Make Your Mattress Smell Fresh Again
Whether or not youve stained your mattress, you dont want it to smell. Baking soda is a cheap and natural deodoriser. Sprinkle it evenly over your mattress, by hand or using your sieve, and leave it to settle youll notice a difference after an hour, but some folk recommend putting a clean sheet over it and leaving the baking soda on the mattress for 5 to 7 days, before hoovering it up.And thats not all, because you can experiment with sleep inducing essential oils like chamomile, sandalwood or lavender just add a few drops to your baking soda. Of course, your mattress will smell better if you simply air it out by pulling your sheets back and waiting a while to make it in the morning. Or leaving your bedroom window open next time you strip your bedding off.
How To Clean A Mattress
This article was co-authored by Chris Willatt. Chris Willatt is the owner and founder of Alpine Maids, a cleaning agency in Denver, Colorado started in 2015. Alpine Maids has received Angie’s List Super Service Award for three years in a row since 2016 and has been awarded Colorado’s “Top Rated Local House Cleaning” Award in 2018.There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 12 testimonials and 95% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 3,115,352 times.
You spend about a third of your life on your mattress, so this is one household item you should take careful steps to keep clean. Regular mattress cleaning can help reduce allergens in your bedroom and keep your mattress new and fresh for years. Its also important to clean any spills as soon as possible, in order to prevent stains from setting or mold from growing. The good news is that cleaning a mattress isn’t too difficult, and you can do it with some basic cleaning tools and ingredients.
How To Deep Clean A Mattress In 5 Steps
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How To A Clean A Mattress And Why You Need To
When you snuggle into your bed at night, youre sleeping on more than a comfy mattress. Were talking sweat, dust, dust mites and allergens all sharing the bed with you. Thats why its important to clean your mattress at least twice a year or, better yet, with the change of the seasons. But no need to get a professional mattress cleaning. You can learn how to deep clean a mattress on your own. It’s not hard!
Home maintenance guru Bob Vila makes it simple with these four easy steps.
Use A Mattress Protector
Most mattress protectors are waterproof, preventing liquid from seeping through. They can be easily removed and machine washed on the gentle cycle every two weeks. Mattress protectors are a relatively inexpensive way to extend mattress durability. Plus, they save you the effort of removing stains from your mattress.
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How To Clean Puke Stains Out Of Mattress
A dirty mattress is not a pleasant place to sleep, and it can be even more unpleasant when you wake up in the middle of the night to find that your child threw up on your bed. You may want to know how to clean puke stains out of a mattress.
There are many ways you can get rid of the smelly puke smells. One popular option is baking soda, which absorbs odors and leaves behind a fresh scent. This works particularly well if you combine it with white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide for an extra odor-fighting boost. The baking soda and peroxide combination is an excellent method, but if you dont want to spend any time scrubbing out the stains, another tried-and-true way to clean puke from a mattress is with cat urine remover.
Just pour some pet odor remover on your mattress. Then because cat urine remover has a gel-like consistency, add some water to the liquid and mix well. Let the mixture sit for about five minutes, then wipe off surface stains with a damp cloth.
Diy Mattress Disinfectant Spray
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 2 cups cold water
Mix the solution in a spray bottle, and then apply liberally to your mattress. This contradicts the usual advice to avoid getting mattresses too wet, but if your mattress has pee on it, its already soaked, so a little more moisture wont make much difference.
After applying the cleaning solution, let it sit for 15-20 minutes to soak into the stain. The detergent will help clean the urine off the mattress, while vinegar will neutralize the odor.
After soaking the stain in the cleaning solution, cover the stained area with a thick layer of unscented kitty litter or baking soda. Allow it to sit overnight to absorb as much liquid and odor as possible. Check that the powder is dry before vacuuming clean if the powder is very wet, use a brush and dustpan to sweep it up and then apply more litter/baking soda to dry out what remains.
If any odor remains after cleaning, repeat the process of applying cleaning solution and drying until the smell has gone.
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How To Remove Odors From A Mattress
Nothing is quite as off-putting as clambering into a bed that smells.
Step 1: Grab a mixing bowl. Mix a teaspoon of water with 1 tablespoon of vinegar and a teaspoon of laundry detergent. Add 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 drop if disinfectant.
Step 2: Using a clean cloth, dab some of the solution onto stain. When youve finished, wipe the surface with water.
