Mattress Care Done Right
You spend every night on it – but how well is it cared for? Mattresses are a core part of our lives, and their state will determine whether or not one gets a good night’s sleep. Unlike other furnishings or surfaces around the household, mattresses usually get put on the back burner when it comes to the routine cleaning, causing them to accumulate lots of grime over the course of their life. However, this neglect is what accelerates their deterioration, transforming that cosy mattress into an old, dilapidated unit that is reeking of odours. The mattress was an expensive purchase to start with, and you don’t want to be put in a position where you are forced to replace it much earlier than you had anticipated. Let’s delve into the different aspects that come into play to enable you to get the most out of your mattress.
Get a cover
A cover surrounding the entire mattress is key to protect it from everyday dirt and stain problems. While it doesn’t completely stop them from occurring, it minimises the effect they have on the mattress, thus reducing the rate of wear. Moreover, it wards off those dust mite populations that could otherwise be exploding in high numbers in the mattress, as well as reducing the risk of mould growth. This protective layer contributes to prolonging the life of your investment.
Regular vacuuming and mattress cleaning
Dirt is the main threat to the unit. The sweat and body oils that attract residue, dirt particles settling on the mattress, food crumbs that draw insects and pests, all through to spills soaking deep into the material – these all need to be got rid of. The decaying organic waste in the mattress produces musky odours that make the unit uncomfortable to use, while the allergens like dust mites’ faecal residue, pollen and pet dander than it is in the unit makes the nights uncomfortable. After all, no one looks forward to spending a whole night coughing and sneezing due to the agents that are covering the mattress.
Consequently, the vacuuming should be done routinely, to reduce the build-up of loose debris and allergens that are on the mattress. However, this in itself is not enough. There will be grime left embedded in the material, as well as cases of stains that have been soaked up by the mattresses. For this, a thorough mattress cleaning is needed. This removes the contaminants and harmful substances that are in the mattress.
It is recommended that you hire a professional for the mattress cleaning. Taking it on as a DIY job poses lots of risk, especially with the limited skills and resources available. Here you can’t just slosh a detergent into the mattress and start scrubbing away. Firstly, with the wrong equipment there is the risk of leaving behind residue in the mattress – which increases the concentration of grime that lowers the lifespan of your unit. Secondly, working with harsh chemicals – perhaps in a bid to remove those stubborn stains that had been formed on the mattress, comes with the risk of toxic fumes being released into the indoor air space, as well as the fabric, cotton, or foam in the mattress getting damaged. Your goal is to get rid of the dirt and grime, not weaken your mattress or cause stains to set deeper into the material. Working with abrasive solutions like bleach can lead to the material of the mattress breaking down, as well as discolouring the unit and affecting its smell. You also don’t want to have to be exposed to the chemical residue as you sleep all through the night.
Moveover, it can be frustrating when you spend hours on the mattress cleaning, and end up with results that are subpar, where you’re forced to redo the task and utilise more resources in the process. What about your free time? Those days off from work should be spent relaxing, not working about the intricacies and hurdles of the mattress cleaning. Avoid the hustle by bringing the cleaning professionals on board.
Without a mattress cover, or in case of mistakes like overwetting seen often during the DIY mattress cleaning causing it to take ages to dry, mould can start developing in the unit. This is problematic in different ways. For starters, mould releases spores, which are an allergen, thus increasing the health risks which the persons in the premises are exposed to. For this, call in the pros to determine the right procedure for removing the mould before it becomes an all-out infestation in your unit. In case the mattress gets accidentally wet, you should allow it to dry before you cover it up.
Bedsheets should be changed at last weekly. That way you won’t have a colony of dust mites making their home between your sheets and the mattress. Moveover, the sheets will be absorbing sweat, body oils, drool and other body fluids, which get to the mattress and increase the odours. Switching out the sheets regularly will aid in maintaining the mattress.
It’s a simple yet effective easy way of giving you extended usage of the mattress. Flipping it regularly, such as every 3-6 months, evens out the wear. The upper body weight tends to be greater than that of the lower body. Flipping the mattress 180 degrees enables the wear to level out. Note that you should check the manufacturer’s instructions on whether you’re permitted to flip the mattress. For instance, this can be problematic with memory foam mattresses, where there are multiple layers of varying density foam. In this case flipping it can void the warranty. Speaking of which, do not remove the manufacturer tags from the mattress, since these have the information that they will use to verify the purchase later on.
Discourage jumping on the bed
This is especially with the kids. All that jumping adds to the stress meted out on the mattress, putting its structural integrity at risk. Fun as it may seem, the jumping can drastically cut short the life of the mattress. Avoiding it enables the mattress to maintain its shape and comfort levels for longer.
