Deep Clean Your Mattress

The time and effort it took to clean our mattress was worth it. It really did make a huge difference, and it felt heavenly slipping into a newly clean bed that evening!

Interested in learning how you can clean your own mattress? Excited to get started? Then let's get busy!

You will want to start the process early in the day to allow for plenty of time for proper cleaning.

First strip your bed of sheets and place into the washing machine on the hottest setting the fabric washing instructions recommends. Also wash your pillows and comforter according to the instructions on their tags.

Look carefully at your mattress for stains and spots. Using just a dab of mild dish washing liquid, gently rub into any stains. Using a damp cloth, remove the dish washing liquid. Use a dry towel to dab and blot up as much moisture as possible. If you get it too wet and allow for it to remain soggy, you might end up with mold, so dry the area the best you can.

Stains with proteins in them such as vomit, blood, and pet urine will need some white vinegar to break up the proteins. This is especially important on pet urine so your pet will not be tempted to urinate on the mattress again. Simply use the vinegar in place of baking soda.

Once you are satisfied with lifting the stains, you are now going to want to deodorize your mattress. Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda over the mattress. I purchased a huge box (almost eight pounds!) of baking soda in the cleaning aisle of the supermarket, but it can also be found in the baking aisle. Concentrate on the areas that are most likely to have odors, such as near the head of the bed, where sweat might gather.

Allow baking soda to sit on your mattress for several hours. If you have another place to sleep, you can also just let it sit overnight. The baking soda will absorb odors. This is also extremely helpful in refreshing an old mattress that may have been in storage and you need to rid it of its musty smell.

After several hours of allowing the baking soda to soak in, using a brush attachment on your vacuum, thoroughly vacuum up all of the baking soda.

Vacuuming your mattress regularly is important to help prevent mites and other tiny mattress pests, but deodorizing with baking soda isn't needed as frequently. I recommend deodorizing your mattress once or twice a year. This process will help extend the life of your mattress and allow for a more quality sleep.

Image via: Armandhammer.com