Air mattress
An air mattress is an inflatable mattress or sleeping pad.
Due to its buoyancy, it is also often used as a water toy or flotation device, and in some countries, including the
For sleeping
An air mattress, also known as an airbed or a blow-up bed,[2] is an inflatable mattress made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or textile-reinforced urethane plastic or rubber. The deflated mattress can be compacted and carried or stored in a small form. They are inflated by blowing into a valve, either with a manual or an electric pump. Some are automatically inflated when a valve is opened, up to a certain pressure with additional inflation manually or by pump.
Air mattresses are used for camping, temporary or full-time home use, and may be optimized to combine several uses (e.g., camping and guest use) while others are single purpose. Air mattresses may have customized shapes, such as wheel cutouts for use in the cargo area of a
A USA government safety agency has warned against letting infants sleep on air mattresses, because they can be too soft and suffocate smaller children (especially those below the age of 8 months) within folds or while entrapped between the mattress and the bed base. Additionally there have been several recent governmental studies and regulations enacted due to the poisonous nature of the phthalate plasticizers contained within most PVC vinyl air beds and other soft vinyl products.[3] The European Union has made similar efforts to prevent the use of vinyl materials in toys and bedding.[4]
Air beds
Larger, more elaborate air mattresses (known as "air beds" in
Raised guest or temporary beds are typically raised off the ground to keep users away from the floor and offer a more traditional mattress experience. Though 'raised' air beds are off the ground, they are not designed for full-time use, as the base of the bed is an air chamber and not a solid foundation.
Health benefits
Air mattresses can also improve the quality of life (and potentially provide some measure of relief) for people who suffer with back pain.
For recreation
As a water toy
The term air mattress may also refer to a certain inflatable swimming pool or beach toy, which has an air-sac "pillow" and several (usually four or five) tubes running its length. Also called a "lilo" (UK, AUS, NZ, SA), "pool air mat", "air mat", "pool lounge", or "float(ing) mat(tress)", it is used to recline on the water surface. The Li-Lo trademark for a rubberised material products was registered in UK on 19 Apr 1944 and in the USA on 25 Sep 1947[11] by P. B. Cow and Co Ltd. An inflatable air mattress for recreational use was advertised as one of the Li-Lo brand of products at the British Industries Fair in London 1949.[12] Although it bears some resemblance to an air mattress, it is typically not built as strongly and may not reliably stay inflated all night long, making it impractical for use as a bed.
Industry
Permanent use adjustable-firmness "airbeds" became popular particularly after market leader
Less expensive airbeds used for camping or guests include the Aerobed, sold by
See also
References
- ^ "lilo". Compact Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2009. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
- ^ "Synonyms for "air mattress"". www.thesaurus.com. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
- ^ "The polyvinyl chloride debate: Why PVC remains a problematic material" (PDF). European Commission.
- ^ europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/consumer_safety/l32033_en.htm.
- ^ "Air bed definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
- PMID 29073401.
- PMID 11104482.
- ^ "Health - Airbed.org". Airbed.org. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
- ^ "Indoor Chemicals Linked to Respiratory and Allergic Effects in Children" Archived 2017-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, California EPA, 2008.
- ^ "Indoor Residential Chemical Emissions as Risk Factors for Respiratory and Allergic Effects in Children: a Review" Archived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine, Indoor Air Journal, vol. 17, pp. 259–277, 2007.
- ^ "US Patent Office" (PDF). US Patent and Trademark Office. Sep 1947. Retrieved 15 Sep 2016.
- ^ "P. B. Cow and Co". Grace's Guide to British Industrial History. 1949. Retrieved 15 Sep 2016.
- ^ a b Nelles, Barbara (June 2006). "What's in the air? | BedTimes". bedtimesmagazine.com. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
- ^ "Select Comfort to End Sales of Comfortaire to Retailers". 2017-04-27.
- ^ Dexter, Robyn (21 May 2015). "A Sleep Success Story: The Bedroom Store". Ladue News. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
External links
- Media related to Air mattresses at Wikimedia Commons
- The dictionary definition of lilo at Wiktionary