These days, nothing beats a good snooze after a long day of work and constant exhaustion. It’s important to have a nice mattress if you want to get a sufficient amount of sleep. However in return, the mattress needs to be maintained as well.
Regular cleaning and maintenance of your mattress, will not only provide you added comfort, but will also make your mattress last longer. In this article, we will talk about “How to Disinfect your Mattress” on a regular basis and how to get rid of stains so that you can rest well knowing that your bed is clean.
Why Clean Your Mattress?
Even if your mattress looks clean on the outside, it’s not necessary that it would be clean from inside as well.
A mattress is not only used for sleeping, but also for a variety of other activities such as eating snacks, watching movies on a laptop, playing board games, and so on. Because of all of these activities, your mattress is likely to come into touch with a wide variety of things, and as a result, many types of germs.
It is not healthy to sleep on a mattress full of germs or bed bugs as it can lead to a foggy nose, concentration problems, weak functioning of the immune system, and many other kinds of illnesses. Thus, disinfecting your mattress and keeping it clean is essential.
It is suggested to disinfect your mattress after each six months. It is also advised to clean your mattress as quickly as possible if any kind of liquid falls on it like sauce, baby’s urine, blood, etc.
If you are using an air mattress rather than a standard mattress, read our guide on how to clean an air mattress.
How to Disinfect a Mattress
If you don’t have any specialized cleaning spray for your mattress, you don’t have to worry. We are going to tell you some methods to deep clean your mattress with some household materials.
Using Vinegar and Baking Soda
Baking soda and vinegar are ingredients that are available in our household. We can use them to refresh and clean the mattress in a very efficient way.
To disinfect your mattress, pour the vinegar in a spray bottle and lightly sprinkle it all over on your mattress. You could start getting a strong smell of vinegar, but don’t worry as it will later be gone with the help of baking soda. After 15 minutes, take a paper towel and blot the mattress with it.
Now it’s time to remove the smell of vinegar. Sprinkle the baking soda on the mattress and leave it for a few hours in a well ventilated room. This will not only end the smell of vinegar but will also remove sweat stains from your mattress (if any).
Now your mattress is refreshed and has become free from any odour. Don’t forget to vacuum away the baking soda before using the mattress.
Steam Clean
Steam Cleaning is the best method for routine cleaning or disinfecting your spring mattress as this is a totally natural method and does not contain any chemical.
For this you need a handheld steamer (such as a cloth steamer) and provide steam all over the mattress. This will break out the sweat stain that occurs on your mattress. This will also kill many germs that could lead to a foggy nose and an inferior mood when you wake up. Remember, you don’t have to soak the mattress. Just give it a sharp and quick stem flow and that will be all.
Remember you shouldn’t use heat on a memory foam mattress, which is why you shouldn’t use an electric blanket on an air mattress.
Also, if you are wondering can you steam clean a memory foam mattress, the answer is no.
Using Baking Soda and Cornstarch
Cornstarch is another item which is easily available in every household. It not only helps to break out the old smell of the mattress but also holds the property to kill odour causing germs. You can also use baking soda along with cornstarch to level up the cleaning process.
Simply mix the cornstarch and baking soda in equal amounts and spread it all over your mattress. Leave the mattress for half an hour. After that, vacuum the mattress to remove the mixture. Now you can put the bedsheet back on and you will have an odour free bed.
Using baking soda
Another way of deodorizing the mattress is to simply use baking soda. To make your mattress refresh again, you have to follow these easy rules.
First of all, vacuum your entire mattress to remove all the dust mites. Then sprinkle the baking soda on the mattress and leave it for 2-3 hours. Leaving it in sunlight would be better. After that vacuum again to remove the baking soda.
This process will disinfect your mattress, making it fresh to use again and will also kill any bad odour.
Using Enzyme Cleaner
Enzyme Cleaners are a type of antibacterial spray that are easily available at the commercial stores. These cleaners are specially made to disinfect your mattress and kill bad odour. While purchasing enzyme cleaners, be careful that it is safe for your mattress and doesn’t contain bleach.
Generally, there is a guide written on packages to use these cleaners. Some can be sprayed directly while others need to be diluted before using it.
Points to Remember While Cleaning Your Mattress
There are few things you should know before cleaning your mattress, otherwise it can lead to damage.
- Never soak your mattress in water or any type of sanitizing liquid. Only sprinkle a little amount of liquid over the mattress surface. If it gets wet, the moisture will reach deep inside the mattress and it would become difficult to dry the bed, which can further lead to growth of molds.
- Always use a mattress protector if you have a small baby and home. Mattress covers are the best way to keep your mattress clean and free of stains.
- If you are cleaning liquids like baby’s urine, sauce, or a beverage, don’t rub the dry paper towels on it. Just press the paper and let the paper absorb the liquid. Rubbing only spreads the liquid stains and will not absorb any spilled liquid.
- Never use bleach to clean your mattress stains. The bleach will ruin your mattress and you might even have to throw your mattress away.
How to Clean Stubborn Stains From Your Mattress?
Cleaning your mattress on a routine basis is not enough. Sometimes, there could be a sudden need for deep cleaning of your mattress. For example, if your baby pees on it or if it doesn’t get proper care, then it’ll leave a stain that’ll become something that could be hard to get rid of. Here are some methods to clean different kinds of stains.
How to Clean Urine Stains Out of Your Mattress?
For this you need water, spray bottle, vinegar, baking soda, paper towel and vacuum.
- First of all, remove the bed sheet and wash it separately.
- Now blot the excess urine using a paper towel (don’t rub as the stain will spread more and the urine will get deeper).
- Mix vinegar and water in equal amounts and lightly spray it over the stain.
- Then sprinkle baking soda over the stain and leave it for 8-9 hours.
- Now you can vacuum the baking soda and use the mattress again.
- Repeat the process if necessary.
How to Clean Blood Stains Out of Your Mattress?
For cleaning blood marks you need chilled water, baking soda, a medium size piece of cloth, vacuum and a bowl.
- First of all, remove the bed sheet and wash it separately.
- Now make a mixture using one part baking soda and two parts water.
- Using a clean dry cloth, pat the mixture on marks and leave it for half an hour.
- Now take another cloth and make it slightly wet using cold water and pat it again over the stain.
- Vacuum the remnant and air dry the mattress.
- Your mattress is ready to use now.
To Summarize
For many people, cleaning and disinfecting the mattress is not so important and they think that washing the bed sheets is enough for required hygiene. But this is not the case. Cleaning your mattress has the same role as a bed sheet has in maintaining hygienic and healthy sleep.
The above mentioned comprehensive mattress cleaning guide can save you and your family members from several infections and illnesses.
We hope this article helped you. Thank you for reading!
