For many of us, the only time we ever really think about our mattress is when we are shopping for one. After we’ve bought the mattress of our dreams, we tend to forget about it until it begins to show signs of wear. Since we spend so much time sleeping on it, we really should pay more attention to it and care for it.

 

Stop to consider this: you spend one-third of your life in your bed. Most likely, you keep your home clean by vacuuming, dusting, polishing and the like. But when was the last time you gave your mattress a good cleaning? Sure, you probably wash your bedding regularly, but you need to spring clean your mattress, too. Here, we look at how to put the spring back into your mattress.

Why You Should Clean Your Mattress Regularly

Cleaning your mattress on a regular basis is crucial for preventing the buildup of dead skin cells, bacteria, and dust mites. In addition, a clean and fresh mattress promotes a good night’s sleep. We can all, therefore, benefit from this, particularly if you’re prone to allergies or asthma.

Your bed is your safe haven from the world. The place where you can go to rest and refresh from the pressures of the day. However, when it’s not kept clean, a mattress can contain some of the highest numbers of allergens in our homes. These include dust mites, viruses, molds, and bacteria – things you don’t want to be sleeping with!

It’s a fact that we all shed around 1.5 grams of skin cells every single day. Dust mites just love to feed on this, and tend to be found within your carpets, bedding, and yes, your mattress.

When you’re allergic to these microscopic creatures, it can give you a host of unpleasant symptoms, including:

• Red, watery eyes
• Runny nose and sneezing
• Hoarse voice or sore throat
• Breathing problems and worsening of asthma symptoms
• Coughing
• Itching and skin rashes

By keeping your mattress clean, you can minimize dust mite allergy symptoms and more.

Protecting Your Mattress

The best way to protect and extend the life of your mattress is to purchase a mattress protector. This will prevent your mattress from absorbing perspiration, as well as protecting the mattress from allergy-causing dust. Wrapping mattresses in a protector ensures that dust mites can’t get to your mattress. A mattress cover that’s quilted or padded is probably the most comfortable.

It must be noted that even if you have a mattress protector on your bed, you still need to wash your mattress protector on a monthly basis. Additionally, you also need to clean your mattress regularly by vacuuming it despite having a mattress protector.

How to Keep Your Mattress Clean

Of course, you’re probably well-versed on how to keep your bed linens clean. Whenever you’re changing your bed sheets, it’s good to get into the habit of doing the following:

• Open the drapes to let sunlight in.
• Vacuum your mattress.
• Sprinkle baking soda over your mattress and under your mattress protector. Leave the baking soda on for as long as possible (24 hours is best), before vacuuming it up.
• Vacuum the carpet or clean hardwood floors.

Getting into the habit of doing this regularly keeps your mattress clean and smelling fresh for as long as possible, and it ensures that you sleep in a peaceful, allergen-free setting.