How To Clean A Mattress
It’s said that we spend 30% or more of our lives sleeping.
Knowing this fact, you would want this one-third of your life to be spent somewhere that’s clean and comfortable! It’s important to do some maintenance cleaning to your mattress to keep it fresh for a long time to come.
In addition, any accidents that happen need to be cleaned properly to ensure that your mattress is as long-lasting as you would like.
Vacuum Away Dust Mites
One of the largest causes of a stale-smelling and allergy unfriendly mattress is dust mites.
They are simple to control, though. When you go to flip your mattress (as you should every 6-8 weeks), take a few moments to vacuum each face and the sides. Use the hose on your vacuum with its non-brush, hard surface attachment.
This regular upkeep will go a long way towards keeping your mattress clean and comfortable.
Dryer Sheets Keep Your Mattress Fresh
For a general fresh-smelling tip, be sure to place a few dryer sheets on the mattress before covering it with any bedding.
This will help the mattress smell as fresh as it did fresh from the store.
However, make sure the dryer sheets you choose have a scent that you don’t mind sleeping on every night; and if you find yourself developing a headache, it’s time to change scents.
Remove Urine from your Mattress
Unfortunately, accidents can and do happen. Whether it’s your young child or pet stains, it can be extremely frustrating to figure out just how to save the mattress.
The first step is to blot up as much of the wetness as possible with a dry towel. Lay a towel over the area and apply as much pressure as you can to absorb the urine from as deep in the mattress. Repeat until no more liquid is being release from the mattress.
Next, spray (don’t pour) on a enzymatic cleaner designed especially for urine – these can be found at just about any grocery or home care store.
Repeat the blotting process over the enzymatic cleaner until the towels comes up dry and white (this may take several repetitions).
Finally, sprinkle baking soda over the entire area. The baking soda will help to eliminate any lingering odors and absorb remaining moisture. Leave the baking soda at least overnight, sometimes longer if the stain is larger. Then vacuum the baking soda from the mattress and use as normal.
Remove Mattress Mold and Mildew
A mattress that has had mold or mildew on it can seem impossible. If the mold and/or mildew covers more than 50% of the mattress and/or appears to be extremely deep (not just on the surface), we recommend a new mattress for your overall health. However, if there’s just a small area that has mildewed, you may be able to salvage the mattress.
Take the mattress outside on a dry, sunny day. Be sure you’re wearing a protective mask, and then vacuum the mattress with a garage vacuum (Shop Vac). Allow the mattress to sit in the sun for the rest of the day. If you want to leave the mattress for more than one day of sunning, be sure to bring it in before the dew settles for the night.
Remove Cigarette Odors
Cigarette smoking in bed is never recommended for obvious safety reasons, but still some do and it leaves a mattress saturated with cigarette odors.
Even if you don't smoke in bed, if someone in your house smokes inside, your mattress is likely to have absorbed some of the cigarette odors. To remove these less-than-pleasant odors from your mattress, we recommend starting with taking the mattress outside on a sunny, dry day.
Spray the mattress with a fabric odor remover or neutralizer such as Febreeze, and let the sun naturally bake the mattress until it’s fresh. Then, bring the mattress inside and sprinkle baking soda on it. Allow the baking soda to sit overnight, and vacuum in the morning.
Removing Vomit
Recovering from an illness can seem to zap all of your strength, and then you’re left with the less-than-charming task of clean-up. If your mattress was the unfortunate recipient of vomit, it can be cleaned in much the same way as urine listed above.
Use an enzymatic cleaner as described above to remove the vomit stain from the mattress. Then, allow the mattress to sit in the sun and use the sun’s antibiotic properties to kill any remaining germs.
After all, this isn’t a cycle that you want to repeat any time soon!
By keeping your mattress fresh and clean, you’re not only helping yourself sleep well but you’re also helping to keep yourself healthy.
A mattress that is stale and filled with foreign substances such as mold, germs, and dust mite can cause long-reaching health problems. Keep your mattress clean with these simple tips, and you’ll breathe more easily each night as you sleep.
Image courtesy of Lindsay Hickman, CC BY-SA Flickr.
