How to clean a mattress at home

It's nice to rest on clean, fresh bedding, but what's underneath is just as important. We'll talk about how to clean a mattress at home.

The easiest thing to do when the mattress gets dirty is to replace it with a new one. Hygienists advise replacing it after 7-10 years. You can take it to a dry cleaner, but it is convenient to clean the mattress from stains with available means at home quickly and effectively.

We not only sleep and sit on the bed, but sometimes we eat, children tumble on it, cats and dogs bask on it. The longer we use it, the more dust, stains, and smells there are.

Allergists recommend getting rid of dust and dust mites using a vacuum cleaner with special filters or a washing one, and if you don’t have one, wet a sheet, wring it out well, spread it over the entire sleeping surface of the mattress and beat out the dust (even an old tennis racket will do).

Getting rid of various types of stains at home

Dry cleaning is suitable for all types of mattresses: cotton, children's, coconut, orthopedic, spring. Before you start cleaning, you need to thoroughly vacuum the mattress. A simple and effective way to keep the mattress clean is to add 10-15 drops of your favorite essential oils to 1-2 packs of soda, mix, cover the entire sleeping surface with a thin layer of aroma-soda composition through a sieve for at least 6-8 hours, then vacuum. The soda will absorb excess moisture from the surface, disinfect, and the essential oils will give a light aroma.

How to Clean Urine from a Mattress

If the urine stain is fresh, you need to quickly remove the mattress pad and put it to wash. Remove any urine residue from the mattress itself with a paper napkin.

Then, spray a solution of vinegar and water 1:3 onto the puddle using a spray bottle or a sponge (vinegar will remove the smell), sprinkle baking soda, it will absorb the remaining liquid, leave for 10-15 minutes, apply hydrogen peroxide (freely available in pharmacies), diluted in water in a ratio of 1:2.

Soda, under the influence of acid, will foam into a steep foam. After 2 hours, vacuum the mattress and wait for complete drying, at least 10 hours. This method is suitable for removing fresh ammonia stains from humans, children, and animals.

For a dried urine stain, try using a recipe of 1 teaspoon of citric acid diluted in a glass of water, generously treat the stain, dry, after exposure to the acid the dried stain should fade.

This recipe should be used with caution, as the acid is an aggressive substance and can corrode the surface of the mattress or spoil the filler. Never use chlorine-containing products, the dirty spot may fade, but there is a high probability of stains appearing and the ammonia smell will go away, but a specific, sharp, heavy and unpleasant smell will take its place.

How to Clean Blood Stains from a Mattress

There are some special features for removing blood stains from a mattress:

• use cold, ice-cold water without soap (warm water will cause blood proteins to coagulate and get stuck in the fabric fibers, making it difficult to remove dirt);

  

• moving a dry sponge or cotton pad from the edge of the stain to the center;
• blot the stain constantly, do not let the moisture spread to a clean place.

  

There are several ways to remove old blood stains.

1. Soak the stained area in cold water, apply oxygen bleach for 20 minutes, rinse, then wash. This method is suitable for removable mattress covers.

   

2. Make a paste-like mixture of baking soda and fine sea salt 2:1, wet the stain with very cold water and rub the paste with your fingers, without going beyond the clean area. The mixture's action time is 30-60 minutes, depending on the age of the stain, remove the residue with a napkin, rinse with cold water, vacuum and take it out into the air to dry.

   

3. Apply 3% hydrogen peroxide to dried blood and dry from the edges with a cotton pad, do not allow it to spread, repeat several times if necessary.

   

4. Similarly, use 3% ammonia, only first wet the stain, then apply ammonia along the edge and gradually move towards the center of the stain.

   

How to Clean Vomit from a Baby Mattress

Quickly remove vomit from the surface, wipe the mattress pad with acetic or citric acid 1:1 to water, dry with a hair dryer.

Try to wash off old stains of unknown origin with a 1:1:1 mixture of washing powder, dishwashing gel, and carpet detergent, whip it into a rich foam, treat the mattress with it and dry with a hair dryer.

How to clean a mattress from mold

Very dangerous contamination from mold, especially for people prone to or suffering from allergies, because mold is a strong allergen. If there is a large mold coating, throw away the mattress. It is necessary to fight it.

If dry cleaning is not available, there is a folk method.

1. Dry the mattress, preferably in the sun.
2. Treat the surface with vinegar or alcohol solution.
3. Dry.
4. Treat with any disinfectant or solution.
5. Dry.

Remove traces of makeup using a cotton pad soaked in alcohol.

You can get rid of stuck chewing gum using cold. To do this, freeze something hard (so as not to wet the surface), apply it to the gum, and when it freezes, try to pick it off.

Red wine stains come off well when applied with dishwashing gel diluted with water.

Nail polish stains can be easily removed with acetone, but be careful, if the surface is colorful, it may fade.

Traces of fat can be removed with starch (any) + salt.

Yellow stains can be removed with stain remover and oxygen bleach.

To avoid streaks after washing, you should dry the treated area with a hair dryer, and if they appear, they can be bleached with white washing powder.

How to get rid of unpleasant odors from a mattress

Parents of small children, pet owners, relatives of sick people are concerned about the smell of urine in the house. If you or your loved ones are not allergic to odor absorbers, try using an odor absorber for pets. Apply it to the stained area as many times as necessary to achieve a positive result.

Otherwise, rub dry baby powder onto the fresh urine stain, remove it after a while and dry with a hair dryer.

Iodine works well against the ammonia smell, but it is not suitable for white mattress covers.

The moldy smell can be removed with bleach (sold in online stores), dilute it in warm water and cover the entire surface, dry, then vacuum.

The smell of sweat disappears with a saline solution. Apply to the entire area of ​​the sleeping place, then take it out to dry in the fresh air.

The tobacco smell can be removed using baking soda, which should be sprinkled generously on the mattress and vacuumed up after 48 hours.

How to wash a mattress

At home, it is difficult to wash the mattress itself (due to its dimensions, the particular properties of the filler materials). Dry cleaning or limit yourself to superficial cleaning of the mattress pad, the choice is yours, but you should take into account the type of mattress, the nature of the dirt, before cleaning, read the memo on the care of the product.

Care tips for the main types of mattresses

Cotton wool: it must be constantly aired, turned over, vacuumed every 10 days. Use special cleaning products, it can be cleaned with water solutions, but it will take a very long time to dry.

Foam rubber: can be washed at 40°C, but carefully wring out, as the foam rubber may become deformed. Natural drying is recommended, avoid direct sunlight.

Coconut: must have a mattress pad, dry clean only, constantly ventilate, vacuum.

Orthopedic: the cover must be removable, as it often consists of a spring block and various fibers. The mattress itself must be turned over, vacuumed, and aired.

For all types of mattresses, it is recommended to take them out in the summer for natural ventilation.

It is easy to extend the life of your mattress by performing simple manipulations:

• at least once every 2 weeks change the linen, vacuum, beat it, clean the bed frame;

  

• orthopedic at least once a month turn over;

  

• buy a quality mattress pad;

  

• Only foam types can withstand wet cleaning, but there are thickness restrictions;
• do not use aggressive household chemicals, as there is a high probability of stains appearing on the surface and the “insides” can be damaged;
• use recommended care products, do not forget about folk advice.

Have a nice, healthy rest and clean, fresh air around you. Do not hesitate to use folk methods - they really help in the fight against dirt.

Video: How to Clean a Mattress