The mattress you buy is one of the most important possessions you have and much more than a significant investment of your own. Your mattress affects almost every aspect of your life by affecting your sleep.
As your mattress contains dirt, dead skin cells, dust mist, odors and a whole lot more, you need its regular cleaning maintenance which can help you to increase your mattress lifespan and to reduce allergies.
In order to safeguard your mattress from becoming a heaven of bacteria and dust, keep reading our following expert methods.
1. Washing Bed Covers and Pillowcases
First of all, you need to completely stripe your bed sheet and pillowcases off and wash them. Your first job is to check the tags on the bed and pillow covers for washing instructions. Be sure that your mattress cover should be kept clean as often as you do your normal bedsheets and pillow covers.
Washing bedsheets and pillow covers once a week is most preferable, that’s all it takes to sleep in a clean & comfy zone. Supremely, one will want to wash the bedding in a hot water in order to get rid of all the dust particles. However, it is more important to follow the recommended instructions given on the cover tags in order to avoid fading or shrinkage.
2. Evaluate the Damage
To clean your mattress in the best way, you would need to evaluate the dirt and stains on your matters. Both the techniques for routine mattress cleaning and removing stains from the mattress are entirely different.
You should closely check every part of your mattress for stains, smells, discoloration, and other symptoms that will show you that the specific area will need more attention.
3. Gather Equipment
For cleaning mattress, the following equipment should be kept in hand:
- Baking soda
- Dish soap, or an enzyme cleaner
- Coldwater
- Bleach-free and unscented laundry detergent (Gentle)
- Rags or towels for cleaning
You should be careful before using any kind of soap or detergent on your mattress because it may damage the delicacy of its fabric. When applying any kind of product to the stains, keep in mind that not every stain could be easily removed from the mattress. In this case, wisely choose a mildly scented product for your mattress.
4. Deodorizing Your Mattress
For deodorizing your mattress, you should use plain baking soda. Plain baking soda doesn’t contain sharp fragrances like other fresheners or fabric sprays. These fabric sprays or fresheners may contain smell overpowering or may cause allergies. This will help you to draw out unpleasant odors while absorbing any remaining moisture.
Now scatter a good layer of plain baking soda on your mattress and rub it gently all over the mattress. Leave it at least for 15 minutes or few hours if possible. The more time you will leave on the baking soda, the better it will work.
5. Use Vacuum
After deodorizing your mattress, use a vacuum’s upholstery attachment. Clean the complete surface of your mattress with no residue left on it. Don’t use any attachment with a rolling brush because it may damage the delicacy of the fabric of your mattress.
During this step, all the dust, dead skin, hair, mites, and other debris from your mattress or from its seams will be cleaned out. Make sure to vacuum out each and every part of your mattress thoroughly.
6. Spot clean stains
Carefully check for stained areas on your mattress. Spot clean these areas by using the provided methods:
- Take a clean cloth and apply a small amount of cleaning solution to it.
- Blot the stained area with a cloth gently.
- Take another cloth and apply cold water to it.
- Now blot that stained area with a water-soaked rag gently
- Repeat this step until the stubborn stain is removed
Try not to over-soak the mattress. Use a little amount of cleaning solution and water as possible. Don’t apply the cleaning solution directly to the stain or mattress itself. Use a clean cloth/rag to apply or remove the solution from the mattress. Different types of stains require different and suitable solutions. Just like blood, urine and sweat, and other biological stains, the use of commercial enzyme cleaner is best.
Other types of stains like grease, oil, drinks or soups, etc. demand different cleaning solutions. Commonly, you can also make a solution of hydrogen peroxide and water in the ratio of 1:1. The given method will be the same for every stain-removal regardless of the solution used in it. In order to remove the stain properly, you may have to try multiple solutions instead of only one.
7. Sprinkle Baking Soda
After removing the stains from your mattress, sprinkle a little amount of baking soda layer all over the surface of your mattress. This will help in neutralizing odor and in absorbing moisture. Leave the mattress in this condition for a few hours in an airflow area.
8. Use of Vacuum
Let the baking soda sit on the entire surface of the mattress for a few hours, use a vacuum’s upholstery attachment again on the entire surface of your mattress. It’s not necessary but you can repeat the above two steps again if your mattress is nasty.
9. Flip and Repeat
Repeat the step 4 to 8 on the other side of the mattress. The lower side of the mattress doesn’t probably contain any type of stain but it can still contain dust, mites, and more. Don’t apply too much pressure in flipping the mattress over if your mattress is not flippable.
Conclusion
Cleaning your mattress thoroughly will ensure you its extended life. It helps you in removing stubborn stains from your mattress and gives it a fresh look. It gives you better sleep as well. On the contrary, make sure about the washing instructions given on the mattress before using any kind of solution to it as it may damage the delicacy of fabric. Try to remove stains as soon as possible. An easy way to protect your mattress from stains and dust is the use of a high-quality mattress protector.