How to Clean a Mattress
Mattresses have between 10,000 and 10,000,000 dust mites. They do not only live in mattress; instead, we can also find them in pillows, sheets and even clothes. Luckily, if you clean your mattress regularly, you are able to significantly reduce their number.
Here are some of the basic tips that will help you clean it.
- First rule when it comes to any type of mattress is never to leave it in a plastic protector. If you do this, it won’t be able to “breathe”. It will become damp which will start tearing up the fabric.
- Most mattresses have stains on them. Whether these are made by coffee, wine or some physiological secretion, they are a great breathing ground for bacteria and fungi. You are able to remove these stains by using a dry shampoo or a piece of cloth which was previously dipped in a detergent.
- People make a mistake when they start frantically vacuuming the mattress thinking that this will help with dust mites. This is something that can destroy mattress stuffing. Instead, you can use a fine brush for this job.
- Lastly, after each cleaning, you should dry your mattress on sunlight. Avoid using artificial sources of heat. Sunlight can efficiently destroy microbes that are in it.
In case you want to read more tips on the topic, check out this ultimate guide.
Using baking soda and vodka for your mattress
Even though artificial, chemical products are good for cleaning your mattress, it doesn’t mean that they are the best solution. Simply put, we spend a lot of time in our bed. That being said, overexposure to chemicals can seriously affect your health.
This is why more and more people are trying a natural approach. You can easily clean and refresh your mattress by using baking soda. Put it in a cup and add several drops of etheric oil. After shaking the mixture, you are ready to go.
First, remove all the sheets from your bed. Wash them on a higher temperature in order to kill dust mites. After that, start spraying baking soda all over the mattress surface. Leave it like that for at least an hour.
It is well known that baking soda is good for soaking dust, moist and unpleasant odors. On the other hand, etheric oil gives it a pleasant smell. After this procedure, your mattress will be nice and clean.
Believe it or not, you can also use vodka for cleaning. Alcohol is great for killing bacteria. At the same time, it is good for disinfection. This is a much better solution than the regular cleaning products which are filled with hazardous substances. Also, have in mind that a bottle of vodka is much cheaper than an average cleaning product and it lasts longer.
So, how do we use it? Simple put vodka in a spray can and start sprinkling the mattress. Leave it be for some time until it’s dry. Make sure to sprinkle gently. If you put too much vodka, it will take a lot of time to dry out.
How to remove certain types of mattress stains
As we previously mentioned, it is imperative to remove stains as soon as they appear. Here is how you can remove some of them.
- Blood stains – Before anything else, take a piece of cloth and soak it in water. Go over the stain. You can also use baking soda mixed with water. If this doesn’t help, take some hydrogen peroxide and tap it on the stain until the bubbles appear. After that, use a dry, well-absorbing sponge or cloth to remove it. Hydrogen peroxide is a very volatile substance and it can endanger your health and damage the mattress. Because of this, use it as a last ditch effort.
- Juice stains –These types of stains are hardest to remove. In most of the cases, best thing that you can do is reduce the damage done. For these stains, always use alcohol.
- Other liquids – For all the other liquids that may spill over your mattress, you can use towels and well-absorbing cloths. If there is a lot of it, you can also use kitty litter. Lastly, take the mattress outside to dry out for a day or two (or as long as it requires). The worst thing that you can do is to put back moist mattress in place.
Short bio
Jennifer McBride is a content copywriter and mattress expert at Mattress Insider. She’s keen on everything related to mattresses and loves writing tips that help you choose your mattress and keep it clean and hygienic.
