You'll Want To Throw Out Your Air Mattress After Trying This Pool Noodle Hack

If you've tried to accommodate overnight guests by using an air mattress for your friends or your kid's friends, they might work in a pinch but can be unreliable. The biggest issues are that they can take a long time to inflate and they can slowly get saggy overnight. Most importantly, their main weakness is that they deflate after being punctured. One pounce onto an inflated air mattress by a kitty with sharp claws and a hole ruins the party. And, it's unlikely you'll be able to find a micro-tear to patch your air mattress. There is, however, a genius hack you can DIY to create comfortable sleeping pods by using foam poster board, pool noodles, tons of fiberfill, and a set of twin sheets.

This is a perfect project to make if you have a teenager who likes to host sleepovers. The dimensions are a little bit narrower than that of a twin bed, but if your adult overnight guests are flexible, it'll also work fine for them. The only downside might be storing it when not in use. An air mattress folds into a compact square, but this sleeping pod may need some closet or under-the-bed storage space. Here's what you'll need to craft it: three foam poster boards (two pieces of poster board softened by foam in the middle) that you'll cut to length, about 12 pool noodles to accommodate the proper width and length, a couple of bags of fiberfill, strong craft glue, and twin sheets (two fitted and one top sheet).

You can make these sleeping pods any size you need, but let's say we want one 70 inches long to accommodate someone 6 feet tall. Foam poster boards will form the base. These are usually 30 inches long and 20 inches wide. Glue two together, then cut an additional 10 inches from a third board and glue that to one end, making a 70-inch-by-20-inch base.

Pool noodles vary in length and range from 3 to 5 ½ inches wide, so the number of noodles you need will depend on the measurements of the ones you get. Cut the noodles to fit the width of the foam board, and glue them side-by-side horizontally until the length measures 70 inches. When dry, adhere them to the foam board. Layer a couple of bags worth of fiberfill over the noodles, and cover the whole thing with a fitted sheet that you'll secure to the back of the board with glue. Toss the other fitted sheet and top sheet over it, add a blanket and pillow, and voila!

TikTok user @anjiethepartyprincess made her project for less than $15, but we're not sure what supplies she already had. Walmart has foam poster boards for $3.17 each, Dollar Tree sells pool noodles for $1.25 each, two bags of fiberfill are $7.99 each at Michaels, and E6000 industrial craft glue is $9.50 on Amazon. If you don't already have sheets, Walmart sells a basic set for $9.44.