Step 3: Apply a generous amount of baking soda to the stain and leave it overnight.
Step 4: Vacuum up the residue. Use an anti-odor spray on the stain. Repeat the whole process in a week if there is still a smell lingering.
Finish With Baking Soda
After everything has dried, sprinkle a layer of baking sodathink a light dusting of snow, not a blizzardover your mattress to break down acids and absorb any odors and moisture, Allen recommends. Apply straight from the box, or use a strainer for a more evenly spread layer.
Try to plan your cleaning in conjunction with an overnight trip, because the longer you leave the baking soda on, the better, Allen adds. Vacuum up the powder with an upholstery brush the next day. To keep things smelling fresh, Allen suggests adding 10-20 drops of essential oilsuch as lavender or sandalwoodto the baking soda box before sprinkling. Misting your mattress with linen spray at the end of the process can also achieve a fresh scent.
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Sprinkle Baking Soda Over The Entire Mattress
Baking soda works wonders for freshening up your mattress. It effectively absorbs moisture and odors.
Allowing your mattress to sit in the sunlight and fresh air is also an excellent method of freshening your mattress and getting rid of moisture and odors.
Consider using the baking soda method and leaving the mattress in the sun and fresh air. The combination of UV rays, airflow, and baking soda will yield the best results.
Sprinkle Baking Soda All Over The Entire Mattress
If you can’t put your mattress out in the sun and fresh air, baking soda is the next best thing. Sprinkle a layer over the entire top of the mattress and leave for several hours . Baking soda will break down acid and absorb any remaining moisture or odor. The longer you can leave baking soda on the mattress, the better it will work! As the mattress sits with the baking soda, open any windows in the room to let the light and sunshine in. The sun’s UV rays will actually help kill any mold or bacteria on the mattress.
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How To Clean Mattress Blood Stains
A mattress can get blood stains from the person who sleeps on it or a bloody event like menstruation. Firstly, youll need to cover the bed in plastic and tape it down so that theres no chance for dripping blood to make contact with the fabric.
In addition, you should get rid of any clutter from around the area where you are trying to clean. Once this is done, start spraying your cleaner onto all of the stained areas and rub it into them with a cloth for around 5 minutes each. After thats done, let dry for an hour or two before replacing bedding and sheets on top.
How To Remove Odors From Your Mattress
If you notice any stale smells, a quick and easy way to freshen a mattress and box spring is with a sanitizing spray, like GH Seal stars Microban 24 Hour Sanitizing Spray or Tide Antibacterial Fabric Spray. Both are safe to use on fabrics and kill odor-causing bacteria. Or, to zap odors between deep cleanings, sprinkle some Arm & Hammer Baking Soda onto the mattress fabric, brush it in lightly, wait 15 to 30 minutes, and vacuum.
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How To Clean Blood From A Mattress
Like vomit and urine, blood is a protein stain.
Firstly, we should point out that speed is of the essence. The quicker you deal with a protein stain, the easier youll find it to remove.
How to clean blood stains from a mattress:
Step 1: Get a cool, wet cloth. Make sure that youre definitely using cool water, because heat will cook the proteins and make the stain set in.
Step 2: Dab at the stain. Dont wipe or rub the stain, otherwise that will just make matters worse.
Step 3: Get some salt, baking soda and water. Mix it up so that you create a paste and rub some of the paste on the stain.
Step 4: Leave the paste on the stain for about 30 minutes and brush it off. Use cool water on a damp cloth to remove any excess and leave everything to dry.
Step 5: If that hasnt worked, its time to try a different solution. Mix up 2 parts hydrogen peroxide and 1 part dish soap.
Step 6: Put a very small amount of the solution on the stain. Gently brush the solution in with a toothbrush and leave it for 5 minutes. When the 5 minutes is up, wipe the solution off with a cool, damp cloth.
Did We Help Freshen Up Your Mattress
Mattresses, even the best mattresses, can get quite stinky, thanks to all the sweat and debris they tend to collect. Freshening up and deodorizing your mattress isnt much of a chore. Often, its as simple as sprinkling baking soda over the mattress cover and leaving it alone for a few hours.
Doing this just once a month can help your mattress provide years of comfortable rest and keep you from having to replace your mattress before youre ready to.
This article is for informational purposes and should not replace advice from your doctor or other medical professional.
