The waterbed safety liner is one of the most important parts of your waterbed next to your mattress and it needs to be replace periodically. Whether you have a softside or hardside both types of waterbeds need a safety liner. If the unfortunate should happen and you get a leak the liner is the only thing that stands between you and an unnatural disaster inside your home which brings us to why safety liners need be and should be changed out.

Reasons to replace a safety liner

People spend thousands of dollars and fancy plush carpeting and its padding. Hardwood floors we really shouldn’t have to go into much detail as to why we wouldn’t want those to get flooded especially if you ever set a drink on a piece of wood furniture and it left a ring stain on it. Finally there are subfloors and the cost of labor to tear out, fix, or replace any of the previously mentioned. Purchasing a new liner is solid preventive maintenance and is always suggested and recommended by our sales staff to the customers at STL Beds when buying a new water mattress or a heater.  To replace these items the bed needs to be drained which makes it a perfect time to swap the old liner out for a new one. Unfortunately many of these consumers never give the safety liner a second thought until it’s too late and they have water all over the floor. We don’t believe it’s worth the aggravation and definitely will give the bed owner some peace of mind by changing out this twenty five dollar replaceable throw away liner which is the last and final safety net of a waterbed.

How long do liners normally last?

We consider safety liners a 5 year product at best. The corners tend to split and separate. Liners even start to break down along the sides and in the corners which in the case of a leak would easily allow the water to flow over the top. Dirty liner and hardware screw heads or metal burs can puncture them. Some do it your selfers will cover their hardware with duct tape and we don’t discourage it although is not something we do as part of a waterbed installation. Just don’t put it over your heater pad! A wood splinter from your decking is another culprit.

What are the types of liners?

Almost all safety liners made today for Hardside waterbeds are what the industry calls stand up liners.  Just lay them in the bed an pull them into all 4 corners, get most the wrinkles out of the bottom especially over the heater and your done. They are simple to install and take only a couple of minutes and one person. The old tack up and clip up liners are history. They took much longer to put in and used tacks are screws to hold them in position. Some times they would pull out and puncture mattresses making them counter productive.

Softside waterbeds use a fitted liner which over laps your foam rails like a fitted sheet. It usually has the same 5 year life expectancy.
Just remember if you over fill your mattress you are taking a very big risk. An over filled mattress that leaks can overflow the safety liner no matter how good your safety liner is so be sure to fill your waterbed mattress to the correct fill level.

1.    “Waterbeds do not last that long”

Interesting STL Beds has at least one or two customers a month come into the store who have owned a water mattress  that is more than twenty years old. The truth is that it is possible  especially if you kept the mattress clean and heated. Normally they will last on average up to 10-12 years. Try getting that out of a coil spring mattress especially if you weigh over 200lbs these days.

2.    “Just fill the mattress till your knee will not touch bottom”

If one of my well trained sales people told this to a customer I would have to consider firing them. Unfortunately it happens, waterbeds are made to sleep on not kneel on. Manufacturers usually recommend fillling the bed to the top of the safety liner on a Hardside waterbed. I recommend about 3/8” below top of foam rails on a soft side waterbed.

3.     “Fill the mattress until it feels good”

This is wrong, when shopping for a water mattress, buy the one that feels the best in the store. If you over fill a baffled mattress you increase the ratio of water to baffling. That means the water just bypasses the baffling and increases the wave motion. It also makes the mattress  stretch and balloon  under the smaller person on the bed. We like say it feels like “sleeping on the hump on a camels back.”

4.    “Waterbeds to heavy to put upstairs”

If your house is built to code you have the same floor joist upstairs as down. The problem comes into play when someone takes out a load bearing wall or converts an attic with only ceiling joist to a living space. When in doubt ask a professional to look it over. Today the same goes for mobile homes. Most building codes are very strict on proper support. One third of the waterbeds we have sold went into mobile homes. Again if in doubt ask the mobile home dealer or the installer.

5.    “Waterbeds will make you sea sick”

Waterbeds are not like boat . The feel of laying on your back in a waterbed is significanly different from floating in a boat. A waterbeds waviness is controled by baffles which often have less disturbance than that of a regular coil spring mattress.

The owner of STLBeds Dave Belleville who started his mattress business as a waterbed store in 1986 would probably know better than anyone if it is ok to mix dogs, cats, and waterbeds. He has been selling and continues to sell these unique beds just south of St. Louis MO. Dave says, “If I have learned anything in all my years of selling waterbeds and being a pet owner of dogs and cats, our little friends love these waterbeds. I have had many animals through out the years and in particular several cats that even sleep with my wife and I on our waterbed over the years and knock on wood we’ve never had a puncture.” Dave goes onto say “that doesn’t mean you should take it for granted that the beds cannot be damaged by pets” and offers some helpful hints.

How to protect your waterbed from pets

One solution for hardside waterbed owners is to purchase a waterbed cover that fully incases your hardside waterbed bladder for the ultimate protection. These usually have a zippered top, which is removable. It completely zips to a side and bottom panel so your furry friend cannot puncture it. This quilted top cover is usually ¾” to 2 ½” thick or more so pet claws are commonly not an issue. A person only needs to unzip the parameter of the protective zippered cover to access the waterbed mattress inside for occasion maintenance such as adding conditioner.

Waterbed protection

An example of how well protective nightwear covers from companies like Land and Sky work is this story that happened to one of our customers about two years ago. The couple having bought their bed less than a year before the incident told us how their dog dug a 2” deep hole in her 3” cover. They had left the dog alone while they were out for the evening during a thunderstorm. The dog got scared and dug into the cover of their bed. Fortunately for them the dog never did get to the $500.00 waterbed mattress.

