How to patch an air mattress?

How to patch an air mattress

Buying an air mattress is crucial to have around the house, especially if you ever plan to have guests over or go on a camping trip. However, the worst thing is when you wake up in the morning, after being on one, and you find you are right on the floor.

Leaks and little holes can appear in air mattresses without us knowing and they need to be repaired right away. How are you going to do this? By buying a fantastic adhesive to close up any holes, keeping your air mattress good as new! Today we are going to be looking at three of the best air mattress repair products.

What To Look For In An Adhesive

There are so many brands of adhesives on the market today that it can be very difficult to know what one is going to be the best to repair your air mattress. The first thing we always look for is at numerous reviews to see if it really works. There are a lot of knock off products that simply are not going to work. You want to check to see that the adhesive is going to last a long time.

The next thing you definitely want to look for is drying time. You want to find one that is going to dry quickly, especially in the case of an emergency where you need to use your mattress right away. You also want to buy one with an easy to use spout, so you can use it easily without making a huge mess.

How To Use An Adhesive

So, for all three of the adhesives listed below, we have created this guide that is pretty general to follow when fixing a leak in your air mattress. While some may differ, this is a pretty standard guide to get that leak fixed as fast as you can!

Find The Leak

The first thing you obviously have to do is find the leak in your air mattress, and believe us when we say that it is not as easy as it looks! First of all, usually punctures can be found mostly by the seams and other channels on the top of the mattress. This is usually where they fail the most. So how do you find a leak easily? Well first we recommend that you place your ear near the mattress in a very quiet area. Then you will be able to pin point the area where the leak is.

Now a neat trick if you still cannot find the leak, you can cover the mattress in warm water with soap. Once the bed is wet you will be able to see where bubbles are beginning to form and that is where your leak is going to be. This is a great way to ensure you are going to fix the right area, without wasting any of your adhesive.

Cleaning The Mattress

The next thing you should do before applying the adhesive is to clean the area around the place where the hole is. This is where you will also be applying a patch if the hole is big enough for it. By cleaning this area, you will remove any unwanted dirt and oils around the area. To even get a deeper clean find some medium sandpaper and rough the area a little bit. Be very careful not to over sand the area, as this will create a larger hole that you will need to cover up.

Applying the Adhesive

Next is the time for applying the adhesive. You want to be able to cover the hole itself and a half inch around the entire area. Use just a think layer of glue and rub it into place in order for it to hold. If it is a small hole, just a little drop should do. Now if you are applying a patch for a larger hole, you will also have to apply the adhesive to the patch itself (on the side that is textured) in order to have it held in place. If you apply the glue in the middle of the patch, when you press it on the hole, it will be easy for the glue to bleed out over the entire patch. It is well known that it is better to use more glue than not enough, as you can never have enough.

The Patch

As mentioned earlier, if the hole is large enough you will need to apply a patch. The best type of adhesives actually come with a patch, making it a lot easier for you. To actually ensure that the patch is going to stay on, generously put a lot of the adhesive on it and also find a 10 pound iron weight on it, or another heavy object of around that size. That is going to ensure that the patch is being held in place. More weight is going to help a lot if there are seams under the patch, so determine for yourself what you need. You can also use big gallons of water or anything else to hold it in place.

How Long Do I Hold It For?

This is probably the most common question asked when using an adhesive for the first time. If you do have the time to wait, we recommend that you wait around 24 hours (with the weights on top if doing a patch) just to ensure that there are no leaks and that it has actually been held into place. Once you remove the weights, the patch should stay in place and look good as new. Now you are ready to pump it up and see if it works (it should if you get a great adhesive).

Now of course with any repairing material, it is very crucial that you take it easier on the mattress from this point forward. It is not going to be as durable as it once was, so try to keep it away from other places that may puncture it and just be gentle with it. If you take care of it from now on the adhesive will stay in place for sure, making your air mattress just like it used to be!

With all of that being said, and now since you know how to use them, we are going to dive into our mini reviews of the three products below. We ensure you that these are all reliable products that are going to definitely work to fix your air mattress. While the outline above is a great guide, every brand is going to come with additional more specific instructions that you should definitely follow!

