What are the Benefits of Having a Fold up Bed?

Fold up beds are great in that they are very convenient to have around, and don’t take up much space at all when not in use. They fold up into the wall, a closet, or cabinet and are out of sight, out of the way, and unobtrusive. This means it’s easy to have an extra bed in your home, without utilizing a bunch of floor space for it when it isn’t used 95% of the time or more.

At the same time, they tend to be extremely low-cost, but are more substantial than futons, fold-out couches, rollaway beds, or air mattresses. Fold up beds are basically the ideal compromise between those kinds of beds and a traditional, permanent fixture bed.  

What You Need to Consider before Buying a Fold up Bed

Like any home furniture purchase, you’ll want to consider several different characteristics of any potential fold up bed before you purchase it. Briefly, these factors include:

Quality

You’ll want to spend a bit extra to make sure the fold up bed you purchase will be comfortable and durable enough to last a long time. Brand reputation also comes into play here.

Easy storage

The mechanisms for folding up and storing the bed should be easy to use and reliable, so you don’t have to deal with a bed falling out of the closet or wall unpredictably.

Size

You should choose a size that is ideal based on the typical use you expect for the bed, e.g., if it’s meant for only one person vs. 2 or more people who will likely be the primary users.

Frame type

Different materials, styles, and types are available, some with integrated storage for blankets, pillows, and sheets, and others that allow for the use of a box spring, whereas some are meant as platform-style beds only.

Ease of use

The bed, should be easy to pull down and setup, and easy to put away.

Weight

Heavier, sturdier foldable beds require more durable hardware and often dedicated cabinets or closets to fold up into.

Where are Fold up Beds Commonly Used?

Fold up beds can be used almost anywhere, but are ideal for spare bedrooms or spare rooms in homes where you can’t give up the floor space for a bed most of the time. This means home offices, studies, and other spare rooms are usually the places in a home where fold up beds are most commonly used. They may also be used in attics, garages, or basements that have been finished in to create more usable space.

Outside of the home, fold up beds are sometimes seen in hotel rooms, dorms, and other institutional settings. They can often be found in RVs or campers, too.

Pros and Cons of a Fold up Bed

Pros

• Highly functional choice of bed that doesn’t take up much space when not in use, especially valuable for those with limited floor space such as apartment dwellers in high-rent cities
• Not obtrusive to design or aesthetics either, being hidden in a wall or closet when folded up.
• Almost all fold up beds come with a permanently attached mattress and do not require a separate purchase of a mattress or a box spring.

Cons

• Many fold up beds are not particularly comfortable for long-term or regular use, though they are generally more comfortable than rollaways, futons, fold-out couches, and similar choices.

Summary

Fold up beds are a great space-saver that can turn almost any spare room in your home into a spare bedroom when needed. They are unobtrusive and easy to store away out of sight. At the same time, they are a bit more expensive than some of the other temporary bed options, such as air mattresses, futons, and rollaways, but are also more comfortable for users than those choices.

If you are considering a fold up bed purchase, be sure to look for something that is high quality, from a reputable brand, sized appropriately for your intended guest situation, and with weight and hardware commensurate with its size. You want to ensure it is durable and reliable, and easy to use so that it will last for many years.

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