How and How Often Should You Clean Your Mattress?

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Not your partner, not your parents, not your friends. What possibly supports you the longest is the mattress. We spend a third of our lives in bed, but we don’t usually treat this life partner as he deserves.

Why not? Let’s do some soul-searching together.

Are you one of those who change sheets often or do you do it in leap years, when there’s no other remedy and the fabric already has so many bacteria that it takes on a life of its own?

Do you happen to sit on your sheets in the clothes you came in from the street, the ones you’ve been on the subway, bar, park? And how do you clean the stains?

Let me guess, you are one of those who believe in the romantic myth of breakfast in bed, and therefore subject your mattress to possible risks, such as coffee stains, orange juice and who knows what other harmful liquids.

Finally, do you turn your mattress regularly or is it already so defined with its shape that you could make your wax mold out of it?

If you answered yes to at least one of these questions, you should read on to avoid making your mattress worthy of appearing at a crime scene in the American sitcom. CSI.

‘Ah, your scent on my sheet…’

Even if the loved one has left good memories on your sheet, as in the song by Alceu Valença, washing your bedding is essential for the health of your mattress and for yours as well.

Keeping sheets unchanging for weeks or months will not make them warmer and cozier. It will just be a breeding ground for bacteria and bad odors.

To keep your mattress clean, change sheets weekly, as recommended by the Sleep Foundation, an organization that studies sleep quality.

It is also advisable to wash pillow and pillow covers, blankets and comforters, although less frequently than sheets.

The covers once a month. In the case of blankets and comforters, depending on their use, it may be at the end of the season of use. If you use a duvet cover, it’s easier to wash and you’ll be able to do this more often.

It’s also important to wash your pillows, but first make sure they’re machine washable.

Turn the mattress once a year

Or twice. The very careful ones turn the mattress up to four times a year to keep it in good condition.

Depending on the design of the mattress you have, it may be enough to just turn it from the side where the head rests to the feet, according to the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) in Spain.

Some mattresses even have different fabrics for the winter and summer season.

When to turn? It might be a good idea to do this when the cold gets worse or the heat sets in, so you’ll have the two laps a year that experts recommend.

If you want to go further, you can do this at every change of season.

There are some mattresses that cannot be turned over because they have different areas or reinforcements for certain areas.

And ask someone to help you turn the mattress. It’s not a good idea to do something that’s good for your back and end up hurting your back.

When you turn the mattress over, you can take the opportunity to do a little general cleaning, vacuuming to remove any dust that may have accumulated.

You can also dry baking soda all over the mattress. Let it act for a long time, even a few hours. Then remove everything with a clothes brush and vacuum.

Don’t forget to frequently vacuum your room and specifically under your bed. This, ideally, should be done once a week.

For every stain, a trick

In addition to a general cleaning every now and then, there are stains that must be removed as soon as possible so that the mattress does not become a nest of bacteria and to eliminate unwanted odors.

Whatever the source of the stains, there are two things to avoid: excessively wetting the mattress and scrubbing. This only makes things worse.

Put on gloves and, if necessary, contain the liquid with a towel so that it does not spread.

Clean stain by stain, repeating the process several times until they disappear. When one is ready, move on to the next.

When finished, rinse the area. But, remember to do this with a well wrung cloth or towel.

For saliva and sweat stains, the most common on mattresses and pillows, you can use an upholstery stain remover or an enzymatic cleaner.

Check before applying that the cleaning product is suitable for the mattress upholstery material. The OCU also recommends a small amount of mild detergent dissolved in a glass of warm water with a few drops of white vinegar as an option.

To remove bloodstains from a mattress, make a thick paste of baking soda using as little water as possible. Set the mattress aside and apply the paste. After about 30 minutes, it will be dry and you can gently brush the mattress to remove any debris.

Repeat the operation until the stain is gone. Finally, gently pass a sponge dampened with salt water. A quick and effective remedy for a recent stain is to apply hydrogen peroxide to the stain and absorb it with cotton or gauze.

When finished, dampen a clean cloth with water to gently rinse the area, then apply baking soda, let it sit, and remove with a soft brush or gentle vacuuming.

May it be eternal while it lasts

For urine stains, you can take care in advance to put a mattress protector that is waterproof, washable and reusable.

There are also protectors that do not cover the entire mattress, but a specific area. There are single-use and reusable ones.

In the case of these stains, as well as those caused by vomiting, it is necessary to act as soon as possible. The chemicals in these types of fluids can damage the mattress.

The recommendation is, after removing excess liquids, dissolve a little detergent or foam for upholstery in warm water and add a few drops of ammonia.

Apply the mixture to the mattress with a sponge or cloth. Then, pass a cloth dampened in clean water with a few drops of antiseptic such as alcohol or hydrogen peroxide and dry the area well with a dry cloth or absorbent paper such as paper towels.

In all cases, with any stains, do not place the mattress in the normal position until it is dry.

The same principle applies to the mattress and to love: let it be eternal while it lasts.

Manufacturers usually recommend replacing every 8 or 10 years. Although it’s not an exact science.

But if he doesn’t give you the comfort you need anymore, bothers you every night instead of giving you pleasure and rest, maybe it’s time to look for other options.

This text was originally published here

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