How Often Should You Clean Your Mattress
Most people know that they should change their bed sheets every few weeks. But many are aware that cleaning their mattress is equally important.
Whether you have a memory foam mattress or an innerspring mattress, you should make sure to clean it regularly to maintain a healthy and hygienic sleep environment.
Learning how to clean your mattress, how often you should do it and how to remove stains from your mattress (accidents happen!) are important skills that will save you money in the long run and will help extend the lifespan of your mattress.
How often should you clean your mattress, and most importantly how do you do it?
How Often Should You Clean Your Mattress
You sleep on your mattress for 8 hours a day every day. Over time it accumulates dead skin cells, dirt and dust mites. According to sleep experts, we shed around 1 pound of skin cells per year — all of that becomes food for dust mites if we don’t maintain a regular cleaning schedule.
Mattresses also absorb moisture over time which can lead to the build-up of mold. All of this will make your allergies and asthma worse, but even if you’re not prone to allergies, it can lead to skin infections, viruses and even in extreme cases to urinary tract infections.
Memory foam mattresses are naturally hypoallergenic, but even they need to be cleaned regularly.
Neil Robinson, the Chief Sleep Officer of Sealy UK recommends cleaning your mattress every six months. If you have allergies or other health issues, you might need to do it more often than that — for example, at the end of every season.
How Do You Clean Your Mattress in Three Easy Steps
Your mattress looks totally clean? No stains at all? You still need to clean it. But it’s not as complicated as it sounds.
- First, take off the sheets, pillows, and blankets off your mattress (and toss them into the washing machine).
- Get out your vacuum cleaner with an upholstery attachment, or a handheld vacuum cleaner, and vacuum all sides of the mattress thoroughly. This will remove not only hair, dirt and crumbs (hello breakfast in bed!) but also skin cells and dust mites and other allergens.
- Once that’s done, sprinkle baking soda generously all over your mattress. Let it sit for a few hours, then vacuum it all up really well.
If you can let your mattress breathe in a clean outdoor space, or a well ventilated indoor space (provided you’re not allergic to pollen, of course) do that as well.
How To Remove Stains From Your Mattress
If your mattress has stains or odor, you have a bit more work to do. But do not despair, as this is all very doable.
- Mix dishwashing liquid with a little water until foamy — please use as little water as possible, as the last thing you want to do is soak up your mattress contributing to the growth of mold! Spot clean it using a damp cloth or a sponge. Work your way in circular motions from the outside of the stain towards its center.
- Mix vinegar with water 50/50 and spray the mixture on the stain. Let it sit for five minutes, then dab it up with a cloth.
Keep Your Mattress Clean
The best strategy is prevention. If you take steps to keep your new memory foam mattress clean, you will have a lot less work to do when its time to clean it. Invest in a good mattress protector (it should be waterproof if you have pets or children, but breathable to help you sleep cool at night), clean your bed sheets regularly to minimize the build-up of dirt on your mattress and you can choose between mattress pad vs mattress topper for extra comfy.
Finally, don’t make your bed as soon as you get up. Let your bed air for at least 20 minutes every morning after you get up. This habit will prevent the build-up of moisture and will create a much more hygienic sleeping environment.
About Puffy
Puffy is a California-based company founded on the idea of creating cloud mattresses and bedroom products that feel like sleeping on a cloud. Puffy has been featured on The Talk, and was recently awarded Best Mattress of 2021. For more information visit https://puffy.com
