How often do you clean your mattress? We spend the equivalent of 10,000 days of our lives sleeping on one, but we mightn’t be cleaning it as often as we should. Though it seems like a daunting task, every night as we sleep, we shed skin cells, oils, and sweat onto our mattresses. This can build up and create stains or other unhygienic residues. So strip off the covers and grab your cleaning supplies, here’s how to clean a mattress.
How often should you clean your bed?
As a good rule of thumb, you should ideally clean your mattress every three months. This ensures that you’re starting every season with a deodorised and free from stains, dust-mites and other nasties.
How to clean a mattress
It sounds like a hugely laborious task but it’s actually not an overly taxing task to clean a mattress. Here’s how you do it.
Gather your cleaning supplies
Start by gathering everything you’re going to need to clean your mattress so it’s in one, accessible place. You’ll need:
- A vacuum with an upholstery attachment – this will remove dust and loose debris from the surface
- Dish soap – to spot clean stains
- Cloths or sponges – to attack stains with
- Baking soda – to deodorise the mattress.
Strip the bed
First strip the bed of all the sheets so you can properly clean the mattress. Whilst you’re at it, throw your sheets into the wash for a thorough, deep clean.
Break out your vacuum cleaner
Mattresses accumulate dust, skin cells, hair and a whole host of other debris. Before you attempt to actually clean a mattress, you should start by vacuuming it first.
Using the upholstery attachment of your vacuum cleaner, thoroughly swipe over the surface. Pay close attention to the seams where loose debris can easily hide.
Spot clean the mattress
Attack any stains with a spot cleaning mixture of detergent and water. Using a sponge or a cloth, gently dab at the stains on the surface of the mattress.
Be sure not to soak your mattress or apply products directly to it, particularly if it’s a memory foam mattress.
Deodorise
Next up, deodorise your mattress by sprinkling baking soda all over the surface. Baking soda has the ability to deodorise even the most rancid of stenches by absorbing odours and neutralising acidic compounds.
For an even more fresh scent, mix a few drops of essential oils with your baking soda before sprinkling.
Let the baking soda breathe and work its magic for at least 20 minutes, then vacuum over your mattress once again.
Flip your mattress
While you’re here, flip or rotate your mattress. After being slept on for at least six hours a day, mattresses can begin to develop indentations. Flipping or rotating it can extend its lifespan significantly.
Invest in a good mattress protector
Now that you’ve fully cleaned your mattress, consider extending its longevity by investing in a good mattress protector. You can find them for as little as 50 dollars and it will stop stains and residue from spoiling your mattress.
