Read on for his tips on protecting this important, and expensive, piece of furniture through a move and storage—damage-free! We even have recommendations from a man who moves hundreds of mattresses a day!

Move a Mattress with Care to Avoid Damage

While moving a queen-sized mattress may seem like a one-person job to the able-bodied, be sure to get someone else to help to avoid damage from bending or dropping (it happens!).

“When you bend a mattress, you can damage the whole thing by creating lumps,”; said Luis Vasquez, the warehouse operations manager at L.A. Mattress.

Vasquez moves between 100 and 200 beds during a work day, putting the rest of us movers to shame. He advised not to transport a mattress more than twice a year, if you can help it.

“Every time you move a mattress, the foam and materials inside shift out of place,”; he said.

It’s also important to make sure your new home or apartment has the space to fit your mattress, without cramming it past corners.

“Too much bending will damage the mattress, so be aware of the space,”; Mitcham said.

Use Mattress Bags or Boxes for Protection

Before you move a bed, make sure to use mattress bags or boxes to protect the fabric from damage and dirt during transit and in storage.

“It should be wrapped up in a bag specifically made for moving and storing mattresses, because if it rubs up against the truck, you’ll get scuff marks,”; Mitcham said.

Mattress bags will also help deter accumulation of dust, water and dirt during longer-term storage.

“If you can afford a box, a box is better,”; Vasquez said.

But a mattress bag will do in a jiffy, and can be purchased at your local Public Storage location!

Store a Mattress on a Flat Surface

When you arrive at a storage unit, pack your mattress so you can lay it flat on a pallet, to evenly distribute the weight.

“If you allow your mattress to bend over a period of time, it will become damaged,”; said Mitcham.

And putting uneven weight on top of the mattress, if you lay it flat on the floor and stack other storage items on top, is also no good.

“Don’t put anything on top of a mattress, except another mattress of the same size,”; said Vasquez. “Uneven weight on top will ruin it.”;

If you want to save room in the moving truck, you can store a mattress on its side for a short period of time, just make sure something heavy is supporting it evenly, because if it bends at one the edges, it could create a permanent crease, Mitcham said.

“Use the box spring or a flat, heavy object like a table top, to keep it steady,”; said Vasquez.