If you’re getting the eight hours of nightly sleep you’re supposed to get, you spend one-third of every day on your mattress. While tossing and turning may not cause significant wear and tear, anything used that much will benefit from proper maintenance. A mattress that is well taken care of can last up to a decade. Without maintenance, however, an old, dirty mattress can end up contributing to allergies, illness, and back pain. If your cleaning budget is already stretched thin, this may worry you. But you can keep a clean mattress and improve how you feel without investing too much money.

The Dirt on Your Mattress

Keeping a clean mattress is a great way to make sure it stays in tip-top shape over the years, which means you won’t have to invest in a new one as often. However, the benefits don’t end there. When you sanitize your mattress, you get rid of dust, dirt, dead skin cells, and bacteria that want to make a home where you sleep. These irritants can lead to a slew of health problems including allergies, anxiety, and a weakened immune system.

To reduce your chances of developing these health problems, Sciencealert suggests to wash all bed linens once a week. This will make sure all the dust, sweat, and dirt you shed throughout the night don’t have the chance to seep into your mattress. Protection is also a good idea—look for a mattress protector that is designed to repel liquids while simultaneously preventing damage due to dirt, dust, and allergens. Note that a mattress pad is not the same thing as a mattress protector and should be washed weekly along with linens.

How to Clean a Mattress

You should clean your mattress at least twice a year, but an even better strategy is to do it at the change of every season. Strip off the sheets, blankets, mattress pad, and all other linens and throw them in the washing machine while you proceed with the mattress-cleaning process. You’re going to need a handheld vacuum or an upright version with an upholstery attachment to suck up dirt and dead skin cells. 

Once you have all materials gathered and the mattress protector is stripped off the bed, use the following method to deep clean your mattress:

• Vacuum the mattress from the top to the bottom, working your way down in overlapping, narrow paths. Don’t forget to vacuum the sides.
  
• Spot clean any stains with the enzyme-based cleaning solution. Alternatively, you can make your very own DIY mix of hydrogen peroxide, liquid dish soap, and baking soda. Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle, treat each stain, and blot away any excess with a damp rag.
  
• Spray a light mist of the DIY disinfectant spray over the mattress to kill surface bacteria.
  
• While the baking soda does its job, open your bedroom window or windows to let fresh air and sunshine deodorize and disinfect your mattress naturally.
  
• Once you’re ready to dress your bed, remove any excess baking soda with the vacuum before putting the protector back on the mattress. Add clean sheets, blankets, and pillows before enjoying the best night of sleep in your life. 

Even mattresses that appear to be clean can contain some gross things—dirt, sweat, dead skin cells, and dust mites just to name a few. To protect your health, it’s important to clean and disinfect your mattress at least twice a year. Invest in a quality mattress protector, and save money with DIY cleaning solutions, to get the most value out of your mattress.

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