You might not know it, but your bed is among the most important items you own. Your mattress will affect how you sleep, which affects your overall health and well-being. According to AllRightSleep, a good-quality mattress is a significant investment that you should aim to protect. That involves finding out how to keep your bed clean and maintaining it, so you make the most of your investment.
When left unchecked, mattresses accumulate dust mites, dead skin cells, and other nasty things that can contribute to allergies or even make you sick. Regularly cleaning your mattress is vital to ensure your mattress lasts for as long as possible and lower allergies. Fortunately, mattress cleaning is not a complex task. Carry on reading to find out the correct way to clean and maintain your mattress.
Wash Your Bedding
To begin with, you should remove all your blankets, pillowcases, and sheets. Check on the labels of the duvets and pillows to establish whether you can wash them in a machine. Ideally, you should be cleaning the bedding in warm or hot water to remove most of the dust mites or any other bacteria lurking in your bedding. But it is also essential to stick to the care instructions to prevent fading or potential shrinkage. We suggest washing your sheets every week to keep the mattress clean.
Read Also: What Are The Best Budget-Friendly Crib Mattresses?
| Assess The Damages
When cleaning your mattress, first check for any stains or dirt. The method used for routinely cleaning a mattress differs from the methods used for removing stains or spills. You need to check the bed closely for smells, discoloration, stains, or any sign indicating that specific areas require extra attention.
| Gather Your Supplies
To clean your mattress properly, here are the supplies you are going to need:
- Towels or rags for cleaning
- Baking soda
- Coldwater
- A bleach-free, unscented, gently laundry detergent
- An enzyme cleaner or dish soap
When using cleaning products or soaps on a mattress, you need extreme caution. You want to avoid using harsh products that may damage delicate fabrics present in the bed. Also, be mindful that it is hard to remove detergents entirely from your mattress, so it is best to choose mildly scented products.
| Vacuum Thoroughly
Use the upholstery attachment to clean the surfaces of your mattress. Also, vacuum each side to remove dust mites and dust. Make the fabric taut to remove dust and debris hiding in the seams.
| Only Spot-Clean Where Needed
Check for discoloration and stains. You can spot-clean any of these areas by following these methods:
- Apply cleaning solution directly to a cloth or rag
- Blot the area gently
- Use a different cloth to apply the cold water
- Blot the area gently with the cloth soaked in water
- Repeat the process until the stain disappears
The main aim is to use minimal detergent and avoid over-soaking the mattress. Avoid applying the soap or detergent to the bed directly. Instead, use the cloth to remove and apply the solution.
The ideal solution to remove stains will first depend on what type of stain you are dealing with. For urine, sweat, blood, or any other biological stain, your better option would be one of the commercial enzyme cleaners. Another alternative would be to use a combination of water and dish soap and only use the foam that forms along the top.
For other stains, make a 1:1 solution of hydrogen peroxide and cold water.
For all these solutions, follow the same techniques as mentioned above. You may end up trying several solutions to remove the stains properly.
| Apply Baking Soda
Once you have removed all the visible stains and the mattress has completely dried, sprinkle baking soda across the surface of your bed. Baking soda neutralizes odors and absorbs moisture.
After applying the baking soda, leave the mixture to stand for 3 to 4 hours. When possible, open the windows, which will help to maximize airflow.
Vacuum the baking soda up with your upholstery attachment. If your mattress is filthy, repeat last steps, but this is not always necessary most of the time.
| Turn The Mattress And Repeat
Turn the mattress on its other side and repeat previous steps if necessary. The other side of a bed will probably not have any stains, but it still harbors moisture, dust, dust mites, etc. If you do not have a flippable mattress, you should still give the underside a cleaning, but be careful not to damage the bed or apply too much pressure when you turn it over.
Depending on the material of the mattress and how severe the damages or stains are, you may need to take a different approach to clean the bed properly. If you own a memory foam mattress, most of the cleaning process remains the same. However, memory foam should not get wet, so you should limit the amount of water and detergent you plan to use.