My bed sat so low that my robot vacuum could not fit under it. For months I had to drag the bed out to vacuum underneath—defeating the entire purpose of owning a robot vacuum. I was not about to spend three hundred dollars on a new bed frame just to gain four inches of clearance. So I went looking for bed risers that did not look like dorm room furniture.

Here are the options I tried and the one that stuck.

Commercial Bed Risers: The Basic Option

You can buy bed risers—plastic or wooden blocks that go under each leg—for about fifteen dollars a set. They work. They are ugly. The white plastic ones scream “college apartment.” If you do not care how they look, this is the fastest solution. Just make sure the riser has a recessed cup for the bed leg so it cannot slide off.

Wooden Blocks: The DIY Upgrade

Go to any hardware store. Buy a 4×4 wooden post and have them cut it into four equal blocks—usually about four to six inches each. Sand the edges, stain or paint them to match your bed frame, and drill a shallow indent in the top of each block where the bed leg sits. These look intentional. Guests have asked where I bought them.

Furniture Legs: The Fancy Option

If your bed frame has threaded leg sockets (most metal frames do), buy replacement furniture legs in a taller size. They screw right in where the old legs came out. You can find legs up to eight inches tall in walnut, oak, and black metal finishes. This looks like the bed came this way.

One Warning

Whatever method you use, make sure the bed is stable after raising it. Get on it and wiggle around. If there is any wobble, the risers are not seated properly or the legs are not centered. A wobbly raised bed is more dangerous than a low bed.

The robot vacuum now glides under my bed every Tuesday and Thursday. I have not pulled the bed out in eight months. That alone was worth the trip to the hardware store.