3 Ways To Find A Hole In An Air Mattress Without Using Water (2024)

I know there are lots of ways to find a hole in an air mattress but most of them require water.

And using water can be a mess.

But don’t worry because there are some proven and tested ways to find a hole in an air mattress without using water.

Other methods like soapy water, baby powder, and a garden hose can be messy and these methods also need water.

There are also lots of ways to find a hole in an air mattress without using water.

But we are going to only see popular and tested methods to find holes in an air mattress without water.

So let’s get started.

How to Find a Hole in an Air Mattress Without Using Water (3 Ways)

But before you start using these ways to find holes in an air mattress, always remember you should check the valve of an air mattress first.

Because 80% of air mattresses start leaking from its valve.

And there is a high chance that your air mattress is leaking from the valve side area of your air mattress.

So always apply these ways on the valve side area first.

And make sure there is no leak or air coming out if there is a leak then immediately mark it down.

Here are 3 ways to find a leak in an air mattress without using water.

Way 1: Smoke Bomb Method

This method sounds awesome, smoke bomb! 

But we are not going to use that traditional smoke bomb that we see every year because it’s too dangerous.

For this method, we are going to create a colored homemade smoke bomb.

Sounds like a lot of work right?

Because creating a smoke bomb can be time taking and complicated process especially if you are not a DIYer.

If you want to deep dive into this method read our ‘ How to Find a leak in an air mattress with smoke bomb method”

But for now, we are going to use a basic mosquito coil to create smoke.

Does this sound pretty simple and fast?

Because you can find mosquito coils anywhere in the world.

So let’s start.

Things You’ll Need

Step 1: Put Your Mattress on a Flat surface

Don’t use this method in the dark because you need to see the smoke.

Put your mattress on a flat surface and remove the cover of the air mattress if your air bed has one.

But always put your air mattress on a dust-free and clean surface.

Step 2: Create a Smoke 

If you are at home then always choose the air pack the room to do this step but if you are on camp then you can use this trick inside of your tent.

Because you need to create smoke with a mosquito coil.

And slowly move the mosquito coil around each part of your air mattress and if there is a hole then you can easily see air coming out from the smoke.

You can actually see the changes in smoke if there is a leak.

Step 3: Mark the Leak & Deflate

Once you found the leak, immediately mark down the leak.

And don’t deflate your air mattress before marking the leaks because you can lose its location.

So always mark the leak down with a marker then deflate your air mattress.

And fix the hole in your air mattress.

Way 2: Use Your Ear & Hand

This one is one of the easiest and best methods to find a hole in an air mattress without using water.

Because for this method you need nothing but your attention.

Yes, you heard it right. You need to give your 100% attention to finding the leaks in your air mattress.

Step 1: Put your Mattress on a Flat Surface & Inflate

Put your air mattress on a clean and flat surface, and inflate your air mattress fully.

And now you need to follow the next step.

Step 2: Find the Leak

After inflating your air mattress, put your ears near the air mattress.

And listen to any hissing sound that is coming or not.

If there is a hissing sound coming then you can be sure there is a big hole in your air mattress.

If you do not hear any hissing sound then there may be tiny leaks in your air mattress.

For tiny leaks, put your hands on the surface of your air mattress and slowly move from one end to another.

You can notice if there is a leak or not because you can feel air coming out from the leak through your hands.

Step 3: Mark the leak & deflate

After finding the leak, immediately mark the leak and deflate your air mattress.

And don’t deflate until you mark down the leaks.

After that, you need to patch the hole in your air mattress.

Way 3: Use Tissue Paper Method

The tissue paper method is also the easiest method for finding a hole in an air mattress without using water.

This is one of the fastest methods for finding small and medium leaks in your air mattress.

This method is so simple, you need to put tissue paper on the surface of your air mattress and apply pressure around the tissue.

If there is a hole then you may notice a hissing sound coming from the tissue or you may notice the tissue is moving from its position.

Put your air mattress on a flat surface, inflate your air mattress fully and put a piece of tissue paper on the surface of your air mattress.

And apply pressure on the top, edges, seams, and lastly the bottle side of your air mattress.

If your tissue paper moves or makes any hissing sound then immediately mark down the area and deflate your air mattress.

For the complete Process Read This: How to find a leak in an air mattress with tissue paper.

Final Words

So finding a hole in your air mattress without using water is easy and fast.

Because using water to find out leaks in your air mattress can be a mess.

And if you do not want to create any mess and find the holes in your air mattress easily then you can do that by not using water.

So if you like our 3 ways to find a hole in an air mattress without using water then please let us know in the comment section of this article, which method you like the most.

And if you have any questions regarding finding a hole in an air mattress without using water then you can also ask that below in the comment section of this article.