Washing the mattress is one of those activities that is highly recommended to better enjoy the daily life of the house in a healthy context, for us and our family. Keeping the mattress clean, throughout its life which is usually about 10 years, also allows you to sleep better by reducing accumulated stress.
Have you ever wondered how to clean the mattress? It has been calculated that on average we spend about a third of our life in bed and this leads to accumulating a lot of dirt, derived from various factors, such as:
- Urine leakage
- Bloodstains
- Dead skin
- Dandruff
- Hair
- Residues of cosmetic products
All this without taking into account other factors such as yellowed mattresses or dust, spores, mites, viruses, bacteria, fungi and moulds. Therefore the advice is to carry out a deep and effective cleaning at least once a year and preferably in the hottest months.
How to Sanitize the Mattress
When we decide to sanitize the mattress, it is advisable to have some time available especially if we are going to apply washing liquids that must necessarily dry before use. For this reason, it is advisable to intervene in the morning in summer or in any case in the hottest months of the year. Otherwise, you risk arriving in the evening with the mattress still damp and therefore unusable.
All liquid products such as water must be limited as much as possible as they could penetrate inside the mattress, significantly increasing the drying time as well as being difficult to return completely dry.
All mattresses do not like to be wet but certainly traditional ones, that is, with springs they can better withstand exposure to heat and humidity.
The Operations to be Carried out
The first step in how to clean a mattress and sanitize it is to remove the pillows, sheets, blankets, duvet and mattress cover. Since all these accessories are made with different materials such as sponge, cotton, wool, linen or polyurethane, it is recommended to respect the indications on the label of each product to preserve its characteristics and not invalidate any warranty in case of recent products. In this way, we can dedicate ourselves to the actual cleaning of the mattress while we have the washing machine in action.
It is advisable, where possible, to carry out the various operations on the balcony or in any case outside the house, initially hitting the mattress with a common carpet beater on all surfaces. For this activity, it is preferable to wear a mask that can protect us from all the dust and other accumulated rubbish. Afterwards, you will have to leave it to air for at least 45-60 minutes to allow it to dry completely in case it is wet with sweat or other.
The Vacuum Cleaner
At this point you will have to use the vacuum cleaner on all surfaces, trying if possible to use accessories such as thin nozzles or even better if equipped with a brush and possibly with a jet of steam at 60 °C
This activity must be very careful trying to focus especially on the following areas:
- Along the perimeter edges
- Around all seams
- On the side handles
- On the basins, if present
It has been shown that in these points bacteria, viruses, mites as well as ravenous bed bugs can be easily undermined.
Bicarbonate against Mites
Bicarbonate turns out to be an excellent product thanks to its characteristics, sprinkle the mattress with sodium bicarbonate powder and leave it to act for at least 5 minutes; then rub gently with the help of a soft brush.
If desired, you can also prepare a mixture consisting of water and bicarbonate to be applied delicately and homogeneously using a clean cloth for even deeper cleaning. At this point, we can remove the bicarbonate from the entire mattress with the use of a brush while later we have to vacuum again.
Keep in mind that after this last operation, the mattress will have to be exposed to the air again for several minutes to make it dry again if it is damp.
Other Recommended Products
Those who do not have an anti-mite mattress for greater safety can also use one of the many products on the market such as the mattress disinfectant spray that can be found in specialist shops, on the internet or more simply in the supermarket. The advice is to always use natural and certified products.
What we have just indicated so far is for a complete cleaning of the mattress. If there are no stains, we can repeat the entire treatment from the beginning of the procedure on the other side of the mattress.
But if we do have Stains, How can we Remove them?
Stains should be eliminated as soon as they are created but as we know this is not always possible. So we must identify the type of stain to be treated and which are usually divided into:
- Blood
- Urine
- Other body fluids
- Food and/or drinks
- mould
How to remove blood stains from the mattress
To get rid of blood stains from the mattress, the first solution is to create a mixture of baking soda and lemon. We have to apply it directly on the stain by gently dabbing the affected area remembering to let it act for at least 10 minutes.
If the stain is still present we can try to apply hydrogen peroxide and wait a few minutes. Alternatively, you can still increase the effectiveness by mixing hydrogen peroxide with kitchen salt and common dish detergent.
Then remove the residues with a dry cloth and allow them to dry.
How to Remove Pee Stains from the Mattress
If the urine stain is recent and is therefore still wet, it can be quickly dried with the use of common absorbent paper as soon as possible to avoid getting it inside the mattress. Then you will have to rub the affected area evenly with a squeezed cloth soaked in plain warm soapy water.
In the case of old stains, you need to mix half a glass of hydrogen peroxide with a spoonful of bicarbonate and one of water. Gently apply this solution directly over the stain and wait at least 30 minutes before removing it.
If with this method we have not been able to solve the problem, we can try to use boric acid by applying it directly over the affected area, waiting at least 5 minutes. Then remove the residues with a dry cloth and allow them to dry.
Other Body Fluids
For this type of stain, we can simply try to apply water and Marseille soap and check the effectiveness of the treatment. Alternatively or if we have found persistent stains, we can also intervene with generic washing products; the important thing is, however, that they contain ammonia which will also be used to eliminate odours. Then remove the residues with a dry cloth and allow them to dry.
To make the mattress fragrant, many sprinkle a few drops of Tea Tree essential oil which is often used in the laundry as it is a natural product with many antibacterial and anti-odour properties or that of lavender, thyme or cinnamon.
Food and Drinks
In this case, we can try to apply a compound by mixing about half a glass of vinegar together with half a squeezed lemon which will be sprayed directly on the stain and which will have to rest for at least 5 minutes before being gently removed with a dry cloth.
Eliminate Mould in the Mattress
If the mattress is placed in a humid context, it is also possible that mould will develop. The removal should preferably be performed outside the home and protected by a mask as the spores tend to persist in suspension in the air and could migrate to other areas of the house or create health problems. Therefore, initially, you will have to dry in the open air, later it will be enough to pass a vacuum cleaner equipped with a vaporizer to dilute the mould stains but only if the mattress is in wool or with a spring structure since those in foam type latex or memory foam easily are damaged by heat.
When the mattress is dry again, it will have to be vacuumed again in the traditional way, therefore without steam to eliminate any residue left.