How To Clean A Mattress

Brief: How To Clean A Mattress

• Importance of Cleaning Mattresses: Mattresses accumulate bacteria, dead skin, and sweat due to daily use, making regular cleaning vital for health.
• Do-It-Yourself Cleaning: Simple and cost-effective methods using common household products can effectively clean mattresses.
• Equipment Needed: Vacuum cleaner with attachments, cleaning rags, laundry detergent, baking soda, a bowl, and cold water.
• Cleaning Process:
  1. Strip and Wash Bedding: Removes dust and bacteria from bedding.
  2. Vacuum Mattress: Special mattress vacuums are recommended over regular ones to effectively remove dust and allergens.
  3. Spot-Cleaning: Use mattress stain removers for different stains like sweat, blood, and urine.
  4. Vacuum Again: Post-cleaning to remove excess products.
  5. Flip Mattress: Clean both sides, allowing drying time in between.
  6. Mattress Protection: Use a waterproof mattress protector to guard against spills, dust mites, and bed bugs.
• Frequently Asked Questions:
  • Clean mattress twice a year.
  • A vacuum with an upholstery attachment is suitable.
  • Spot-clean stubborn stains with a mild cleaner.
  • Protect with a mattress protector and limit pets on the bed.
  • Avoid steam cleaners and dry cleaning.

Mattresses are definitely one of the dirtiest items in your home. There’s a good reason for that: They’re used every day. Most people spend a third of their lives in bed, which means that your mattress is absorbing all kinds of bacteria, dead skin, sweat, and other gross stuff. You’d be amazed at how much dirt your mattress can hold and how fast it can accumulate. When you look at how your mattress looks and smells, you can almost feel the germs crawling on you.

Keeping a mattress clean may not be the sexiest topic out there, but it’s one of the most important. Whether it’s your mattress, child’s mattress, or someone else’s, a clean mattress is a healthy mattress. 

In the end, your mattress is an investment, and it’s worth spending the time and effort to keep it as clean as possible.

Luckily, you don’t have to spend a lot of money or hire a professional to get your mattress as clean as new. With a few simple steps and products you probably already have in your home, you can clean your mattress and keep it smelling fresh.

Why You Need To Clean A Mattress

The mattress is an extremely important aspect of a good night’s sleep. However, it is also one of the most neglected parts of a room. The mattresses that we choose to sleep on are susceptible to everything from skin cells and dust mites to pet hair and dead skin, and the longer we leave them to collect these things, the more likely we are to develop an allergy to our mattress!

This cannot be fixed with a quick change of sheets or a wipe with a damp cloth. In fact, in many cases, the mattress is in need of more than just a simple clean, but a proper wash.

Instructions

Spring clean is a time of year when most of us try to tidy up our homes. It’s also a great opportunity to clean your mattress. It may seem like a daunting task, but it’s actually a lot easier than you think. Mattresses are pretty durable, and if you’re gentle with them, they can go a long way. 

However, there are many cleaning and maintenance options for your mattress. Some are easier than others, and some are more effective.

Equipment You’ll Need

• Vacuum Cleaner (with Attachments).
• Several Cleaning Rags.
• Laundry Detergent.
• Baking Soda.
• A Bowl.
• Cold Water.

Cleaning Steps

The following steps will help you clean the mattress and prevent dust mites and bed bugs from taking up residence. You should complete them regularly when you notice that your mattress has acquired a bad smell or is visibly dirty.

1. Strip The Bed And Wash All The Bedding

The first thing you should do is strip the bed and wash all the bedding. This will eliminate old dust and bacteria that is embedded in the bedding. Clean your sheets and blankets from bacteria buildup. 

2. Vacuum The Mattress

You could vacuum it or use a vacuum attachment specifically designed to remove dust and allergens. But you should not use the same vacuum that you use to clean the rest of your house. 

Why not? Because vacuums are not made for mattress cleaning. The vacuum will be too heavy and awkward to move across the mattress, and the suction power will be too strong. 

Also, most regular vacuums will just stir up the dust and allergens, spreading them around rather than removing them. It would help if you used a vacuum cleaner specifically designed to clean mattresses called a mattress vacuum cleaner.

3. Spot-clean Your Mattress With A Stain Remover

The best way to eliminate these negative effects is to use a mattress stain remover. These sprays or liquids are specifically designed to clean and remove stains from your mattress. They’re safe for all types of materials, and they’re easy to use. Follow these instructions to clean your mattress and protect your health safely.

Spraying your mattress with a cleaning product is a quick and easy way to clean the surface of your mattress, but it won’t remove stains that have seeped deep into the mattress. If you have a mattress made of synthetic materials, use a cleaning spray. 

For a foam mattress, you’ll need a special kind of cleaning liquid. Always refer to the label on your mattress or instructions from your manufacturer for specific instructions.

Sweat Stain Remover

Sweat stains are a common problem for mattresses. It is important to immediately clean sweat stains off your mattress to keep its good-as-new condition. There are a few ways to clean sweat stains, but the easiest way is to use the following steps:

1. Mix a solution by adding one cup of cold water and one teaspoon of baking soda to a spray bottle.
2. Carefully spray the solution onto the sweat stain.
3. Let the solution sit for 15 minutes.
4. Wipe the solution off with a clean cloth.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 until the sweat stain is gone.

Blood Stain Remover

In order to get the blood stains out of your mattress, you first need to wash the stained area with warm water and detergent. If the blood stain is still visible, sprinkle some baking soda over it, let it sit for about two hours, then vacuum the baking soda away. If your mattress still has blood stains, you should call in professionals.

Urine Stain Remover

Use the following steps to clean a mattress and remove urine stains safely. Remove as much urine as you can by blotting up the excess liquid and then laying paper towels over the area of the mattress that has been urinated on.

Place a heavy object on top of the towels, such as a book, and leave it there until the towels are dry. Launder the sheets and the mattress pad (if it has one). Mix a solution of liquid laundry detergent with warm water in a bucket. 

Soak a clean, white cloth in the solution and wring it out thoroughly. Scrub away any urine residue with the soapy cloth. Blot the area dry with a second clean cloth. 

Mix a solution of 1 cup hydrogen peroxide and 1 cup water. Wipe the dirt thoroughly, then let the mattress dry.

Hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizer that can remove organic stains from mattresses, including urine, coffee, and tea.

4. Vacuum Again

After you’ve thoroughly cleaned your mattress with sprays and stain removers, vacuum it again to remove any excess product.

5. Flip The Mattress

When you’ve cleaned one side of the mattress, turn it over and clean the other.

If you’ve done a deep cleaning of your mattress, let it dry a little before turning it over.

6. Protect Your Mattress

Protecting your mattress is important to keep it clean and safe. Mattresses can become homes to mold, dust mites, and other microscopic life forms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The mattress can become a breeding ground for these pests if it is not properly cleaned, protected, and maintained.

Most mattresses are made of materials that can easily be punctured or torn, so it is absolutely vital to protect them with a mattress protector. 

And while you can get mattress protectors that are made of different types of material, the best option is a waterproof mattress protector. Waterproof mattress protectors are made of a material that will keep spills from soaking into your mattress. 

This type of protector also helps to keep dust mites and bed bugs at bay. Waterproof mattress protectors are made of naturally resistant material to certain liquids, which makes them ideal for your bed. 

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