How To Clean Your Mattress

Why Do I Have To Clean A Mattress?

You might be thinking, I change and clean my bedding with sheets, pillowcases, mattress protector and blankets regularly. Why do I need to wash my bed? And it's a good question. But even with a mattress pad and sheets between you and the surface of the mattress, you sleep there every night. It's where you'll find shed skin, dust, dust mites, allergens and bacteria, plus whatever pets and kids bring into the bed if you have them. All of those can get deep down past your sheets, mattress pad and into your mattress, and that's why it's important to learn how to deep clean a mattress. Mattresses aren't cheap, and they are investments. Make sure you clean yours twice a year at the minimum, or once every season to keep your mattress at its best. The cleaner it is, the longer it should last. If you use a waterproof mattress protector, you won't need to clean it as often.

You Will Need:

• Vacuum & Upholstery Attachment
• Baking Soda (One Full Box For Large Beds)
• Preferred Essential Oil (Optional)
• Garment Steam Cleaner (For The Cleanest Beds)
• For Different Stains: White Vinegar, Hydrogen Peroxide, Dish Soap, Enzymatic Cleaner, Spray Bottle, Soft Brush & Microfiber Towel

How To Deep Clean a Mattress

Ready to get started? While this is a task you absolutely can do alone, an extra set of hands might be helpful for older, flippable mattresses that you'll need to clean on both sides. Most new mattresses don't require flipping, so keep that in mind as you plan out how to clean your mattress. You can rush through it in as little as half an hour, but you'll want the baking soda to sit on your mattress' surface for about 24 hours to get the most out of your cleaning process. When getting ready to clean a mattress, consider a new spot to sleep for the night, like a guest bedroom or the couch.

To begin, strip away bedding, including sheets, pillows, comforters and mattress protectors. Whether you're learning how to clean your mattress for the first time or you're a veteran at the task, it's a good idea to wash sheets and pillowcases as you clean the mattress. When it's time to climb back into your clean bed, you'll have soft sheets and pillowcases to return to.

It's a good idea to let in some fresh air and sunshine if possible. You'll want proper ventilation, and sunlight can act as a natural disinfectant.

Interested in how to clean your mattress as thoroughly as possible? A steamer can effectively kill bacteria and dust mites hiding in your mattress, and you can use a simple garment steamer to tackle the task. To do this, steam your mattress closely (while keeping water droplets away from its surface). You won't want the mattress to get too wet; if it's soaking, it becomes the perfect place for mold to grow, so keep it from getting too moist. When you're finished, vacuum it with an upholstery attachment and wait for it to dry. If you don't have a steamer, skip to the next step.

Your best friend throughout the entire process will be a vacuum and its upholstery tool. While they do make bed cleaner vacuums specifically for mattresses and spot stains, you can a regular upright or canister vacuum as well, as long as it has an upholstery attachment. From here, you'll clean the mattress surface and sides. Make sure you work thoroughly, getting into any crevices.

Baking soda can clean almost anything, including a mattress. This is one of the best ways to deodorize, wick oils and body moisture from fabric, and it can work to pull away some stains. This is how to deep clean a mattress the tried-and-true way.

You'll need a full box of baking soda for larger queen or king beds, or half a box for smaller beds. To bring a fresh scent to your soon-to-be-clean mattress, add a couple of drops of essential oils to your baking soda mix. Choose a fragrance that doesn't bother you, though different ones can be better for different purposes. Lavender and chamomile are great for helping you drift off to sleep, while tea tree and eucalyptus can have antibacterial properties you'd appreciate in a cleansing. If you have a bug problem, opt for something like peppermint or lemongrass; these natural options can help keep bugs away. Add a few drops of essential oil to your baking soda, shake it up to make sure there are no clumps, and spread it out. Let it sit for 24 hours for the most effective clean, but if you're in a rush, wait at least 30 minutes.

Once you've let your odor-absorbing baking soda mix sit for 30 minutes to 24 hours, it's time to clean it up with your vacuum. Using the same upholstery attachment, dig into any cracks and crevices to make sure that no baking soda is left behind. That goes double for any older mattress you'll need to flip—you won't want a cloud of baking soda to greet you when you flip over your mattress to clean the other side.

We spend a lot of time in beds, and they can easily be stained. Simple spot cleaning should either remove stains completely or diminish their appearance. The faster you get to a fresh stain, the easier it should be to remove. However you clean it, make sure it's completely dry before you're finished to keep mold away. Another tip: bleach can be damaging to your mattress, so never use that when cleaning a mattress.

• Sweat/Body Oils: On a white mattress, whiten these stains with a cup of hydrogen peroxide, a cup of water and 1/4 teaspoon of dish soap. Combine and add to a spray bottle, spray the surface of the mattress, then use a soft brush or towel to brush it into the bed's fabric. Let sit for 30-60 minutes, then spray with clean water. Blot with a towel and air dry. For stubborn stains, add more hydrogen peroxide. For a mattress that isn't white, swap white vinegar in for hydrogen peroxide.
• Blood: If it's fresh, scrape or blot blood away quickly with paper towels. If it's dried and you have a white mattress, use a hydrogen peroxide and baking soda mixture. Scrub the mix and stain with a soft-bristled brush, then wipe away and blot with a soft microfiber towel. If your mattress isn't white, sprinkle baking soda over the stain and mist with water, then lit it sit for an hour before vacuuming it up.Lemon juice can be a good natural stain remover as well.
• Urine/Pet Stains: If you catch an accident right when it happens, keep the urine from sinking deep into the mattresses by blotting it with paper towels or a microfiber cloth. Next, apply a white vinegar and water spray to the stain (two parts water, one part white vinegar). Alternatively, spray with an enzymatic cleaner, let it sit and blot.

Whether you're waiting for the baking soda to do its job or you've left the mattress to sit in the sun before you get started, this is the perfect time to clean up the rest of your bed, from the headboard to the box spring to an upholstered frame and beyond. Follow the instructions on your headboard's care tag. The tag will indicate whether a headboard can be cleaned with wet or dry cleaning agents. From there, you'll know whether it's best to vacuum, clean with a mix of dish soap and water, use a microfiber cloth or whatever is best for the material. For many fabrics, baking soda might be the perfect deodorizer here as well.

Next, the bed base. Strip it of any fabrics and throw them in the wash. Bring the vacuum and the upholstery attachment back out to pull up any dust or hair, then care for your base depending on its materials. If your wooden frame is looking worn, use some furniture wax as directed. Some fabric frames may require a mix of liquid dish soap and water to spot clean. Dip a microfiber cloth in the mix, then use the damp cloth to spot treat stains. If you have a box spring, vacuum all sides and spot treat any stains as well.

How To Keep Your Mattress Clean Going Forward

You're finished cleaning every element of your bed, from the base to the mattress to the sheets to the headboard. But is there anything you can do to keep it cleaner and ensure that your next cleaning goes a little smoother? Well, the easiest possible step is to invest in a waterproof mattress protector. With these, you zip up your mattress into a protector that shields the top, bottom and sides of your bed to keep spills and stains at bay.

That doesn't mean you'll never need to clean your mattress, but it'll help protect your investment and keep away the worst stains. Don't forget to wash or clean your sheets, blankets and comforter/duvet regularly as well. If you know how to clean your mattress, you'll have healthier sleep, a more comfortable bed, and a mattress that lasts for longer than you may expect. If you're ready for a new one, extra sheets or a mattress protector, order yours online from Abt or call our experts at 800-860-3577 if you'd like some help choosing. To read more about which one is right for you, check out our guide to mattress shopping.