How To Clean Mattresses: Some people say that the best night's rest that you can ever get is on a new mattress. Of course people say this for various reasons such as the firmness of the mattress, that new crisp mattress scent or the fact that the thing is so darn clean like it's meant to be that you get lost in the luxury.
Of course we always tend to regard the people who say the latter as complete whack jobs because there's no way that a clean mattress can give you the best night's rest ever, right? WRONG! Think about it, you sleep day in and day out on your mattress so there are body fluids and particles that we can't see with our naked eye like the millions of skin cells we shed daily as well as hair particles.
Not to mention body heat that inevitably gets trapped deep inside the mattress irrespective of how many mattress covers and bedding systems we use. And that's just for those of us who only sleep on our mattresses! The fact remains that we do so much more, so food stains and ink blotches and even shoe dirt are not uncommon occurrences on mattresses.
Couple all of that with dust mites and all sorts of lunacy floating around in the air that gets trapped in our beds and you will basically be sleeping on a human disease bag. And let's face it, human beings are tough, but we're not invincible; bacteria are harmful to us and that sometimes includes causing us to have uneasy nights.
So a clean mattress, like a clean anything else, is important. So how do you go about cleaning a mattress? Well it's simple really, and it starts with maintaining your mattress. It's a good idea to flip your mattress over every six months so that one side will always be unused and will always get a chance to air out.
Speaking of getting a chance to air out, fabric fresheners have been making a world of difference to mattresses since many of them tap and remove odors and odor causing bacteria, and it is also a nice way to bring back that first-day-you-brought-your-mattress-home feeling! Moreover, these fabric fresheners work on any and all fabric surfaces so there's never the chance of staining or having your type of mattress ruined.
Fabric and upholstery detergents are also great ways to keep mattresses clean as they not only remove surface dirt, but they also sanitize your mattress. When shampooing your mattresses with these detergents, it is important to bear a couple things in mind.
Firstly, make sure that your type mattress is not sensitive to the detergent you intend to use. Some mattresses, such a memory foam and latex mattresses can be particularly sensitive to the chemicals in some detergents and this in turn can cause your type of mattress to lose some if its peculiar qualities.
Also, remember that mattresses aren't solid surfaces, they are soft and thin and moisture can get deep into the mattress which can turn your mattress into a breeding ground for bacteria.
So when cleaning your mattresses using liquid detergents, always do it very early in the morning or at a time when you will have many hours before the bed needs to be used, and keep the mattress in a dry area that will allow it to dry thoroughly. There are cleaners available on the market that are manufactured solely for the purpose of removing tough stain for upholstery like carpets and mattresses.
These cleaners tend to be very strong chemical cleaners and you should always find out if they will harm your mattress before use. Where these cleaners may prove too strong for your mattress, another popular option for removing stains has been steam/heat treatments.
And these treatments can be done professionally or at home using a steam vacuum with the upholstery attachment. And lastly, don't forget to utilize mattress covers. These are great ways to keep the mattress itself as clean as possible. Washing bedding regularly is also a great way to prevent bacteria from going deep down into your mattress and so is vacuuming your mattress as this will help with dust and mites.
