Moving or rearranging a bedroom often means taking apart large furniture pieces. If you're facing disassembling your ikea malm bed, you know it can feel like a daunting puzzle. Don't worry, because breaking down this popular platform or storage bed doesn't require a professional crew or specialized carpentry degrees. You just need a methodical approach, a few standard hand tools, and a safe place to store the tiny metal connector bolts so they don't vanish into moving boxes.
Most online guides leave you guessing about how to handle stubborn wooden dowels, heavy headboards, or the tricky center support beam. We'll walk you through the entire teardown process in reverse order of how you built it, saving your particleboard from accidental splits and your sanity from late-night frustration.
Tools You Need Before You Start
Don't start unscrewing things until you've gathered the right equipment. Improvised tools like butter knives or oversized screwdrivers will strip screwheads and damage the laminate finish.
Grab these items first and keep them in a small bucket nearby:
- A standard hex key set, or the original Allen wrench that came in your IKEA flat-pack box.
- A medium flathead screwdriver for popping off plastic caps or wedging tight fittings.
- A cordless drill with a hex bit attachment, though you should use it only on low torque to avoid stripping the soft particleboard threads.
- Ziploc freezer bags and a permanent marker to label every single hardware group.
- Painters tape to secure moving parts like wooden slats and center rails.
For official manufacturer specifications and manual references, check out the IKEA Customer Service portal to find the exact paperwork for your specific bed variation.
Step 1: Strip the Mattress and Bedding
Before touching a single bolt, clear everything off the frame. Strip away your pillows, sheets, comforter, and mattress. Don't try to leave the mattress on while tilting the frame, because shifting weight can snap the side panels or warp the midbeam.
Lean your mattress securely against a clean wall or wrap it in a protective plastic cover if it's traveling in a moving truck. Vacuum or sweep the area around the base so you have a clean, obstruction-free floor to work on. You'll be spending plenty of time on your knees during this process, so laying down an old blanket or yoga mat will save your joints.
Step 2: Remove the Slatted Bed Base and Center Beam
The wooden slats and center support beam hold the mattress platform together, and they're usually the easiest components to detach.
Start by lifting the slatted bed bases straight up out of their resting grooves. If you have standard LURÖY or LONSET slats, they might be rolled up or held by flexible plastic holders. Roll them tightly and secure them with a couple of loops of painters tape so they don't unfurl inside your vehicle.
Next, focus on the galvanized steel center support beam, often called SKORVA.
- Locate the metal brackets at the headboard and footboard ends where the beam hooks in.
- Lift the center beam straight up out of those vertical slots. If it feels stuck, give it a gentle tap from underneath with the palm of your hand.
- Unscrew the support legs attached to the middle of this beam using your hex key, and drop all those pieces straight into a labeled hardware bag.
Step 3: Detach the Headboard and Footboard
The headboard is the heaviest part of the entire MALM assembly, so don't try to tackle this step alone. Enlist a helper to support the weight while you loosen the primary corner brackets.
The side panels connect to the headboard and footboard via long threaded bolts and internal barrel nuts.
- Look inside the inner edges of the side rails near the headboard to find the bolt heads.
- Insert your hex wrench and turn counterclockwise. As you loosen these, your helper must hold the headboard upright so it doesn't tilt forward and fracture the connecting joints.
- Once the bolts are loose on both sides, pull the headboard away from the side rails and set it gently face-down on a soft rug or moving blanket.
- Repeat this exact sequence for the footboard, freeing both end panels completely.
Step 4: Disassemble the Side Rails and Support Brackets
You're left with two long side panels and the metal mounting brackets attached to them. If you're renting a standard moving van, you can often leave the metal corner brackets screwed directly into the side rails to save time during reassembly.
However, if you're packing items tightly into a small car or putting the furniture into long-term storage, remove those metal brackets completely.
- Unscrew the wood screws holding the brackets to the side panels.
- Store these screws in a separate small bag labeled "Side Rail Brackets" so you don't confuse them with the main bed bolts.
- Check for any leftover wooden dowels stuck in the ends of the panels. If they wobble, pull them out by hand and bag them. If they're wedged tight, leave them alone rather than splitting the wood with pliers.
Step 5: Pack and Protect Your Hardware
The biggest mistake people make during furniture teardowns is tossing all the hardware into one open cardboard box where bolts slide into corners and get lost forever.
Take your Ziploc bags and divide your components logically:
- Headboard and footboard connection bolts.
- Center beam screws and bracket fasteners.
- Support leg feet and washers.
Use your permanent marker to write explicit descriptions on each bag. Tape the bags directly to the back of the headboard or slide them inside a hollow cavity of a side rail using painters tape. This ensures the hardware travels with the exact piece of furniture it belongs to.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A few minor oversights can ruin an otherwise smooth teardown. Watch out for these pitfalls:
- Don't over-tighten your power drill when removing fasteners. Particleboard strips out easily, and a stripped hole means your bed will wobble when you rebuild it.
- Never drag the heavy headboard across hardwood floors. Lift it completely or use furniture sliders to prevent scratching your floors and gouging the bed frame corners.
- Avoid forcing stuck wooden dowels with metal tools. If a dowel refuses to budge, leave it in place and wrap that end of the board in bubble wrap to cushion it against impacts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I disassemble a MALM bed frame without any tools?
No. You need at least a standard hex key (Allen wrench) to remove the structural bolts holding the frame together. A screwdriver may also be required depending on whether your specific model includes added reinforcement brackets.
What should I do if a screw strips out of the particleboard?
If a screw spins freely without catching, don't force it. During reassembly, you can fill the stripped hole with a small amount of wood glue and wooden toothpicks, let it dry, and then screw back into the tighter composite material.
Do I need to take apart the entire frame to move it to another room?
If you're only moving the bed to an adjacent room on the same floor, you might be able to slide it through wide doorways if you remove the mattress, slats, and center beam first. For any moves involving stairs or tight hallway corners, full disassembly is mandatory to prevent structural damage.
Where can I find replacement hardware if I lose some bolts during the move?
You can order spare parts directly through customer support portals on the IKEA Official Website, where standard assembly hardware reference numbers are listed in every product manual.
How long does the entire disassembly process take?
With a second person helping to hold the heavy panels, a complete teardown usually takes between twenty and thirty minutes once your tools are gathered.
