Chinese New Year is coming soon! Many people will spring clean their homes before the new year as they believe this will sweep away bad luck, and welcome a prosperous new year. While spring cleaning your home, don’t forget to clean your bedroom, and particularly your mattress!
Why Do We Need To Clean Our Mattress?
No matter how often you change your bed linen, you’d still need to go the extra mile and give your mattress a thorough clean. Mattresses collect dead skin cells, sweat, dust mites, stains, dirt, and sometimes even tiny insects that you may not even be aware of! These not only affect your sleep quality, but may also lead to allergies, respiratory problems or even weaken your immune system.
According to The Sleep Council, an average adult loses 285ml of bodily fluid every night, and shed around 450g of dead skin each year. Philip Tierno, a microbiologist at New York University, suggests that our bodies can lose up to 100 litres of sweat every year while we are asleep, which when accumulated in your bed together with dandruff and pet dander, can be a perfect place for bacteria to thrive and create a potential hazard for us, particularly for young children and the elderly.
How Often Should You Clean Your Mattress?
There’s no set rule on how often a mattress needs cleaning, but we recommend having your mattress cleaned at least twice a year to keep it fresh and hygienic.
Steps to Clean Your Mattress
1. Vacuum the Mattress
Use the upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner to vacuum across all surfaces of your mattress. You can easily remove dead skin cells, dust mites and other debris that accumulate over time on your mattress.
2. Deodorise the Mattress with Baking Soda
You may notice a slight odour emanating from your mattress over time due to sweat and/or urine from young children or pets. Sprinkle baking soda over the entire surface of your mattress and allow it to sit for a few hours (if possible, let it sit for 24 hours) so it can absorb and neutralise the odour. Lastly, vacuum your mattress to remove the baking soda.
3. Spot-Clean Mattress Stains
If you find stains on your memory foam mattress, do not use detergents with harsh chemicals, such as bleach or ammonia, but instead use a mild detergent to spot-clean the mattress.
We recommend using fabric cleaner, dishwashing liquid or mixing ½ cup white vinegar with 1 cup of water to clean away stains on your mattress. Gently dip a clean sponge or cloth into the solution and rub the affected area in a circular motion, making sure that it is not too wet and you’re not using too much pressure while cleaning the stains. You may damage your mattress if you’re using excess pressure or scrubbing it too hard.
Next, use a separate clean, dry cloth to dry off any excess liquid and repeat step 2, i.e. sprinkle baking soda on your mattress and let it sit for a few hours to dry out the wet areas, then use a vacuum to remove the baking soda.
4. Dry Out Your Mattress
To prevent mould from forming in your mattress, it is very important to keep your mattress dry. After using baking soda to absorb any excess liquid from your mattress, if possible, move your mattress next to a window so it can be exposed to direct sunlight to let it dry out completely, which can also be a natural disinfectant to your mattress.
If you cannot easily move your mattress to a window, you can dry it out using a fan or hairdryer. Hold the hairdryer about 4-6 inches above the surface and only use it on the low temperature setting to avoid damaging your mattress.
Once your mattress is completely dry, put on a set of new sheets and enjoy a great night’s sleep on your newly cleaned mattress.
Other Mattress Care Tips
Once you’ve invested in your dream mattress, you’d expect it to provide you with a comfortable night’s sleep for many years to come. Here are some further tips to maintain your mattress in its best condition:
1. Use a breathable, waterproof mattress protector to protect your mattress from spills or stains.
2. Rotate or flip (if possible) your mattress regularly once every 3-6 months.
3. Vacuum your mattress every 2-3 months when you’re changing out your sheets. This is extremely effective in removing dirt, dust mites, and much more away from your mattress.
As we spend about one-third of your lives in bed, it is important to keep your mattress in good shape to let our bodies rest well when we sleep. Cleaning your mattress regularly not only extends the lifespan of your mattress, but also provides a clean, safe environment for you to enjoy a great night’s sleep.
