Tips On How To Clean Your Mattress
Nothing beats the feeling of crisp clean smelling sheets and the resulting sleep is almost always deep and honestly peaceful. Take a moment and think of your mattress. A third of your life is spent in bed with a high probability of sweating out half a pint of perspiration nightly. I know, that sounds disgusting.
Not to mention the bed bugs, spills, stains, dirt, dust mites, bodily fluids including blood, urine, vomit, saliva among other fluids. Now you see the sense in cleaning your mattress. Well, worry not; below are some tips on cleaning your mattress;
Recommended Methods Of Cleaning A Mattress
1. Vacuum Cleaning
You can use your vacuum cleaner at least once a month to clean the tops and the sides of your mattress. Beneath the fabric surface and along the wedge welting can also be vacuumed. Be sure to use a clean upholstery attachment on your vacuum to avoid depositing dirt on your mattress. Vacuuming removes dust, dead skin cells, pet hair and other debris that may find their way onto your mattress.
2. Steaming and Deep Cleaning
Before vacuuming, you can use a garment steamer to cleanse your mattress. This method will kill bugs and bacteria. For best results, you can do this once a month but check the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure you do not ruin the mattress surface material. Vital to note is that memory foam mattress should never get wet so it is better to engage a professional for deep cleaning to protect your mattress.
3. Cleaning up after Pets
Pets can bring in bacteria and dirt from outside so cleaning up after them is a requirement. An upholstery cleaner can remove any stains left by pets. An odor remover works on unwanted odors. You can use disinfectants too and let the mattress dry completely to kill all germs.
4. Freshening and Deodorizing Your Mattress
A mattress needs to feel fresh after cleaning. Apply some baking soda on it during the cleaning process for this fresh and clean feel. Baking soda is a natural deodorizer.
5. Cleaning Up Mold and Mildew
Mold and mildew can be stubborn. Simply take the mattresses out in the sunlight for long periods of time. This will cleanse the growth naturally. If there is excess mold, wipe it off and make sure the mattress is completely dry before returning it to the house.
6. Cleaning Stains
You can spot clean stains. In a bowl, mix 30ml (2 tablespoons) of hydrogen peroxide and 15ml (1 tablespoon) of liquid dish washing soap. Dip an old toothbrush into the mixture and gently use it to scrub the affected areas on your mattress. Wipe with a clean damp white cloth.
You use a white cloth to eliminate a chance of staining your mattress with other colors from dyes. In case you have a memory foam mattress, use an exceptionally small amount of this solution since this type of mattress should never get wet.
Protein stains are the most likely type of stains to end up on your mattress. Blood, sweat, urine, vomit and other bodily fluids are some of these protein stains. If you have a memory foam mattress with a waterproof cover, you are in luck since you can just clean the cover. If not, blot the liquid up with a cool wet cloth and subsequently with a dry cloth to absorb any excess moisture.
Press down rather than using circular motions to lift the stain. Use cold water since heat will actually set the protein stain. If you have a fresh stain, mix salt, baking soda and water; rub this mixture on the stain and brush off after 30 minutes. Use a cold damp cloth to remove any excess past and leave to dry. For stubborn stains, use the hydrogen peroxide and dish washing soap paste.
Finally…
Mattress cleaning seems like a daunting task. If done regularly though, it becomes easy. If left for too long, it can be a nightmare with the stains and amount of cleaning you have to contend with. There are professionals too who clean mattresses and may use germicide to get to the bugs and mites that may have infested your mattress. Overall, a clean mattress equals a restful night.
