Step-By-Step Guide to Cleaning Your Mattress
Our mattresses play a critical role in our health, happiness, and well-being. Given this, we want to be sure that we’re taking good care of them. After all, a mattress will last years—maybe even decades!—which means you’ll live with the consequences (and backaches) of neglecting it. Below is a comprehensive guide to cleaning your mattress so you can rest comfortably.
Assemble Your Supplies
To deep clean a mattress, you should be prepared to use several different items, including a vacuum with an upholstery attachment and a soft brush, enzyme cleaner or dish soap to clean stains, baking soda, laundry detergent, cold water, and a clean cloth.
Remove Sheets and Wash the Bedding
Completely strip the bed, including sheets and pillowcases, and wash them in hot water. Washing all the bedding is essential to banishing dust mites. Wash pillows if care labels permit; otherwise, discard them after a few years.
Vacuum Your Mattress
In addition to vacuuming the mattress, run a soft-bristled brush over the entire surface and edges. Then, vacuum again. Pay close attention to the seams and corners, and use the crevice attachment to vacuum cracks and corners.
Spot Cleaning
To remove stains from your mattress, start by spot-cleaning. Never immerse your mattress or apply water or cleaning solution directly to it. Memory foam, for instance, should never be exposed to water. Proceed with caution and remember that less is more when it comes to removing stains from memory foam.
To clean up blood, sweat, vomit, urine, or other types of biological stains on a mattress, begin by blotting the area with a white cloth or paper towel. If you prefer, you can use plain water to blot the stain. Then, use a clean piece of cloth and dip it in cold water. Blot the area again. Continue until the stain has been removed.
Sprinkle a Layer of Baking Soda
Baking soda is a natural odor and humidity absorber. Sprinkle a layer over the entire mattress and let it sit for at least two hours before vacuuming and airing out the room. For extra-tough odors or stains, sprinkle baking soda directly on the stain, brush it in with a broom, and leave overnight. After letting the baking soda sit on your mattress overnight, vacuum and air out the room to remove any odor-causing particles thoroughly.
