If you’ve got an unexpected guest, or you’ve turned up at the camping site with your air mattress and forgotten the most vital part, the pump, don’t worry. Not all is lost, and now you’ve found this guide, you’ll be inflating your air mattress in no time with these creative ideas.
Ever thought about using a garbage bag or a leaf blower to inflate your mattress? Well, now you have and are about to learn how to do it.
Creative Ways to Inflate an Air Mattress Without a Pump
Let’s take a look at some of the most creative and easy ways to inflate an air mattress when you come unstuck, or should I say, deflated.
1. Vacuum Cleaner
A vacuum cleaner can be an excellent tool if you’re looking for another way to blow up your air mattress. However, this is true only if your vacuum has a reverse mode. They’ll blow out air as well as suck it up.
Treat it as you would if using an electric pump, and place the vacuum nozzle onto the air mattress valve. You can secure the hose to the valve by adding attachments that make it fit better.
Depending on the style of your vacuum, you can do this even without a reverse setting. You can do this by detaching the bag/container where the dirt gathers and positioning the hose directly to your air mattress.
2. Hair Dryer
It’s an easy one, and you can even get battery-powered hair dryers these days, which makes it a solution even if you’re camping. To use a hair dryer to inflate an air mattress, set the air mattress out somewhere flat and close to a power source if it’s electric.
Next, ensure your hair dryer is set to cool; the hot setting could burn or even melt your air mattress valve. Now press the end of the hair dryer against the air mattress valve, and hold it there until the bed is inflated.
The problem here is that there will be a lot of escaped air due to the difference in size, which could process complicated and lengthy.
3. Air Compressor
Using an air compressor is the same as using an electric pump, and of course only handy if you’ve got one. But you must inflate an air mattress with one; it’s the same process.
Insert the compressor valve into the mattress’s valve, turn on the power, and away you go. The issue here might be that the valves don’t fit, and you might have to improvise to make it work with tape of some kind.
4. Bike Bump
A bike pump is a good alternative when you can’t get your hands on anything. However, you’ll have to do something to prevent too much air from escaping, as bicycle pumps are usually pretty narrow at the nozzle.
5. Leaf Blower
Suppose you get your hands on a leaf blower. In that case, you have a very noisy yet highly effective alternative to a pump to inflate your air mattress. Place the bed wherever you intend it to lie, hold your hands around the end of the leaf blower and attachment, and place it over the mattress valve.
This method should only be used with electrical leaf blowers and never gas.
6. Garbage Bag
You might have just read that and wondered how Earth this can be done, but it’s a tried and proven method to fill an air mattress, albeit a very long-winded process.
The idea is to gather air inside the garbage bag, then gather the end of the bag, as if you were going to pipe icing onto a cake and fit the bag over the air mattress valve.
Next, squeeze the air out of the garbage bag into the air mattress. Obviously, the larger the garbage back, the quicker the process. However, this is certainly a slow option, but hey, it works!
7. Manually
The old faithful option is blowing it up using a strong pair of lungs. The process is just the same as blowing up a balloon or inflatable, a very large inflatable.
There’s no doubt about it; this is the most prolonged possible method and will take a lot of lung power. It’s also essential to sanitize the valve before touching it with your mouth.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I inflate an air mattress?
There are many ways to blow up an air mattress without the use of a pump; these include by mouth, using a garbage bag, and a leaf blower, amongst others.
How long does it take to inflate an air mattress?
The time would depend on the size and type of the mattress and the inflation method.
How do I know when my air mattress is fully inflated?
The mattress will feel firm and won’t deflate or sag when you sit or lie on it.
How do I deflate an air mattress?
Open the valve and roll the mattress from the opposite end to push the air out to deflate your air mattress.
The Final Word
So, if you thought all was lost because you’ve turned up at the camping site and left the pump behind, don’t worry; a good night’s sleep is not out of reach, as there are many inventive ways to blow up your air mattress.
Of course, nothing quite beats the fundamental method of an electric pump. However, getting your hands on a hair dryer or bike pump will have almost the same effect; you might have to start inflating a little earlier than expected.
Once you’ve inflated your air mattress, you can check out this handy guide on ensuring it doesn’t deflate while in use.
