We believe Air mattresses are growing rapidly in popularity and one of the common mistakes we witness all the time is thinking all air beds can be pumped up by mouth. Which is not true and a totally waste of breathe even if all airbeds could be pumped up by mouth.
Many folks have bought the airbed but have forgotten the pump to inflate it. So to save you the panic, here is How To Inflate An Air Bed Without A Pump while saving you the expensive of buying a emergency pump. 5 easy, yet creative ways that will inflate a air bed without the need of a pump.
5 Alternative Ways To Inflate A Air Mattress Without A Pump
Use Your Blow Dryer
First make sure that your blow dryer is set to cold. Hot air from the hair dryer could damage or melt the valve and airbed material. This is the worst kind of result, so be sure the heat is down.
Place the nozzle of the hairdryer against the valve opening and turn it on. A one-way valve should allow the air to flow automatically into the airbed to inflate it. You may need to pinch a two-way valve open in order for the air to flow through. Use a peg to keep it open.
While this process isn’t as effective or fast as using a pump, you should be able to inflate the airbed to almost maximum capacity. Which will work fine for emergency situations around the home and camping if you happen to have access to power and a hair dyer of course.
Use A Garbage Or Refuse Bag To Inflate A Air Bed
Fill a garbage bag with air by swooping it through the air and create a big bubble inside the bag. Quickly close the open end in your hand to prevent the air from escaping. Open the center to match the size of the valve on the airbed and place the bag over the valve. Squeeze the air from the bag into the airbed.
The best way to do this is to lay the airbed flat on the ground and then lie on the air-filled garbage bag to squeeze the air into the airbed faster. One-way valves will allow the air to flow into the bag easily and prevent it from escaping. Two way valves may need to be held open.
You will need to repeat the process until the bed is inflated. This may take some time and effort but it will effectively inflate the bed. The process is ideal for camping or when you don’t have access to electrical outlets. Perfect way to inflate a air bed without a pump when you have no other options.
Pump A Airbed With Your Vacuum Cleaner
You will need a vacuum cleaner that has a reverse function that enables it to blow air rather than suck. Alternatively, remove the bag from the vacuum cleaner and place the pipe in the hole that the bag would normally attach to. This should cause it to blow instead of suck.
Place the vacuum nozzle or end of the pipe over the valve and allow the air to flow into the mattress. The airbed should inflate very quickly with very little effort on your behalf. While it may be a little tricky without a reverse air feature and not practical when camping, it’s still a great way of pumping up a guest room air mattress without using a pump.
Use Your Leaf Blower
Simply place the air outlet on your leaf blower over the valve and allow the air to fill the airbed. This is a slower process than the vacuum method but faster than either the garbage bag or blow dryer methods.
Most likely you won’t have a leaf blower on hand when camping, so this is another method ideal for at home situations.
Old School Method – Use Your Lungs
This is probably the least effective, time-consuming and tiresome method. Simply take a deep breath and then breathe the air from your lungs into the airbed. Repeat until the bed is filled. Be careful to take breaks to prevent hyperventilation. Personally, I’d rather walk 2 hours or take a boat, bus and train to buy a new pump than inflate a air mattress with just my breathe.
While all these methods will fill an airbed without the use of a pump, it is highly recommended to buy a manual or electric pump to simplify the process. But as we all know, not everything comes with us when camping. So when the unfortunate occasion comes along and you forget the pump, being prepared and when you know how to inflate a air bed without a pump you are one step ahead of the next camper.
Forget The Pump… Just Take The Air Bed
Yup, that’s right. Forget about the pump. But only when you own either a air mattress with a built in pump, or a self inflating air mattress. Both of the air mattresses will enable you to never be short on a pump again.
A built in pump air bed is exactly that. The pump is installed into the mattress. The only drawback for this is that you need power in order to inflate the bed. On some model you can also use an alternative pump like the humble foot pump.
A self inflating mattress is ideal for camping or hiking as they are lightweight and very portable. These types of air mattress are made from foam which inflate once the valve is opened. The foam sucks in the natural air and the foam expands to make a nice compact mattress.