Mattress Cleaning
Our mattress is the cornerstone of our sleeping comfort and can have a serious impact on our day to day functioning so it is something we need to take care of. We are always quick to note when a mattress is damaged, you feel the springs poke you or it starts to cave in, and the usual response is to immediately replace it.
But how often do we take notice of how clean the mattress is? Sheets can help hide it and we notice the smell of a pillow almost immediately, but despite being subject to a lot of scary things mattresses are amongst the least cleaned items in most households. This is despite the fact they can have huge impacts on things like allergies and asthma and can be the origins of many unexplained odours.
Luckily there are a few things you can do to help keep your mattress fresh.
- Flip and rotate them over periodically. – Obviously only applies to mattresses that can be flipped as some are oriented, but flipping mattresses can have a lot of benefits. The main one is that it helps you avoid focussing too much pressure on a single point of the bed [your sleeping position] which can cause those springs to wear out much quicker than they ought to. You minimise depressions and loose springs this way which are the major reasons mattresses are replaced. You also help the mattress breathe, the underside that was pressed against the base will potentially bread mould if the humidity is bad so flipping can help stop that forming or at the very least help you confirm when it is present.
- Air out your mattress in the sun. – Exposure to direct sunlight is important to stop moulds forming. If you can get you mattress outside for even a couple of hours once a year it can have a dramatic impact and even give the springs a rest. Even if you can’t get it outside due to the size or your location, an open window with light coming in will help. Doing this when it is sunny is a good idea; it is less of a great idea if it is raining.
- Vacuum the mattress. – Mattresses even with sheets over them will be subject to a lot of dust and sweat and other fun stuff getting trapped and rubbed against it. By vacuuming you help to remove a lot of that, potentially taking any associated odours with it. It is a simple process, you just vacuum over it like you would upholstery, the nozzle fittings for couches can be really useful for the task.
- Deodorise using fabric or surface deodoriser. – Fabric deodorisers are a great way to take care of any smells that don’t come out from vacuuming. They are relatively cheap, easily sprayed onto the surface and many of them have antibacterial and germ killing benefits as well. Considering having a bottle on hand to spray the mattress down anytime you do a flip of the mattress.
- Steam clean the mattress periodically. – At the end of the day a mattress will always require a deep clean if you want to be absolutely sure it is clean. A steam clean can remove soaked in dirt and oils, deodorise the mattress, kill bacteria and germs and perhaps most important of all kill any insects like dust mites that might be living there. For people with allergies and asthma this is integral as the dust that the mites form from their shedding is a very strong irritant. While it is possible to do the process yourself we generally suggest organising a specialist like Clean with Care to do it as they can use powerful machines and have the know how to assure that the most efficient process is used.
So consider how you treat your mattress and give it a flip or get it deep cleaned today. You’ll notice the benefits over the long run and you can also improve your health.
