Let’s be honest; most of us realize the dirty, unsanitary conditions of our mattresses but choose to pull a fresh sheet over the mattress pad and think ‘out of sight, out of mind’! The importance of cleaning one’s mattress is often overlooked. All mattresses need to be cleaned occasionally.  The general recommendation is at least once or twice a year.  Some mattresses will come with specific instructions for cleaning them, if yours did, please follow those instructions so you can keep any warranties that your mattress has!  If your mattress doesn’t have any cleaning instructions, we have listed 4 simple steps for cleaning it here:

1. Place your mattress on the floor (on top of a laid out bed sheet) and fix your upholstery attachment to the vacuum hose. Use this to vacuum the top (face-up) of the mattress, as well as the sides. (Don’t flip the mattress until later; we’ll get to that,  besides not all mattresses are made to flip over anymore). Vacuum each side of the mattress twice for a thorough clean.

2. If your mattress did not have a protective mattress cover that you put on it, your mattress could smell a little funky.  To get rid of this smell (through and through) we advise using baking soda after it is vacuumed, before bringing sweet smelling detergent into the picture. Baking soda can absorb and remove foul odors, whereas soap will merely cover them up.

First, sprinkle baking soda over your mattress and brush it into the material using a medium-bristled scrub brush. Be gentle when doing this as you don’t want to damage the fibers or outer material of the mattress.

Then wait approximately 15 minutes after brushing in the baking soda before vacuuming up the powder. By then, the baking soda will have absorbed any odors which will then be sucked out by the vacuum cleaner.

Please note: Despite our cleaning, tips, there are always times when accidents, stains,  or spills may require a little special treatment.

3. Next, make a cleaning paste of water and laundry detergent. Avoid making it too watery as the objective here is to keep moisture on the mattress to a minimum, you don’t want it wet, just slightly damp.

Wet a soft-bristled brush and press it gently onto the paste; tackle obvious stains first, before scrubbing the rest of your mattress (including the sides). Rinse the brush as often as you find the bristles starting to look dirty.    

Wait for a couple of minutes before you wipe the mattress with another clean cloth that has been dampened with plain water and wrung out. This will get rid of the soapiness without wetting the mattress. If your mattress is one that you use both sides of it for sleeping, you’ll have to flip it and repeat the process (steps 1-3) on the other side. 

4. Afterwards, the mattress will still be damp from scrubbing it with your detergent paste so it will require drying out completely. After you’ve finished cleaning both sides of your mattress, you need to stand it on its side and lean it against a piece of furniture.  If you can, place it directly under a ceiling fan to help dry it faster and open the windows if it is hot outside.  

In general, using our 4 steps will help to keep your mattress fresh and clean for a healthy night long sleep!