Cleaning is part of it. The bathroom, kitchen, living room and even the bedroom are regularly taken care of. Unfortunately, we clean our house, but usually forget to take care of our mattress.
On average, a person sleeps 1/3 of his life. If you take the average, then you lie on your mattress for about 8 hours a night. And a lot happens on your mattress. You sweat, you may be sick sometimes, you make love with your partner, every now and then the kids are allowed to sleep with you. In short:your bed and especially your mattress has to endure a lot. You may never think about it, but if you never clean your mattress, it's a breeding ground for bacteria. In the worst case, you can even suffer from mites.
As I wrote above, we often scrutinize our entire home. There is a lot of brushing, especially in the spring. Everything is taken care of, except… the mattress. And that is just so important, especially for our health. Do you want to clean your house? Don't forget your mattress. This will certainly work with the tips below.
There are several ways to clean a mattress. You can clean a mattress dry or wet. In addition, there are special products commercially available under the heading of mattress cleaner, with which you can clean your mattress more thoroughly. If you have stains in your mattress from, for example, urine, there are other ways to clean your mattress.
There is no need to wet your mattress every time. Initially, it is sufficient to simply vacuum your mattress every 1 – 2 weeks. This removes superficial dust and dirt. Instead of a vacuum cleaner, you can also take a brush and dust your mattress with it.
Want to do it a little more thoroughly? Then sprinkle some baking soda (note:this is not the same as baking powder) on your mattress before vacuuming. Leave this on the mattress for about five hours. Baking soda on the mattress ensures that unpleasant odors are drawn from the mattress (ideal if you have removed a urine stain, but can't get the smell away). In addition, soda ensures that bacteria are killed, so that you are guaranteed a safe and healthy night's sleep. A must when there is a flu wave or like now, Corona.
Unfortunately, sometimes you can't avoid wet cleaning your mattress. This certainly applies if there are stains in the mattress. Remember:if you have a stain, it is important to clean as soon as possible. It does not matter whether it is a blood stain, urine or tea or coffee. To begin with, you should immediately tackle the stain with water. For blood you should use cold water, for other stains it is important to use warm water.
Do you use water or moisture to clean your mattress? Then let your mattress dry thoroughly. If the stain is not completely dry, this can cause mold!
With blood it is important to get started with cold water. Warm water will only make the stain worse. You can also clean a blood stain in a mattress in the following ways:
– Make a paste of lemon juice and salt. Apply this on the blood stain and let it soak in for at least 30 minutes. Then wipe with a clean, slightly damp cloth
– For a fresh blood stain, you can also mix plain water with a little washing-up liquid. Apply to the stains and rub over the stains with a soft toothbrush
– A solution of ammonia and water can also help remove the fresh blood stain from the mattress
– Use hydrogen peroxide to tackle the stains (see below for urine stains)
Whether you've been sick yourself or your child, vomit can leave significant marks on your mattress. It is important to treat these stains well, as they will smell very quickly. Again, you should tackle the stains as quickly as possible. First, remove all the vomit as best you can. Wet the area if it is already dry and sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on it. Let it dry for a few hours and vacuum your mattress.
Do you smell anything on your mattress after this? Then use essential oil to remove the smell.
Breakfast in bed is nice, but has one major drawback:if your cup falls over, you have a mattress full of coffee or tea stains. Fortunately, you can remove it without any problems. Start by dabbing off the excess moisture. This should be done as quickly as possible so that the coffee or tea does not soak into the mattress. When most of it is gone, you can treat the stain with a little dishwashing liquid, which you rub over the stain.
I would like to highlight one stain in particular, namely urine. Whether it's your child's mattress or the fact that your child had an accident in your bed, urine in a mattress is no fun (understatement!). Prevention is better than cure also applies here. For your child, this means that you can make the best use of a mattress protector. Especially if your child starts to become toilet trained.
Unfortunately, sometimes, despite measures taken, things can still go wrong. Do you have urine stains in your mattress? Then you can remove it in various ways. To start, make the stain as dry as possible by blotting. Then choose one of the following ways to completely remove the urine stains:
– Sprinkle baking soda on the mattress and preferably leave it for a whole day. Then vacuum until all the baking soda is gone
– You can also take biotex and make soapy water with it. Dab the stain with this. Then wipe the stain with vinegar-added water. Finally, allow to dry thoroughly
– Making a mixture of 1 part water and 1 part vinegar also works to remove the stains. For this it is necessary that it concerns fresh stains and not already dried urine
The moment you wet-clean a mattress, it is important to let it dry well. Place the mattress in front of an open window or even better:place your mattress in full sun. The sun also helps fade the stain and neutralizes the odor.
It may of course happen that you cannot remove a stain immediately. Or, for example, that you do not notice a stain. Fortunately, you do not necessarily have to purchase a new mattress. You can remove old urine stains in the following ways:
– Take hydrogen peroxide and mix it with baking soda and a little dish soap. Apply this mixture to the urine stains (or blood stains). Blot the stain with this until you see it fade (so be careful, because hydrogen peroxide is not suitable for all fabrics).
– You can also make a paste of detergent and apply it to the stain. Keep the ratio:50 grams of detergent and 1 tablespoon of water. Leave it on for 30 minutes (gets hard) and scrape it off the mattress. Remove leftovers with a vacuum cleaner.
Reading tip:that's why hydrogen peroxide is indispensable for your household
You can also approach it a little more professionally. Then use a mattress cleaner mattress cleaner. This allows you to give your mattress a deep cleaning, as it were, without having to get it wet. The mattress cleaner not only cleans the mattress superficially, but thanks to the UV radiation your mattress is also sterilized.
If you do suffer from mites, it is important to remove them quickly. Wash all bedding at a minimum of 60°C. You can also take your blankets to the dry cleaners for professional cleaning. It is important to thoroughly clean not only your mattress, but the entire bed. Mites can be a threat to your health. These cause, among other things, itching, coughing, sneezing and allergies. There are also special anti-mite duvets for sale.
Don't feel like getting started with your mattress yourself? Or would you like to have your mattress thoroughly overhauled? Then you can always choose to have your mattress cleaned. Various companies can be found for this. Compare the prices before you do business with someone. Also pay attention to the experiences of others.
For your own health and optimal use of the mattress, it is important to keep it clean. In addition, you should place your mattress in front of an open window at least once a year or better yet:put it outside in the sun. You should also turn your mattress 1 – 2 times a year. In this way, the bottom constantly changes and moisture and bacteria do not have a chance to accumulate there.
I mentioned it at the beginning:prevention is always better than cure. Whether it concerns your own bed or that of your child, a mattress protector prevents a lot of misery. You can easily and quickly replace and clean these. That way your mattress will last longer.
A mattress is used every night. It is one of the most heavily used items in your household. That is why it is important to replace your mattress every 7-10 years. Because it is quite expensive to replace a well-reclining mattress, you can also choose to take out a mattress subscription. That way you pay a small amount every month and you are assured that you will receive a new mattress every 5 years, without further costs.
What do you do to maintain your mattress and remove stains?
