When you are dead tired after a long day and your body is craving some good sleep, all you want to do is sink into your mattress and lull away to dreamland. But, do you know that your night’s sleep depends on how well you take care of your mattress. All-night perspiration, dead skin cells, dust, and dirt can become a breeding ground for mites and bed bugs that disturb your sleep.
Unless you clean and deodorize the mattress frequently, you will wake up in the middle of the night with your skin itching and stuffy nose unable to take the bad smell emitting from your bed. While regular dusting, cleaning, and making the bed is a part of the daily routine, you need to do a thorough cleaning once in a while to prevent any dust and bacteria build-ups.
In this post, I will share with you five effective ways to clean your mattress and enjoy a good night’s sleep. This will not only help you keep your environment clean and ensure good sleep but also protect your family from unnecessary health hazards, so read on.
Take Out The Vacuum Cleaner
Even if you do regular dusting of your bed and mattress, chances are that there will be smaller particles of dust, bacteria and pet dander that will still remain. So, you need to take out the vacuum cleaner once or twice a week depending on the dust levels in your area.
You can use the upholstery attachment to clean the mattress thoroughly. Start with the bedsheets, then the mattress covers, toppers and finally the mattress. Clean with overlapping strokes and work your own way down to deep clean the mattress. This will ensure that you don’t let the dust settle on the surface.
Besides removing dust particles, vacuuming can also help remove the dead skin cells and pet dander that become a thriving platform for dust mites. If you have a handheld vacuum cleaner, you can quickly run it over the mattress to fix quick maintenance between the deep cleanings.
Get Rid Of The Stains
If you have pets and kids at home, then it’s needless to say that your mattress will become a battleground will all sorts of food residues and liquid spills. If not taken care of immediately, the fluid can get absorbed by the mattress and become difficult to remove later on. Blood and urine stains are the toughest of all and it can be challenging to get rid of them.
The good news is that you can clean those stains using items you have stashed into the medicine cabinet, so roll up your sleeves and let’s get cleaning. Here’s is a simple stain removing formula you can prepare at home to clean your mattress.
Take ¼ cup of hydrogen peroxide and mix this with one tablespoon of mild liquid dishwashing soap and a tablespoon of salt. Now, spread this paste over the stains and let it dry completely. This effective formula is good enough to lift the most stubborn stains. When it dries, scrape away and clean with a cloth soaked in hydrogen peroxide.
Remove Bad Odor With Baking Soda
When food stains, dirt, and dust start accumulating on the mattress, they can absorb moisture, develop a bad smell and get infected with bacteria. The high humidity levels caused by body perspiration also aggravate the bad odor, but you can treat it using baking soda from your kitchen.
To use baking soda to clean your mattress, first, you need to remove all the bed covers and mattress protectors. Now, sprinkle the baking soda directly on top of the mattress to get a generous coating over it. Now, rub the baking soda on the fabric lightly and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes.
Baking soda not only helps in absorbing the excess moisture on the mattress but also traps the bad smell. After waiting for some time, use a vacuum cleaner to suck out the baking soda from the mattress to get a clean and fresh-smelling surface.
Using A Handheld Steam Cleaner To Kill Bacteria
The mattress that looks clean after you wake up is actually covered in dust mites, dirt, bed bugs, dead skin cells, and bacteria. Most of these are not visible to the naked eyes, but your inability to sleep peacefully at night due to itching skin and stinking odor are clear indications of their presence.
A handheld steam cleaner is a powerful device to remove the dirt and dust but also effectively kill the germs and mites. Steam cleaning will help you get rid of the allergens and promote good sleep. However, remember to vacuum clean before using a steam cleaner to get rid of the loose debris and large particles.
You choose from a plethora of steam cleaners available in the market to suit your budget and cleaning needs. Any device that can heat water up to boiling level - 212 °F (100 °C) is a good choice. Apply steam on a mattress in long and slow strokes to penetrate and kill the hidden germs.
Add Years To Your Mattress With A Protector
Everything in this world comes with an expiry date, and mattresses are no exception. If you want to add years to your mattress and make it outlive its expiry date then remember to invest in pre-emptive protection. Get a good quality mattress protector to ensure that your mattress stays in good shape.
The mattress protector not only protects your investment from dirt and dust but also prevents sweat and liquid spills to get inside the fabric. It is inevitable that the mattress protector will also gather dust, skin cells and pet dander, thus it requires cleaning as well.
However, replacing a mattress protector frequently is easier on the pocket than buying a new mattress, plus it helps in adding more years to the mattress you love.
Related Questions
Can I use essential oil to deodorize the mattress?
Some people may not like the smell of baking soda so they can use essential oil to add a nice fragrant smell to the mattress. Add about 10-20 drops of essential oil to the baking soda and shake well to mix evenly. Rub or sprinkle this mixture on the mattress and leave it for 10 minutes, and then vacuum clean to remove the residue.
Is cleaning the mattress enough for good sleep?
Besides cleaning the mattress, make sure you also wash the bed linen, pillow covers, and blankets in warm water to remove dust, and kill germs. Flip the mattress so that the other side can also be cleaned thoroughly. You must also clean the bed frame with a vacuum cleaner.
How often should you clean the mattress?
To prevent the dead skin cells, dirt, and bacteria from building up, make sure you clean the mattress at least once in every 3 to 6 months. It may be a bit of hassle, but this effort will not only enhance the durability of your mattress but also ensure good health of your family.
Can I use a handheld steam cleaner on any mattress?
A steam cleaner is a chemical-free and effective device to sanitize, deodorize and kills mites/ bugs. However, not all models are suitable for cleaning so remember to read the instructions carefully and always ask the manufacturer when in doubt.
Author Bio: Jamie is a passionate writer and blogger who is extremely enthusiastic about things that aid in saving the environment and reducing carbon footprints. She owns a blog where she loves sharing useful ideas and tips to keep the house clean and well organized. When she’s not scribbling down her thoughts, she loves to travel and try new ways of making sushi at home.
