How To Clean A Mattress
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Let me start with a fact. A not-so-pleasing fact, rather.

The average person sweats about half a pint of perspiration each night. After doing the math, this equals to about 2,160 liters of perspiration in a lifetime.

Pardon me if your stomach is rumbling already, but hey, let’s face the facts. And where do you think all of that sweat is going? Yes – into your mattress.

The very mattress you sleep on every single night.

How To Clean A Mattress

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Why To Clean A Mattress

After having read the above lines, I don’t think anyone would need a better reason to indulge in a mattress cleaning routine. But still, we must also know the science behind it, right?

We know that a mattress gathers dust and dirt over time. So, if you don’t clean it on a regular basis, it is obvious that it will accumulate harmful substances. Your mattress might become the breeding ground for bed bugs and dust mites. It can even develop odor and mold.

So?

Well, let’s consider dust mites. You know that we human beings shed millions of skin cells every single day. And these skin cells are a great food source for dust mites. Not cleaning your mattress regularly simply means hosting millions of dust mites in your mattress.

And here comes the worst part – the excrement of dust mites contains allergens that can lead to certain undesirable reactions in the human body. Especially if you are sensitive to allergies or have a specific medical condition (like asthma), your situation can only get worse.

All said and done, cleaning your mattress is a must. Unless you are okay purchasing a new mattress every other year, cleaning your mattress at least once a year is an absolute necessity. When you clean your mattress regularly, it also lasts long. Isn’t that what you want?

Cleaning Your Mattress

How to prevent mattress dust mites and dirt?

Though dust mites or dirt might seem trivial, it is not the case. These can cause complications in the long run, and not many sleepers realize that on time. So here are a few things that can help you:

– Keep your bedroom cooler

Dust mites generally tend to thrive in temperatures above 22 degrees Celsius. If you can keep your bedroom cooler than this temperature, you are good to go.

– Regularly wash your bed sheets

This is simple. In fact, it is so simple that we sometimes tend to neglect it. Make it a point to wash your bed sheets once a week. This can keep dirt and dust mites at bay.

– Use protectors

Using protectors for your mattress and pillows can make the environment less conducive for dust mites. Bed sheets are great. But protectors offer that additional layer, keeping your mattress cleaner for long.

– Steam clean your mattress

This is one way you can get rid of dust mites and other dirt. Ideally, you can frequently wash your bed sheets with hot water. You can also steam clean your mattress, use air purifiers in your bedroom, and even change your air filters.

How to remove stains from your mattress?

Stains are commonplace. Especially when you have kids at home, they get all the more frequent. Of course, you can teach kids discipline and stress on the importance of having food only at the dining table.

But what in the case of natural stains like urine or sexual fluids? These are part and parcel of life.

Your little one could be sleeping with you and wetting the bed frequently (which is a part of the process of growing up). What about then?

Simple. Firstly, remove all the linens and soak up the excess liquid from the mattress. You can use a towel, tissue or a sponge for this purpose. Once done, you can put all the linens into the washing machine. But check if they are washing-machine friendly. If not, a regular hand wash would do.

So, the linens are taken care of. What about the mattress that has the stain? This is where an enzyme cleaner comes in handy. Enzyme cleaners break down the structure of the stain, making it easy for you to remove it. When I say enzyme cleaner, any pet urine cleaner will do. You can buy one here. It is okay if you don’t have a pet at home – you still can use an enzyme cleaner.

Before misting the enzyme cleaner on the stain, you can spray some of it on one corner of the mattress and blot it with a cloth. This is to ensure the cleaner is not damaging the mattress color. If not, you can go ahead with it. Mist the cleaner on the stain and keep blotting till it has been erased. Mist more of the cleaner if required. But keep in mind not to use too much of any product on your mattress – as it might cause new problems.

After the stain is removed, wait for your mattress dry before you make your bed with new bed sheets.

If it’s a blood stain you are looking to remove, you must keep in mind that an enzyme cleaner won’t do. You can use hydrogen peroxide instead. Though it may not entirely remove the stain in certain cases, it will definitely lessen it. Repeat the same process as with the enzyme cleaner.

There is another approach to erase blood stains – adding salt to plain water, pouring the entire solution into a spray bottle, spraying it on the stains, and blotting it. This method is especially effective in removing fresh blood stains.

How to remove mold from your mattress?

A moldy mattress is something whose dangers most sleepers are not aware of. Most people think it is similar to dirt or dust – but it is not. If the mold is new, you can remove it effectively. But in case it is old and hard to remove, a new mattress would be the best option.

If you can’t replace your mattress but want to alleviate the potential effects of a moldy mattress, this is what you can do –

You can start by giving your mattress a ‘suntan’. Simply take your mattress outside on a bright sunny day. Let it dry out, post which you can remove the excess mold by sweeping or wiping it off.

Vacuuming your mattress will also do. Just vacuum your mattress on both the sides, post which you can dispose off the vacuum’s filter and bag.

A common disinfectant like Lysol will also do the trick. Spray it on the mold. Lysol can penetrate deeper into the mold and damage the mold spores better than most other products. Wipe off with a cloth.

How to eliminate mattress odor?

After having used the above methods to clean your mattress, there might be some disinfectant odor left on your mattress. Even without it, your mattress might still carry odor – given that it has been collecting a lot of perspiration and dirt over the days.

The very first thing you need to do is take your mattress out into the fresh air. Post this, remove the mattress linens and sprinkle pinches of baking soda across it. Wait for about 30 to 60 minutes, and then vacuum the baking soda and enjoy your mattress’ fresh fragrance.

You can also use a citrus-based cleaning product for this purpose. Spray it on the mattress lightly and allow it to dry. Post that, you can vacuum the mattress thoroughly.

Additional Tips

Apart from whatever you have read so far, there are a few other things that you can consider –

– Flip your mattress every six months to extend its life. But, if you have a pillow-top mattress, you can’t flip it. The best you can do is rotate it.

– Keep changing your bed sheets regularly. This helps prevent stains and keeps your mattress clean and fresh for long.

– You can also check the manufacturer’s tags on the mattress before going ahead with the cleaning process. You will get to know of warnings or cautions, if any.

– Always remember to clean a stain as soon as possible. This ensures easy removal.

As we have seen, it is important that you clean your mattress regularly. Negligence in this aspect can cause troubles in the future – which you could have very easily avoided.

Let us know how this post has helped you. Do comment in the box below!

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