CLEANING YOUR MATTRESS ARTICLES

Sleep Easy With a Clean Mattress: Steps to Keeping Your Bed in Shape

Most of us probably are not aware of how clean our mattress actually is. We might change and wash our bed sheets weekly or clean the dust accumulating under our bed but we probably don’t even think about cleaning our mattress. Unfortunately, not keeping our mattress clean means we’re probably suffering or will suffer from dust mites, molds, and other allergens that could rob us of a good night’s rest.

By following the tips below, you can sleep easy and keep your bed in great shape.

Tip 1: Start from the Beginning!

As soon as your mattress is delivered to your home, start implementing these suggestions to keep it clean. The first thing you might consider is buying a washable mattress protector/pad which is probably sold at the store you bought the mattress from. The protector/pad will save you from having to clean the mattress itself. Not only with it guard from spills and stains, it will also keep the mattress odor free with regular washing or dry cleaning.

Tip 2: Blot Out Spills or Accidents & Clean Immediately
We probably spend over half of our day in bed (especially on Sundays). Therefore, it is inevitable that spills and other accidents will happen. To make sure that this does not result in permanent stains or damage, make sure to clean up the spill or accident immediately. Use a clean, dry towel or rag to blot the spot. Never rub it since it will just seep deeper into the mattress fabric. You can then apply a cleaner after the bulk of the liquid has been removed. It is best to use an enzymatic cleaner for organic spills such as vomit, urine, or juice. You can also make your own enzymatic cleaner with a 50/50 mix of lemon juice or vinegar with cold water.

Tip 3: Use a Vacuum
Mattresses retain moisture. Since mold might grow in these conditions if you saturate your mattress with water or cleaning products, try using a vacuum to clean your mattress. You can use a hand-held vacuum or a vacuum with attachments to properly clean your mattress. Many mattress manufacturers, in fact, recommend vacuuming as the only way to clean a mattress. You should vacuum both the mattress and the box spring foundation regularly to maintain them.

Regular cleaning of your mattress will make remove dust, dander, dust mites, and other allergens. Even if you aren’t an allergy sufferer, you can begin to notice dust and dirt on your mattress. Therefore, follow the simple tips above to keep your mattress health and you sleeping easy.
Dos & Don’ts of Removing Stains from Your Mattress

Sleeping is the best reward that you can give to yourself after a grueling day at work, hours spent stuck in traffic, and quality time spent with your family. But how can you assure yourself of a good night’s rest when your bed is dirty and smelly? How can you also make sure that your kids are safe from dust mites, molds, and even bed bugs if they have had a few “accidents” on their beds?

Keeping your bed clean is easy as 1-2-3 if you know how to take good care of them. It will also save you a lot of cash from buying new mattresses to replace soiled ones. You have to regularly dust and move the mattresses to avoid wear plus immediately remove stains from them.

Here are some remedies on how to remove stains from your mattress:

1. Eliminating urine stains – After your kid or a pet had an “accident” on the bed, blotting most of the liquid from the mattress right away will avoid urine from seeping deep into the bed. Use clean absorbent cloths such as towels to blot out the liquid. Then use a cleaning agent or a homemade solution (a mixture of vinegar, warm water and mild detergent) to remove the stain. Let it dry completely using a vacuum or let it dry out under the sun. You can use a pet product to remove odor or baking soda to neutralize the smell.

2. Removing juice, coffee or other liquid stains – Immediately blotting the liquid off the mattress will again help solve the problem. Do not rub the stains for it might spread on a bigger area of the mattress. Using an absorbent cloth, press on the stain to remove most of the liquid and to avoid it from getting deep into the mattress. Spray the area with your cleaning solution and let it sit for an hour or two then blot it again with a clean cloth. Let it dry completely.

3. Getting rid of food stains – Pick up the solid substances from the bed with a clean cloth or paper towels. After removing most of the food pieces, vacuum it if it’s not a wet spill. Otherwise, use blotting (see instructions above). If after cleaning the food stains, you notice there’s a lingering odor, sprinkle the mattress with baking soda and vacuum it after several hours or the next day.

Hopefully these suggestions will help you sleep tight and not let the bed bugs bite you because of a dirty mattress.

Keeping Yourself Healthy By Cleaning Your Mattress

Your mattress can actual improve your health or it can make you sick. The old saying “out of sight, out of mind” really applies to your mattress. Apart from changing and washing your bedding weekly, you probably don’t pay any mind to your mattress. However, the cleanliness of your mattress, according to studies, does affect your health negatively as well as positively.

You might be suffering from hay fever, watery eyes, runny nose, itching, sneezing, and having trouble breathing and other physical maladies without knowing the source. While you might be attributing it to stress at work or in your personal life, few, if any, would suspect that their mattress is the source of their health woes.

It might sound gross but there are dust mites right now in the millions in your bed. Dust mites primarily live on the dead skin cells (which is what dust is) that you regularly shed. Most dust mites aren’t harmful but just because they don’t carry diseases don’t mean they don’t trigger allergic reactions especially in asthmatics and people who are allergic to dust mites (specifically their waste). Nearly 100,000 dust mites can live on just one square yard. A single dust mite produces close to 20 droppings of waste per day.

So what can you do? Here are some ways you can protect yourself.

1. Enclose your mattress with a mattress cover. Not only does this protect your mattress from inevitable spills and accidents but it also can keep dust mites away. Make sure to use a plastic cover or other dust mite impervious bedding.
2. You should thoroughly vacuum your mattress and mattress pillow almost as often as you vacuum your floors (or even more often).
3. Wash your sheets and blankets in very hot water. You should do so every two weeks. Setting your washing machine to the hottest setting should do the job.
4. You can also replace your feather and down pillows with those made from synthetic fillings where dust mites cannot thrive.
5. Since dust mites love warm, humid environments, you may want to keep your house temperature below 70 degrees. Another tip is to leave your bed unmade in the morning to allow humidity to dissipate from your bedding. Studies have shown that by leaving your bed unmade every morning, your bedding is exposed to air and dries out. This reduces the dust mite population in your bed.

By keeping your bed clean, including your mattress as well as your bedding, you are improving your health. Not only will you be reducing the chances of dust mites, mold, and other allergens from adversely affecting your health, you are also putting another stressful thought out of your already weighed down mind. No need to worry about your bed becoming a nightmare.