Sarah Anderson, Certified Sleep Science Coach
Sarah Anderson is a sleep, health, and wellness writer and product reviewer. She has written articles on changing and improving your sleep schedule, choosing the right mattress for chronic pain conditions, and finding the best pillow for you. Sarah Anderson has her Bachelor of Arts degree from Arizona State University in Journalism and Mass Communications. Prior to working for Zoma, she wrote for a variety of news publications. Sarah’s work has been featured on Bustle, PureWow, and other publications.
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How Do You Clean A Mattress Without Baking Soda
How do you clean a mattress without baking soda?
How do you clean a mattress with vinegar? Mix one part white vinegar with one part warm water, and put this into an empty spray bottle. Spray the stained areas with your mixture. Open a window or turn on a fan to help eliminate the strong vinegar smell, and leave the mixture on the mattress for at least five minutes.
What to spray on mattress to clean it? In a spray bottle, blend half a cup of white vinegar and one cup of water. Mist the mattress with a light mist . Allow it to rest for 30 minutes, gently dab the mattress using clean, dry paper towels.
Can I leave baking soda on my mattress overnight? Sprinkle a layer over the entire top of the mattress and leave for several hours . Baking soda will break down acid and absorb any remaining moisture or odor. The longer you can leave baking soda on the mattress, the better it will work!
And If All Else Fails
Of course, if youve tried all the above and still cant remove all the stains from your mattress, it might be time to call in the pros.
A professional mattress cleaner or mattress cleaning company will have seen more stains than you could possibly imagine.
The chances are, theyve shifted more stubborn stains than youve had hot dinners. And if you pick the right pro, theyll still cost less than a replacement mattress.
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How To Clean A Mattress Cover
In theory, this should be pretty simple.
Obviously, your first job is to check the tag on the cover for any specific instructions.
Then its just a case of putting it through a normal wash cycle.
Please note: you should aim to clean your mattress cover just as often as you do your normal bed sheets.
Types Of Mattress Cleaners
There are a few different types of mattress cleaners. The two main types are steam-cleaners and cleaning solutions.
Mattress Cleaner Machines The more popular option, these handheld steam cleaners can be used to clean mattresses, stairs, carpets, auto interiors, and much more. For these cleaners, youll usually need to fill the liquid compartment with water and/or a cleaning solution. Then youll power it up and use steam to apply pressure and clean the desired areas.
Mattress Cleaner Solutions The best mattress cleaning solutions are a less expensive alternative to investing in a powered steam cleaner. These are usually strong cleaning chemicals that you can use on mattresses. To use, youll apply some to a towel or rag and scrub. Some bottles include an attached brush.
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Deodorize With Baking Soda
Sprinkle a light layer of baking soda over the entire surface and let it sit for a long time at least a couple of hours. It will absorb any excess liquid from the stain removal process, and leave your mattress smelling fresh and clean. Vacuum off the baking soda, making sure to get into any crevices to remove the powder.
No Food And Drinks In Bed
Food and drinks are popular sources of mattress stains. Many of us love to enjoy having breakfast in bed and while that may sound romantic, it can be a recipe for disaster if you want to keep your mattress in tip-top shape.
Soda, green tea, coffee, fruits, and chocolate are some of the common snacks we love to enjoy in bed. But quitting the habit can be great for the long-term state of your mattress.
If you have young kids at home, enforcing a no-food-and-drinks-in-bed rule can protect their mattresses and save you the cost of shelling out on a new one prematurely.
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Vacuum Clean The Surface
Vacuuming is the first step in the second-hand mattress deep cleaning process. But before the process begins, make sure the cleaner itself is clean. The last thing you want is to make the mattress dirtier so pay particular attention to the nozzle and brush attachments.
The vacuum cleaners wide brush attachment can help you clean every inch of the mattress surface. Dont forget to switch to the upholstery attachment when it gets to difficult-to-clean areas such as cracks and crevices as well as the sides and corners.
The piping and edges of the mattress may also be quite hard to clean and this is where the upholstery attachment can come in handy.
Remember, these areas are where all the dirt, dust, and other unpleasant stuff collect so you cannot afford not to pay attention.
Also, vacuum-cleaning can help get rid of dust mites, allergens, bacteria, and any organisms that can affect the quality of the air you breathe.
