How Do You Clean a Mattress- Tips and Advice
How do you clean a mattress? There are any number of reasons you may be wanting to have your mattress cleaned.
Chances are you have typed it into your search browser and it has yielded several results, some of which are not relevant for you.
Common Reasons Why You Want Your Mattress Cleaned:
• Regular maintenance and cleaning – making sure that where you sleep is as healthy as possible.
• Removal of dust mites/help with asthma or allergy sufferers.
• Getting rid of urine stains and odours.
• Food or drink spillages.
• Sweat stains
And the list goes on.
Our Thoughts on the Subject
Our top tip when it comes to cleaning a mattress is to not attempt it unless you are confident and have appropriate extraction cleaning equipment.
For example, Bissell steam cleaners can be used for wet extraction. UV vacuums can be used for regular maintenance. We often get called in to try and fix what others have attempted a clean. There are too many pieces of bad online advice on how do you clean a mattress.
What can You do Yourself?
It depends on the situation, there is no one size fits all approach when it comes to mattress cleaning.
If you are going to try and give your mattress a clean, it is best to start with a very slow vacuum with a custom UV mattress vacuum cleaner.
Steam cleaning is good for some spills and stains. Make sure you use eco-friendly cleaning solutions. If using a wet steam cleaning process, see if you can move the mattress outside.
Do the cleaning on a warm sunny windy day. If cleaning outside, an outdoor deck or patio would work well. Remember to protect the area where you are cleaning with drop sheets.
Start with vacuuming your mattress thoroughly. Pre-treat any visible stains and then clean the entire mattress. Allow dwell time. Use agitation with a white towel. Then follow with a steam cleaner. Then let the sunny windy weather help you dry the mattress.
Do not spot clean only. Mattresses can easily watermark. You can end up with a much larger stain than when you started.
Once the mattress feels dry to touch, you can put it back in your bedroom. Put pressure on the mattress, if it feels damp, wait a few more hours before using it.
One common mistake is cleaning with too much vigour. Do not keep trying to get a stain out as this makes the mattress wetter each time. Sometimes stains are permanent.
You may get the mattress so wet that mould starts growing in the filling. Or you could cause watermarks on the surface.
When is it Better to Get Professional Help?
When treating oil and wax spills on mattresses, a solvent application is needed. We recommend getting a professional in as it is best to avoid using any solvents in the area where you sleep unless done properly.
Treating bodily fluid staining is also best left to an expert. Our unique enzyme-based restoration process is the best at getting rid of stains and smells.
We often get calls from customers who have had a go at treating these themselves but often make a mess of it and cause water damage staining. It is important to get someone out as soon as possible to have the best chance at removing stains and odours.
When you cannot move your mattress or have a lack of ventilation in the bedroom. It is crucial to dry the mattress as quickly as possible and a lack of airflow will mean it takes much longer.
Mould can incubate in a mattress left wet for too long. Chem-Dry’s low moisture hot water extraction cleaning is the best option for mattresses in these conditions.
Alternative Cleaning Option
The best way to ensure you have a clean mattress is to get professional help. We have decades of mattress cleaning experience. Our low moisture cleaning process uses non-toxic chemicals which means you can rest easy knowing the mattress is clean and dry within a shorter time.