Did you know you spend one-third of your life sleeping on a mattress? Despite this time investment, people often forget to clean their mattress regularly. In this guide we will discuss the why’s, the when’s, and the how’s of cleaning your mattress.
Why Clean your Mattress?
Besides the fact that you inhabit your bed for a large percentage of your life, there are real health concerns about not cleaning your mattress. Here are a few reasons you should clean your mattress.
Mattresses Accumulate Skin Cells
Maybe mattresses won’t double their weight in ten years as the internet claims, but mattresses collect dead skin cells that fall off during sleep. Besides being unhygienic, colonies of dust mites can feed on these cells and body oils and multiply. Although microscopic, their presence can cause allergic and uncomfortable reactions. Stanford University Health claims that there can easily be up to 1 million dust mites inhabiting a single used mattress.
Can Cause Asthma
Dirty mattresses harbor all sorts of bacteria and oils and the concoction can affect the respiratory system of the user. One study indicates that babies that slept on older mattresses developed a higher likelihood of asthma in childhood. Adults who already have issues with respiratory functions may also have negative reactions due to the accumulation of dust in the fibers of the mattress.
When to Clean Your Mattress
Now that we understand why we should clean our mattresses, the next question is “when and how often should you clean your mattress?” We have those answers.
Main Bed
For your main bed that you sleep on every night, we recommend getting it deep cleaned at least once every 6 months. This will ensure that all the dead skin cells, dust mites, and allergens are removed, ensuring a deep and restful sleep.If your pets sleep on your bed with you, you may want to clean your bed more regularly as they often shed more skin, fur, and oils than a human would.
Guest Bed
If the bed is used sparingly, you can get away with cleaning it once every year or two. Even if the bed isn’t used much, it’s good to give it a regular clean as dust accumulates on it daily regardless.
Dog Bed
Yes, we give our dogs beds too! Just like a human, it's good to have them cleaned every 6 months. If you can throw them in the washing machine, great! If they are too large, a professional upholstery cleaner can clean it quickly for a low price.
How to Clean Your Mattress
Now that we know why and how often we should clean your mattress, let's get into the process of how to clean your mattress.
Wash the Bedding
Removing and washing the sheets, blankets, pillowcases, and comforters is a basic but important step. Throw them in the laundry on the highest heat setting that the fabric can tolerate. If they smell, put in some vinegar, and super washing soda which will deodorize your bedding. Then dry them in the sun or on a high heat setting in the dryer to kill any remaining offending bacteria or dust mites.
Vacuum
Once the sheets are removed, take your floor vacuum and run it over the surface of the mattress. Wipe down the vacuum head first to ensure its clean before performing this tep. Turn on the vacuum with the beater bar and allow the head to pass over the mattress fabric several times.
Spot Clean
If an accident happened on the bed like a urine stain from a child or pet, or you slipped some food or drink, immediately take a paper towel and compress it with your body weight on the area. Continue to use paper towels until no longer liquid is removed. If urine, (read our guide on mattress urine removal) apply an enzyme stain remover, let sit for 5 minutes, and rinse it with a damp cloth by blotting and rubbing it. For food and beverages, use a consumer-grade fabric stain remover like Resolve and follow the same process.
Put in the Sun
A great, classic way of deodorizing your mattress is taking it outside and letting it bake in the sun. The sun contains UV rays that will kill bacteria and some allergens. .After doing the best you can with spot cleaning and vacuuming, this is the final step.
Calling a Professional
Mattresses are inherently hard to clean as they are incredibly absorbent and white. When a liquid is spilled or a urine accident happens, it easily sinks deep into the couch. Furthermore, because mattress stains are hard to treat, they often go untreated and stain a mattress permanently. Calling a professional mattress cleaning service to deep clean your bed is the solution to your dirty mattress woes. They use professional mattress cleaning equipment which removes up to 95% of allergens from your mattress. If you are looking for a mattress or bed cleaning service, give us a call or request a free quote online!
Frequently Asked Questions
To remove dead skin cells, dust mites, bacteria, and oils that accumulate and can cause allergic reactions and respiratory issues.
Deep clean at least once every 6 months to ensure removal of allergens and maintain a hygienic sleeping environment.
Mattresses collect dead skin cells, body oils, and can harbor up to 1 million dust mites, according to Stanford University Health.
Yes, it can contribute to asthma and other respiratory problems, especially in children and adults with pre-existing conditions.
Wash the bedding on high heat, vacuum the surfaces of the mattress thoroughly, and spot clean any stains.
Blot spills immediately, use enzyme stain removers for urine, and fabric stain removers like Resolve for food and drinks.
For deep stains, high absorbency issues, or to remove up to 95% of allergens, call a professional mattress cleaning service for a thorough clean.