Another thing that helps to protect a waterbed from cats and dogs is the bed linens. They offer additional protection while protecting your mattress and greatly adding to the beds comfort. This is because a mattress pad adds thickness to the top keeping the mattress from your pets’ sharp claws. The comfort comes from more breathability while drawing moisture and heat away from your body.

Waterbeds that co-exist best with your pets

One waterbed in particular that can be great to have when you own a dog or cat is a softside waterbed, which already has the protective cover built in. The outside part of the bed also has a zippered top and encloses a protective 4-5” foam perimeter keeping the sides of the waterbed totally protected from sharp claws. They look just like a regular mattress and boxspring and best of all can be used with regular bedroom furniture. We recommend a good mattress cover also on a softside waterbed not only to offer additional protection from pets, but they go a long way to protect your bed from stains and smell due to dirt and body fluids like perspiration.

So as you can see there are many solutions to the so called “I can’t have a pet and a waterbed” comments so frequently thrown around. Our hope is that this dispels some of the stories about cats causing waterbeds to pop and explode.

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How to properly store a drained water bed mattress.

At STL Beds we commonly get asked, “How do you properly store a waterbed mattress?” To begin with, you must drain the waterbed properly and that means getting most of the water out of it. One way to do that is to use a venturi pump or electric pump.

There are various waterbed pumps available which are the best way to completely drain a waterbed mattress. First, burp the air out, connect the pump, and let it drain the mattress absolutely as far down as possible. If this is done the mattress should be vacuum packed looking like a package of beef jerky. The vacuum holds the baffling in the mattress in position so it will not shift around when handling and moving. As soon as you determine the mattress is drained, disconnect the pump and immediately cap and plug the mattress. Do not allow air to refill the mattress. It is vital to maintain most of the vacuum. Besides holding your baffling in place, it will decrease the chance of your mattress turning sour as air, water, and bacteria react to each other.

We recommend putting a bottle of waterbed conditioner, such as blue magic in the mattress several days or more before draining. It is always a good idea to clean the mattress with a good vinyl cleaner before putting it into storage. STL Beds is cautious about recommending the storage of water bed mattresses because the vinyl may become brittle with age and crack when you unfold it due to plasticizer migration. Always store in a dry dark location and be cautious of places like basements, storage units, or any outbuilding with great temperature contrasts and high humidity. This seems to encourage bacteria growth, mold, and mildew in or on the mattress.

Oh yes another thing you need to be aware of is predators, varmints, and critters like mice that are notorious for and love to chew on vinyl water mattresses, so try not to store your water mattress in a woodshed, garage, and barn. I have also seen the family cat I assume after the mouse, walk across mattresses left unboxed or unprotected. Their claws can leave holes in them as well, so the proper storage area is just as important as the proper storage technique. Wrap and protect your mattress to keep it from being exposed to the elements and the things that can and might damage your waterbed mattress while it is being stored.

Don’t forget your heater. STL Beds recommends storing the heater pad in a flat position. Do not roll it up, especially if it is getting old. It is not unusual to see waterbed heaters fail after being moved and handled, so remember to handle it with care as well.

Can You Buy Water Bed Parts At Wal-Mart?

At STLBeds we get asked the following questions probably more than any others so we decided to seek out the answer.

Does Walmart sell waterbed mattresses?
Does Walmart sell waterbed conditioner?
Does Walmart sell drain and fill kits for waterbeds?
Does Warmart sell waterbed heaters?

I can only speak about the WalMarts in the St. Louis Missouri market, the answer is no. At the time of publishing I have not seen Blue Magic Waterbed Products on their shelves. As a matter of fact, I personally have not seen them on the shelves for a few years now.

Good News:
There are still a good number of online retailers and brick and mortar stores here in the Saint Louis Mo area that are selling Blue Magic Water Bed products including:

The Bedroom Store
STLBeds (Our Favorite of course!)
Waterbed Doctor
ABC Waterbeds
Waterbed.com
airbediq.com
Ebay
Mattress Outlet
Mrwaterbeds

Along with many many more simply Google Blue Magic and Waterbed or Water Bed

As much as I hate to admit it, Wal-Mart dominates or should I say dominated the replacement waterbed parts and accessories business. They did this by selling the highly popular line of Blue Magic Waterbed Products. Blue Magic for years was and is quite frankly still a favorite of water bed shoppers simply because so many people recognize the name of this one time giant of the waterbed industry. Blue Magic is still a giant, just a giant of a much smaller waterbed industry.

I have spent some time looking on line, but have found very little information concerning Blue Magic. If you visit their old URL or website address http://www.bluemagic.com/ (what used to be the Blue Magic website) it apparently no longer exists or has not been indexed by the search engines for some reason. Perhaps someone could fill in the blanks, and tell us what has happened to the old website.

Maybe we’ll never know the answers, but nonetheless Denny Boyd owner of several wholesale and retail companies involving bedroom furniture and specialty sleep products bought the rights to the company’s’ name and their patents after Blue Magic filed for bankruptcy several years back. Why this happened is anyone’s guess, my guess is that they weren’t making any money, duh.

So I am going to throw a couple questions to our readers and e-mailers.

What do you think is the reason many of us cannot find Blue Magic Products at Wal Mart?

Our readers and STLBeds would love to here from you if your Walmart is currently selling waterbed parts and accessories.