At Number One Beds, we’re experts in helping you get a good night sleep. From bedframes to mattresses, we’ve got the experience and expertise that sets us apart from our competition and we love helping our customers with tips and advice, as well as our fantastic products.
In this blog, we’re going to take a look at a crucial element of any good night’s sleep, and that’s the mattress. In previous blogs, we’ve covered quite a lot relating to mattresses, from the mattress firmness guide to the best mattress for side sleepers. We’ve even considered the best mattress for those suffering from a bad back.
But what about maintenance and particularly, cleaning? In this piece, we’ll take a look at the best practice when it comes to cleaning your mattress, and guide you on what your best plan of attack is when it comes to maintenance. We’ll look at the different techniques you can use to ensure it stays clean, and show you the best place to buy one.
A surprising amount of people seem to think that cleaning a Mattress is pointless, but this is not the case. While it might not be on the top of the priority list when it comes to housework, there are plenty of reasons to get on top of your mattress cleaning duties, even if its just once every few months.
You spend a massive amount of time asleep, up to a third of your life according to most studies, so you want it to be hygienic and bacteria-free. While replacing the sheets helps, there’s really no point in ignoring the fact that your mattress also needs to be cleaned so that your sleeping area is kept as hygienic as possible.
An average person also produces around 285ml of sweat every single night, which is almost the same amount as a full can of Coke, which is a lot! As well as this, the average UK bed contains around 10,000 dust mites, which nobody wants to hear but is a fact. And finally, and this one is not for the feint-hearted, but the average UK adult sheds around 454g of dead skin every single year which is half a kilogram, which is absolutely crazy.
Mattresses also commonly get stained and some even have an unpleasant odour after time, which nobody likes to admit, but is more common than you think. Which brings us on to our next question.
There’s no absolute answer to this question, but experts say that you should try to clean your mattress once every 6 months. Advice says that you should flip it at least once or twice in this time, so when you do that, give it that extra few minutes of care and attention and give it a bit of a clean too.
It all depends on the specific product you’re talking about, and the person sleeping in it. If you’re an allergy sufferer, for example, then if you feel any symptoms coming on related to your allergy, then a clean could be in order. So that’s itchy eyes, runny nose, or an itchy throat.
Firstly, remove all the bed linen. So that’s the duvet, duvet cover, sheet, pillows and pillowcases. Pop them in the washing machine and get back to the job at hand.
Next, get the vacuum cleaner out and gently hoover one surface of the mattress. Your vacuum should come with an upholstery cleaner attachment, so pop that on before you tackle the mattress clean itself. A strong tip here is to do a general once over, then go back for finer details and any crevices you might have missed the first time round. You’re getting dust and dead skin with this hoover process, and you might not actually be able to see anything, but trust us, it’s there.
Once you’ve finished that side, make your way around the frame and underneath the bed too, then flip the mattress and repeat the process.
Finally, let it air out and breathe for a few hours, before making the bed. Crack a window and let the fresh air circulate and percolate around the room to refresh the fabric.
And that’s it! Get your sheets out of the washer or dryer and remake the bed. This is pretty much all you need to do as a general maintenance clean, and as we’ve said, you should aim to do it at least once every 6 months, maybe more.
For stains, you need to get your hands dirty and rather than a hoover, opt for a scrub.
Each mattress is different, so it’s important that you check the label and only apply cleaning products that are recommended by the manufacturer. Otherwise, you could be in a world of pain and not only fail in tackling the stain, but making matters worse.
If there’s no advice on the label, try testing a product on a tiny part of the stain to make sure the fabric isn’t damaged.
Prevention is always the best cure, so tackle the stain as quickly as possible, and if you put some elbow grease into it you should be able to get the stain our fairly easily, so long as you tackle it early doors and head on.
It also pays to invest in a mattress that is less prone to stains and damage, like our Latex Mattresses.
Sometimes, if you can’t clean a mattress, then it’s beyond repair. If there’s a particularly bad stain or smell emanating from the bed that won’t go away, sleeping in it is a bit of a no go. And if this is the case, you’re going to need to buy a new one.
We stock a massive selection of mattresses online, so take a look around and find one that suits you. Or you can give us a call on 01325 485000 to find out more, or visit our physical showroom and shop in Darlington to test drive a new mattress and buy in-store.
