Every once in a while, we receive guests who end up spending the night at our homes. Air mattresses are the most common options because they are easy to use and store.
Besides the comfort they offer your guests, they provide a bigger sleeping space, and maintaining them is quiet easy.
Having an air mattress will require you as the home owner to spend an extra cash, but there are always some alternatives.
So, what are these other options you can use instead of air mattresses?
What if you have guests who stay for just one or two nights?
One of the best space saving and temporary beds for your visitors is
1. Wide Convertible Chair
You want guests to be comfortable, right?
But what if you do not have multiple rooms, like a dedicated guest room?
Well, this is a chair that could sit in your living room and as soon as everybody is tired and ready to retire, you just flip and there you go! You have your beautiful single bed.
This a very practical and an advanced way to give visitors a good sleep at night.
Where can you find one?
Well, these chair beds are very rare and you might just check around here on Wayfair to see if you can locate one. The makers usually have limited stocks available at a time.
- The bed doesn’t take up a lot of room and when it’s morning, you don’t have to worry about carrying stuff around. Just fold it back to the seat.
2. A Folding Guest Bed
This bed comes with a bonus storage bag. The bed will give your guests sleep comfort just when they need it after traveling to visit you.
The mattress is capable of folding neatly inside a storage bag that comes with it.
Its folding legs make it easy to transfer to any location inside your house. When transferring it to your guest bedroom, it will make this process much easier.
- The bed has wheels for easy transportation.
- You also get a steady steel frame that can support even heavier guests.
The foam mattress is durable and comes in 4-inch size made of 2 layers. These layers will give your guests maximum comfort but only for a few years.
If you intend to use this bed only for your guests, it will take more than 10 years before starting to degrade.
3. Self-Inflating Sleep Pad
Self-inflating sleep pads are available in a variety of forms and sizes to help you discover the ideal combination of insulation, portability, and comfort.
They are really comfy, particularly those that are available in large sizes.
When you wish to inflate the sleeping pad, simply open the valve and it will begin to expand and suck in air on its own.
They’re simple to store and move.
Simply roll up the mat to force the air out, providing a self-inflating cushion ideal for travelling.
Regarding the storage of self-inflating mat, keep it flat with the valve open, since storing it folded up for an extended period of time might reduce the mat’s capacity to self-inflate.
Sleeping pads also provide exceptional insulation and keep you warm all night.
They are often more costly than air mattresses and do not provide as much cushioning.
Punctures are more likely with these self-inflating mats.
4. Multifunctional Sofa bed
Make sure you treat the visitors to comfort by using this folding Sofa Bed available on Amazon.
This is a 5-in-1 sofa bed that can be converted into a sofa, an ottoman, a chair, lounger, and a bed. With it, you don’t have to worry about unexpected guests anymore.
Interestingly, the bed is made of breathable and removable linen fabric. That means even when your guests are gone, you still have a seat to use it as a seat after washing the linens.
No need to possess any skills to assemble it because its ease of use is just awesome.
5. Memory Foam Pad
The other option you have is to just use a plain old mattress and stretch it on the floor.
Being that a memory form contours to the body’s shape, it provides a restful night’s sleep.
Why are memory foam pads ideal for guests?
Air mattresses are generally not much portable and they get punctures. Setting up the air mattress might also take a while and during cold winter months, they get cold as well.
If you want to avoid experiencing all these troubles, then a memory foam pad is your choice.
Features of memory foam pads include the following:
- Usually 1-2 inches thick
- Are safe to use as an air bed alternative
- Cost less (usually about $150-250)
- Available in different sizes
- Surprisingly comfortable
Once you get hold a good quality memory pad, it will last you 5-7 years before thinking about buying a new one.
However, durability of these items will depend on frequency of use, weight of your guests, and how much care they receive.
The best way to store memory foam pads is to use a vacuum storage bag, which prevents dust and moisture from damaging it.
6. Rollaway Bed
Another way to host overnight guests is to treat them to comfort with a rollaway bed.
Anybody will describe sleeping on a rollaway to be fantastic. Definitely, the rollaway bed is unique in that is designed to appear like a regular bed frame, yet it folds away. You compact it into a smaller version when not in use.
Since the beds are made of steel frames and they have a spring supported mattress deck, they provide further strength and durability.
For smaller rooms or placers where space is limited, rollaway beds come in twin or cot sizes.
Specialty cot size sheets are required for a cot size rollaway, which may be difficult to come by at local department stores.
The assembly of this flexible bed is really straightforward.
It has locking wheels that keep the frame in position and safe all night long.
7. Futon Mattress
Generally, I find futons quite adaptable and space-saving since they can be folded and unfolded into many different configurations.
They are typically available in single, twin, full, and queen sizes. When you go for regular futons, you’ll notice they function by unfolding into a mattress while being used and folding and rolling up when not being used.
To improve cushioning and breathability when sleeping, the mattress can be placed on the just flat floor or even over a tatami mat.
Because Japanese futons save space, money, and ideal for temporary bedding, they will be suitable for your temporary guests.
Western futons, on that same note, are typically made out of a platform, a slipcover, and a foldable mattress. You will find futons made of metals or wood.
Metal rails may be used in some today’s futon platforms to make them easier to pull out and push in.
One thing we all agree on is that these futon beds are light, cheap, and one experiences no trouble installing them. They are just like the regular sofa when not in use but can be converted into beds when unfolded to help guests.
A futon mattress takes approximately 5 seconds to set up; simply unroll it and place it where the guests are going to sleep, and you’re done.
There is time wastage or frustrations inflating it, as you would need with an air mattress, and you can utilize this time to swiftly set up the sleeping area and let your visitors enjoy their dreamy night.
It takes about the same amount of time to pack a futon when everyone is awake and you do not need to deflate anything and there’s no delicate folding required to return it to its bag, as with an air mattress. Simply wrap it up, secure it with a rope, and store it.
Your futon may be stored anywhere, from the trunk a car to a tiny corridor.
When your guests lie down to sleep, it will feel more like they are sleeping on their mattress back home, which is far much better that an air mattress.
8. Murphy bed
The greatest thing about murphy beds is that they go vertically against a wall or inside a cabinet to conserve space in the living room.
There are a wide variety of designs.
When you have a Murphy bed in a guest room, you will be able to maximize your space since you will only be doing the unfolding of the bed when you have visitors. Although these beds offer numerous advantages, they are not as durable as other alternatives we have listed here, they may be dangerous if not used with a lot of precaution.
They are also large to fold and store, but your guests will still enjoy their sleep.
9. Folding Mattresses
Because folding mattresses are intended for temporary usage, one can easily fold them up into tiny packages.
Many manufacturers will even provide you with mattress cases, which make it easy to store them.
They’re also less expensive than futons and sofa beds.