Does your airbed deflate?

Please don't panic and throw out your air bed if you notice it going a bit flat.

Air expands and contracts as it gets hotter and colder. If you add air to a mattress on a hot day, and it cools off, the air pressure will decline, making it look flat. If you inflate it on a cold day, the exact opposite will happen. It will expand and be over inflated.

To get the right amount of air in an airbed is a bit about personal preference but I sit on mine when I have nearly got it all blown up and if my bottom hits the ground, it needs more air. If it is a cold night, I always fill it till it is very firm.

Always remember to place a rug under your airbed when camping. Often they can make you feel colder than you should, simply because the air in the mattress is so cold. A rug underneath will reduce the cold from the ground rising up into your airbed.

To double check if it really does have a leak:

• Fill the bed up with air. 
• Fill the bathtub up with water. 
• Completely submerge the bed in the water. 
• If you see bubbles then you have a leak. 
• It could be a simple fix like a drop of silicone around the valve or it may be time for an upgrade. 

Even if you have a camp stretcher or a camper trailer these days they still make fabulous spare beds for guests and when the kids have sleepover friends. They fold away to nothing and store well in the linen cupboard till you need them next time.