Best Air Mattress Repair Glue

Boxer Adhesives Vinyl Waterbed and Air Mattress Repair Kit

The first air mattress repair product up for review is the Boxer Adhesives Vinyl Waterbed and Air Mattress Repair Kit.

This comes with a tube with the adhesive for the mattress right inside, to keep it easier to keep it altogether. This also comes with an included set of patching vinyl to keep applying a lot easier. What makes this adhesive special is that it dries really quickly, to allow for a fast process to fix your air mattress. This is especially great to work for a waterbed a pool or a tube. This is a very affordable option, so if you are on a budget you definitely are going to want to take a look at this option.

So how does it work? Well if you have any patches throughout your air mattress, you can seal them by simply applying a drop of this adhesive over the area that has a puncture. Once you apply the adhesive, allow it to dry for a good period of time before you get on it again. If there is an area that needs to be covered that is more than a small pinhole, cut a large patch for the area and round the corners. Then you can apply the adhesive to the patch, and it will serve as a cover to the damaged area. You also have to press out the air bubbles to get them fully out.

What makes this product even more unique is that you can use it on any other plastic item made out of vinyl to prepare it. For example, its good for a vinyl plastic upholstery such as on an inflatable toy or in a house or car.

This definitely needs to be kept out of reach of children and should be kept out of your eyes. If for any reason it gets into your eyes, you are going to have to flush your eye out with water for 15 minutes.

Pros:

• Comes with added patch for bigger holes
• Dries quickly
• Affordable
• Very fast working
• Easy to use

Cons:

• May have to keep reapplying for larger holes

Coghlan’s Airstop Sealant

The second product up for review is the Coghlan’s Airstop Sealant. This is another one of the most affordable air mattress repair products on the market today. You are definitely not going to be breaking the bank with this product. You can buy it from.

First off this is a great repair sealant to be used for any material made out of PVC. This includes any nylon or rayon that have been coated with PVC. It is going to work great to repair any punctures or holes found in an air mattress. This has been used to repair not only mattresses however, but they can also be used for pools and any inflatable toys found in a pool. This is definitely a tool that you are going to want to have whenever you are camping or out on a trip, as it can definitely repair a bed that you take on the go with you. This comes in a tube size of 0.27 ounces (8mL) which will be more than enough to help you on a trip.

This is a product that comes from Coghlan’s, which is a fantastic manufacturer of all things to do with the outdoors. They ensure to make any outdoor experience a lot more comfortable and enjoyable and on their product line is over 450 accessories to increase your comfort. We really recommend that you look into their company and see what else they have to offer.

Pros:

• Affordable
• Really works
• Dries quickly
• Comes in easy to use bottle
• Works with patches
• Quick fix

Cons:

• Small tube, will have to buy more after using it a lot

AIRHEAD AHRK-1 Vinyl Repair Kit for Inflatables

The final product we will be reviewing is the AIRHEAD AHRK-1 Vinyl Repair Kit for Inflatables. You can buy this adhesive from. This is another fantastic adhesive available that is very affordable. This is what makes it very appealing because of the cheap price.

This product has been created using really high quality materials that are going to repair any air mattress in a quick amount of time. It has been tested at the factory for complete durability and can be used for all ages. This comes in a kit with a tube that measures 1 ounce to be worked with some of the best vinyl content. This also comes with 2 round vinyl patches for a larger hole that you may find in your air mattress.

It is crucial that if you do find a whole to use this right away in order to close it up before it gets even worse. Even more so, you should wait a little bit before using it so you can let it dry easily.

Pros:

• Affordable
• Works very well
• Comes with patches
• Heavy duty kit
• Easy to use
• Dries quickly
• A great back up device for an emergency

Cons:

• Not enough patches for the amount of glue (have to buy more)

Conclusion

All three of the products above are definitely some of the best adhesives to repair your air mattress. They are reasonably priced and are going to dry quickly! We highly recommend!