As with all bedding, the key to maintaining the outstanding quality of our mattresses is to regularly deep clean them. Even if your mattress appears clean and stain-free to your eyes, it’s very probable that it has collected dead skin cells and sweat. In fact, every year, the human body will produce about 26 gallons of sweat while sleeping. While this is a very natural part of the sleep process and nothing to get too concerned about, this build-up may impact your quality of sleep and worsen any allergies or breathing problems you have if it gets too excessive. For this reason, it’s important that you deep clean your mattress at least twice a year. While cleaning a whole mattress may seem daunting, it’s actually quite easy, and this guide is here to make it even easier.
Remove all bedding
If you’re going to clean your mattress, you’re going to have to get to the mattress by stripping off all your blankets and covers. Since your bedding will be off, this is also an opportune moment to wash it all, including pillows and pillowcases. Make sure to carefully read all the laundering instructions on your bedding’s tags so you don’t ruin any of the fabrics and use the maximum heat temperature allowed to kill any pesky dust mites. Of course, you can do this in a washing machine, but if you’re looking for a deeper clean and have time to spare, you can try laundry stripping. Laundry stripping involves using a top-loading washing machine, bathtub or any other large tub or bucket, borax, washing soda, laundry detergent, and hot water to rid bedding of any grime and buildup. On the downside, laundry stripping requires the bedding to soak for at least four hours, so this isn’t the best option if you need clean sheets fast.
Kill smells and deodorize with baking soda
Baking soda is an amazingly effective way to kill any unpleasant smells from your mattress. Do this by sprinkling the baking soda on your mattress and rubbing it in so it absorbs any moisture. For best results, leave the baking soda to work its magic on the mattress for several hours. However, if you’re in a time crunch, you can clean it off after 15 minutes.
Once you’re satisfied with the amount of time the baking soda has been deodorizing your mattress, it’s time to vacuum it off. Using the appropriate attachment, gently vacuum over your mattress to clean it off. Generally, the upholstery attachment will work best but definitely use the crevice attachment to pick up any residual baking soda left in the nooks and groves by the seams.
Spot treat any stains
When it comes to treating stains on one of our mattresses, never under any circumstances over saturate your mattress with water as it can lead to mold or mildew growth. Instead, it is best to carefully use appropriate treatments formulated to treat mattress stains. Do your research to find a stain remover that best fits your needs, and follow its treatment instructions to effectively clean off your mattress.
Optional: get a mattress protector
A fitted waterproof cover made to protect your mattress is a great preventative step you can take to keep it clean and reduce the amount of buildup on the actual mattress. If you do decide to get a mattress protector, make sure to wash it once a month to keep it clean and reap its full benefits.
With these 4 simple steps, getting quality sleep on a clean mattress has never been easier!