I have stored my mats both under the bed and under the mattress in the guest room. Under the bed was great until I had a litter of foster kittens in the room and I could hear them sliding on them with their very sharp little claws. That's when the 'under the mattress' idea came into play. Just be sure to remove them before someone sleeps on the mattress although I forgot and there was no damage done. Best of luck as you are learning. Practice does make one better.