You're Probably Cleaning Your Mattress Wrong—Here's How to Fix That
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A mattress is an investment you need to maintain to get your money’s worth. That means you need to clean it—and do it right. You already know to wash your bed linens every week and put on a mattress protector to reduce the number of stains on your mattress, but there seems to be a set-it-and-forget-it attitude when it comes to deep cleaning your mattress. Like the rest of your bedding, your mattress collects dead skin, dirt, debris, and the occasional chip from a late-night snack. If kept unchecked, it can be a breeding ground for dust mites or bed bugs. But unlike sheets and pillowcases, you can't just toss it in the washing machine. So what to do? To help you out, we asked mattress experts for a step-by-step guide to cleaning your mattress for a better night's sleep all year long.
Step 1: Gather Your Supplies
Before you get started, you need to gather all of your supplies. The last thing you want is to be trying to lift a mattress and looking for baking soda at the same time. Below are the essential items you need to deep clean your mattress.
Vacuum with a brush attachment
Baking soda or dry laundry shampoo
Mild spot cleaner (optional)
Clean dish towel
Step 2: Remove All Bedding
If you're going to be cleaning your mattress, you should start fresh. Strip and clean your sheets and mattress protector. We might be past the days of plastic quilted toppers, but mattress protectors still need to be washed regularly. The barrier between your mattress and the world does more than save from spills. Protectors block sweat, tears, and fluids from reaching your mattress over time.
Looking for better protection against dust, fluid, and, mites? Mattress encasements wrap fully around the mattress like a zippered pillowcase. This protects both sides of the mattress to prevent damage through the underside of the mattress. This is especially important for flippable mattresses (you don't want debris from the underside of your mattress coming in contact with your body once you've flipped your mattress).
Step 3: Vacuum With Upholstery Cleaner
Use the brush attachment of your vacuum and clean the dust off the tops, sides, and corners of your bare mattress. “Vacuum your mattress without sheets on to get any initial dust or remnants of that midnight snack from last week,” advises JD Velilla, Head of Sleep Experience at Serta Simmons Bedding.
Step 4: Spot Clean Stains
If you have to spot treat your mattress, a light spray of spot cleaner or a laundry power can be used and then quickly blotted off with a damp cloth. "Mattresses made with inner springs typically have durable cover fabrics, but that doesn't mean they can't stain," notes Velilla.
He recommends two types of cleaners for stubborn stains: the first is hydrogen peroxide. "Gently dab the spot with a clean, white cloth while the hydrogen peroxide is still foaming. After you’ve gotten most of the stain out, blot the spot again with some cool water. Always be sure to air-dry the mattress before you put your sheets back on!"
The second option is a DIY cleaner and a natural deodorizer, and you can make it from simple household items: lemon, and salt. "Make a paste with some salt and a little bit of lemon juice and leave on the stain for anywhere between half an hour to an hour (the perfect amount of time to wash your sheets)," he advises. "Wipe off the salt with a clean, damp towel afterward."
Step 5: Baking Soda
In the same way moisture during regular sleep can cause damage to your mattress, liquid detergents and soaps should be strictly avoided while cleaning your mattress. Instead stick to cleaning powders that can be vacuumed off, like baking soda. Baking soda is a natural deodorizer and will eliminate any odors that are on your mattress.
"Avoid bleach, chlorine-based products, and harsh stain removers since it can be difficult to fully rinse and clean your mattress of these types of products," explains Ali Bowen, a mattress expert at Stearns and Foster.
Once you've treated your mattress with cleaning powder, vacuum the mattress again, tops, sides, and corners. If your mattress is flippable, you'll want to flip and repeat the powder-clean steps on the underside. For non-flippable mattresses, you'll want to rotate the mattress so the foot and head of the bed swap.
Step 6: Air Dry
Although it may be tempting after these steps to simply get all your bedding from the dryer and dress your bed, you actually need to stop and take a break. Your bare mattress needs 24 hours to air dry after a deep clean. Consider sleeping on the sofa tonight while binge-watching the Harry & Megan documentary on Netflix!
Additional Dos and Don'ts
Rotate Regularly
"You should be rotating your mattress four times a year," says Klein. This will redistribute the weight while you sleep and wear the mattress more evenly over time. "Even though you may sleep in the same position every night, your head is where your legs were and these are different weights that are going to put a different impact on the surface," she continues.
Air It Out
Before bed, replace the protector or encasement and make your bed. The longer you can safely leave your bed uncovered, the more air and light can help to clean and refresh your mattress. Try to repeat this process once every four months to maintain the longevity of your mattress.
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