5 Ways to Inflate Blow-Up Furniture, Mattresses, Toys & Pools with High Volume Pumps, Hair Dryers, Plastic Bags, Shop Vacs and More. Here’s How…
1. Electric and Battery-Operated Pumps
The way I prefer to inflate my air mattresses, sofas and chairs is with an electric air pump. They blow up your inflatables fast, and you can get buy them for about $18-20.
These gadgets also come with a variety of nozzles, so you can also use your pump for pool toys, fitness balls, inflatable kayaks and other sports gear. I think they are well worth them money.
That said, there is a slick technique that can save you the $20 bucks – if you have a shop vac. Yes, you can inflate your chairs, sofas and mattresses with a shop vac.
Note: If you want to blow up an inflatable pool, a shop vac is your best option out of the 5 on this page.
Alternatively, you can use a high volume electric pump. These don’t cost a lot, plus they come with a variety of nozzles to fit different inflatables.
Compared to the smaller inflation pump above, this unit is 600 watts versus 130 watts.
Another option is to use a manual air pump. This is a good option if you will be inflating your air mattresses and furniture away from a power source.
Hand pumps can be somewhat tedious and tiresome, so I think the foot pump is better. Intex makes a foot pump that you can get for about $16. Even if you are near a power source, this alternative will save you some money.
So what if you don’t want to buy an air pump, and you don’t own a shop vac? I’ve got some more ideas for you.
You can try using a hair dryer. Brilliant, right? Just use it on the cool setting, and it should inflate your furniture fairly quickly.
It doesn’t have a nozzle that fits snugly into the plug on the inflatable. Therefore, you will need to hold everything in place while you inflate but that is a small price to pay.
5. Plastic Garbage Bags
The last trick on how to blow up inflatables includes using a plastic garbage bag. The video below explains how to do this. It’s obviously not as fast as using an electric or manual pump, shop vac or hair dryer, but it’s better that having to blow up your inflatables by mouth. It’s also cheap.
Inflatable furniture does not usually come with an air pump, so you will need to buy one separately. I got an air mattress pump because it works with all sorts of inflatables, from furniture to pool toys, rafts and more.
What’s Good About Buying an Air Pump Separately:
I actually think this is a good thing, because it allows you to choose the type of device you want (depending on your needs). Plus, if you already own an inflator, you don’t need to pay for another one because it’s included as part of the “package”.
For example, if you want to save money and plan on using it at home, you can go for the standard electric air pump. On the other hand, you may prefer a portable version that you can take on camping trips, to the beach or traveling.
Therefore, you may want to opt for the battery-operated or re-chargeable version. By the way, they also make electric versions that plug into the 12-volt outlet in your car.
Here are 3 things you want to look for when buying air pumps for inflatables:
1. Look for an Air Mattress Pump
First of all, you want to look for an air mattress pump, because most types of inflatable furniture will take the same size nozzle. (As a side note, you can usually use the same device to fill up rafts and large pool toys as well, so you can get a lot of use out of one gadget).
As a bonus, many of these products come with a variety of nozzle attachments to fit whichever item you are blowing up. This makes them useful for blowing up even more things like fitness balls and balloons.
2. Get an Electric Pump that Inflates AND Deflates…
Second, look for a “2-in-1” device. This basically means that it will both inflate and deflate your blow up furniture, air bed, rafts, etc.. This is especially convenient and can be a really time saver if you plan on traveling with your inflatables or need to pack them in your car and need to deflate them quickly.
It’s actually not difficult to find the 2-in-1 feature because most models are designed this way. =)
3. Save Money and Get a Basic Pump
Third, don’t worry about getting fancy. By this, I mean that a basic air bed pump will work just fine. The most popular products are made by name brand companies and work about the same as each other (ie. Coleman, Intex, Smart Air Beds).
They also last approximately the same length of time (in my experience, rechargeable models tend to last about 2-3 years).
So, What’s the Best Pump for Air Mattresses?
Therefore, in my opinion, the best electric or rechargeable air pump for inflatables is the name brand one that gives you the best price deal. Buying electric vs rechargeable will save you money, so go for electric unless you want more versatility or mobility.
Here are a few different options that I think are good:
Need something basic and cheap? This model will do the job for under $15. It has the inflation and deflation valves plus 3 interchangeable nozzles to meet all of your inflation needs. You’ll just need a power outlet.
This may be the least versatile of your options, but you also won’t ever have to wait for it to re-charge. =)
If you want an electric pump that also comes with an AC/DC adapter that you can plug into your car on camping trips or while traveling, Intex makes one for less than $25. It has both the inflating and deflating valves that we talked about above as well as 3 different nozzles.
The current inflation device I own is made by Intex, and I’ve had it for over 3 years. It’s still running strong and has not lost any power.
If you want maximum versatility and portability, get the rechargeable that also comes with the car adapter. It costs between $25 and $20, depending on where you buy it.
I personally have always used rechargeable because I can take them to lakes and rivers and blow them up right at the water (inflatable kayaks I mean – not sofas, lol). However, they work great for inflating everything else too.
FYI, in the past I’ve had Coleman re-chargeable air pumps and they’ve worked great too. They seem to have more power and fill up items faster, however, they seem to not last as long (about a 2-year lifetime in my experience).
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Smart Air Beds Electric
Intex Quick-Fill
Intex Quick-Fill Rechargeable